Anyone here learning or have learned a new language?

Donkey Oaty

Links, you have plenty on your plate there as a beginner.

The trick for conversational Japanese is to forget about translating everything into English, because a lot of it really doesn't translate. Think of it as a series of secret codes.

For example, がんばってください！is often literally translated as "Do your best", but really it's just something people say to be polite, and is more like "Good luck!" or "Go for it!" or "I wish you well".

So your response was ありがとう, but a 日本人 would usually respond がんばります! which literally means "I will do my best" but in our terms means "thank you for your support" or whatever - but is really just a meaningless but polite response to がんばってください.

Aside: I watched the movie "Raising Arizona" on Japanese television with Japanese subtitles, and "Get out of my fcking way!" was translated as すみません ("Excuse me"). :eek:

Rhys Essien

On a sidenote,but Hector is a fluent Spanish speaker.Des Bishop is fluent in Irish and Mandarin.Chris Martin of Coldplay can speak multiple languages and his wife Gyneth Paltrow is fluent in Spanish.The Spanish soccer player Javi Alonso learned his English in Co Meath.

Some others here
http://www.businessinsider.com/celebrities-who-speak-more-than-one-language-2013-10?op=1

The_B_Man

I'm learning Objective-C. Does that count??

czechlin

maguic24 wrote: »

When I was unemployed a year and a half ago, I started learning Swedish....then I got a job and started a masters...and now I don't have the time.

I'm hoping to learn Swedish at some point! Don't worry maguic24 you'll get back to it sometime, you've got plenty on your plate now fair play!

4zn76tysfajdxp

Rhys Essien wrote: »

On a sidenote,but Hector is a fluent Spanish speaker.Des Bishop is fluent in Irish and Mandarin.Chris Martin of Coldplay can speak multiple languages and his wife Gyneth Paltrow is fluent in Spanish.The Spanish soccer player Javi Alonso learned his English in Co Meath.

Arnold Schwarzenegger can speak German.

Links234

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

Links, you have plenty on your plate there as a beginner.

正しいですね

The trick for conversational Japanese is to forget about translating everything into English, because a lot of it really doesn't translate. Think of it as a series of secret codes.

For example, がんばってください！is often literally translated as "Do your best", but really it's just something people say to be polite, and is more like "Good luck!" or "Go for it!" or "I wish you well".

So your response was ありがとう, but a 日本人 would usually respond がんばります! which literally means "I will do my best" but in our terms means "thank you for your support" or whatever - but is really just a meaningless but polite response to がんばってください.

Yeah, I know what you mean, like いってきます /　いってらしゃい sounds a bit odd if taken literally, so I look at it like idioms.

Aside: I watched the movie "Raising Arizona" on Japanese television with Japanese subtitles, and "Get out of my fcking way!" was translated as すみません ("Excuse me"). :eek:

Lazy translation?

Donkey Oaty

Links234 wrote: »

Lazy translation?

In the context, I think it was the way he said it, which was casual and not too aggressive, so maybe any other translation would have distracted from the plot - but I really don't know. Translators between English and 日本語 have to make very odd decisions.

Donkey Oaty

Emmalynn Unsightly Needlepoint wrote: »

Arnold Schwarzenegger can speak German.

Are you sure? Apparently they use a double for the acting parts.

(Old Roger Moore joke)

Rhys Essien

Emmalynn Unsightly Needlepoint wrote: »

Arnold Schwarzenegger can speak German.

Arnold komme aus Osterreich.

Links234

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

Translators between English and 日本語 have to make very odd decisions.

Same the other way around though, isn't it? I know enough to know when watching something in Japanese, the translation can be completely different, or just could be colloquialized

Also, how was the bit of 日本語 I did use in that last post?

Ruu

Have the Mango Languages app on my tablet, but have not gotten an opportunity to play around with it yet. Have no idea what other language to try!

Rhys Essien

What would be considered the easiest language to learn?

4zn76tysfajdxp

Rhys Essien wrote: »

What would be considered the easiest language to learn?

This is an interesting picture I've found.

Links234

Rhys Essien wrote: »

What would be considered the easiest language to learn?

One you're interested in and are exposed to.

