The Green-Eyed Monster Strikes Again?

I watched the series final of University Challenge on BBC2 last night after reading about Gail Trimble, the leader of the Corpus Christi team and the woman who many believe to be the cleverest contestant ever to take part in this long-running show. I used to watch University Challenge every week until I moved to the Netherlands. BBC2 is part of the television package we subscribe to but my partner doesn’t enjoy watching UC so I rarely get the chance to watch it (he’s away on business this week so I seized the opportunity to watch this woman in action).

Anyone who has been watching UC for the past few months will know that Gail Trimble has shown herself to be an extremely knowledgeable woman, one who should be proud of being a positive role model in a Britain which seems to be more interested in Big Brother and WAGs than in academia and intelligence. What I find extremely disappointing, almost depressing, is that many people seem to despise her intellect and are quick to remark that her knowledge is useless in the “real world” and assume that she’s lacking in social skills simply because she is a PhD student specialising in Latin literature. The Sun newspaper seemed to be proud of the fact that Gail had flunked a pop culture quiz that they had prepared for her. I don’t know about you but I’d be a lot more impressed with someone who can recite Latin poetry or name the capital city of Burkina Faso than with someone  who knew who won the last season of Celebrity Big Brother. Gail has been labelled as “arrogant” and “cocky” by some, while others criticise the way she looks and the way she would flick her hair behind her ear whenever she got a question right. Part of me wonders if  she would be subjected to such vitriol if she had been a man…

I’ve seen this sort of thing happen in language learning forums, where people seem to be intent on undermining other people’s achievements. One incident that immediately comes to mind is a thread accusing Ziad Fazah of being a fraud and of not being the talented polyglot that he claimed to be. I don’t know him and I have to admit there’s surprisingly little information about him on the Internet but I can’t see why the man warrants such hatred. The mere fact that it’s hard to find information about his linguistic prowess could be a sign of modesty on his part. I saw a few clips of him being tested on his knowledge of several languages, including Mandarin and Russian, which saw him stumble and make mistakes which people felt a talented polyglot shouldn’t be making.

Unfortunately, the videos have been removed from Youtube so I can’t link to them but my initial thoughts when watching them for the first time was that maybe the man was nervous and made silly mistakes under pressure. As I’ve said before, I don’t know him so I cannot vouch for his abilities as a polyglot, but I can sympathise with him if he’s the type of person who hates being the centre of attention. I certainly fall to pieces when I feel I’m being quizzed on my knowledge of a language and am prone to making silly mistakes when I’m feeling nervous. I’m quite a shy person by nature and will rarely take the chance and start a conversation in a foreign language with a complete stranger. This lack of confidence is a real obstacle for me as a language learner and is the reason why my spoken language skills are so dire. I don’t know if this is the reason for Ziad Fazah’s apparent fall from grace as the world’s most talented polyglot but it can certainly explain why some people can learn to read and understand a language well and still find it difficult to have a conversation with a native speaker.

Ziad Fazah is not the only polyglot who has been ridiculed or criticised. Steve Kauffman and Professor Argelles are other popular targets and there are also a few language learners whose Youtube channels are constantly flooded with comments about how their pronunciation “sucks” (constructive criticism at its best).  I really wonder if these people have nothing better to do with their time than spout their envy and hatred in this way. While I’m always a tiny bit skeptical of people’s language abilities, I admire those who make the effort to use the language as much as possible and who show a real passion for learning languages. Perfect pronunciation and grammar are worthless if you don’t get to use the language. If only I had Steve’s confidence or Dashan’s amazing command of the Chinese language…

Revisiting Persian

Readers who have been following my online exploits since the days of the original Aspiring Polyglot blog will know that I have dabbled with Persian (Farsi) in the past. This was before I started learning Japanese and taking my Dutch studies seriously so it was a short-lived adventure and I set it aside with a view to revisiting it someday.

I’ve been giving some thought to re-embarking on my Persian studies, even though I know I should follow my partner’s advice and stay focused on the languages I’m already learning. After all, what would I use Persian for? He may be right. Discipline and willpower are vital allies in the quest to master a language but I’ve also been blessed (or should that be ‘cursed’?) with an almost insatiable curiosity for languages. Persian is an age-old and fascinating language with a beautiful script and rich cultural heritage. Despite the turbulent political atmosphere, Iran is an intriguing country and a wonderland for archaeology enthusiasts, one I would very much like to visit someday.

