I am very grateful for your overwhelming remarks. Thank you so much!
The word "overwhelming" came into my mind looking at your avatar!
The word "overwhelming" came into my mind looking at your avatar!
Confidence in foreign language skills
- Thread starter harman/kardon
- Start date
bogle111
A Canadian enjoying Wales
Chris, you are dog COOL.
How many of us do you see posting on a German language Forum? When I lived in Germany, people were eager to help me with my pronunciation and wording. My father liked Germany so much he stayed, becoming fluent to the point where his English spelling suffered I believe. I wish I could say the same when I visited France.
(By the way, I have just had to correct this post 5 times!!)
How many of us do you see posting on a German language Forum? When I lived in Germany, people were eager to help me with my pronunciation and wording. My father liked Germany so much he stayed, becoming fluent to the point where his English spelling suffered I believe. I wish I could say the same when I visited France.
(By the way, I have just had to correct this post 5 times!!)
Your written English is excellent.
I understand how one can feel a great deal of anxiety suddenly needing to use a foreign language one never speaks but may have studied and done well in for some years.
I had a German colleague who had a pattern of learning languages depending on her boyfriend of the moment, often picked up at the destination of some reduced-fare holiday flight or discount cruise. Ultimately she learned many languages but she sometimes couldn't keep it straight just who spoke what language. Once when her parents were visiting, she spoke to them in German, her boyfriend in Spanish, and turned to me and started off in Russian before she realized her mistake when I looked completely confused until it dawned on her, "English".
Anyway, one time, the boyfriend du jour was a guy she picked up in Paris. She'd offered me a free ticket that particular trip so we might have avoided that future pitfall for both of us had I gone. She brought him back to the U.S. and they were lovey-dovey for about six weeks but for whatever reason, the bloom of love wilted and she couldn't tolerate him the three days remaining before his scheduled flight back to France. So she stuck me with him to get him out of her house.
He spoke no English at all so I was suddenly forced to start using those three years of high school French after a 25 year lapse. Started off a little rough, but enough came back so we managed to communicate effectively enough to get him on the right plane in the right city at the right time.
I have no idea how many languages my friend is up to now, but I'm betting she could communicate with more than half the world by now. I'm happy enough to have remembered enough French that once to cope. These days, I'd be happier still if "communication" were simply a matter of two people who both speak one language.
I understand how one can feel a great deal of anxiety suddenly needing to use a foreign language one never speaks but may have studied and done well in for some years.
I had a German colleague who had a pattern of learning languages depending on her boyfriend of the moment, often picked up at the destination of some reduced-fare holiday flight or discount cruise. Ultimately she learned many languages but she sometimes couldn't keep it straight just who spoke what language. Once when her parents were visiting, she spoke to them in German, her boyfriend in Spanish, and turned to me and started off in Russian before she realized her mistake when I looked completely confused until it dawned on her, "English".
Anyway, one time, the boyfriend du jour was a guy she picked up in Paris. She'd offered me a free ticket that particular trip so we might have avoided that future pitfall for both of us had I gone. She brought him back to the U.S. and they were lovey-dovey for about six weeks but for whatever reason, the bloom of love wilted and she couldn't tolerate him the three days remaining before his scheduled flight back to France. So she stuck me with him to get him out of her house.
He spoke no English at all so I was suddenly forced to start using those three years of high school French after a 25 year lapse. Started off a little rough, but enough came back so we managed to communicate effectively enough to get him on the right plane in the right city at the right time.
I have no idea how many languages my friend is up to now, but I'm betting she could communicate with more than half the world by now. I'm happy enough to have remembered enough French that once to cope. These days, I'd be happier still if "communication" were simply a matter of two people who both speak one language.
HK, your written English is very good and grammatically accurate, which helps a lot when trying to communicate in another language. English isn't easy even for us here in America!
Perhaps intimidated, shy, uncertain, or uncomfortable may help describe that feeling of knowing but not being confident to use language, play an instrument, or perform in public.
True, cashier (the person or the station), pay terminal, check out, work about equally well.
Perhaps intimidated, shy, uncertain, or uncomfortable may help describe that feeling of knowing but not being confident to use language, play an instrument, or perform in public.
True, cashier (the person or the station), pay terminal, check out, work about equally well.
