Be Excellent To Each Other

And, you know, party on. Dude.

All times are UTC [ DST ]




Reply to topic  [ 13 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 17:42 
User avatar
Ready for action

Joined: 9th Mar, 2009
Posts: 8542
Location: Top Secret Bunker
I'm starting to work with Mexico a lot at work and it would really help me if I could attend their daily performance meetings, which are all in Spanish. Has anyone got experience of learning a language using tools like Rosetta Stone or Duolingo? I'd love to hear if they've worked for anyone before investing time into them.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 17:49 
User avatar
UltraMod

Joined: 27th Mar, 2008
Posts: 55715
Location: California
I started learning Spanish because it was a lot of my baseball team’s first language. I used Duolingo and it was pretty good - it gets you to speak and listen as well as write and understand written words and phrases. However I didn’t keep it up once I stopped playing. Unless you’re immersed in the culture and speaking it every day you’ll find it hard to become fluent as an adult, that’s just a fact sadly.

I would be happy to pick it up again and learn with you. We could have conversations during D&D where we say mean things about Zardoz

_________________
I am currently under construction.
Thank you for your patience.


Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 17:59 
User avatar
Ready for action

Joined: 9th Mar, 2009
Posts: 8542
Location: Top Secret Bunker
myp wrote:
I started learning Spanish because it was a lot of my baseball team’s first language. I used Duolingo and it was pretty good - it gets you to speak and listen as well as write and understand written words and phrases. However I didn’t keep it up once I stopped playing. Unless you’re immersed in the culture and speaking it every day you’ll find it hard to become fluent as an adult, that’s just a fact sadly.

I would be happy to pick it up again and learn with you. We could have conversations during D&D where we say mean things about Zardoz

My friend at work when on assignment to Mexico a couple of years ago for 12 months and I was amazed how well he could speak Spanish when he got back. It would definitely be the easiest way to learn. There's no requirement for me to learn but I would love to be able to participate more in the standard meetings and when I visit it would be great to practice.

Why did you choose Duolingo?


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Tue Mar 30, 2021 18:09 
User avatar
UltraMod

Joined: 27th Mar, 2008
Posts: 55715
Location: California
It was free! And at the time there weren’t many app-based options tbh. This is going on 6-7 years ago. I’m sure a paid course with a tutor would probably be better, but I can’t advise you there.

_________________
I am currently under construction.
Thank you for your patience.


Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 3:48 
User avatar
Can you dig it?

Joined: 5th Apr, 2008
Posts: 4662
Ask your mate if there is much difference between your classic Spanish ('Castilian' I believe) and what is used in Mexico? You might want to check first, so that if you go to the effort of learning a new language you get the 'right one' so that it helps achieve your objective.

I ask, because Lady T spent time honing her Spanish in the north (Pamplona) and then when we later holidayed in the south (Marbs, obv) they found the way she spoke to be somewhat troubling.

_________________
rumours about the high quality of the butter reached Yerevan


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:50 
User avatar
UltraMod

Joined: 27th Mar, 2008
Posts: 55715
Location: California
The grammar is slightly different depending on whether you go for classic Spanish or South/Central America usage, and the pronunciations are different too, but the verbs still conjugate using the same forms for each tense. Grammar-wise it’s the language that makes most sense as it mainly follows its own rules! Also 99/100 times it’s easy to figure out the gender of words too (as opposed to French where you have to learn them rote).

You should be able to learn one style of Spanish and understand the other, but again it depends on your level of fluency. And yes, dialects within Spain/Mexico/Bolivia/wherever will make things more challenging, but that’s the same as if someone speaking English as a foreign language went to Devon or Newcastle.

_________________
I am currently under construction.
Thank you for your patience.


Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:18 
User avatar
Hibernating Druid

Joined: 27th Mar, 2008
Posts: 49104
Location: Standing on your mother's Porsche
myp wrote:
We could have conversations during D&D where we say mean things about Zardoz

Tal vez le agrado a sdg porque hago que D&D sea divertido para ella.