Tokyo

Rhys Essien wrote: »

What would be considered the easiest language to learn?

http://www.effectivelanguagelearning.com/language-guide/language-difficulty

pajor

denhaagenite wrote: »

Can read and understand French as I have it from school, speak Dutch because I live in the Netherlands- most people aren't bothered with it as the Dutch have a decent level of English but I quite like the language and it really is the key to integrating.

My gf is Dutch, I'm still over here and she's over there unfortunately.

But I'm trying to pick up as much as I can and wow it's not easy. A language that is just a minefield of grammar irregularities.

And we think we're great with the variety of accents in such a small country. But the differences in accent and dialects between villages down the road in NL is just.. off putting. :P

Donkey Oaty

Links234 wrote: »

Same the other way around though, isn't it? I know enough to know when watching something in Japanese, the translation can be completely different, or just could be colloquialized

Also, how was the bit of 日本語 I did use in that last post?

お上手ですね!

Useful response chart here:

http://injapan.gaijinpot.com/live/learning-japanese/2010/11/11/dealing-with-jozu-desu-ne-4/

Links234

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

お上手ですね!

Useful response chart here:

http://injapan.gaijinpot.com/live/learning-japanese/2010/11/11/dealing-with-jozu-desu-ne-4/

I actually feel pretty thrilled with myself that I could read that straight off!

As for a response, how's about いえ上手じゃない　:o

Arthur Beesley

No.

McChubbin

I know all the words to Haben Sie Gerhert Das Deutshe Band in German. Hurray for earworms! If only Rammstein lyrics were as easy to pick up.

Rhotheta

McChubbin wrote: »

I know all the words to Haben Sie Gerhert Das Deutshe Band in German. Hurray for earworms! If only Rammstein lyrics were as easy to pick up.

Haben Sie Das Deutche Band Gehort?

As a grammar pedant I need to correct that. How do you type an umlaut on phone?

Rhotheta

Rhotheta wrote: »

Haben Sie Das Deutche Band Gehort?

As a grammar pedant I need to correct that. How do you type an umlaut on phone?

Just throw in an e if you need to

Donkey Oaty

Links234 wrote: »

I actually feel pretty thrilled with myself that I could read that straight off!

As for a response, how's about いえ上手じゃない　:o

I think a 日本人 should answer that, but to my ears it's a bit harsh and direct for what is a mere pleasantry...but accompanied by a giggle and a fluttering of the Links eyelashes, you might make their evening...:)

Links234

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

I think a 日本人 should answer that, but to my ears it's a bit harsh and direct for what is a mere pleasantry...but accompanied by a giggle and a fluttering of the Links eyelashes, you might make their evening...:)

I had actually said that to a Japanese friend of mine recently when she said I was good at the language, I know it's a pretty casual way to say it though, hence じゃない instead of じゃありません

czechlin

Rhotheta wrote: »

Haben Sie Das Deutche Band Gehort?

As a grammar pedant I need to correct that. How do you type an umlaut on phone?

I hold the chosen letter and all the options of characters for it pop up.
For 'o' I can do: ö ô ò ó œ õ and more

Photo-Sniper

I speak fluent (well fluent enough..might struggle with some technical terms) German.

Was forced to speak it when I came here but picked it up easier than any other language I have ever tried to learn.

urabell

I speak 3 languages, 4 if you count Portuguese

bodice ripper

I can follow other people's conversations in Dutch for the most part. Entirely accidentally I might add. The small bit of German I remember from school helped. And Shakespeare, weirdly.

There is no point learning to speak it back, they will just mock your accent and reply in English. Smug gits.

osarusan

Links234 wrote: »

I actually feel pretty thrilled with myself that I could read that straight off!

As for a response, how's about いえ上手じゃない　:o

something like a bashful いえ、まだまだ or a ぜんぜん　would be fine I would say. Unless you are being complimented on your chopstick usage, in which you should feel free to tell them to **** off.

irishguitarlad

I've been learning Spanish now properly for about two months and I'm already at an intermediate stage. I love the Spanish food, the music, the weather, the women, the football. I meet up with Spanish people to practice the language and I also practice over the internet via skype. It also opens up South America. By the way if your learning a language I would seriously recommend the Michel Thomas Method.