Should I follow my partner’s advice and not succumb to wanderlust? Or should I satisfy my curiosity and set myself yet another challenge? Oral fluency is not my goal here as I’m more interested in learning how to read and understand Persian so I’m not particularly worried about not being able to speak it well. In some ways, I think I’m more interested in studying languages rather than learning them, though I have to admit I’m not that keen on linguistics and theories of language acquisition. What interests me most about languages are the words, the expressions and figures of speech, the cultural references that are embodied in what people say to each other. Do you really need to be a fluent speaker in order to enjoy these things? It certainly would help but I don’t believe it’s essential. People are able to admire Latin and Ancient Greek without speaking them so the same could be true of a modern and living language.

But I digress…

On the subject of learning Persian, I’ve tracked down a few books and courses for learning the language. I came across an electronic copy of Colloquial Persian by Leila Moshiri. I’ve had a quick look through it and it looks like it might be of some use. My main complaint with this book is that the Persian script is not used at all. Romanisation is fine for learning how to speak the language but I hate being illiterate in any language (I despise books which teach Japanese through rōmaji alone).

I also found a more recent edition of Teach Yourself Persian. The edition I bought a few years ago was an outdated edition which only seemed to cover grammar and the script (i.e. no dialogues). Its biggest flaw was that the Persian script was almost illegible thanks to the microscopic font they used. The newer edition, Teach Yourself Modern Persian, looks quite promising. It comes with audio CDs and, more importantly, teaches the Persian script from very early on. Romanisations are still used but only in the lists of new vocabulary and in conjunction with the Persian script and English translations.

The Assimil course Le Persan sans peine also looks good. It’s only available in French, but thankfully my knowledge of written French is still quite good despite years of relative neglect. There’s also the fantastic EasyPersian.Com website. It feels like it hasn’t been updated in ages but the lessons are all still there and it’s still one of the best online resources for learning Persian.

One final resource I would like to mention is the Persian for You audio course available at the IRIB World Service site. The downside is that there are no transcripts available, at least none that I can see. The French edition has no audio but plenty of text and the Spanish edition has audio and transcripts (though you will need to really dig around for the audio files).

Has anyone tried learning Persian? If so, what are your thoughts on learning the language? Any advice or resources you would like to share with other Persian enthusiasts?

PS> New language learner interviews will be posted tomorrow. I have three new ones to read through and format.

Why Language Classes Don’t Work

I stumbled upon Tim Ferriss’s blog today and came across one of his language learning articles, Why Language Classes Don’t Work : How to Cut Classes and Double Your Learning Rate. Tim makes some very good points about why language learners are unable to learn a language by attending formal classes. According to his article, he has tried learning more than 20 languages, and is conversationally fluent in 6, so he’s been able to determine what works and doesn’t work when it comes to learning a new language.

One of the reasons he gives for why language classes don’t work is that teachers are often seen as being more important than the material and textbooks being used. I agree with this view, to some extent. If you have quality language learning material at your disposal, it’s entirely possible to learn a language without a teacher to guide you. A lot of people have had success learning a language outside of a classroom setting and some find self-study to be a lot more productive than attending classes. Having said that, I think the success of a language class depends on the teacher and the attitude the teacher has towards language learning. Some teachers are able to inspire their students and while they may not necessarily teach them everything there is to know about the language, they can motivate their students to go out and learn for themselves. Sometimes it helps to have someone to guide you along the path to fluency, though a supportive language partner can also fit this role.

Thoughts on Translation

For the past few months, I’ve been translating news articles and biographies for the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Archaeology (you can see the institute’s website here). This has been a fantastic way for me to develop my translation skills while learning more about ancient Chinese archaeological cultures. The translation work has been on a completely voluntary basis (i.e. I don’t get paid for doing it), something many translators are reluctant to do.

I worked as a freelance translator during my year-long stay in Taiwan but I’ve since had to put my translation career on hold due to economic reasons and the lack of in-house translator jobs in the Netherlands. Translating documents on a voluntary basis is a good way for me to sharpen my skills and, more importantly, build a portfolio of sample translations for prospective employers and/or clients. At the very least, it’s an excellent way to put my Chinese language skills to good use. Use them or lose them, as they say.

