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Poll: Have you lived in a country of one of your non-native working languages?
Autor de la hebra: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
PERSONAL DEL SITIO
Sep 21, 2013

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you lived in a country of one of your non-native working languages?".

This poll was originally submitted by Tuulia Tipa. View the poll results »



 
Tim Drayton
Tim Drayton  Identity Verified
Chipre
Local time: 11:24
turco al inglés
+ ...
Yes, but not any more Sep 21, 2013

Yes, I lived for nearly 12 years in Turkey (Turkish is my main source language). I also lived for 3 years in Germany (German is an occasional source language for me).

I said "not any more", but that is debatable. The official languages of the Republic of Cyprus, according to the constitution, are Greek and Turkish, but owing to the tragic continuing division of this tiny island, the side where I live is now a de-facto Greek-speaking area. However, a Turkish-speaking environment is o
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Yes, I lived for nearly 12 years in Turkey (Turkish is my main source language). I also lived for 3 years in Germany (German is an occasional source language for me).

I said "not any more", but that is debatable. The official languages of the Republic of Cyprus, according to the constitution, are Greek and Turkish, but owing to the tragic continuing division of this tiny island, the side where I live is now a de-facto Greek-speaking area. However, a Turkish-speaking environment is only a two hour bus ride away, where I can sometimes even experience the delights of the Cypro-Turkish dialect (unfortunately, only spoken in its broad form by elderly people nowadays).

[Edited at 2013-09-21 08:24 GMT]
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P.L.F. Persio
P.L.F. Persio  Identity Verified
Países Bajos
Local time: 10:24
Miembro 2010
inglés al italiano
+ ...
Yes, and I still do Sep 21, 2013

I've lived in Russia and Poland some 20 years ago. Currently I live in the Netherlands, where I intend to stay 'till death do us part.

 
tilak raj
tilak raj  Identity Verified
India
Local time: 13:54
Miembro 2012
inglés al panyabí
+ ...
No Sep 21, 2013

I have not got any chance to living in country of my non-native language. But I am thinking to live sometimes in such country. If it happens, I hope it will also the best experience in my life.

 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 09:24
Miembro 2007
inglés al portugués
+ ...
Yes, and I still do Sep 21, 2013

I have been living in Belgium since 1985...

 
Alexandranow
Alexandranow  Identity Verified
Rumania
Local time: 11:24
rumano al inglés
+ ...
sort of Sep 21, 2013

ProZ.com Staff wrote:

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you lived in a country of one of your non-native working languages?".

This poll was originally submitted by Tuulia Tipa. View the poll results »


I lived a while in Italy, but for very short periods, several times. I used to work for Italian companies, was a good life, not to say I used to be rich to some extent. I tried English but the income is very poor, so I might consider myself poor now. The contacts I had with Italian companies are history, and now too many from my country went there, they ruined the market. Hope is not like if I am complaining.........

[Edited at 2013-09-21 10:11 GMT]


 
John Cutler
John Cutler  Identity Verified
España
Local time: 10:24
español al inglés
+ ...
Change one word Sep 21, 2013

Teresa Borges wrote:

I have been living in Belgium since 1985...


In my case, you just need to change the word Belgium for Spain.


 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Dinamarca
Local time: 10:24
Miembro 2012
inglés al danés
+ ...
Yes, Sep 21, 2013

For many years and, sorry to say, but I think that is essential for a translator.

[Edited at 2013-09-21 10:45 GMT]


 
B D Finch
B D Finch  Identity Verified
Francia
Local time: 10:24
francés al inglés
+ ...
Yes, it is essential Sep 21, 2013

Yetta J Bogarde wrote:

For many years and, sorry to say, but I think that is essential for a translator.

[Edited at 2013-09-21 10:45 GMT]


I think Yetta has no need to apologise for saying that she thinks it is essential. I don't see how it is possible to translate from a language that you have never had day-to-day experience of living with. I now live in France and retraining as a translator was part of my project of moving to France. I got my IoL DipTrans while still in England, but would never have used it as a basis for becoming a professional translator had I not moved to France. I would never have had sufficient familiarity with French language and culture simply through reading, media and occasional visits.

I think that nowadays, with the Internet and Skype etc., it is much easier than it used to be to keep up-to-date in one's native tongue. That is also a concern, which translators need to be aware of. Languages develop and change and that can lead to the language used by expatriates and in expatriate communities becoming quaintly old-fashioned. It is also easy to unconsciously start incorporating elements of the language of your country of residence into your native tongue.

