How many hours to read a language? (Advice Center) Language Learning Forum

How many hours to read a language?
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10 messages over 2 pages: 1 2

CelticBasque
Newbie
United States
Joined 4583 days ago
18 posts - 20 votes
Speaks: English*
Studies: Russian, French

Message 9 of 10

23 February 2015 at 2:45pm | IP Logged

outcast wrote:

Do they really expect students to be able to read Ancient Greek, Latin, French, and German???

Most university students have very low proficiencies in the languages they MAJOR in! So how is it that they expect to
be reasonably fluent in four? (with enough vocabulary to be able to be productive in reading those languages?

It seems like an awful lot to ask.

Well I don't think they are expected to be reasonably fluent in four. They just need to be able to read them, which is
quite a lot easier. But I thought the same thing, its absolutely shocking. That's for Ancient History though. East
Asian history courses also have ridiculously hard language requirements (Usually Japanese + Mandarin + European
language). Modern European History is usually Russian + French or German, which isn't so bad.

I also think that they are allowed to use a dictionary when taking the exams, which amounts to translating texts.
This makes a huge difference of course!

Edited by CelticBasque on 23 February 2015 at 2:55pm
1 person has voted this message useful

eyðimörk
Triglot
Senior Member
France
goo.gl/aT4FY7
Joined 4088 days ago
490 posts - 1158 votes

Speaks: Swedish*, English, French
Studies: Breton, Italian

Message 10 of 10

23 February 2015 at 3:07pm | IP Logged

outcast wrote:

Do they really expect students to be able to read Ancient Greek, Latin, French, and German???

Classics/Classical Archaeology graduate programmes generally require students to read Ancient Greek and Latin, sometimes sight-read (some universities are even notorious for failing students for using the "wrong" synonym in a translation). Being able to work out German and preferably also either French, Italian or Greek articles is expected, if not always tested as such.

As a Classical Archaeology undergrad who had never studied German I spent a fair amount of time staring at German with a dictionary. The people who never found a way to cope with at least encyclopaedia entries in German basically flunked out because they couldn't find the sources necessary to write papers (all hail the great Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft).
5 persons have voted this message useful

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