| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: Do you continue polishing your working languages? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| Never ending | Mar 15, 2008 |
I think it's a never ending procedure. Every time that I come in contact with the source text, either consciously or subconsciously, my knowledge of the source languages gets polished. Also, another way for doing it, as someone else mentioned before, is by using Proz: especially the discussions with native speakers at the forums is a first-class chance to "capture" expressions, view-points and to get more acquainted with the culture and mentality of a language community. I can see the developmen... See more I think it's a never ending procedure. Every time that I come in contact with the source text, either consciously or subconsciously, my knowledge of the source languages gets polished. Also, another way for doing it, as someone else mentioned before, is by using Proz: especially the discussions with native speakers at the forums is a first-class chance to "capture" expressions, view-points and to get more acquainted with the culture and mentality of a language community. I can see the development of my way of expressing my point at the forums. In the beginning, I had to wait and think how I was going to write this or that, now it has become a lot more spontaneous. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Reading and studying | Mar 15, 2008 |
I think, as most of you have said, that it is definitely a part of our job. As translators, it is supposed that we love languages, at least, those we work with, so it is really important to read material that helps us not to loose the knowledge we acquired in the previous years. Who does not want to be updated? Why not going back to school? I mean going to conversation classes or grammar classes, among other things.
Best and have a nice weekend,
Fernando
| | | | Heike Kurtz 
Germany
Local time: 05:04
Member (2005)
English to German
+ ...
| Read, listen and go there... | Mar 15, 2008 |
I regularly read English newspapers and books, listen to online French and English radio stations, view French and English DVD movies in their original language - and go on holiday to France almost every year
| | | | | get a husband :) | Mar 15, 2008 |
The best way for me was to get an English husband and to be sooo lucky to live in France and Spain where I am submerged in these languages. My love for reading is a plus too...
[Edited at 2008-03-15 18:09]
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| Full inmersion | Mar 15, 2008 |
Just as Sarah, living in England is the best way to improve my knowledge of English.
As for my other source languages, I try to read and watch films to polish my skills, and I'm thinking of spending some time in Germany this summer.
Best regards,
Eva
| | | | Nesrin
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:04
English to Arabic
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| Umm, I'm one of them... | Mar 15, 2008 |
Henry Hinds wrote:
Where is that 12% who said no?
Out to lunch, I guess.
The reason I said "No" is precisely because I agree with everything that's been written here so far.
I thought the idea that "learning a language is an ongoing, neverending (etc) process" was so obvious, that the poll couldn't possibly be about that. So I decided to take the poll to mean "actively engaging in activities with the SOLE PURPOSE of polishing one's language skills", i.e. by taking courses, browsing through the dictionary, taking part in conversation groups etc, and NOT practising-while-translating/ watching TV/ conversing with husband and so on.
[Edited at 2008-03-16 09:40]
| | | | Erzsébet Czopyk
Hungary
Local time: 05:04
Member (2006)
Russian to Hungarian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | Should I lying? | Mar 16, 2008 |
Henry Hinds wrote:
Where is that 12% who said no?
Out to lunch, I guess.
Should I lying? In my country since the Russian army left, nowhere I can speak Russian. Translation from Russian into Hungarian? Or.. from Latvian into Hungarian? Two-three jobs in a year. Since I founded the translation office, I almost quit translate and forget about my working language ;-((( If you do not believe, see the translation contest: my translation was the only one in this pair and there was no comments ;-((( I think simply nobody read it. I translated Anna Achmatova - who cares? I put the paper in the desk and try learn...English. My last good talk on the phone with Mr. Ol'Besh was the only one possibility in 6 months to say something in Russian (( we have no more Russian TV too. Yes, my heart is bleeding but I do not want to lie just for being nice.
[Módosítva: 2008-03-16 03:19]
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Balasubramaniam L.
India
Local time: 08:34
Member (2006)
English to Hindi
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER | I read somewhere... | Mar 16, 2008 |
... that as you age, your command over language improves, even without you actually trying, because your vocabulary increases, you understand the meanings of words better, their associations better and as your experience of life and life situations improves you are able to use language with better felicity.
