AaronIsCrunchy wrote:I dunno why, but the way the entirety of Iwanako's letter was written in Japanese for our reading/translating pleasure was something I really liked. But then, I'm a sucker for anything not in English, truth be told. I wonder if it stems from coming from the most linguistically useless part of the world: England.
I know how you feel I've changed the setting in World of Tanks so that when I'm driving a foreign tank, the crew speak in that language. I have no idea what the fuck they're saying, but I love it.
It's always saddening to find that 3/4 of our population don't even bother trying to lean a second language. We have French in our National Curriculum, but everyone just drops that as soon as they can :/
Fucking love French, it's so fun to speak
This is pretty much my point exactly. The school I went to specialised in languages but it seemed like most the pupils wanted to chuck them at the nearest chance they got. It's a shame, particularly when you look at the rest of the world, with many countries making conscious efforts to learn English. I know it's become a bit of a universal one but it'd be nice to at least TRY.
And don't get me STARTED on the holidaymakers that go abroad and refuse to learn the language...
Well here's the reason why most people drop it:
Being forced to learn something when they don't really want to.
I purposely failed Spanish two years in a row in High School so my Junior and Senior years I wouldn't have to take it again (it's not the class, the instructor was a fucking cunt)
I mean I could go to Brazil, Portugal or the Azores because while being unable to properly speak Portuguese, I can understand it mostly. though I can't spell it properly it would seem
Yeah, I suppose that would do it. I've always been interested in language so it wasn't a problem, but I can understand that point now it's been put forward.
The holidaymakers one still annoys me though. I know there's the argument of 'probably being able to get around using English anyway' but I've heard that any attempt to use the native language is appreciated, even if it does just end up as an English conversation.
"Hanako and Lilly covering their faces" returned nothing useful.
I love the interpretation of Pac-Man where he's a just a lowly worker retrieving golf balls left all over the course by the rich masters and the ghosts are all previous workers who got conked on the head and killed by incoming golf balls in the line of duty.
AaronIsCrunchy wrote:The holidaymakers one still annoys me though. I know there's the argument of 'probably being able to get around using English anyway' but I've heard that any attempt to use the native language is appreciated, even if it does just end up as an English conversation.
I can confirm that, for Holland at least.
Went to Amsterdam last summer and pretty much everyone there spoke English. Not surprising, considering its tourism value.
Being the stubborn dick I am, I tried my best to speak Dutch when possible. The Hotel staff said they appreciated my attempts and, if nothing else, found my Phrasebook Dutch to be "quite endearing".
My Highschool required two years of a foreign language. We had a good teacher, but I still sucked at it. I managed to pass with Bs and Cs and still can't do much more than order at Taco Bell.
Went to Amsterdam last summer and pretty much everyone there spoke English. Not surprising, considering its tourism value.
Actually, the reason most of us speak English quite well, aside from the fact that basic English courses start during the latter half of elementary school, is simply due to most digital entertainment being in English. Only animated movies that are partially intended for kids are dubbed. (unlike larger countries like France or Germany where dubbing is more popular) All life-action movies and just about all video games are in English, so you have plenty of exposure to the language. That and the fact that Dutch is a bit of a mixture between German and English.
Oddball wrote:My Highschool required two years of a foreign language. We had a good teacher, but I still sucked at it. I managed to pass with Bs and Cs and still can't do much more than order at Taco Bell.
Living in California, Spanish is pretty much a requirement and helps at some point. I did want to learn Japanese after visiting some family in Japan, but I don't think I'll ever really use it outside of a two-foot radius from my laptop.
Went to Amsterdam last summer and pretty much everyone there spoke English. Not surprising, considering its tourism value.
Actually, the reason most of us speak English quite well, aside from the fact that basic English courses start during the latter half of elementary school, is simply due to most digital entertainment being in English. Only animated movies that are partially intended for kids are dubbed. (unlike larger countries like France or Germany where dubbing is more popular) All life-action movies and just about all video games are in English, so you have plenty of exposure to the language. That and the fact that Dutch is a bit of a mixture between German and English.
Guest Poster wrote:That and the fact that Dutch is a bit of a mixture between German and English.
Well they are all Germanic Languages and have a common root, so it makes sense there'd be the ability to understand them even partially.
Amusingly the one with the biggest differences from the rest of the Germanic Languages is English, but that's because it has so many borrowed words from other languages. *nods*
Went to Amsterdam last summer and pretty much everyone there spoke English. Not surprising, considering its tourism value.
Actually, the reason most of us speak English quite well, aside from the fact that basic English courses start during the latter half of elementary school, is simply due to most digital entertainment being in English. Only animated movies that are partially intended for kids are dubbed. (unlike larger countries like France or Germany where dubbing is more popular) All life-action movies and just about all video games are in English, so you have plenty of exposure to the language. That and the fact that Dutch is a bit of a mixture between German and English.
That's funny... that's the main reason I want to learn more Japanese.
"Spunky at his Spunkyest/Spunkiest" "Tissues to the extreme!"
Guest Poster wrote:That and the fact that Dutch is a bit of a mixture between German and English.
That's funny... that's the main reason I want to learn more Japanese.
It's a mix between German and English??
Post-Yamaku, what happens? After The Dream is a mosaic that follows everyone to the (sometimes) bitter end. Main Index (Complete)—Shizune/Lilly/Emi/Hanako/Rin/Misha + Miki + Natsume
Secondary Arcs: Rika/Mutou/Akira • Hideaki | Others (WIP): Straw—A Dream of Suzu • Sakura—The Kenji Saga. "Much has been lost, and there is much left to lose." — Tim Powers, The Drawing of the Dark (1979)
Guest Poster wrote:That and the fact that Dutch is a bit of a mixture between German and English.
That's funny... that's the main reason I want to learn more Japanese.
It's a mix between German and English??
Probably all his entertainment preferences are in Japanese.
I love the interpretation of Pac-Man where he's a just a lowly worker retrieving golf balls left all over the course by the rich masters and the ghosts are all previous workers who got conked on the head and killed by incoming golf balls in the line of duty.
I've changed the setting in World of Tanks so that when I'm driving a foreign tank, the crew speak in that language. I have no idea what the fuck they're saying, but I love it.
