evapfromm

That's true Dieslrae, it does take some getting used to. I had to train my eyes to be able to read and watch the movie at the same time... Not an easy feat! That's a great idea, LauraM! Meanings of poetry and songs are often sadly lost when translated. It's always better when you can appreciate the imagery and meaning from the original language. I'll try and implement that when I start learning my next language.

It's not really "foreign" for me, but my favorite film that isn't American is Run Lola Run (or "Lola Rennt" in the original German). To be honest, I really cannot recall watching a movie that wasn't in either German or English... I guess my tastes in movies are pretty underdeveloped.

Not really. I love being able to speak my native German, especially because it is such a rarity to find someone else who is fluent in it, where I live. I am happy that it is not one of the most common languages in the world, since that fact helps me find jobs where being bilingual in German is a necessity. I have a confession, though... I prefer the English language overall. Just don't tell my family that!

I am good at recognizing languages, as long as they are generally spoken in Europe. Once it comes to countries spoken in Latin American or Asian countries, Africa or Island nations... I am hopeless! That has to do with my exposure to those languages and my upbringing, however.

Yes, actually! Just recently, I started looking into alternative forms of income. I came to the realization that I do have skills, such as being bilingual, a fast typer, and being pretty good at grammar. This brought me to searching for jobs like transcription and proofreading. I am now a subcontractor for a company that does German transcription, and a proofreader for another online-based company. Being bilingual is a goldmine! Especially if you enjoy working from home.

The main thing would have to be motivation, whether it is necessary to learn the language because of your surroundings, or a must because it will advance your career. The people I meet who want to learn a language "just for fun" or just take it as an extra-credit course in High School/College, generally never become fluent. Of course, there are always exceptions. I would find one certain thing to motivate you to keep at it. That way, it won't feel as much like a job to learn another language.

I was born in Germany and spent half of my life there. I have heard it used among my family members.

I admit, I am somewhat guilty of that, GetFresh! Since German isn't commonly spoken at all in America, my father, brother and I will converse about people right in front of them. We are able to stand in a grocery store and comment on somebody's haircut that we don't like, etc. It's somewhat amusing, however slightly evil. :angel: Good point Rand Paul. I wouldn't have met my American boyfriend if I hadn't first learned English. And Mareebaybay, I haven't looked into the benefits of being bilingual protecting against alzheimer's/dementia, but I can certainly believe it.

Ahh, that's also a good idea! I hadn't even thought of children's TV shows. I might try and find some that are in Dutch or French now, thanks. I remember when I first started learning English, I would also keep the Weather Channel on almost all day. Even if you don't understand the person, you can pretty much guess at what they are saying, anyway.

Hello kitkat0124. Thank you for the welcome. It's always easier to pick up a language when you're living in that country, I find. I was able to pick up English within a year of moving to America. But don't give up!

I was born in Germany, and then I moved to America when I was around 10 years old. I became fluent in English within a year of moving here. I had no idea I had a German accent until one day, when I asked my reading class in middle school out of nowhere if they thought I had an accent, and I got a resounding "YES!" I knew, back then and now, that I couldn't pronounce certain things like the "TH" sound in words... Mother, father, weather etc, or that weird American "ORL".. World, hurled, whirl. I still didn't think I had an accent at all times, though. Guess I was wrong! Nowadays, I get told all the time that I don't have a German accent anymore. I still slip up sometimes, but my spoken English is pretty much perfect.

I just wanted to share some of the little tips and ways that helped me to become fluent in English within a year of moving to America. For example, I always kept on the subtitles for a movie in English, and the closed-captioning for any show I watched on T.V. That way, I could both hear the words being spoken, and read them at the same time. I also started out reading a ton of children's books, until I felt comfortable enough to move up. Does anyone else have any tips they could share?

My top favorite American author is probably Kurt Vonnegut, for his humor and satirical works. After that, it'd probably be Ernest Hemingway or Emily Dickinson. If I had to pick an author that is still living, it'd be Orson Scott Card.

I have noticed this as well! I think you might've seen my other thread on the Dutch forum, but I have found that, as a German speaker, I can find words that are similar in both languages. I see this in German and English as well, like you do with English and Dutch.

I wonder the ability or interest in learning a language is greater among those who identify with the read/learner type. It seems like the majority of the people who have replied so far at least somewhat identify with that type. Not that other types of learners can't learn a language as easily or even better than a read/write learner- that would be silly.