Languages

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Re: Languages

Postby Q » Thu Feb 11, 2016 6:17 am

Russian.


Everyone is telling you Chinese or Arabic or whatever one off Middle Eastern dialect because they are short sighted, and riding the wave every other fucking day one freshman at uni thinks will help them.


You heard it here first.
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Re: Languages

Postby nowonmai » Fri Feb 12, 2016 12:31 am

Q wrote:Russian.


Everyone is telling you Chinese or Arabic or whatever one off Middle Eastern dialect because they are short sighted, and riding the wave every other fucking day one freshman at uni thinks will help them.


You heard it here first.


So how is your Russian?
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Re: Languages

Postby Q » Fri Feb 12, 2016 3:36 pm

nowonmai wrote:
Q wrote:Russian.


Everyone is telling you Chinese or Arabic or whatever one off Middle Eastern dialect because they are short sighted, and riding the wave every other fucking day one freshman at uni thinks will help them.


You heard it here first.


So how is your Russian?



Aside from getting me laid, it's going to shit. Naturally, I've been assigned to a job where I don't use it at all.


Still, it'll come in handy when translating Russian manuals for airdropped arms to freedom fighters in southern Germany.


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Re: Languages

Postby Chimborazo » Fri Feb 12, 2016 3:44 pm

Might be a good time to learn farsi.
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Re: Languages

Postby gnaruki » Sat Feb 13, 2016 6:18 pm

Russia and Ukraine economies are hanging by a thread. If shit really goes bust there will be a flow of immigrants into America. Russian might become second to Spanish as a desirable second language for employers.
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Re: Languages

Postby michelle in alaska » Thu Feb 25, 2016 10:37 am

Freyja wrote:Sooooo, apparently I'm "gifted in languages" (their words, not mine"). I'm already taking German and Spanish, and they want me to take either French, Arabic, or Russian. So, here's my question. Which should I take?


Chinese.
Mandarin.
...start w Pimsleur if you dont travel.

...and if you continue to be really motivated, let me know.
I'll pass on that rockin' app that my 17yo uses chatting w her chinese friends...they exchange english for chinese and v.v.
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Re: Languages

Postby Darcy » Tue Mar 22, 2016 10:13 am

I find it impossible to learn a language unless I'm living somewhere. I speak fluent French as I spent ten years working in bush camps in Northern Quebec, and while les français immediately pick up on my strong Quebecois accent, the French has served me well in France, Morocco, Gabon, etc. but six months in Azerbaijan I picked up enough Azeri and Russian to get by, but can't recall one word now, over a year in Northern Turkey and a Rosetta Stone course and I could converse quite admirably, but it was gone not long after that contract ended. I'm sure it'd come back quickly but there's no need presently so I just dropped it. Four years in East Africa, most of that in a rather remote village in the South of Tanzania, my Swahili was quite good, but I didn't have much choice as English was not common amongst the locals. I spent a great deal of time in Norway but didn't bother with Norwegian as they speak English far better than I do, same as a year in Romania.

I just find it impossible to apply myself unless there is a specific need and I am immersed. I tried taking a Dutch course for a contract in Suriname, but I just couldn't apply myself until I was actually there, and of course, once again, everyone spoke perfect English....
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