| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Off topic: Do you live in the country of your source or target language...or neither? Thread poster: Fan Gao
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Balasubramaniam L. 
India
Local time: 22:54
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
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SITE LOCALIZER
I come from India where language proverbially changes every five kilometeres!
My mother tongue is Tamil, but we have been staying for generations in a Malayalam speaking area. So my family members are fluent in Malayalam and they speak Tamil at home. Same was the case with me till I was about six or seven years old.
Then we moved to North India, Lucknow to be specific, where Hindi is spoken. I lived there till the end of schooling and then moved to Delhi (another Hindi ... See more I come from India where language proverbially changes every five kilometeres!
My mother tongue is Tamil, but we have been staying for generations in a Malayalam speaking area. So my family members are fluent in Malayalam and they speak Tamil at home. Same was the case with me till I was about six or seven years old.
Then we moved to North India, Lucknow to be specific, where Hindi is spoken. I lived there till the end of schooling and then moved to Delhi (another Hindi speaking area) for my college studies.
Then I got a job in Ahmedabad, Gujarat (a Gujarati speaking area) where I have stayed-put till now.
My main target language is Hindi, which I consider to be my native language on the strength of longest assoaciation and formal training (I hold a Master's degree in the language from Delhi University, India).
My ears ache for the sound of Hindi in Ahmedabad. Yet I am not fully out of Hindi territory, for Hindi has a pan-Indian spread and even in Ahmedabad it is not too difficult to encounter Hindi-speakers.
And I never really feel out of Hindi area with 10 or 20 TV channels blaring out Hindi programmes. There are also the Bollywood Hindi films (some 300 films are made each year!), their songs, and Radio.
I also keep in touch with Hindi by voraciously reading Hindi books which are easily available everywhere. There is also the excellent Gujarat Vidyapith Library in Ahmedabad, of which I am a life member. This institution was begun by Mahatma Gandhi. Mahatma Gandhi, as many of you would know, was a staunch supporter of Hindi.
So I am not in a Hindi speaking area, and yet I am in one!
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Now to your specific questions, ChineseConcept:
1. Would I like to live in a Hindi speaking area?
I would love it, but it is not practical from several points of view.
First of all, my family wouldn't want it. They have become well settled in Ahmedabad and consider themselves naturalized Ahmedabids, especially my daughters (whose favourite dish is pavbhaji, and that, I believe, is the true litmus test of Gujaratiness).
Second, Hindi-speaking areas of India are not known for the best law and order situation (somewhat like New York (or a non-American's concept of what New York is like, based on a very high dose of Hollywood!), and one has to be of a brave sort to opt for a life-long residence in a place like Patna or Meerut. I could of course opt for Delhi, but I don't like Delhi. It is too impersonal and beaurocratic.
There are some possibilities such as Uttaranachal (Dehra Dun, Haridwar, etc), Himachal Pradesh or Rajasthan (especially Jaipur), which are not as bad as Bihar or UP, but as of now I don't see myself moving to any of these places.
2. How did you acquire both languages?
In my case it would be Hindi and English.
Hindi I acquired naturally as any native speaker of the language would. As far as English is concerned, I learnt it at school, where it was the medium of teaching. And due to our colonial past, many educated Indians have a remarkably excellent command over English.
3. What do you miss out most living out of your language area?
In my case it is not any linguistic item. What I miss out most are the samosas, aloo tikkis, and matka kulfi of Lucknow, all delectable cuisines which make my mouth water everytime I think of them. You can't get the vintage Lucknow samosa anywhere else in the world. Although samosas are made even in Ahmedabad, but the Ahmedabad samosas don't even come near the real thing.
And I also miss the Urdu-Hindi dialect of Lucknow which according to me is the sweetest tongue in the world. Although I get to hear a lot Hindi in Ahmedabad, it is functional Hindi, with a flavour of Gujarati in it, and it does not have the sweetness, aplomb and cadence of the Urdu-Hindi of Lucknow.
[Edited at 2006-08-21 15:34] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Source language | Aug 21, 2006 |
How did you acquire your two (at least) languages?
