A Language Barrier Didn't Stop Them from Falling in Love

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On February 21st, 2020, Attila knelt and asked Regiane for her hand in marriage.

He told her in three different languages that he loved her. Regiane felt overcome by his words. She knew their relationship was heading towards marriage, but it was the first time Attila had told her, "I love you." 

Language barriers made it complicated

Language barriers and geography complicated their love story. Regiane is Brazilian and speaks Portuguese, but she was living in London, England, when they first met. Attila is Hungarian but lives in Slovakia. He speaks fluent Hungarian, Slovakian, and English, but no Portuguese. Regiane possessed a limited grasp on English, which was the only language they had in common except for Church Latin. Despite the communication barrier, their love for God and the Holy Mass ended up being enough of a springboard for the couple to fall in love.

It was almost a deal-breaker

On May 9th, 2019, Regiane sent Attila a message on CatholicMatch because she felt they were compatible spiritually, and that they shared similar tastes in music, prayers, hobbies. Plus, they both attended the Latin Mass.

Attila received Regiane's message with mixed feelings. He found her profile interesting, but Attila was communicating with a few other CatholicMatch members. 

"After a failed date with one of the members, I decided to give Regiane a chance despite doubts it would work because she didn't speak very good English," Attila explains. "Even so, I had some hope because I liked her healthy, traditional, conservative, and family-friendly attitude." 

With the help of Google translate and Regiane's studying of English, the couple's relationship began to grow.   

"I appreciated her disposition towards the God, the Church, and me," he says. 

Attila also liked that Regiane valued the traditional role of being a wife and mother and that she didn't value materialism.

Regiane found Attila's love for the Lord and his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary incredibly attractive.

He flew to London

On July 5th, 2019, Attila traveled to London to see Regiane face-to-face for the first time. 

"It was the first time I'd traveled to the UK and left the old continent," he shares. "At the airport, Regiane greeted me more coldly than I had expected." 

Regiane explains that she had been asking God, through the intercession of the saints, to help her find a husband, and she felt overwhelmed by her answered prayers.

"I had made a great commitment of my life with the intercession of Saint Joseph, Saint Anna, and Saint Joaquim then I realized everything was happening," she says.

Attila adds, "I prayed every day to St. Raphael to help me to find that special one."

The only question for Attila was whether he would be able to communicate with Regiane. After that disastrous date with another member, he feared history might repeat itself.

Thankfully, it didn't take them long to break the ice and enjoy each other's company. "We especially liked the romantic boating on a lake in the Hyde Park and the visit to Windsor castle," he says. "It was not a question that we wanted to meet again."

Regiane recalls one humorous memory of Attila's first trip to meet her. "I tried to explain directions to him. He asked me about a good way to get to the Houses of Parliament. I told him, "We have to walk, walk, walk, and then, left, left, and right, right."

Attila thought her directions were hilarious. The couple still laughs about it today.

Planning the second date

After their first successful date at the beginning of July, Attila and Regiane talked to one another every day. They made plans to see each other in August.

"I had already planned to go to England to visit friends of mine, so it posed an opportunity to meet again with Regiane and continue dating." 

Their relationship had progressed so well that Attila felt comfortable enough to ask Regiane an important question. "On the night of August 9th, he asked me, 'Regiane, do you want to be my girlfriend?'" she recalls fondly. 

She travels to Slovakia

After Regiane's six-month stay in London ended, Attila invited her to meet his family in Slovakia. She ended up staying for over a month. 

"I confess that the cultural shock was considerable, but what united us most were the times we prayed," she shares.

Attila introduced Regiane to his family, who only speak Hungarian. Now Regiane was not only trying to learn English but also Hungarian. 

"When she stayed in Slovakia, I needed to translate everything," he says. "The Google translator helped her, as well." 

Even though the couple had some arguments during her stay, they realized that they could discuss anything.

Different time zones

The most challenging period of their dating relationship began after Regiane returned to Brazil. Besides the pain of being physically far apart, the five-hour time difference made getting enough sleep difficult.

The couple talked every evening, making Attila's bedtime very late. Those wee hours of the morning conversations confirmed to Attila that he loved Regiane, but he had yet to tell her that even though they had discussed marriage.

A proposal in Sao Paolo

In February 2020, after five months of being in different hemispheres, Attila flew to Sao Paolo. 

"I've never traveled so much before," he shares. "It was a big and hard step for me." 

Attila met Regiane's family but struggled to speak with them because they only spoke Portuguese. "I learned only the most basic things to say," he shares. Though, he's currently, studying the language.

The whole trip, Attila waited for the right time to propose, but his plans kept getting foiled. The entire time he felt nervous about losing the ring he had in his pocket. He had been careful not to reveal to Regiane that he had plans to propose.

Attila had gone through great trouble to find out her ring size without tipping her off.

"Because I wanted to surprise her, I didn't want to ask her directly, and I couldn't ask somebody else because her family speaks only Portuguese," he says. "So, I needed to ask Regiane without unveiling my plans. To throw her off, I asked her about many things as well as her sizes—even the size of her shoes—to avoid her suspicion."

The first "I love you" 

On February 21st, 2020, in downtown São Paulo at the Gerundino restaurant, Attila got up in the middle of dinner and came and knelt on one knee by Regiane.

Looking her in the eyes, he told her, "I have traveled so many hours, and I waited for this moment to tell you that I love you. I wish you to be my bride. Will you marry me?"

"He opened a box, and there was an engagement ring," she remembers. The people at the restaurant applauded. 

Regiane and Attila the restaurant where Attila proposed.

"I felt shocked and surprised, and thankfully a couple at the restaurant took a photo. When we got home, we broke the news to my parents and everyone expressed their surprise and joy," she says.

If COVID-19 doesn't interfere with their plans, the couple's wedding will be held in Slovakia.  They plan to have the ceremony in the Latin rite.

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