| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | What\'s the next language I should learn? Opinions, please. Thread poster: Kevin Higgins
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Learning chinese will definetely prove challenging, I can assure you.
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But if there are 1.2 billion Chinese-speaking people, how many of them translate. Same problem with Russian, big language, but far too many translators, to be economically viable IMO, unless you are extremely good and can prove it, too. Stay away from Russian and Chinese would be my advice, if you wish to become a translator of your \"new\" language.
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No myth at all. As a child growing up in Scandinavia, in all three of the countries, I do not recall that among children there were ever any problems communicating, whatsoever, proof positive that these languages are indeed one divided into individual dialects that are labeled independent languages. Pronunciation is not a criterion for setting languages apart - that would mean that US English is a different language from British English, which it is not. It is in the adult world, separate nat... See more No myth at all. As a child growing up in Scandinavia, in all three of the countries, I do not recall that among children there were ever any problems communicating, whatsoever, proof positive that these languages are indeed one divided into individual dialects that are labeled independent languages. Pronunciation is not a criterion for setting languages apart - that would mean that US English is a different language from British English, which it is not. It is in the adult world, separate nation states, cultural institutions, etc., divergent spelling conventions, and sometimes stiffened attitudes that problems sometimes emerge. ▲ Collapse
| | | | williamson (X)
Local time: 22:11
Dutch to English
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| Finnish-Hungarian | Apr 26, 2002 |
If you want to work for the E.U.than you are going to be a \"hot-item\" with a combination of Finnish and/or Hungarian, both of the same family and rather difficult.
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elzosim 
Local time: 23:11
English to Greek
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I would also recommend Chinish, taking into account that the next Olympic Games will be held in China.
The Games are always a wide job source for translators.
What's more,you have also German, Irish etc. to combine with Chinese.
The language pair Chinese-German sounds perfect to me!
| | | | Javier Herrera (X)
Spanish
| Does it depend on the country you live in? | Jan 30, 2004 |
I'm a London-based interpreter and my mother tongue is Spanish. Would it pay off to include other languages between my working languages? Let's say Dutch, or Portuguese.I've already got some knowledge of thse but I don't use them professionally. Anyway, who would need interpreting from Dutch into Spanish in the UK?
| | | | Nina Snoj
Slovenia
Spanish to Slovenian
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| Which culture do you like the most? | Jan 31, 2004 |
I am in the same mess as you are. I am thinking between Arabic, Portugese or Chinese. Now, you absolutely have to like the culture or the country where you are going to have to spend some time in order to really learn the language.
You know, my problem is that I love Marroco as much as Brazil.. Haven't been to China yet, though. This is such a hard dillema because I have been unable to make a decision for more then a year and time passes, brains are getting older and less perceptive everyd... See more I am in the same mess as you are. I am thinking between Arabic, Portugese or Chinese. Now, you absolutely have to like the culture or the country where you are going to have to spend some time in order to really learn the language.
You know, my problem is that I love Marroco as much as Brazil.. Haven't been to China yet, though. This is such a hard dillema because I have been unable to make a decision for more then a year and time passes, brains are getting older and less perceptive everyday.. Good luck deciding!
Nina ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Ever been to Alabama? | Mar 7, 2004 |
Or how about some of the northern Italian mountain valley towns? Challenges abound!
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Cheekita
Local time: 21:11
English to Italian
| Stick to Italian | Mar 8, 2004 |
I'd strongly recommend you would bring your Italian to perfection if it is not perfect yet. Polish it. Improve it. Make it an absolute perfection. The Italians like when foreigners speak their language insted of English, for example. And they would pay you for that, believe me.
