Applied Language and Translation

maracuja

Hi all, I'm looking for people currently in this course.

I'm really interested in doing intermediate German with either Chinese or Japanese. I did German for leaving cert and then spent over a year working as an au pair in Germany. I then spent some time working for a Chinese-English family and was fascinated by them speaking Mandarin together, which got me interested in learning an Asian language as well.

My problem is that up until a few months ago I didn't think I'd be going to uni. I've never been to an open day or anything. Most of my friends at home are finishing 3rd year now but none of them are at DCU and I haven't heard much about it. I really like the sound of this course, but I'm worried that I'm not informed enough to choose it. I'm working in Australia until May so I really need to make my course decisions while I'm here. I'd be grateful if someone could answer some questions!

Konata

Hi maracuja,

I'm in final year of this course studying Japanese. I studied French as my other language for the first two years so I don't know an awful lot about the German/Chinese part but I can answer anything related to Japanese or the course in general.

maracuja

Hi Konata. Would you recommend Japanese from your experience? My brother is trying to convince me to do it; he speaks it pretty well, and thinks Chinese would be too complicated. Also I've read that 10 people are needed for there to be a Chinese class, so I assume it isn't as popular.

Does intermediate level pick up where leaving cert left off or would you want to be a bit more advanced? I did some language classes in Germany while I was over there so I'm not too worried about keeping up, but I'd like to know what to expect.

When you go abroad in third year, will it usually be to your beginner language country? I'm sure I read this somewhere and it worries me that I might forget all my German if I went to Asia. Although I do want to study a third language German is really my big thing.

Konata

maracuja wrote: »

Hi Konata. Would you recommend Japanese from your experience? My brother is trying to convince me to do it; he speaks it pretty well, and thinks Chinese would be too complicated. Also I've read that 10 people are needed for there to be a Chinese class, so I assume it isn't as popular.

Does intermediate level pick up where leaving cert left off or would you want to be a bit more advanced? I did some language classes in Germany while I was over there so I'm not too worried about keeping up, but I'd like to know what to expect.

When you go abroad in third year, will it usually be to your beginner language country? I'm sure I read this somewhere and it worries me that I might forget all my German if I went to Asia. Although I do want to study a third language German is really my big thing.

I would recommend Japanese but bear in mind that it's not easy. At all. Our class has more than halved since we started due to people failing/dropping the language (this isn't really an option any more though, you used to be able to do it). However, every language takes time and effort to learn so you get what you put into it. The key is to be consistent the whole way through first, second and third year and not just 'leave' it till it 'counts' in fourth year like many people do with other subjects. If you don't keep up right from the start you'll struggle massively in fourth year.

Chinese isn't as popular. I believe there's only 3 left in the fourth year class at the moment so they do need that minimum amount to start. I don't really know much about learning Chinese but one of the more difficult parts is the kanji alphabet which you have in Japanese too anyway.

The intermediate language pretty much continues on from the Leaving Cert higher level course. With your extra experience you probably won't find first year too difficult. There's a lot of emphasis on using the language with the intermediate one rather than learning it as with the beginner one - so lots of presentations, projects and the like.

If you're studying Chinese or Japanese you have to go to China/Japan for the year abroad, no choice. You can still take modules in German in most Japanese universities but the level is usually below what is taught in DCU. To combat this, DCU have started offering online modules for your 2nd language while you're abroad. So you'll still have to do German in any case even if you're in Japan. Again though, if you make a bit of effort you won't lose your language. In the university I went to there were tons of German exchange students - just ask one of them if you can meet up regularly to practice German or whatever. They might want to practice English too so you can make it work!

maracuja

Wow, almost everything you've said is new to me. Thank you so much. This is what I meant about not being informed enough. There just doesn't seem to be a huge amount you can find out about it online.

I'd like to do Japanese but I just don't think I'd choose it over Chinese if I had the choice, so I hope there'll be a class. If I do end up with it I'll try my best though. I don't give up on things easily, though I imagine it will all be quite a change. Everyone seems to think I'll go mad from the stress of going back into education after 3 years. I'm pretty sure I can keep on top of things, but I will bear your warning in mind if I find myself putting things off! If I'm going to do this I really want to do it right.

I'm glad to hear you have to use your language more in intermediate, as at school nobody actually spoke German very much at all. Are the classes actually taken through the language at that level? My evening classes were done entirely through German and it was so helpful.

Konata wrote: »

To combat this, DCU have started offering online modules for your 2nd language while you're abroad. So you'll still have to do German in any case even if you're in Japan.

I'm really happy about this. I definitely don't want my German going out the window. For my first 6 months in Australia I worked for a German family, but since I left them I've started forgetting words. I've had German language partners before and I've just found a new one here, so hopefully I can keep my skills up. I don't know why it didn't occur to me that the same could be done in Asia. Germans can be found just about everywhere. I feel more at ease with the whole idea now.

Konata

maracuja wrote: »

Wow, almost everything you've said is new to me. Thank you so much. This is what I meant about not being informed enough. There just doesn't seem to be a huge amount you can find out about it online.

I'd like to do Japanese but I just don't think I'd choose it over Chinese if I had the choice, so I hope there'll be a class. If I do end up with it I'll try my best though. I don't give up on things easily, though I imagine it will all be quite a change. Everyone seems to think I'll go mad from the stress of going back into education after 3 years. I'm pretty sure I can keep on top of things, but I will bear your warning in mind if I find myself putting things off! If I'm going to do this I really want to do it right.

I'm glad to hear you have to use your language more in intermediate, as at school nobody actually spoke German very much at all. Are the classes actually taken through the language at that level? My evening classes were done entirely through German and it was so helpful.



I'm really happy about this. I definitely don't want my German going out the window. For my first 6 months in Australia I worked for a German family, but since I left them I've started forgetting words. I've had German language partners before and I've just found a new one here, so hopefully I can keep my skills up. I don't know why it didn't occur to me that the same could be done in Asia. Germans can be found just about everywhere. I feel more at ease with the whole idea now.

No problem, glad I could be of help.

3 years isn't too long to be out of education. I was out of it 1.5 years before starting this course but it had been more than 3 years since I had last studied any languages and you slip back into it quick enough. You do a lot of culture-y type modules in 1st and 2nd year that you can waffle your way through a bit if you're stuck but definitely don't think you can do that with the languages - they're small classes and have a much more secondary school feel to them than the standard university lecture. In other words, your lecturers will notice and comment on absences or lack of homework etc.!

It really sounds like you have a great interest in languages so I think you'd get on very well in this course. It obviously helps when you have an interest in what you're learning. The intermediate classes are taught 95% entirely through the target language. Maybe if the class is very stuck on understanding something the lecturer might use a bit of English but in general it'd be through German entirely.