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Switching between languages | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Questions About Your Target Languages |  | |
| TixhiiDon Tetraglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5465 days ago 772 posts - 1474 votes  Speaks: English*, Japanese, German, Russian Studies: Georgian | Message 1 of 31 10 December 2009 at 5:51am | IP Logged | ||
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I've studied a total of six foreign languages throughout my life with considerable success (even though I do say so myself), but one thing I've never been able to do is switch rapidly from one foreign language to another.
This has led to some incredibly embarrassing situations for me here in Japan where I've met Germans and Russians, told them "Oh, I speak German" and "Yes, I'm fluent in Russian!", and then proceeded to speak garbled mixed-up half-Japanese, half-nonsense, at which point the other person was usually kind enough to switch to English. I have a friend, however, who can switch from Spanish to Japanese in an instant, and even from Spanish to Portuguese without any problem, and most importantly, without sounding like an idiot. So what are your thoughts/experiences on this? Can you do it? Can you only do it in certain language combinations? Do you have any tips on how to do it?? (By the way, I'm new to the forum so apologies in advance if this subject has been brought up before.) 6 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| hombre gordo Triglot Senior Member Japan Joined 5584 days ago 184 posts - 247 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, Japanese Studies: Portuguese, Korean | Message 2 of 31 10 December 2009 at 1:41pm | IP Logged | ||
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To be honest, I also have studied several languages to high levels, but find switching very difficult.
This is for the following reasons. Firstly, like any skill, one must practice in order to get it right. I never really switch languages so I am no good at it due to a lack of practice. Therefore I usually need warm-up time. I have a habit of being absorbed in just one language at a time. I also become engrossed in the culture of that given language. For example, now that I am in Japan, I only use Japanese. I have no interest whatsoever in seaking Spanish practice. Secondly, because I dont practice all my languages, the ones not being used decay. You cannot switch to something which is not fully there in the first place. Switching to an half forgotten language is a real pain for me. I always have to reaquaint myself with a language in disuse before I can communicate effectively in it. Thirdly, being made to speak something on the spot makes a lot of people nervous. Being in a nervous state is never good for speaking any language and can cut down your mighty command of the language down to a stub temporarily. As for combinations, for me at least it seems to be the same with all the languages. That includes my native language English. I dread the once a month phone call from my parents. You mentioned embarassing situations didnt you? To avoid those, I personally dont tell people in detail about my language background. People normally end up finding out what languages I speak as they get to know me. I only mention what languages I speak if asked. By the way, if you meet friends of your target languages, and dont tell them you know their language, you could have fun playing spy. It sounds fun. To avoid the problem of not being able to switch rapidly between languages, spending a bit of time everyday on each one is the key. Watch a bit of TV, read a paragraph of a novel here and there, talk to youself in the language for ten minutes or so when you are alone. Anything to keep them alive in your mind. You only lose them when you dont feed them. 4 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| burgler09 Diglot Groupie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6049 days ago 72 posts - 88 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: Portuguese | Message 3 of 31 10 December 2009 at 1:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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The most ive every switched between is two languages in person and that is Spanish and my native langugage English. When I was doing this I never really had any problems or got confuesed at all, but there are times when i am using my msn keeping in touch with old friends and i am speaking English with some, portuguese with some and Spanish with another.. unless i concentrate on which language i'm speaking its really easy for me to forget what language i have to type and ill reply in the wrong language.. but it is very rare i make a sentence like " não estava escribiendo en mi notebook for quimica" Edited by burgler09 on 10 December 2009 at 1:55pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 Iversen Super Polyglot Moderator Denmark berejst.dk Joined 6704 days ago 9078 posts - 16473 votes Speaks: Danish*, French, English, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Esperanto, Romanian, Catalan Studies: Afrikaans, Greek, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Icelandic, Latin, Irish, Lowland Scots, Indonesian, Polish, Croatian Personal Language Map | Message 4 of 31 10 December 2009 at 2:09pm | IP Logged | ||
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I may need some 'warming up' in certain languages, but if I am prepared to speak each of two languages I can also switch between them. No big deal.
In principle I could see my self saying something like "não estava escribiendo en mi notebook for quimica" ... well, maybe not 'for'. But if I don't know a certain word in another language then my safest bet is a similar word from a neighbouring language or from a language like English, and I would also follow that strategy when speaking. Edited by Iversen on 10 December 2009 at 2:18pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| staf250 Pentaglot Senior Member Belgium emmerick.be Joined 5698 days ago 352 posts - 414 votes Speaks: French, Dutch*, Italian, English, German Studies: Arabic (Written) | Message 5 of 31 10 December 2009 at 4:37pm | IP Logged | ||
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At this moment I can't give you my experience for the whole question.
Most difficult, and I had to stop it, was being in Italy with Italian family members and with my brother, who is less in Italian, and wishing/trying to speak English. I automatically always turned back to Italian. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 Fasulye Heptaglot Winner TAC 2012 Moderator Germany fasulyespolyglotblog Joined 5848 days ago 5460 posts - 6006 votes 1 sounds Speaks: German*, DutchC1, EnglishB2, French, Italian, Spanish, Esperanto Studies: Latin, Danish, Norwegian, Turkish Personal Language Map | Message 6 of 31 10 December 2009 at 8:54pm | IP Logged | ||
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Switching between several languages, that's exactly what we do, when I do polyglot skyping with other polyglots on Skype. With my "Skypies" I switch languages several times in only one phonecall. For me this works well, I only once had interferences when I had to switch directly from Italian to Spanish. Switching from Spanish to Italian is easier for me. For me it's a fun game on Skype, all those languages and switching between them and also my "Skypies" enjoy it.
Fasulye Edited by Fasulye on 10 December 2009 at 8:59pm 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Quabazaa Tetraglot Senior Member United States Joined 5610 days ago 414 posts - 543 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish, German, French Studies: Japanese, Korean, Maori, Scottish Gaelic, Arabic (Levantine), Arabic (Egyptian), Arabic (Written) | Message 7 of 31 10 December 2009 at 10:15pm | IP Logged | ||
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Maybe it depends on how your brain works or something... mine likes to be helpful and fill any gaps where I can't remember the word with the right meaning in any random language I know and do remember. It can be so frustrating when you are speaking fine in say, Spanish, and all of a sudden out comes a word or two in Japanese. Yay for sounding like a lunatic! :)
Hehe well I wonder if practising helps? Perhaps try speaking a complete sentence in one language, and switching and speaking in another, and see if you can make complete and well constructed sentences using each language as you switch. Another thing I try is that when I'm suddenly presented with a person asking me something in a different language than I was talking/thiking in, I say the name of that language to myself, Like "Oh wait, not English: Nihongo!!" And try to let that be a prompt to make my brain realise the switch. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| alang Diglot Senior Member Canada Joined 7222 days ago 563 posts - 757 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish | Message 8 of 31 10 December 2009 at 10:38pm | IP Logged | ||
I actually do this, but in written form with chat forums. Example I have multiple windows open and chat in the three languages I am using. It is a little tricky at first, but seems to become easier with practice. I eventually want to do this by code- switching with polyglots through talking in the future. That IMO would be more difficult than writing, as it is spontaneous. I can say "Congrats Fasulye!" That is one goal I look forward to doing it. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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