My two target languages are Spanish and Galician. Both of them are co-official in the region of Spain I come from (Galicia), so everybody is supposed to speak both. As for my source languages, I acquired all of them primarily at school/ university/ other kind of education, in some cases also by living in a country where they are spoken.
Have you lived or spent a long time in both your source and target language countries (or c... See more How did you acquire your two (at least) languages?
My two target languages are Spanish and Galician. Both of them are co-official in the region of Spain I come from (Galicia), so everybody is supposed to speak both. As for my source languages, I acquired all of them primarily at school/ university/ other kind of education, in some cases also by living in a country where they are spoken.
Have you lived or spent a long time in both your source and target language countries (or countries where the languages are spoken commonly)?
I studied during 1 year in Italy and I have been working in Germany for 1,5 years now. In November I will probably move to the UK and stay about 3 years there. As for Greece, I've only been there for short periods but I would really love to live there some day!
If you live in your source/target language country, would you like to live in the opposite source/language country permanently? (I hope that makes sense)
For the moment I wouldn't like to go back to Spain, mainly because of the harsh job market and the difficulties specially for young people. As for other Spanish-speaking countries, I have never thought about it seriously but I'm sure it would be an enriching opportunity.
If you live in a country that's different to where you were born or lived for a long time, what do you miss about your native home country?
Food. In Mediterranean countries food is enjoyed in a sense which is unknown in other European countries. I can find here most of the ingredients I need to cook Spanish dishes when I feel like it, but in some cases it's not possible (eg. fresh fish). ▲ Collapse
| | | | Laura Huttu
Switzerland
Local time: 19:24
English to Finnish
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I was wondering if you live in the country that has your source language as the native language or have you moved abroad?
Source. I live in Milan and translate from Italian into my mother tongue - Finnish.
How did you acquire your two (at least) languages?
Studying.. studying and studying.. and by living in different countries. I wasnt lucky enough to born in a multilingual family, but hard work can (somehow) compensate it ..:)
... See more I was wondering if you live in the country that has your source language as the native language or have you moved abroad?
Source. I live in Milan and translate from Italian into my mother tongue - Finnish.
How did you acquire your two (at least) languages?
Studying.. studying and studying.. and by living in different countries. I wasnt lucky enough to born in a multilingual family, but hard work can (somehow) compensate it ..:)
Have you lived or spent a long time in both your source and target language countries (or countries where the languages are spoken commonly)?
17 years in Finland, 9 in Italy and 1 in England.
If you live in your source/target language country, would you like to live in the opposite source/language country permanently? (I hope that makes sense:))
At the moment I prefer staying here, but I would like to live in all of them.. if only it was possible..:)
If you live in a country that's different to where you were born or lived for a long time, what do you miss about your native home country?
Ah, lets see: nature and outdoor activities (bicycling, skating, skiing etc. no chance to do it here), TV (it took me a looong time to get used to the Italian TV - I still definitely prefer Finnish TV), some food products (dark bread etc.), SNOW during winters (though I try to go to the Alps as much as possible ..:) ) and the fact that everything is so easy/simple there (everything works well there - in Italy everything is always much more complicated).
On the other hand, when I leave Italy I miss things from here as I consider it my home country now..:)
Cheers,
Laura ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sophia Hundt (X)
Local time: 12:24
Russian to English
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It so happens that I live in the country of the target language - English. This isn't my native language - I grew up speaking Russian, but after going to college and living in US for a while (my husband and daughter and the whole extended family and community are Americans) I am significantly more fluent and eloquent in English. That's why it's the only language I am comfortable translating into. Afterall, that's what I speak at home, too. However, I have once lived in Bulgaria, the county of o... See more It so happens that I live in the country of the target language - English. This isn't my native language - I grew up speaking Russian, but after going to college and living in US for a while (my husband and daughter and the whole extended family and community are Americans) I am significantly more fluent and eloquent in English. That's why it's the only language I am comfortable translating into. Afterall, that's what I speak at home, too. However, I have once lived in Bulgaria, the county of one of my source languages. In the meantime, I've never lived in either French or German speaking country - other languages I translate from and speak. That does not prevent me from working with those languages - most of my translation jobs are either German to English or French to English.