Kevin Higgins wrote:
I'm just about to graduate with a degree in translation in German and Spanish. I also studied Italian at university in Austria and I also speak Irish. Anyway, I would love to hear some opinions on what would be a good language to learn? I was thinking Scandinavian (Danish, Swedish), Catalan, or Eastern Europe (Estonian, Polish, Czech). I would really appreciate any replies. Thanks for your interest. Kev ;0)
| | | | | lengua extranjera -- foreign lang | Apr 27, 2004 |
Kevin Higgins wrote:
I'm just about to graduate with a degree in translation in German and Spanish. I also studied Italian at university in Austria and I also speak Irish. Anyway, I would love to hear some opinions on what would be a good language to learn? I was thinking Scandinavian (Danish, Swedish), Catalan, or Eastern Europe (Estonian, Polish, Czech). I would really appreciate any replies. Thanks for your interest. Kev ;0)
Holá, Kevin Higgins
I would suggest that you embark on learning Russian which would be a valuable asset for you. Ideally you can study both Russian and Polish since both are very closely related. Studying them together will greatly facilitate memorizing new vocabulary more logically and efficiently. I studied Spanish-Portuguese and Italian together and it was an interesting experience.
Good luck!
| | | | | Greetings from an ex-AL ;-) | May 5, 2004 |
Kevin Higgins wrote:
I'm just about to graduate with a degree in translation in German and Spanish. I also studied Italian at university in Austria and I also speak Irish. Anyway, I would love to hear some opinions on what would be a good language to learn? I was thinking Scandinavian (Danish, Swedish), Catalan, or Eastern Europe (Estonian, Polish, Czech). I would really appreciate any replies. Thanks for your interest. Kev ;0)
You should get loads of work from German & Spanish alone, but learning one of the new EU-official languages would be a good one, if you are willing to move to that linguistic area?
Is there a particular language group that you feel more drawn to? Germanic or Romance?
Besides, it is not always enough to be fluent in a foreign language, it really does help to have some kind of specialist subject knowledge too.
Orla
| | | | | Similar question | Jun 16, 2004 |
I, too, have been thinking about what language to learn next. I am bilingual in Russian and English, and most of the work I've been doing so far was with that language pair. I also speak Italian. I've been thinking about learning another language, but I am not sure what it should be. How hard is it to learn Chinese at the age of 28? Or Japanese? And is there much demand for Chinese->English translation work? Or would it make sense to learn Spanish? (it certainly would be easier than Chin... See more I, too, have been thinking about what language to learn next. I am bilingual in Russian and English, and most of the work I've been doing so far was with that language pair. I also speak Italian. I've been thinking about learning another language, but I am not sure what it should be. How hard is it to learn Chinese at the age of 28? Or Japanese? And is there much demand for Chinese->English translation work? Or would it make sense to learn Spanish? (it certainly would be easier than Chinese, and just as useful in California)
I think I'd find learning just about any language to be fun and stimulating - I'm just not sure which one is going to be more useful from the business point of view. ▲ Collapse
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nruddy
Mexico
Local time: 14:11
German to English
| Greetings from another ex-AL! | Aug 5, 2004 |
Hallo Kevin,
I just saw your thread. To be honest, I think you need to specialize. The best-known and respected translators I know are those who specialize in one language combination and who have dedicated a lot of time and effort to specializing in one specific field, becoming experts in that field, however broad. Also, if you take up another language with a view to translation, don't forget to consider rates. German-English rates tend to be higher than Spanish-English rates, for ... See more Hallo Kevin,
I just saw your thread. To be honest, I think you need to specialize. The best-known and respected translators I know are those who specialize in one language combination and who have dedicated a lot of time and effort to specializing in one specific field, becoming experts in that field, however broad. Also, if you take up another language with a view to translation, don't forget to consider rates. German-English rates tend to be higher than Spanish-English rates, for example. While it's great to have an unusual string to your bow like Lithuanian-English, remember that it takes years to develop the kind of linguistic expertise that you need to be a good translator. You will have to dedicate a lot of time and money to becoming proficient in a combination that may - or may not - be very lucrative in the long term.
Niamh ▲ Collapse
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