The Mock Turtle

I love the sound of Greek. My aunt is Cypriot and has offered to adopt me for the passport, so I should learn that.

I'm a translator, Lilloir. And hopefully I'll be doing interpreting, one day in the future when we're not confined to barracks.

Obvs. I speak French too.

I studied German and Spanish to about GCSE level, but can remember very little German as it was actually GCSE, so 25 years ago and I've almost never used it since. Spanish and Italian I can get by just about as a tourist, and understand a reasonable amount in a known context, through holidays and work visits.

I speak French (I was raised bilingual and my degree is in French, but I haven’t spoken it in several years so it would be a bit rusty now). I have basic Spanish too. I understand a lot more than I can speak though.

Rosetta Stone have a free offer thing just now for school children and students, so L and I were doing a bit of French earlier. I loved French at school, and studied it to first year uni level. I'd have kept going with it, but joint honours would've taken five years rather than four, and I was a bit daunted by the thought of going to live in France for a year.

The last time I studied it was 20 years ago so I'm rubbish now obviously, but I'm hoping that learning with L will help me get it back a bit.

lazzbo wrote: ↑Wed Mar 25, 2020 4:11 pm I love the sound of Greek. My aunt is Cypriot and has offered to adopt me for the passport, so I should learn that.

I'm a translator, Lilloir. And hopefully I'll be doing interpreting, one day in the future when we're not confined to barracks.

You should take advantage of that! Do you translate for anyone like the UN or something? Like in those meetings where you see people - well, translating?

That’s interpreting rather than translating, Lily (I believe) I used to see them in action when I worked in the European Commission and it’s amazing.

Someone I knew interviewed to be an interpreter for the UN, was amazingly fluent in his language, but got one word wrong and failed the interview. Fair enough I guess, it only takes one word to cause a war.

I neither speak nor understand another language other then the very very basics of French, German, Spanish. Let's just say I can order a beer and some chips in most European countries. I hate that I am so lacking in this department.

kiwi wrote: ↑Thu Mar 26, 2020 12:40 am It only takes one word to cause a war.

Loads of linguists and some really exotic languages too, clever turtles.

I speak more or less fluent French after doing a year of my degree there and a month as part of my PGCE. I still go to a conversation group to maintain it which is really enjoyable.

I did GCSE Spanish and forgot a lot but I'm quite good at listening as it is so similar to French. Mr Coo can speak good Spanish but is terrible at listening (terrible at listening in English too ) so we work as a team when we go to Spain with me listening and him speaking.

I've done some Mandarin but definitely couldn't use it independently, I have level one BSL and I've dabbled in Greek, Italian, Portuguese etc when we've been away. I enjoy languages and will usually have a go.

Lily wrote: ↑Wed Mar 25, 2020 11:25 pm

lazzbo wrote: ↑Wed Mar 25, 2020 4:11 pm I love the sound of Greek. My aunt is Cypriot and has offered to adopt me for the passport, so I should learn that.

I'm a translator, Lilloir. And hopefully I'll be doing interpreting, one day in the future when we're not confined to barracks.

You should take advantage of that! Do you translate for anyone like the UN or something? Like in those meetings where you see people - well, translating?

Ha, my uncle, the most English-looking man in the world, is set to get his Cypriot passport which is what sparked all the adoption chat off over Christmas.

I don't translate for anyone as fancy as that, sadly, no! Translating involves documents and interpreting involves people speaking, as Est said. I'd love to get into the latter - talking for a living, MY ACTUAL DREAM - but I think I would need another qualification. I wouldn't be aiming for the EU or the UN or anything - press conferences, presentations, product launches, that would be more my thing. The possibility of sparking warfare would make me sweat.

Ah of course!

Kiwi

No, apart from O level French and Latin. I am half way through a module on translating poetry, though, and it is fascinating. You can do it without a knowledge of the original language (with literal translations, and/or the help of a native speaker to discuss nuances), and you have to take so many things into account, such as cultural differences, sociolinguistics, political circumstances, and sometimes the biography of the original author, and his or her poetic viewpoint.

Unfortunately, because of industrial action and the poxy virus, we have missed so many classes that I'm not able to continue with it properly, and it's not being offered next year. I am sitting in on the virtual sessions though (there is one at 4.00 this afternoon) out of interest, and to make up the numbers for those who can't defer.