Trellum

Hello everyone!  I'm trying to learn Dutch, because I might be moving to the Netherlands after a while, and is really necessary for me to learn the language. Over here they don't offer Dutch language courses, so I will have to learn Dutch on my own.  I have the Pimsleur audio course, so I pray to G-d that's enough   If not, I'm sure my boyfriend will find the way to help me out!

I'm not nervious tho, because it seems I'm  good at learning languages on my own anyway I learn english on my own when I was just 16. So I might be able to do the same with Dutch!

How are you guys planning to learn Dutch?  Are you taking classes already or you have bought a course??

I'm dying to hear my accent once I come back from the Netherlands!  I bet my accent will change a little. I'm not worried about it tho. I personally love the accent dutch people has when they speak english, my guy sounds like the guy from the Rush movie that was portraying ''Niki Lauda''.  It's so charming   At first I felt kinda bothered, but after a while it started to sound more and more charming!

Amazing tips!  I'm sure it's pretty common not to know or not to remember a word, I guess going on and do the best you can is the best you can do.  That's much better than abrupty stoping and saying no word, lol. I'd not worry that much about leaving holes, I think your set of tips are just amazing... it's amazing how many words and meanings can get lost in translation!  So yeah, I agree with you totally when you say a good translator must learn more about the culture of the languages he'll be translating

How accurate are these subtitles, in your opinion? Have you ever noticed an error or mistranslation between the spoken dialogue and the written subtitles?

Way too many times!!!  They just do what they want with the translations, I know you can't do a literal translation, sometimes you have to change some words to adapt it to the cultural context of the audience the translation was made for. But some people over do it!  They totally change the meaning in very twisted ways! 

I was watching the walking dead the other day (with spanish subs) and thought, man, it'd suck if I didn't understand english... I'm sure a lot folks will missunderstand this or that phrase. That's why some translations seem so out of place

Yeah, I actually hate it when we are watching a movie and for some reason the subtites don't show up in some parts of the movies, I'm automatically asked to translate what the people are saying!  But it's so fast!!  Trying to translate as the characters speak... and keep up with that speed is hard!  Sometimes I'm translating, and they're already saying something else.  I'm not very fast   I feel your pain!

I have met some really wonderful people thanks to language exchange web sites, I've made some great friends and at the same time I got a partner to practice the language I'm interested in.  It's a win win situation, right?  Well, that wouldn't even be possible if amazing sites like the polyglot club didn't exist  

This is so far one of my favorite sites to find language exchange buddies.  I love the fact that site is easy to use and free   You can also create a profile, and organize local events in your area.

Has anyone used this web site before?  Did you find a lot language exchange buddies over there?  Are you still in contact?

It's a nice tool, I can't deny it, but it does an awful job translating things to spanish! Translating things to english isn't that bad, but to spanish?  Yeah, pretty bad!  It's a nice tool to hear the pronunciation of some words tho   I use it to translate single words, but no complete phrases.  Because this tool works best with single words  and not that well with whole phrases.

I had to reply to this, because I lately feel I'm abusing this ''word''. There is a friend I use this word the most with tho, for some reason we both do it when we text.  I'm trying really hard not to use it, specially over here and whenever I participate in other forums.  This expression is being over used by a lot people, and to be honest is starting to get a bit annoying and irritating!  If I feel this way, I guess the others feel the same way when I type ''lol'' excessively!  Sad part is... I use it even when I'm not laughing out loud, hehehe (I almost did it again!). Now it's just a habit

I'm learning a new language because I plan to move to the country where they speak that language, and in order to live a functional life there I need to learn the language. I'm not really fond of the dutch language as you can see, but I'm basically trapped and have no other choice but learning it   I'm not 100% sure I'll be moving there or when, but it should happen next year.

Learning a new language is one of the best investments, that's the way I see it. Knowing another language can open so many doors for you actually, it did for me; I landed a really good job some years ago thanks to the fact I'm bilingual!