That is impressive jaguar06 what you tell us (BTW do you like the XJ220? Apparently not? :scratch2: 
).
Some people pretend to be language geniuses and a few really are. I am not. I speak German and understand English, French, a dozen German, Swiss and austrian dialects and also a bit Italian, that is all.
But I think one can only be totally at home in the language we grew up with. ( I do not know how it is when you grew up with let's say dads English AND moms Spanish... :scratch2: )
There are so many tiny nuances a language might express and many of those precious nuances we cannot translate. I have (and love) all novels and short stories by great Harold Brodkey, translated by the very talented Angela Praesent, but I think many many things got lost anyway by translating.
Hermann Hesse's novel "Siddhartha" is written so incredibly beautiful, so poetic that I read it 17 times (also because of its deeper meanings of course) in 10 years. But this novel also lost of it's very special charme when translated in dozens of other languages.
The same calamity exists in everyday life. Sometimes I ask my dictionary or the google translations and what they offer is just not exactly what I like to express. Judas Priest, an American in Germany, experienced that here as well, this is some consolation.
We may perhaps overcome the language barrier with its shortage of vocabulary and also the problem mentioned above by bringing kindness and warmth into what we try to express something in a foreign language.
Thanks for your helpful kind remarks mech986!
).Some people pretend to be language geniuses and a few really are. I am not. I speak German and understand English, French, a dozen German, Swiss and austrian dialects and also a bit Italian, that is all.
But I think one can only be totally at home in the language we grew up with. ( I do not know how it is when you grew up with let's say dads English AND moms Spanish... :scratch2: )
There are so many tiny nuances a language might express and many of those precious nuances we cannot translate. I have (and love) all novels and short stories by great Harold Brodkey, translated by the very talented Angela Praesent, but I think many many things got lost anyway by translating.
Hermann Hesse's novel "Siddhartha" is written so incredibly beautiful, so poetic that I read it 17 times (also because of its deeper meanings of course) in 10 years. But this novel also lost of it's very special charme when translated in dozens of other languages.
The same calamity exists in everyday life. Sometimes I ask my dictionary or the google translations and what they offer is just not exactly what I like to express. Judas Priest, an American in Germany, experienced that here as well, this is some consolation.
We may perhaps overcome the language barrier with its shortage of vocabulary and also the problem mentioned above by bringing kindness and warmth into what we try to express something in a foreign language.
Thanks for your helpful kind remarks mech986!
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...(BTW do you like the XJ220? Apparently not? :scratch2:
The only one I ever saw was one that had been sold, but which the owner never moved off the showroom floor for some years. It was separated from us mere mortals shopping the lesser offerings by velvet ropes.
But, no, it didn't much interest me. For the price, I'd rather have my herd of 12-cylinder and 6-cylinder sedans, coupes and convertibles (and the house fully-paid-off with the difference). :yes:
Bobsvinyl you are nice and funny. jaguar06 my favorites are the 30s SS and the 1961 E type.
I would like you everybody to do a favour for me, would you?
I would like you to watch via youtube Jim Jarmusch's "Night on Earth; Part II: New York." It is a little story about a German cab driver who is not able to drive a car with automatic transmission, played by brilliant and in Germany very renown Armin Mueller-Stahl. This episode is at the same time moving and funny. Despite the language barrier the customer and the driver take almost instantly a liking to themselves what relates in a way to the last remark in my last post - communication with other tools than just words. Helmut the cab driver is a bit like myself, perhaps a bit naive, perhaps a bit clumsy and (sometimes) mistakenly underestimated.
Last sentence: "Learn some English Helmut!"
Music by Tom Waits
Watch that episode and enjoy it!
I would like you everybody to do a favour for me, would you?
I would like you to watch via youtube Jim Jarmusch's "Night on Earth; Part II: New York." It is a little story about a German cab driver who is not able to drive a car with automatic transmission, played by brilliant and in Germany very renown Armin Mueller-Stahl. This episode is at the same time moving and funny. Despite the language barrier the customer and the driver take almost instantly a liking to themselves what relates in a way to the last remark in my last post - communication with other tools than just words. Helmut the cab driver is a bit like myself, perhaps a bit naive, perhaps a bit clumsy and (sometimes) mistakenly underestimated.
Last sentence: "Learn some English Helmut!"