_________________
SD&DG Illustrated! Behance Bleep Bloop

'Not without talent but dragged down by bass turgidity'


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 12:56 
User avatar
Ready for action

Joined: 9th Mar, 2009
Posts: 8542
Location: Top Secret Bunker
Sir Taxalot wrote:
Ask your mate if there is much difference between your classic Spanish ('Castilian' I believe) and what is used in Mexico? You might want to check first, so that if you go to the effort of learning a new language you get the 'right one' so that it helps achieve your objective.

I ask, because Lady T spent time honing her Spanish in the north (Pamplona) and then when we later holidayed in the south (Marbs, obv) they found the way she spoke to be somewhat troubling.

A good point, although I think google will be more helpful than my friend. He learned by being there, I'm not sure if he had formal teaching and if he did I seriously doubt he asked any questions about what he was learning.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 13:28 
If you can I'd recommend listening to music/watching stuff with subtitles/reading etc... in the language you want to learn. That helped me at the start here. Immerse yourself in it as much as you can.


Top
  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 13:29 
User avatar
UltraMod

Joined: 27th Mar, 2008
Posts: 55715
Location: California
Zardoz wrote:
myp wrote:
We could have conversations during D&D where we say mean things about Zardoz

Tal vez le agrado a sdg porque hago que D&D sea divertido para ella.

«Tal vez a sdg le gusto porque me burlo de D&D por ella.»

Lo arregle para ti. ;)

_________________
I am currently under construction.
Thank you for your patience.


Image


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 2:22 
User avatar
Can you dig it?

Joined: 5th Apr, 2008
Posts: 4662
Also make sure you learn a lot of cussing and industrial slang if you really want to fit in.

Reading this thread makes me realise how much I miss the diverse teams I worked with in London, and how fun it was explaining some of the curiosities of the everyday English language to our continental chums; as well as hearing about theirs (the Portuguese chap, for instance, had a huge problem with how Brazilians spoke)

_________________
rumours about the high quality of the butter reached Yerevan


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 8:34 
User avatar
Hibernating Druid

Joined: 27th Mar, 2008
Posts: 49104
Location: Standing on your mother's Porsche
myp wrote:
Zardoz wrote:
Lo arregle para ti. ;)

el traductor de google es una puta paja

_________________
SD&DG Illustrated! Behance Bleep Bloop

'Not without talent but dragged down by bass turgidity'


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: Learning a Language
PostPosted: Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:10 
User avatar
Ready for action

Joined: 9th Mar, 2009
Posts: 8542
Location: Top Secret Bunker
Sir Taxalot wrote:
Also make sure you learn a lot of cussing and industrial slang if you really want to fit in.

Reading this thread makes me realise how much I miss the diverse teams I worked with in London, and how fun it was explaining some of the curiosities of the everyday English language to our continental chums; as well as hearing about theirs (the Portuguese chap, for instance, had a huge problem with how Brazilians spoke)

You jest, but industrial language is a point of concern - I'm going to be responsible for the improvement strategies of our distilleries and governance of the regional leadership teams improvement and productivity agendas so I'm already having conversations about agave, irrigation, propagation, ovens, waste water treatment etc. I can imagine there going to be a lot of terms that a normal language course wouldn't cover!
I think I said before that there's no expectation on me to learn, and I might not, but it feels bad to have them apologise for their English when it's already brilliant and I'd love to be able to take part in their normal meeting structure at some point.


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Reply to topic  [ 13 posts ] 

All times are UTC [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search within this thread:
You are using the 'Ted' forum. Bill doesn't really exist any more. Bogus!
Want to help out with the hosting / advertising costs? That's very nice of you.
Are you on a mobile phone? Try http://beex.co.uk/m/
RIP, Owen. RIP, MrC.

Powered by a very Grim... version of phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group.