| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Poll: On average, how many hours per week do you dedicate to the study of foreign languages? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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Jussi Rosti 
Finland
Local time: 12:52
Member (2005)
English to Finnish
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Andrea Riffo wrote: emoreda wrote:
I must confess that I am a bit surprised that more than 50% of the people who answered the poll have chosen the option "None".
Perhaps is it assumed that translators know their foreign languages so well that no further learning is needed? Just wondering... Perhaps some people took the question to mean "study formally", as in, language lessons at an institute, private tutoring, or even personal study but with a fixed schedule of sorts?
I answered 1-2 because of this reason. I understood learning as formal studying. Of course, I'm all the time learning my major languages (both in work and in general contact with natives & related cultures), but I didn't count that in. Anyway, there were not available options like "50 hours a week" or "80 hours a week"!
The 1-2 hours refers to the time I devote to learning those languages, that I don't master yet (I'm not fluent in), like Portuguese and Thai.
I would like to spend about 10 hours a week, and I will, in near future, when I will have finished my big fat book project.
-jr
| | | | | Foreign language study | Jun 29, 2007 |
I am married to a Spanish woman and live and work in Valencia and if I called her language "foreign"?¿!!.....
......but being a translator involves, consciously and subconsciously, studying language.
| | | | | I'm a bit of a Pimsleur junkie | Jun 29, 2007 |
So I've always got one of their programs loaded on my cell phone while I'm walking the dog. I think the locals at the corner wurst joint think of me as the crazy guy who wanders through the park with his dog, muttering in tongues... but at 1/2 a lesson, that's 3-4 hours a week in the end.
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It varies enormously.
Practically none this week, because I've had too much work.
But next month I'm going on holiday, and already putting books on the pile to consider as summer reading.
I usually buy several books in the summer and read them too. OK, one is going to be Harry Potter 7 this year, but there are several titles on linguistics on the list and visits to Foyle's, Grant & Cutler and Heff... See more It varies enormously.
Practically none this week, because I've had too much work.
But next month I'm going on holiday, and already putting books on the pile to consider as summer reading.
I usually buy several books in the summer and read them too. OK, one is going to be Harry Potter 7 this year, but there are several titles on linguistics on the list and visits to Foyle's, Grant & Cutler and Heffer's/Blackwell's planned...
Of course you could discuss whether English and Danish are f o r e i g n languages for me... But I study both fairly avidly in bursts, and brush up on my other languages as required.
I tend to go for subject areas like Law on one-day courses and then read afterwards, then drop all study for a week or two. But I keep my eyes and ears open and absorb or learn new things all the time. ▲ Collapse
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I put "none" - but I DO spend about 60 hours a week reading and translating German, not to mention the bazillion hours looking up (and I suppose learning!) new terms, talking to clients and writing mails in German!
So perhaps I should have answered differently!
| | | | Stefano77
Local time: 11:52
German to Italian
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| 1-2 hours for a new language | Jun 29, 2007 |
Hello everybody!
I selected 1-2 hours a week because I interpreted the question as not considering one's working languages. I am studying Icelandic at the moment, just for fun, which is the only way I can learn a language properly But of course I don't have much spare time and I am happy when I get those 1-2 hours íslenska.
Greets,
S.
| | | | Irene N
United States
Local time: 04:52
English to Russian
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| Should have answered Other | Jun 29, 2007 |
but answered 3-4 hours/week. It's not what I would call studying and definitely not for professional reasons. I have training CDs that I play in my car, French and Italian. Only to be able to communicate on a simple level to begin with. I have a tiny place in Italy where I plan to stay for at least a couple of years and see as many other European countries as I'd be able to afford if I live long enough to retire:-). I'm sure that decent English and a little bit of French and Italian will not onl... See more but answered 3-4 hours/week. It's not what I would call studying and definitely not for professional reasons. I have training CDs that I play in my car, French and Italian. Only to be able to communicate on a simple level to begin with. I have a tiny place in Italy where I plan to stay for at least a couple of years and see as many other European countries as I'd be able to afford if I live long enough to retire:-). I'm sure that decent English and a little bit of French and Italian will not only get me through but enable to enjoy bumping into and chatting with locals. I am good at making people talk:-) and I love to chat and exchange laughs with a good company of strangers anywhere I travel. ▲ Collapse
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Andrea Riffo wrote: emoreda wrote:
I must confess that I am a bit surprised that more than 50% of the people who answered the poll have chosen the option "None".
Perhaps is it assumed that translators know their foreign languages so well that no further learning is needed? Just wondering... Perhaps some people took the question to mean "study formally", as in, language lessons at an institute, private tutoring, or even personal study but with a fixed schedule of sorts?
So if it's about counting in hours, I understand this is obviously about formal study.
I used to learn Japanese 2 hours a week (a bit more when I was diligent enough to do some homework...), but I gave it up this year because I was not dedicating enough time to it, which meant I could not tell a single sentence of myself after learning the language for 2 years... So I gave it up and maybe some day I'll start again
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