Music by Tom Waits
Watch that episode and enjoy it!
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75Center
Super Member
Chris - your English is wonderful and if you need a dictionary while writing - that is just fine. As I told you before I took 3 years of Deutsch in high school. My teacher was from Germany and we were never allowed to speak English in her classroom. I would often go into my next class, be asked a question and automatically answer in German.
So so sorry I have lost most of those abilities. When we went to Germany many years ago I had to use a little and was THRILLED that I would remember some of it. Frau Wiebe pounded Deutsch into our heads and it came back 25+ years later.
So so sorry I have lost most of those abilities. When we went to Germany many years ago I had to use a little and was THRILLED that I would remember some of it. Frau Wiebe pounded Deutsch into our heads and it came back 25+ years later.
Darcy it is soooooooo nice to hear from you again!!!!!
I think it would be great to meet you, having a long walk and then sitting in a bar with a long drink or some beers and chatting, chatting whatever we want.
I would speak English and you German, I would support you of course, and later that day your German and my English would have improved!!! :yes:
I think it would be great to meet you, having a long walk and then sitting in a bar with a long drink or some beers and chatting, chatting whatever we want.
I would speak English and you German, I would support you of course, and later that day your German and my English would have improved!!! :yes:
Ilikevinyl
Cool Breeze
Way-To-Go, Chris!:thmbsp: Giving you a high-five!
Didn't I tell you?
I told Chris, If he can understand what a high-five is, his English is superb.:yes:
I'm always checking my messages for spelling mistakes. When I read my messages before I send them, I'm amazed at the mistakes, wrong words. It's funny that it seems o.k. when I'm typing but then when I read it back it's becomes comical.
Here's another word for McDonald's....Mickey D's.
Didn't I tell you?
I told Chris, If he can understand what a high-five is, his English is superb.:yes:
I'm always checking my messages for spelling mistakes. When I read my messages before I send them, I'm amazed at the mistakes, wrong words. It's funny that it seems o.k. when I'm typing but then when I read it back it's becomes comical.
Here's another word for McDonald's....Mickey D's.
steerpike2
Super Member
Greetings!
I am a member of some German audio forums, and I get a sense that they are very much more critical of correct usage and grammar (German grammar that is) than the 'American' forums. Possibly not so much grammar but rather social etiquette, which comes across in writing style.
If I write in German, always check my posts twice before finalising!
I am a member of some German audio forums, and I get a sense that they are very much more critical of correct usage and grammar (German grammar that is) than the 'American' forums. Possibly not so much grammar but rather social etiquette, which comes across in writing style.
If I write in German, always check my posts twice before finalising!
Greetings - you are writing in German forums - that is really an impressive performance! :thmbsp:
I am still a passive member of "Old Fidelity" and 95% of the members there pay attention to eloquence, diction, spelling, sentence construction and of course grammar.
The atmosphere in German forums like that is sometimes a bit too stern, in a way too "German", I prefer AudioKarma. I am posting nowhere else anymore.
I am still a passive member of "Old Fidelity" and 95% of the members there pay attention to eloquence, diction, spelling, sentence construction and of course grammar.
The atmosphere in German forums like that is sometimes a bit too stern, in a way too "German", I prefer AudioKarma. I am posting nowhere else anymore.
Christoph, I appreciate the effort you spend in trying to write the correct words for your intended meaning. Often it must be difficult to do, in a second language.
I, for one, am glad you make the effort.
I, for one, am glad you make the effort.
Oh my - thank you for such a kind remark.
BTW I love to watch Laurel & Hardy dvd's, of course in English. Quite often somebody says "Make it snappy!" I think that means something like "Hurry up!"
Can anybody tell me if the expression is still used in the USA?
BTW I love to watch Laurel & Hardy dvd's, of course in English. Quite often somebody says "Make it snappy!" I think that means something like "Hurry up!"
Can anybody tell me if the expression is still used in the USA?
finnbow
The Dude Abides
Sure, though there are plenty of other idioms for "hurry up."
Get the lead out, get a move on, get cracking, get going, hop to it, hustle, look alive, shake a leg, snap to it, step on it ...
Come on, Sandy! Pull your fingers out, get your a$$ in gear, spit out what you're trying to say - like, get it off your chest, man!
Cheers, og