How did I come to learn them? I taught myself English at 17 before going to American University in Bulgaria a year later, where I spent four years studying in English and majoring in literature. I taught myself German and also took some classes later in college. I learned French entirely in college in a classroom - I took whole two years, more time than I ever spent on any other language, and Bulgarian I learned living in Bulgaria and taking one semester of Bulgarian in college. Bulgarian is my most favourite language.
Now this may be off-topic somewhat, but I also studied several other languages I don't translate from or to - I once spoke some passingly decent Hebrew (when I lived in Israel) and good Spanish (took it in college but forgot a lot because I didn't use it) And, oh, I almost forgot - the actual language of my country - which is Azerbaijan - is called Azeri and resembles Turkish. I speak enough to get by but not enough to translate. Then I also studied Yiddish, Latin, Ancient Greek and just began teaching myself Farsi - but none of those I know well enough to work with. I do hope, however, to learn Farsi well enough to work with one day.
Sincerely,
Sophia Hundt
[Edited at 2006-08-21 16:55] ▲ Collapse
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biankonera
Latvia
Local time: 20:24
Italian to Latvian
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| one more story | Aug 21, 2006 |
How did you acquire your two (at least) languages?
I was born into a bilingual family, so one of my languages - Russian - came as a natural bonus to my main TL which is Latvian. Then at school I was made to learn English as a foreign language, while to study Italian was my own choice.
Have you lived or spent a long time in both your source and target language countries (or countries where the languages are spoken commonly)?
Have spent more tha... See more How did you acquire your two (at least) languages?
I was born into a bilingual family, so one of my languages - Russian - came as a natural bonus to my main TL which is Latvian. Then at school I was made to learn English as a foreign language, while to study Italian was my own choice.
Have you lived or spent a long time in both your source and target language countries (or countries where the languages are spoken commonly)?
Have spent more than enough time in my TL country, am spending a lot of time in Italy but have never been to any English speaking country.
bramasole ▲ Collapse
| | | | Parrot
Spain
Local time: 19:24
Spanish to English
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| Another story | Aug 21, 2006 |
I was wondering if you live in the country that has your source language as the native language or have you moved abroad?
Source. I moved from a target language country.
How did you acquire your two (at least) languages?
One source language was spoken by native grandparents. I acquired another through early primary schooling abroad, and still another by studying it for 8 years, working in it, and living in the countries where it was spoken.
Eventually, I moved into a country where my grandparents' language was spoken. It has now become my primary source language.
Like Eva, I have two target languages (English and Tagalog) since both were co-official where a large part of my schooling took place.
Have you lived or spent a long time in both your source and target language countries (or countries where the languages are spoken commonly)?
In all of them.
If you live in your source/target language country, would you like to live in the opposite source/language country permanently? (I hope that makes sense:))
I'm afraid it's not an option for family reasons.
If you live in a country that's different to where you were born or lived for a long time, what do you miss about your native home country?
Food, particularly "exotic" tropical vegetables (not that easy to come by). However, having lived abroad also as a child, I also missed "foreign" food when I was at "home", so I suppose it balances off.
| | | | Natalia Elo
Germany
Local time: 19:24
English to Russian
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I live in Germany, but my working languages do not include German. My mother tongue is Russian. Russia is where I was born and raised and what I consider to be my one and only motherland. If you ask me, who I am by nationality, I say that I am Russian.
I lived however nearly ten years in the country of my first source language - Finland. Finland is actually the land where I wish to return maybe one day, when I'm old.
English is my second source language, which I've tri... See more I live in Germany, but my working languages do not include German. My mother tongue is Russian. Russia is where I was born and raised and what I consider to be my one and only motherland. If you ask me, who I am by nationality, I say that I am Russian.
I lived however nearly ten years in the country of my first source language - Finland. Finland is actually the land where I wish to return maybe one day, when I'm old.
English is my second source language, which I've tried to learn since I was 10 and studied in many different places including England. I stayed in England for half a year.
