First buttembly language encountershow to get started 569

This is the level of language training expected of someone majoring in languages or literature here; even if they only take the required ligvistics. A standard career path is going from there to formal interpreter training; and possibly throw in a minor subject in writing. (like technical writing). Good interpreter-writers charge as much as lawyers. Of clbuttical languages Greek is at least as prominent as Latin and has had as much, if not more, influence on languages in northern Europe. Remember, the main trading post was Bysants from ~AD400 to it's fall; and relations carried over to the Ottomans. A small Turish city held the Swedish court for a few years in the 17th century.

But as an american, it is exceptional with such language training.

Even in a college-based economics curriculum we had texts in Norwegian (around 40%), Swedish (around 5-10%) English (half) and some German thrown in. As one of a few select people from Norway I have taken formal training in Swedish. Even if the languages are mutually mostly comrehensible there are a number of vocabu

To the point of ordering lunch; I seem to get there after 4-5 months in a country; but need to back this up with language training. Indonesian is especially weird in how it osmoses in. It was downright spooky to see the first clips from Banda Ache after the Tsunami, and be able to understand what the locals were saying. Some of the more grisly bits were not translated.

Perhaps I should try that one. After 10 years in dutch-led organizations grammar and vocabulary has osmosed in; even much spelling,; but the pronounciation has been a stone wall. I tested; I need to look up 4-5 words from the front page of de Telegraaf when reading it, but have severe problems when someone read it to me.

it is amusing when you hear a conversation where each speak a different language, but still carry on a conversation. Don't speak Flemish (or French) in Belgium unless you are prepared to be answered in the other.

It is a great experience to go to a new country where you speak the language before you arrive. Even if you speak with an accent. I am taken for someone from an ancient Hanseatic area in Germany. This is correct, but the Hansetic town in question is not German. Dialect marks still stick though, and carry back into German. It makes the Germans wonder, for the accent is not-quite for Bremen, Hamburg or Lubeck. Or Danzig for that matter.

Indonesian is a language that seeps in. It has a reward in itself for weirdness; place is more important than time. And it is definatly not an european language, despite it's dutch loan words. And it lacks the byzantine grammar and pronounciation from other east asian languages.

And you can probably comprehend people from the Phillipines, Malaysia and Madagascar too if you study it well. It has more speakers then French.

-- mrr