|
 |
Breaking up in twelve languages | ||
Share with:
| ||
 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| FuroraCeltica Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6867 days ago 1187 posts - 1427 votes  Speaks: English*, Spanish, French | Message 17 of 20 30 June 2009 at 6:47pm | IP Logged | ||
|
I think this question goes beyond languages. This is about relationships.
This is about you wanting the freedom to live/work where you want, and not have to give that dream up to accomodate someone elses demands, which may be very different to your own. Part of the reason I am single is it means I have the freedom to live/work where I like. That and I haven't figured out any good pick up lines in French or Dutch? lol 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| McMackin Newbie Canada Joined 5709 days ago 2 posts - 2 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, French | Message 18 of 20 02 July 2009 at 9:12pm | IP Logged | ||
|
If you don't mind me asking. Im curious as to what the original poster does that allows him to spend time in so many countries and I'm presuming working in them. If your working in the them I'd be interested in knowing whether finding work matched with your profession is difficult in each of the countries you've lived. I ask this because I am just finishing off my business degree in university and would like to work a couple years one place then move onto another.
1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Sprachprofi Nonaglot Senior Member Germany learnlangs.comRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6472 days ago 2608 posts - 4866 votes Speaks: German*, English, French, Esperanto, Greek, Mandarin, Latin, Dutch, Italian Studies: Spanish, Arabic (Written), Swahili, Indonesian, Japanese, Modern Hebrew, Portuguese | Message 19 of 20 02 July 2009 at 9:44pm | IP Logged | ||
|
Several things:
1. San Francisco hardly qualifies as a monolingual environment. You can easily find groups of native speakers of just about any language and food of any country. I don't think you need to feel restricted there. 2. You can learn a language anywhere. I was 17 and conversational-or-better in 6 languages (including advanced fluency in English) before I first had a language-learning experience abroad. I didn't have the chance to travel abroad much, and never without family or school before that age, which prevented any contact with the locals. 3. You don't need to be abroad long to study the language or to have a unique experience. You don't need to rent a place either. For example, I did a 6-week intensive Mandarin course at the Beijing Language and Culture University, which really helped me. The cultural experience was amazing too, and frankly I couldn't take much more of Beijing by the end, though I'd come back again for a vacation in a heartbeat. The same university also offers shorter programs, if 6 weeks is not yet palatable for your friend. Even 10 days of Italy on a student exchange (with homestay) improved my Italian by leaps and bounds, since I had studied the language for 1 1/2 years before. I think the key to making the most out of a short stay in-country is to know the basics of the language beforehand (so you can pick up more from context) and to maximize exposure to the language (staying with locals or taking classes or both). So renting an apartment of your own is not even very good for your learning. Edited by Sprachprofi on 02 July 2009 at 9:45pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| rmatthew Newbie United States Joined 5632 days ago 4 posts - 4 votes | Message 20 of 20 03 July 2009 at 2:11am | IP Logged | ||
I certainly do not mind you asking. I make most of my living through translation (French, Spanish, and Russian to English). I just finished my B.A, to be honest, but I started translating a while back. I also work in a Spanish immersion grade school. Because I can do the translation projects anywhere, it enables me to move around. To the member who posted about San Francisco, you are certainly correct: I hear more people speaking languages that I study here than English. However, I would never dare to speak to them in their native tongue. Living abroad, I have no choice. But because San Francisco is so cosmopolitan I do, at times, question moving abroad. Especially when I consider that my main reason for learning is for reading. Here, I have access to nearly any book I would desire to read and in any language. I have lived in different countries before, renting apartments, and because I am quite shy I end up not taking advantage of the immersion. It is of no help conversationally to rent an apartment in Bogotá and read Cien Años de Soledad over and over again in the, well, solitude of the apartment. But, there is always the aspect of experiencing new surroundings and cultures, and that is just as much as a draw for me as the language. I always assumed that language studies abroad would require a long term stay in order to be really beneficial. And for that reason, I considered them to be in conflict with my relationship, because my girlfriend, who also loves to travel, has four years of graduate school ahead of her. Perhaps I could do shorter trips. This topic is indeed a broad, all-encompassing issue, relating more to independence and personal goals within relationships. But, because of the particular nature of language study and its effects on me --the desire it has instilled in me to an immersion experience abroad-- I wanted to share my experiences and hear those of the forum members. Edit: misspelling Edited by rmatthew on 03 July 2009 at 2:17am 1 person has voted this message useful |
If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login. If you are not already registered you must first register
|  | 
Printable version
|
| Copyright 2024 FX Micheloud - All rights reserved No part of this website may be copied by any means without my written authorization. |