I’m currently working on two documents for the institute and it never ceases to amaze how much of a learning experience translation work really is. Translators do not know the meaning of every word they come across so research skills are as vital as language skills. Translators working with specialised texts are often expected to know their subject and be familiar with the jargon used. Working with texts dealing with archaeological themes introduces you to such words as 贝壳丘 (midden) and 殉葬 (being buried alive with the dead), words you’re hardly likely to come across in your average Chinese class or textbook!

As a translator, you’re constantly learning new words, new meanings and building upon your existing knowledge of the subject(s) and language(s) you ‘re specialising in. Language is always evolving and so must the translator. Every text I translate is a learning experience and helps me learn more about the way we humans use words and language to convey ideas and disseminate knowledge.

For those of you who are looking for a fun way to develop your language and translation skills, you might want to consider translating news articles or blog posts for your own use. This is an excellent way to learn new words and expressions and reinforce your understanding of the foreign language’s grammar. What are your thoughts on this? Do you use translation practice as a way to improve your language skills or do you feel it’s a waste of time?

Watch this space for more thoughts on translation and my catastrophic attempts at translating Japanese and Dutch articles.

Happy New Year, 新年快乐, 明けましておめでとうございます…

Happy New Year to all my readers! I hope 2009 has gotten off to a good start for everyone. 2008 was a rather bad year for my partner and I (we had several deaths in the family) so here’s hoping that 2009 is a much more pleasant and happy year. So far so good…

We had a great Christmas and New Year and really enjoyed our time off from work. My mother was here until early this morning and I’m glad I was able to take off so many days from work and do things with her (lots of shopping and sightseeing!). She’s now back in Gibraltar so I guess I can get back to blogging and looking forward to her next visit, whenever that may be.

Some news/update/thoughts :

• iKnow! has added some Mandarin courses to its ever-growing selection of language courses. The courses are aimed at intermediate/upper-intermediate students and seem to be only available in traditional Chinese. Nevertheless, they look pretty good and jam-packed with useful vocabulary and example sentences. A special thanks to unzum for bringing these new courses to my attention!
• I watched the film adaptation of The Kite Runner during the Christmas break and enjoyed listening to spoken Dari (which is closely related to Persian). I don’t have any immediate plans to learn the language but I did do a little research and came across this fantastic Dari resource : LearnDari.Net. You can find video lessons (with transcripts) here.
• I haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions yet though I have been giving some thought to my language learning objectives and wishes for 2009. I find it very hard to set myself concrete goals so I’ll probably settle for general goals, like my fellow language blogger Geoffrey Barto.
• I’ve added a few more language blogs to my blogroll, including Street-Smart Language Learning and John Biesnecker’s blog. If there are any language learning blogs you feel I’ve overlooked and should add to my blogroll, then feel free to leave a comment with links to them!
• A silly observation but I think the warning slips inside Kinder Surprise eggs are fantastic for language nerds such as myself. Not only do they give warnings about the small parts in every major European language, they also give warnings in Georgian, Armenian, Azeri, Chinese (traditional and simplified) and Arabic!

That’s all for now. It’s time for me to go and give some real thought to my language learning resolutions for 2009.

A Never-ending Journey

I stumbled upon an old post at the How to Learn Any Language forum the other day which I feel really captures the frustrating truth about language learning : language learning is an endless journey. I want to post a few quotes from Janalisa’s post as I can certainly sympathise with her on numerous points and feel that her comments don’t only apply to East Asian languages but to language learning in general.

So, upon arrival at my new college, I marched into the Japanese professor’s office and explained that I had been studying Japanese on my own and wanted to continue studying it here. He didn’t seem to believe that I had actually managed to learn anything, but to humor me, I suppose, he tested me anyway. He was flabberghasted when I passed the test quite easily. “Well, it looks like you should be in our third-year class,” he said with amazement. I went to the third-year class and found it quite easy– I was the most advanced student in the class save one girl who had grown up in Japan. So then I was quite proud of myself, and I thought I knew Japanese.