This is why, throughout the ages, age has been associated with wisdom, and youngsters seldom are a match intellectually to older men, though in creative thinking they (the youngs... See more ... that as you age, your command over language improves, even without you actually trying, because your vocabulary increases, you understand the meanings of words better, their associations better and as your experience of life and life situations improves you are able to use language with better felicity.
This is why, throughout the ages, age has been associated with wisdom, and youngsters seldom are a match intellectually to older men, though in creative thinking they (the youngsters) may fare better.
I suppose this applies to translators too and they get better as they grow, even when they don't make much of an effort as don't some of the respondees to this poll, but I can say that I am not in their category.
For me, learning a language, especially the ones in which I work, is a life-long process, and am learning it every moment of my life. I take conscious steps towards language learning, in every way I can, and I always regret, given the pressure of work, that I am unable to give as much time to learn Hindi, as I would like to. ▲ Collapse
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Henry Hinds wrote:
Where is that 12% who said no?
Out to lunch, I guess.
I interpreted the question as "other than on-the-job".
And if I am reading a book or magazine for pleasure or for information, I do not consider that language polishing - it's just reading.
| | | | mediamatrix (X)
Local time: 23:04
Spanish to English
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I have never deliberately set about learning, let alone polishing, any of my working languages since I got a Latin O-level around 40 years ago and decided there and then that I hated language-learning and would never again open a language text-book.
I don't polish my car and I don't polish the silver tea-pot standing on the mantle-piece; so why should I bother polishing my languages? The car runs fine, the silver tea-pot is the right colour where it matters (on the inside...) - and my languages have kept me alive since my school-days.
And after all, at the end of the day, a language is just a means to an end. What's more important is what you do with it, how you use it to communicate.
Now there's something worth polishing: communication skills.
MediaMatrix ▲ Collapse
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Prawi
Austria
Local time: 05:04
German to Italian
| Passive vs active learning | Mar 16, 2008 |
I thought the idea that "learning a language is an ongoing, neverending (etc) process" was so obvious, that the poll couldn't possibly be about that. So I decided to take the poll to mean "actively engaging in activities with the SOLE PURPOSE of polishing one's language skills", i.e. by taking courses, browsing through the dictionary, taking part in conversation groups etc, and NOT practising-while-translating/ watching TV/ conversing with husband and so on.
Agree with Nesrin, but: it depends on where you live and "how" you engage yourself in some activity. I think it makes a great difference whether you're living in your country or abroad. In this case learning is mostly an unconscious process, it's like breathing the same air day after day, something like "osmosis", therefore nearly always passive, because you seldom think of it. It's not conscious learning, as Balasubramaniam said. But: if you really pay attention to everything you do, even if you're just conversing with husband or listening to music, this can become a way of polishing your knowledge actively. Of course, it depends on you: if you just listen to the melody without paying much attention to the words, it won't help much. But if you look for every new word into the dictionary and try to remember it, this is "active learning", e.g. you do it purposefully.
As for me, I answered "yes" because I try to improve my German knowledge every day, actively. (English is another cup of tea, saddenly - but it's not one of my working languages).
| | | | | This is what I did too | Mar 17, 2008 |
Maryse Trevithick wrote: The best way for me was to get an English husband and to be sooo lucky to live in France and Spain where I am submerged in these languages. My love for reading is a plus too... [Edited at 2008-03-15 18:09]
The thing is, I could only get one husband (for US-English). What am I supposed to do for my other language (German)?
| | | | vixen
Greece
Local time: 06:04
English to Dutch
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Like Nesrin and a few others, I thought the poll question was about any conscious attempts to improve one's knowledge of one's working languages.
I'm not following any classes and I'm not reading any grammar books. However, since I'm a language professional, I do watch out for any special or everyday expressions when watching television (or reading) and I am always curious as to how the subtitler translated them. But this comes natural, it's like breathing.
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