I'm not really thrilled with the idea of moving there, mostly because your language   I'm sorry, but it's really hard to learn for me!!  The pronunciation specially... I have no choice but learning it tho.  I'm moving there because my boyfriend's family lives there and he wants to be close to them.  I love him, so I accepted the fact I might end up moving there maybe next year. I'm trying really hard to learn everything I can

I LOVE them!!!  They make it easier on me   Sometimes I feel kinda guilty tho, because I know there are other types of tests that actually require you to write much and think even harder.  Multiple choice tests also make you think, the fact they give you several choices to pick from makes it MUCH easier for the student... specially if you have a really lousy memory (I do).  They are life savers... that's all I can tell you!

It's nice to see there are a lot people out there who hate dubbing    It makes me feel better about the fact I totally hate it, but after checking all the replies to this threads... I can't help to wonder?  How come there are a lot people out there who just hate dubbing, but they are still dubbing the movies we watch, why could that be?  I mean, if the public in general feels the same way about dubbing (chances are) then why this is becoming more and more popular?

My boyfriend says that dutch kids nowadays aren't good at all at english because all the children movies are dubbed!  He said he learn english mostly because all the movies he watched as a kid were subbed and not dubbed!  So you can see this is acually causing a really negative impact!

I like to think I'm blingual but I'm  now very happy with my english... I think there are so many areas that are open for improvement.  I really need to start working on polishing my english a bit more, but I'm happy with my level (I could expand my vocabulary even more tho!). 

All I can tell you is that being bilingual has opened a lot doors for me   I landed a really good job last year thanks to that.  I'm so glad I can speak a second language!

I'm a native spanish speaker, and to be honest I'm not 100% spanish is the best language out there... or the superior one. I don't think there is something such as ''a superior'' language; there are highly functional languages tho... the best of the best in different ways: the easiest to learn, the most armonic one, the sweetest one, etc. 

But I don't think there is one I'd dare to call the best of the best... every language has something special and unique!  So not even english or spanish could be considered the best... unless you meant this question to be answered in a subjective way.  But in an objective way... not sure many people will dare to claim x or y language is the most superior one.  If someone does... I'm dying to check their sources, lol.

Americans say "roof" with the "ə" sound (called the schwa) rather than the long O sound. It sounds like they're a barking dog when they say it. It's so strange, it just tickles my strange nerve when I hear it.

Hahaha, that's the way I pronounce it   I wish I could stop doing that, I really don't like the american english that much, I really wish I had learnt the british one instead, but I guess it's really late for that, huh!  But I agree with you, it really sounds like I'm barking whenever I say that word, and I know it, lol.

I'd recommend the polyglot web site... I've met a lot people who are also interested in practicing the language I'm trying to learn right now.  The best part  about this is the fact this service is completely free. I'd recommend you to connect with students who are interested in learning the language, that way you two will have something in common and this interest might help you to keep the ''friendship'' going for as long as you need to practice. 

Contacting natives is a bit risky, since they have nothing to get in exchange... they might actually want to practice another language.  So the best thing you can do is to pursue a win-win scenario... by contacting a japanese language student.

Many years ago I head that Japanese is an easy-learning language as opposed to what many people think.

I tried to study this language but the school was in the other side of the city and never was able to organize my schedule to have the time and get there. Eventually forgot about this language.

However I have seen that people who anime loyal fans do not only learn Japanese with easiness, but also they are immersed into the Japanese culture thanks to this learning, which is easier for them because of the motivation that Anime provides them.

I have watched Anime, but actually it's not longer appealing to me. If Sailor Moon is Anime, this is the last one I watched several years ago when was first aired.

My best friend is totally immersed in the japanese culture and language, all this thanks to the magic of anime   He has learnt a lot japanese thanks to anime, and is eager to learn even more.  He dreams of moving to Japan one day, and I truly hope his dream comes true.  If someone deserves to have his/her dream come true, that person is him.  He's the most amazing friend I've ever had...

I agree with you, anime can lose its charm after a bit.  I actually drift back and forward from it.  I can spend very long periods without watching any sort of anime, until I find a new anime that really interest me.  Right now I'm following ''Another'' & ''NaNa''.

I saw where someone said they learn some Japanese from anime and that they disliked the dubbed versions of the shows. They preferred the subtitled versions with the original Japanese left in. I find this to be really true and helpful in learning any language, to be honest. I try to avoid English dubbed movies or shows at all costs because things get lost in the translation and it really is just not the same. I also learn so much about emoting and enunciating in the language when I can hear it being said, while reading the translation at the same time.

