| Páginas sobre el tema: < [1 2 3] | Poll: You know you speak a second language well, when you can: Autor de la hebra: ProZ.com Staff
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| I entirely agree: a full discussion about some matter over the phone | Oct 6, 2007 |
Hilde Granlund wrote: is a definite hurdle... I remember vividly to this day, having to call some unknown port official person up in Drogheda (just try to pronounce that, if you're not Irish...), about the whereabouts of my luggage and make arrangements for the transport to Dublin. Took me several days of sweating just to feel up to it 
I totally agree. Being able to discuss some matter to its fullest extent over the phone is a good measure.
| | | | | having a conversation with people "different" from me | Oct 6, 2007 |
When I can have a dialogue with children/seniors/people with impaired hearing.
| | | | | Interesting topic | Oct 6, 2007 |
I would not say speaking a second language "well" necessarily means being so good that the natives mistake you for a native. Very few people reach that level - and even that may fool you.
Some people are "parrots" - they pick up the intonation and the manner of speaking fairly quickly, but might still have limited vocabulary and understanding.
Others might master a second language very well, but the instant they open their mouth, you can hear where they come from.
I hav... See more I would not say speaking a second language "well" necessarily means being so good that the natives mistake you for a native. Very few people reach that level - and even that may fool you.
Some people are "parrots" - they pick up the intonation and the manner of speaking fairly quickly, but might still have limited vocabulary and understanding.
Others might master a second language very well, but the instant they open their mouth, you can hear where they come from.
I have never been to Glasgow, but in general, I find Scottish people easy to understand, because their pronounciation and some of their words are very close to Scandinavian.
But this post brought back another memory:
When first arriving in Dublin, of course I thought I could speak English - having learnt it for nine years in school, and done some intensive studying for the last few months - since knowing I was going to Dublin to live.
I stepped off the ferry in DunLaoghaire (another pronounciation test for you...), got on a bus, and then in a taxi. I had a little note with the address of someone who knew someone who knew my mum, and had said I could sleep on their sofa until I found a place to stay.
Dublin taxi drivers tend to chat. At least they did back then. The driver chatted merrily away from O'Connel St. to Harold's Cross, and I did not understand a word
Made me seriously wonder what I had gotten myself into... ▲ Collapse
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I'd say that being able to make word plays in a foreign language is a very good sign of having a good sense of it and its cultural values.
But then, I'm not able to make even the simplest word play in Spanish, so I don't know were that would leave me...
Best,
Eva
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Oh, and about the phone issue: I used to work in a call center offering multilingual IT support over the phone. When recruiting new employees, the HR people (which didn't have the faintest idea of linguistics or Second Language Acquisition) wanted to hire people who knew as many languages as possible (this would give them more flexibility to organize the shifts, etc.), but then thought that an "intermediate knowledge" of the foreign languages would be enough (why, it's all about giving the custo... See more Oh, and about the phone issue: I used to work in a call center offering multilingual IT support over the phone. When recruiting new employees, the HR people (which didn't have the faintest idea of linguistics or Second Language Acquisition) wanted to hire people who knew as many languages as possible (this would give them more flexibility to organize the shifts, etc.), but then thought that an "intermediate knowledge" of the foreign languages would be enough (why, it's all about giving the customer instructions and resetting passwords). Our customers ranged from shop floor employees who had never seen a computer in their lives to top managerial staff desperate to get their problems sorted out. Well, they soon realised that it wasn't so simple after all...
Regards,
Eva
[Editado a las 2007-10-06 11:26] ▲ Collapse
| | | | elen_d
Local time: 03:31
inglés al francés
+ ...
| Telling jokes.... and understanding them ! | Oct 6, 2007 |
I would add to: "I can tell and joke and people understand it" that it is also a good sign if we can both tell jokes and *understand* them!
I reckon jokes and other puns prove you actually "master" an other language with this precise point of view that enables you to see not only the words & their meanings but a whole range of fun behind it !
| | | | | tell the doctor what's wrong. | Oct 6, 2007 |
It's just one of those things that does not happen very often. If you can manage well anyway, your're doing ok. Same applies to having a meaningful discussion about your insurance policy or your mortgage.
As to the cursing: for some people that's the FIRST thing they can do, usually inappropriately. The real art is knowing WHEN it's safe to use four-letter words.
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is usually the first thing you learn in any languange I can swear in a lot more languages than I can speak.
And looking at the poll a second time - I know what I should have answered:
When you are able to make friends in that language.
That just about says it?
When you reach a level of understanding where you can call somebody a true friend (and boyfriends/girlfriends don't count, hormones are ... See more is usually the first thing you learn in any languange I can swear in a lot more languages than I can speak.
And looking at the poll a second time - I know what I should have answered:
When you are able to make friends in that language.
That just about says it?
When you reach a level of understanding where you can call somebody a true friend (and boyfriends/girlfriends don't count, hormones are the same in any language) - you have reached a level of understanding that really means something. ▲ Collapse
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