On the other hand, I don't think it is necessarily essential to remain in the source language country, though in my case that is certainly the intention and one that preceded the idea of becoming a translator.


 
Thayenga
Thayenga  Identity Verified
Alemania
Local time: 10:24
Miembro 2009
inglés al alemán
+ ...
Not really Sep 21, 2013

Several times over the past 35 years I had spend long periods (over 30 days) in the U.S.A, aside from working on a military compound (practically US territory), using their recreation facilities, clubs, etc. If I'd summarize this time, it yields a good 7 or 8 years.

[Edited at 2013-09-21 13:21 GMT]


 
Heather McCrae
Heather McCrae  Identity Verified
Alemania
Local time: 10:24
alemán al inglés
yes Sep 21, 2013

I used to live in Italy when I was an artiste, as well as many other European countries, then I spent 8 years in England studying, started my career there in '94, then moved to Germany in 2001. Still here in Hamburg 12 years on, no plans yet to move anywhere else until I am too old to translate (!!!), in which case I will migrate to the poorest country on earth because I won't be able to afford to live anywhere else on my pension

 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 04:24
inglés al español
+ ...
A world of my own Sep 21, 2013

Born in South America, I migrated to USA in late 1990 and never left, except for two brief periods after attaining my citizenship (2005-2007, and a few months in 2010).

Since English is currently my only source language, and given the fact that a big chunk of the U.S. population uses Spanish, America is where I work and live, and I have no plans of going anywhere else.

However...

I'm studying French with plans of using it for translation in the long term. O
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Born in South America, I migrated to USA in late 1990 and never left, except for two brief periods after attaining my citizenship (2005-2007, and a few months in 2010).

Since English is currently my only source language, and given the fact that a big chunk of the U.S. population uses Spanish, America is where I work and live, and I have no plans of going anywhere else.

However...

I'm studying French with plans of using it for translation in the long term. Of course, a serious translator needs to have resided in the country of the language concerned for a significant period of time, with more or less regular visits to freshen up. Given these dynamics, I might have to move to Canada or France for a while in the future.

I don't think using Skype, the phone, Internet sites in a given language for newspapers and media are enough to keep a language fresh in your arsenal. Any type of communication facilitated by Internet becomes so artificial and context-free that relationships and meaningful interactions dilute over time.
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564354352 (X)
564354352 (X)  Identity Verified
Dinamarca
Local time: 10:24
danés al inglés
+ ...
Yes, but no more, but will do again in the future Sep 21, 2013

I lived and worked eight years in England before deciding to return to Denmark to qualify as a translator. I could have stayed in England for BA and subsequent MA studies but realised that I would have a huge advantage if I were to study English in Denmark, based on my eight years of speaking hardly anything but English, whereas if I were to study English as a foreigner in England, I might well have been somewhat disadvantaged.

After completing my BA in Danish, English and Spanish
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I lived and worked eight years in England before deciding to return to Denmark to qualify as a translator. I could have stayed in England for BA and subsequent MA studies but realised that I would have a huge advantage if I were to study English in Denmark, based on my eight years of speaking hardly anything but English, whereas if I were to study English as a foreigner in England, I might well have been somewhat disadvantaged.

After completing my BA in Danish, English and Spanish business communication and translation, I decided that my English was 'good enough' for professional use, so I went on to do my MA in translation and interpretation in Danish and Spanish, which gave me the opportunity to live five months as an exchange student in Mexico. Wonderful place, wonderful people.

The eight years I lived in England still form the basis for my work today, as I translate mainly into English, and not into my native tongue, Danish. It is my plan to move back to England on a permanent basis within the next couple of years. It will always feel like home to me.
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Julian Holmes
Julian Holmes  Identity Verified
Japón
Local time: 17:24
Miembro 2011
japonés al inglés
Difficult to say... Sep 21, 2013

Having studied Latin for 7 years and ancient Greek for 4, both up to `A` level, I would have to travel back in time 2,000 years to Italy and Greece to be able to answer "Yes" for this poll.

Mind you, the thought of walking around almost srark naked in a flimsy toga with no underwear is very appealing to the unexposed extrovert side of my nature.


 
Ventnai
Ventnai  Identity Verified
España
Local time: 10:24
alemán al inglés
+ ...
Yes, but ... Sep 21, 2013

I am British and live in Spain but Spanish is not my main source language by a long chalk. I mainly work with German and have lived in Germany and spent many a summer and holidays there

 
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Poll: Have you lived in a country of one of your non-native working languages?






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