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Emil Krebs (1857 - 1930)

  Tags: Genius | IQ | Hyperglot | Polyglot
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12 messages over 2 pages: 1


Fasulye
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 Message 9 of 12
09 November 2010 at 1:54pm | IP Logged 
Iversen wrote:
In itself there isn't anything special about using your L2 to learn L3. Those of us who come from small language communities are used to that,


L3 via L2 language learning is very uncommon in Germany, which has a huge bookmarket with all kinds of publications in German.

People here in Germany find it very strange when I use my French - Dutch and my Turkish - English dictionary for my language studies, because they assume that I should better use a French - German and a Turkish - German dictionary - which I can buy everywhere.

The bookmarket is different in smaller countries like Denmark or The Netherlands.

I am always happy to read about other polyglots or language learners who use the L3 via L2 method which I prefer for myself.

Fasulye



Edited by Fasulye on 09 November 2010 at 1:55pm

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Doitsujin
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 Message 10 of 12
23 November 2010 at 11:34pm | IP Logged 
I found another very detailed German article about Emil Krebs, a 20 page PDF file with additional background information about his life. The article also dispels some myths about his life.
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Iversen
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 Message 11 of 12
24 November 2010 at 2:08am | IP Logged 
Excellent source! (even though Fasulye found it first)

In 1914 Krebs jotted down this list over languages from which he could translate into German:


I. Europäische
Armenisch (östl.u.westl.)
Litauisch
Böhmisch
Polnisch
Bulgarisch
Portugiesisch
Dänisch-Norwegisch
Rumänisch
Englisch
Russisch
Finnisch
Schwedisch
Französisch
Serbisch
Georgisch
Spanisch
Griechisch
Türkisch
Holländisch
Ungarisch
Italienisch

II. Asiatische
Arabisch
Chinesisch
Hindi
Hindustani (Urdu)
Japanisch
Javanisch
Malaiisch
Mandschurisch
Mongolisch
Persisch
Siamesisch

He added:
Englisch, Französisch, Italienisch, Spanisch, Russisch, Ungarisch, Chinesisch beherrsche ich außerdem derartig, daß ich aus dem Deutschen in diese Sprachen korrekt Übersetzungen anzufertigen im Stande bin. Auch im Finnischen habe ich soviel Übung, daß ich mir zutrauen kann, aus dem Deutschen ins Finnische Übersetzungen anzufertigen, die den Sinn des Deutschen verständlich wiedergeben. (Die klassischen Sprachen Lateinisch, Griechisch, sowie das Bibelhebräisch, habe ich im Vorstehenden, als kaum in Frage kommend, unerwähnt gelassen.)


Actually I would have expected a longer list in both directions, but especially in the direction from foreign languages to his native German, - after all it isn't too difficult to translate something into your own language (that's why international organizations only expect this direction of their translators). The list over the languages in which he could translate in the other direction reminds me of the passage by Kati Lomb where she mentions the languages which she always 'carried around with her' - i.e. it is a relatively narrow list consisting of just 7 (or 7½) language plus German. Even though the last remarks suggests that this list isn't complete we aren't even close to the hundred spoken languages that some have ascribed to Krebs.

I must say I feel somewhat relieved by this. Even the magnificent Krebs couldn't speak 100 languages, nor could Mezzofanti. And then it isn't as embarassing that the rest of us can't either.


Edited by Iversen on 24 November 2010 at 2:58am

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Arekkusu
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 Message 12 of 12
24 November 2010 at 5:44pm | IP Logged 
I can't help think that translating the German message into another language just so as to make the meaning comprehensible is potentially very far from speaking the language fluently.


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