What I miss from Russia? My childhood, I guess. I miss a lot of things from Finland and England. (Please somebody bring me some Kaiserin Morsian tea from Finland and Tetley tea from England) I wish and hope I will be able to spend summers in Finland starting from next or following year. This is very important also from the point of view of my multilingual children. I guess my older son will have a great deal of difficulties to identify himself with one certain culture. He's ten and he's very fluent in at least three languages and has lived in his short life in four countries. In four years of his primary schooling he attended four schools in three countries (England, Finland, Germany).
What brought me to Germany? The usual - love
I guess I should learn German properly as soon as possible (I'm working on it, I even earned some KudoZ points in it:lol:) in order to add it to my working languages and then I will be just "ordinary" translator living in the source language country.
Best,
Natalia
[Edited at 2006-08-21 21:17] ▲ Collapse
| | | | CathyFS
Local time: 18:24
German to English
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| Irish living in Ireland | Aug 22, 2006 |
I live in Ireland, where I'm from. My native language is English, and this is also my target language.
I have a passion for languages. I studied German and French at school (starting age 12). At 18, I went to university and started studying Italian. I dropped French after the first year - I hated the French dept. - and went on to major in Italian, taking German as my minor subject. I then did a masters in Italian translation. I'm not multiracial - the closest I get to being non-Iris... See more I live in Ireland, where I'm from. My native language is English, and this is also my target language.
I have a passion for languages. I studied German and French at school (starting age 12). At 18, I went to university and started studying Italian. I dropped French after the first year - I hated the French dept. - and went on to major in Italian, taking German as my minor subject. I then did a masters in Italian translation. I'm not multiracial - the closest I get to being non-Irish is a couple of greatgrandparents from Wales and Scotland. But my father had an aptitude for languages. He had a university degree in Irish and Latin, and even went back to university many years later to do a night degree in English. So maybe it's in my genes!
I've probably spent 12-18 months in Italy and 3-6 months in Germany. My Italian is bilingual level, only my blonde hair seems to give me away. But I don't translate from Italian as much - German is actually my principal source language. I don't ever need to speak with clients in German. German is a passive language for me, as opposed to an active language - once I can understand the language in writing and translate it perfectly into perfect English, then I'm happy, and my clients are too.
I would love to own a holiday home in either Italy (ideally) or France (so we could get the ferry across from Cork and take our car with us). Wouldn't that be just lovely ...... ▲ Collapse
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| Would like to go to 3rd country | Aug 22, 2006 |
I was wondering if you live in the country that has your source language as the native language or have you moved abroad?
-- I live in my target language country.
How did you acquire your two (at least) languages?
-- Parents are Latvian and spoke it at home, so I learned Latvian before English, which I learned at school. Started studying German in high school and then did study abroad and majored in German in college.
Have you lived or spent a ... See more I was wondering if you live in the country that has your source language as the native language or have you moved abroad?
-- I live in my target language country.
How did you acquire your two (at least) languages?
-- Parents are Latvian and spoke it at home, so I learned Latvian before English, which I learned at school. Started studying German in high school and then did study abroad and majored in German in college.
Have you lived or spent a long time in both your source and target language countries (or countries where the languages are spoken commonly)?
-- 6 1/2 years in Germany and Austria, all told. I have visited Latvia twice, but not lived there. Lived in the US the rest of the time.
If you live in your source/target language country, would you like to live in the opposite source/language country permanently? (I hope that makes sense)
-- I could do it, but my husband doesn't want to live in Germany.
If you live in a country that's different to where you were born or lived for a long time, what do you miss about your native home country?
-- When I am abroad I miss the general friendliness and outgoing nature of Americans, driving down Lakeshore Drive in Chicago, and good Mexican food. But I enjoy the challenge and excitement of living abroad and when I'm here too long I get irritated with politics and social conditions and things like that.
If you neither live in the country of your source or target language, what's your story?
-- We are thinking about moving to a Spanish-speaking country in the next couple of years to further my husband's career and solidify our kids' knowledge of the language (older daughter is in a Spanish immersion classroom). Besides, we've been here 5 yrs. and I have itchy feet! Plus Chicago is too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Is Spanish-speaking U.S. a foreign country? | Aug 24, 2006 |
Chinese Concept wrote:
I was wondering if you live in the country that has your source language as the native language or have you moved abroad?