Are you the same? Do you like to watch things that are subtitled or do you want something that is dubbed over?

That person you're referring to in this post would be me    As I said on that thread of mine... there is no way the dubbed version will ever beat the subbed version.  The subbed version is superior in so many ways, one of them being the fact you can actually sound what the people sounds like... and most of the time the sound of dubbed movies really sucks!

I watched The Insidious 2 some weeks ago, and the movie was dubbed... my whole experience was ruined :/  I didn't get as scared as I normally would with a movie spoken in the native language (original sound as well, movie dubbing ruins the sound too) , gosh I'm so happy they never dubbed the millenium trilogy!!

Right now I only speak 2 languages fluently.  I can understand or read other languages at a very basic level but that's it. The two languages I speak fluently are: English & Spanish.  I can also read hebrew, I can speak some norwegian and swedish. I'm also trying to learn Dutch right now, but I've stopped studying it for a bit because I'm way too busy working! Besides, I haven't moved to the netherlands yet... so I'll not resume this until I move there for good.  There is no point in trying to learn it now, since I can't practice it.

Esperanto has been around for a while, I'm actually disappointed this language hasn't been very succesful... but at least it turned out to be even more succesful than the ''pangea'' one.  Sadly there aren't that many esperanto speakers around the world, at least not enough to make it a really influential one.  There are several institutions that are in charge to divulge and spread the word of the esperanto language!  Sadly this language needs far more diffusion, but isn't getting it.

I personally like the language, it was designed to be easy to learn by everyone who is eager to learn it and that's something you can't say about most languages we are all trying to learn right now   I actually tried to learn it when I was younger... this language is a mix of several languages, and the conjugation of verbs is very easy. But I gave up too fast.

Yeah!  I think everyone over here has gone tru this at least once in their lives, I did when I was just starting to learn english.  I think this is super common, specially if you're talking with a native speaker.  I'll surely go tru this once I move to the Netherlands; I can't speak english forever! 

So I'm sure there will be a lot awkward moments for me in the future   I'm not nervious about that at all!  I think awkward moments are a great motivation to improve the language   So not everything is bad!

I enjoy watching anime as well. However, the best way to be immersed in the media is to watch Japanese news - you get the best pronunciation and important vocabulary. I can still remember the first Japanese word I immediately memorized from an anime - Doite. I can't remember what anime but the sister wanted her brother to get out of the way and just kept saying "Doite!" Anime is definitely great for learning rude phrases. Be careful!

Hahaha, thanks for the warning   I never implied anime would be the best way to learn japanese, but a nice way to learn a few new words   Plus the enjoyment you get from watching it.  I personally love watching anime, and thanks to it I've learnt several new words   I'm happy with that, since I'm not actually trying to learn the language, I'm just a huge fan of anime!  But my best friend is actually trying to learn it!  He's the one who told me he has learnt so much japanese thanks to anime and I believe him

Hi Miya!!!  I'm traveling to the Netherlands next year on january!  I can't speak the language yet, but I'm not worried at all!  When are you planning to travel there?  Where in Holland is your family?  I'll be in Hoorn   It's a few minutes away from Amsterdam... I'll be in Blokker   That's a really small village in Hoorn, but since Holland is a really tiny place, you can get everywhere so fast by car... Amsterdam included!

By the way, you have a great reason to want to learn Dutch!

Longest for me would be a whole day (not counting the times I got so sick I couldn't even speak). That happened when I was a teen and my mother went for a holiday, my dad stayed at home and I spent most of the day in my room.  So that day my dad was out most of the day, we talked next day...  I don't like to talk that much, but lately I feel a great need to do so (mostly because of the symptoms of my chronic disease - I feel better after I talk about it!).

Absolutely.  Learning english helped me to lang s really good job some months ago, I got to work from home and earnt quite well.  Sadly I had to quit because my boss tried really hard to make my life and work impossible, so I had no choice but quitting.  Other than that... that was a really great working experience!  Knowing english has given me a definitive adventage over others with similar skills who didn't know to speak english.

Right now I'm learning Dutch, and this is going to benefit me once I move to the Netherlands.  This will help me a lot to land a good job over there