But my confidence was short-lived. At some point I discovered that there were such things as Japanese newspapers, and that I could not read them. And there was such a thing as Japanese news broadcasts, and I could not understand them. And so I started reading newspapers. I read them until my eyes were sore, until my brain was so full I thought it would explode, madly looking things up in dictionaries and making endless stacks of flashcards. I listened to NHK radio until my head rang with it, until I could make out every syllable and the previously unrecognizable sounds I heard actually began to have meaning. I spent a summer in Japan living with a host family, and they were all impressed that I was actually able to communicate, calling my Japanese “fluent”. And after some time I found that I could actually read the newspapers, understanding all but a word or two. Well now, surely I had done it. And I thought I knew Japanese.

This is the same way I felt when I was studying Mandarin at university. You don’t realise how much of a language you don’t know until you step outside the classroom and are expected to communicate in that language with native speakers. All of a sudden, you’re faced with dialects, slang, collquialisms, flexible grammar…this is where language learning really begins. Outside of the classroom, there are no rules. Not everyone is going to speak using the standard pronunciation you spent hours mastering and the books, signs and newspapers you come across will not stick to the limited vocabulary you learnt from your textbooks.

This phase of language learning can be both the most exciting and the most frustrating. Any progress you make will make you feel great…until you come across another stumbling block and are left once again with the feeling that you will never master the language. A lot of language learners give up at this stage as they feel that they’re making no progress and thus feel it would be a better use of time and effort to move onto another language or hobby.

Then one day, since I knew Japanese so well, I thought it might as well reap the benefits of all my hard work by reading a novel in Japanese. Oh, the sweet bliss of ignorance! Why did I have to leave it behind by picking up that darned novel? But I did– I cracked open that book and found to my great disillusionment that I could not read it with the ease and pleasure with which I could read novels in English. In fact, it was a struggle just to get through a few pages. Unknown words assaulted me, unfamiliar characters reared their ugly heads in every paragraph. And so I had no choice– I had to admit that maybe I actually didn’t know Japanese after all.

I know this feeling all too well and still feel this way sometimes with Mandarin, even after years of studying the language. Novels can be notoriously hard to read, especially in the case of Japanese and Mandarin, where looking up an unknown character in the dictionary entails checking what radical the character uses and counting the stroke number before finally locating it in the dictionary. This becomes very tedious and you end up setting the book aside after a few paragraphs or pages. I know I certainly did!

I tried reading one of the Harry Potter novels a couple of years ago only to be faced with an endless barrage of unknown characters and words. The most frustrating thing was that I knew I could read newspapers and academic texts with relative ease and had been working as a translator for a Taiwanese company and yet a book which is presumably aimed at children was making me question my abilities and making me reach for the dictionary at every turn. Do young Chinese readers have the same problems I have when they read these books? Could a ten-year-old really know more characters and have a wider vocabulary than an adult who had been learning Mandarin for eight years? Perhaps Harry Potter had been a bad choice, given that the original English version has a lot of made-up words and that puns and word play do not always translate well into other languages.

And I thought I was smart. I thought I had something special. I thought I had a gift for languages. Other people even thought so. Hah! Why, then, after all these years (about eight of them, I estimate), have I still not managed to learn Japanese? You’d think I’d have it down by now, but I must humbly confess that I don’t at all. I suppose the greater mystery is the question of why I even bother, why I remain so determined to complete this seemingly impossible task. But one thing’s for sure: It’s determination that’s gotten me as far as I have managed to get, and regardless of how much talent I might have, without determination I couldn’t have gotten anywhere at all. I don’t presume that I have any special talent to speak of, but I certainly am determined. I will learn Japanese if it’s the last thing I do.

Herein lies the key to success in language learning : determination. Without it, you’ll either be stuck at the same level for a very long time or will just call it a day and move on to the next challenge. I think it’s also important to keep in mind that you will never know a language completely as, let’s be honest, no one can know every single word or expression in a language, not even in their own native tongue. Why, then, are we so surprised or angry that we come across words we don’t know the language(s) we’re learning? If we can accept that we will never know everything there is to know about Mandarin, Japanese or whatever language we choose to learn, we’d probably be a lot more content with the progress we have made and will be able to enjoy our language learning experiences all the more for it.

For those of you who want to read Janalisa’s original post and contribute to the discussion, click here.