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Self-learnt and made a career too ? | ||
 Language Learning Forum : Languages & Work |  | |
| neo Diglot Groupie IndiaRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6601 days ago 81 posts - 83 votes  Speaks: Hindi*, English Studies: German, Italian | Message 1 of 14 29 December 2006 at 11:45pm | IP Logged | ||
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I would like to know if anyone here has accomplished the task of learning one or several languages by self and has made a succesful career out of it also.
Or is there anyone seriously contemplating or pursuing such a goal ? I know people are generally advised to take language abilities as "ancilliary skills"....but I have also come across many who have made it their sole career. What are the hurdles and what are the advantages to undertaking this process of learning language(s) by self and then taking it to such a level so as to make a satisfying career out of it ? For example, if we take German...prospective employers generally ask for either a university degree in German or equally welcome the highest diplomas awarded by Goethe Institue. In this context, for someone who only took and cleared the Goethe institute's exams as an external candidate rather than learning the language there itself, what are the negatives about this ? Thanks! ------- neo 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Marc Frisch Heptaglot Senior Member Germany Joined 6460 days ago 1001 posts - 1169 votes Speaks: German*, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Italian Studies: Persian, Tamil | Message 2 of 14 30 December 2006 at 5:14am | IP Logged | ||
If they are the same exams, I don't see why a future employer should care if you were an external candidate or not. All that matters is the diploma itself and your actual language skills which will probably be tested during the job interview. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| lady_skywalker Triglot Senior Member Netherlands aspiringpolyglotblog Joined 6685 days ago 909 posts - 942 votes Speaks: Spanish, English*, Mandarin Studies: Japanese, French, Dutch, Italian | Message 3 of 14 30 December 2006 at 5:21am | IP Logged | ||
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I think few people make a career out of languages alone. Even people like Michel Thomas would have combined language skills with an ability to teach. Interpreters use languages in their jobs but they'd still need a good idea of how translation 'works'. I would honestly think that most people who use languages in their work will be using them alongside some other skill or trade. I've learnt the hard way that a language degree doesn't guarantee a job where you can use that language.
I think one of the few people that has become famous through language skills alone is the man who was the bane of my existence when studying Mandarin : Da Shan. He became famous in China purely for being able to speak the language like a native (something which many Westerners can do these days). At the time he appeared he was a rarity and became a national hero just because he could speak Mandarin. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
 Keith Diglot Moderator JapanRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 6572 days ago 526 posts - 536 votes 1 sounds Speaks: English*, Japanese Studies: Mandarin Personal Language Map | Message 4 of 14 06 January 2007 at 5:32am | IP Logged | ||
Does this question mean "to make a career out of learning languages?" I sure would like to a career where I get paid to learn a language (and that's all.) If somebody could tell me where to apply, I'd be grateful. It seems the only careers which come close to actually relying heavily on knowledge of foreign languages are in translation and interpretation. In those roles, your job is to know the languages and to use them correctly. Other jobs such as sales, just use foreign languages as tools. I think translation is difficult because of the gap between languages and it's hard to remember expressions you don't use in your own language. That's when you know there is a way to say it, but you can't recall the wording. And that would be in your native language. (Or am I the only one that happens to?) Maybe there is a job somewhere, that pays you to evaluate language learning materials. If you are a business person, you could import items that your competitors wouldn't be able to find. There are advantages to knowing foreign languages, but very few types of jobs that rely solely upon the knowledge of just languages. If there are any other ideas, I'd like to hear them too. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| japkorengchi Senior Member Hong Kong Joined 6475 days ago 334 posts - 355 votes | Message 5 of 14 06 January 2007 at 7:31am | IP Logged | ||
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My Korean teacher makes his living by speaking Cantonese only.He's the only Korean who speaks good Cantonese in my memory; I can find Koreans speaking decent Mandarin but never for Cantonese. It seems Cantonese tones are not that easy for foreigners to grasp.
His living standard is really high by translating from Korean to Cantonese, teaching Korean, and publishing Korean grammar books(written in Mandarin). Yet, he remains the few people who make a good life out by languages alone... Among the many kinds of translators, I think court translators are paid the best. Yet, they have to be proficient in English, Cantonese, Mandarin and one more foreign language, and have some legal knowledge. These can’t be easily achieved because translation for law courts is extremely demanding…translation dialogues are almost instinct and mistakes are not tolerated at all.. Edited by japkorengchi on 06 January 2007 at 7:31am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| rafaelrbp Pentaglot Senior Member Brazil Joined 6808 days ago 181 posts - 201 votes Speaks: Portuguese*, Spanish, English, French, Italian Studies: German | Message 6 of 14 06 January 2007 at 8:54am | IP Logged | ||
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There is a serious problem when learning a language (or something else) alone, by self-study: the lack of certificates. Most employers ask for a confirmation that you actually have the proper skill to the job.
If I need to explain to someone where I learn a language, a good answer is: "I had a Spanish/french girlfriend for 2 years" or "I lived there for 3 months" or even "I learned from a private tutor". This justifies the lack of certificates. It's never safe to answer "by myself" as they usually think that it's not possible. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Qbe Tetraglot Senior Member United States joewright.org/var Joined 6930 days ago 289 posts - 335 votes Speaks: English*, Latin, Ancient Greek, Biblical Hebrew Studies: Japanese, German, Mandarin, Aramaic | Message 7 of 14 06 January 2007 at 11:37am | IP Logged | ||
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Khatzumoto over at alljapaneseallthetime.com says that he taught himself Japanese over the course of 18 months using self-immersion and then found an IT job in Japan.
He's my hero. I want to grow up to be like him someday. It isn't necessarily out of reach. I intend to work harder this year and improve my Japanese to the point that I can start looking for a job where I can use the language, though probably here in the US. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| solidsnake Diglot Senior Member China Joined 6836 days ago 469 posts - 488 votes Speaks: English*, Mandarin | Message 8 of 14 06 January 2007 at 12:20pm | IP Logged | ||
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that blog is f**king amazing. Thanks for the link.
1 person has voted this message useful |
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