Foreign Language Training & Use
I would be interested in hearing from anyone with experience in learning and/or using one of the languages from recent conflict zones (i.e. Dari, Pashto, Arabic). In particular, was their a significant difference between what was learned in a classroom vs. the real language in country? How well did the language training prepare you? What was the benefit of knowing the language? What would you suggest about language learning for someone going to the area(s) you were in?
Thanks in advance for your feedback, everyone!
It really depends on you.
I think language learnt in a classroom is only good to a certain extent. What is learnt in a classroom can be rapidly lost after the class is over until you find a medium to continue to practice.
There are 2 things about practicing language in a conflict zone- will you be outside the wire and/or how much will you interact with the host nation population?
If you will be living on a govt. installation, then you will probably have a better chance to practice languages like Hindi/Nepali/Tamil/Bengali/Tagalog just by talking to the guys working at the gym,etc. That is unless you will have opportunity to use the language for your work (or posted to a GCC country where you can venture out and interact with locals).
I think an excellent way to continue your studies after you class is over is to watch movies/news and listen to lots of music in the target language. Basically language study is a very personal and dynamic thing and a continual process, there is no formula so you have to find out what works for you. I am fluent in 5 languages and I still have to study before each proficiency test to make sure I do well. I have lived the 3 countries to which 3 of my languages were native to, and those are my 3 best languages, so it will definitely help if you get a chance to practice with locals. Good luck!
Children Learning Languages faster than Adults:
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dayuhan
I think one obstacle is that many Americans go through much of their youth, often their entire youth, without any serious exposure to a second language. In much of the world that's quite unusual... my 16 year old daughter speaks 4 languages fluently and sees nothing at all unusual or remarkable about that.
If someone with actual expertise in the matter comes along and tells me I'm full of it I'll gladly concede the point... just how it looks to a rank amateur, albeit a multilingual one.
Steve,
This article in the Foreign Policy Journal is right up your alley.
The author painstakingly describes and supports his experience and theories, which generally busts the myth about children learning faster. But he has a point similar to yours... exposure. A good read with some real funny bits !
Quote:
A survey of people working as professional interpreters would show that 80% of them graduated from less than five universities in the world.
None of them were children.
In conclusion, my theory is if an adult and a child attend the same number of hours of classes, the adult will learn faster. In practice, however, adults have lives. They are busy people, and studying is a kind of luxury, which generally takes second place to work and earning money and taking care of their family.
However, given the same number of hours of classes, an adult would learn a language faster than a child. The proof is Monterey Institute, Defense Language Institute, and Middlebury Language Program, all of which can take an adult student from zero to passing a college entrance exam in a foreign language in just one to two years.