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Anyone become fluent w/o having travelled | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : General discussion |  | |
| lady_skywalker Triglot Senior Member Netherlands aspiringpolyglotblog Joined 6892 days ago 909 posts - 942 votes  Speaks: Spanish, English*, Mandarin Studies: Japanese, French, Dutch, Italian | Message 17 of 21 28 June 2009 at 10:50am | IP Logged |
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I think the general view is that you can never really truly know a language until you have lived in a country where it is spoken. The argument, especially in translation circles, is that you cannot grasp cultural nuances or truly understand a language until you have immersed yourself in it for at least a few years. I'd imagine this argument applies more to translators than the average language learner due to the level of linguistic ability and cultural knowledge that one needs to know in order to be a successful translator (people are particularly wary of Japanese>English translators who have never lived in Japan or have only lived there for a short while).
I feel that in this day and age it is indeed possible to learn a language to a high level of fluency without ever leaving your home country. Online TV, radio and newspapers are a fantastic way to build up your listening and reading skills (I find a lot more Chinese-language content online than I would ever find anywhere in the Netherlands), while Skype and instant messengers allow you to chat with native speakers from the comfort of your own home. You can use blogs and forums to practice your writing skills and you can be safe in the knowledge that a native speaker can give you feedback and help correct your mistakes. You might even be able to find native speakers to talk to if you know where to look or are able to find a conversation group. There are countless of opportunities...you just need to know where to find them and how to use them to your benefit. :) 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| William Camden Hexaglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6274 days ago 1936 posts - 2333 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, French | Message 18 of 21 28 June 2009 at 1:11pm | IP Logged |
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I have travelled to Turkey on a number of occasions, but most of my grasp of Turkish comes from speaking the language with members of the Turkish-speaking diaspora in Europe, watching Turkish-language satellite TV etc.
Some languages can be learned from association with members of migrant communities. You don't have to go to the country of origin. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
 Keith Diglot Moderator JapanRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6779 days ago 526 posts - 536 votes 1 sounds Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: Mandarin Personal Language Map | Message 19 of 21 28 June 2009 at 6:06pm | IP Logged |
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Yes, I have met people who are fluent in foreign languages without living in a country where that language is spoken. I have even recorded one for you. Check out this thread and follow the link in the first post.
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 jeff_lindqvist Diglot Moderator SwedenRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6911 days ago 4250 posts - 5711 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English Studies: German, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, Mandarin, Esperanto, Irish, French Personal Language Map | Message 20 of 21 28 June 2009 at 6:26pm | IP Logged |
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I haven't travelled much. I've been to Ireland four times for 1-2 weeks (in fact without having to speak that much), UK twice (a couple of days) and Germany (2-3 days at a time). I think I've been abroad for more than one month (but less than two months) in total.
I can think in English. I read and write more in English than my native Swedish, every day of the year for the past 10 years. I speak English with foreigners nearly every day at work, at least once a week (I work at a library). Do I have a native accent? No (although people have thought I am American, Canadian and Irish). Do I make grammar mistakes? Probably a lot of them. Am I fluent? Who knows. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| cordelia0507 Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 5840 days ago 1473 posts - 2176 votes Speaks: Swedish* Studies: German, Russian | Message 21 of 21 28 June 2009 at 7:53pm | IP Logged |
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Jeff's reply is really interesting and yes, of course you are fluent!
Not sure if his experience is unique for English because of the ubiquitousness (is there such a word???) of English. Could the feat be replicated as easily with a smaller language from another part of the world, say Vietnamese, Tagalog etc?? Interestingly, as we know, there are lots of examples of the complete opposite. People who have lived somewhere for ages and can barely hold up a heavily accented basic conversation. The answer has to be that it depends on the individual and circumstances such as his level of education, interest and aptitude for languages....? Probably there are linguists spending entire careers investigating these types of qustions but I can't see how you can reach any conclusion. Perhaps their findings are simply used for improving language studying technique for different types of people. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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