My target language is the unofficial national language of the country I live in (English, U.S.), but one could say there are pockets of Spanish-speaking territory in the U.S. too (Spanish is my source text).
How did you acquire your two (at least) languages?
English is my native tongue. Spanish was an interest early because my father is half-Hispanic (of Panamanian and Mexican descent) but neither he nor any of his brothers spoke Spanish, not even his sister-in-law of Mexican descent. I started learning from a boy in 2nd grade whose family just arrived from Mexico and he didn't know any English. ESL classes were just starting up in Tulsa back then, so we taught him English ourselves, and he taught us some Spanish. I was very eager to learn Spanish but there was no opportunity until high school, where I had an excellent teacher. Fortunately, I was forced to take Latin before high school so that prepared me to be quite successful later in Spanish. I continued stuyding Spanish in college and have lots of Hispanic friends and a couple of relatives to practice with. I also attend Hispanic church, where I learned a lot (especially as the only one willing to interpret into English when the need arises).
Have you lived or spent a long time in both your source and target language countries (or countries where the languages are spoken commonly)?
I have always lived in the U.S., but I have travelled to Mexico at least 10 times (I've lost count) for my job, with the longest stay being 5 weeks. I also spent 3 weeks in Panama in a fun trip where I was musician and bridesmaid at a friend's wedding, and again for 1.5 weeks (too short!).
If you live in your source/target language country, would you like to live in the opposite source/language country permanently? (I hope that makes sense:))
I have toyed with the idea of moving to Monterrey, Mexico for a two-year assignment at my employer's assembly plant there, but I'm not sure about living there permanently. The way people describe Veracruz, I just might! But I could definitely see myself living in Panama, with some homesick trips back to the U.S. Panama would be the easiest country to start doing some geneology research on for my great-grandfather, Jose Renteria. I really like David, Chiriqui in Panama. There are also some beautiful places like Bocas del Toro that I fell in love with.
If you live in a country that's different to where you were born or lived for a long time, what do you miss about your native home country?
N/A
If you neither live in the country of your source or target language, what's your story?
N/A
I will post my own story shortly.
I look forward to reading your story, and thanks for such an interesting topic!
| | | | | | | Living in Rome for too long now! | Aug 24, 2006 |
My very Italian parents spent 20 years travelling around the world (father working for airline company).
So I was born in Belgium, and lived there for a couple of years, 6 years in Beirut, 3 years in Johannesburg, 2 years in Singapore, went to Rome, settled down. Graduated in Rome. Did a Masters course in Norwich (UK), a couple of months in Mexico for my MA. A couple of months in Spain to practice Spanish.
And then back to Rome.
I learnt English at school (it ... See more My very Italian parents spent 20 years travelling around the world (father working for airline company).
So I was born in Belgium, and lived there for a couple of years, 6 years in Beirut, 3 years in Johannesburg, 2 years in Singapore, went to Rome, settled down. Graduated in Rome. Did a Masters course in Norwich (UK), a couple of months in Mexico for my MA. A couple of months in Spain to practice Spanish.
And then back to Rome.
I learnt English at school (it was my "mother tongue" until I moved to Rome).
I learnt French gradually (in Lebanon at the time - 1968/73 - everything went on in English, French and Arabic), and then studied it at school.
I studied Spanish at University (I had to take 2 language exams and hated the French professor so decided to learn another language) and in Spain.
I now consider Italy as my country.
But I would love to keep on travelling. I realise that it would be a great gift to my 3 year old son if I could afford living abroad and travelling for a few years.
I would love staying in China for a few months. And I am sure that I could live in Spain for a long time without getting tired of it.
Having traveled around for many years makes it difficult for me to live in the same apartment for too long. In Rome (where most of the people grow up and die in the same apartment if they can) I've changed 4 apartments in 10 years. When, like now, I cannot change, I start moving the furniture around so that it looks different.
P.S. It is so amazing for an Italian to read in these forums that anyone could miss British food!
No offense meant, but the main issue Italians talk about in describing a trip to England is the terrible food. I must say that I ate quite well in the 12 months I was there, but I had to look around a lot. ▲ Collapse
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