Grüß Gott aus Wien! It’s my first time in Vienna, the second station in my “three capitals” trip to Central Europe. Here are my impressions (with an update in the form of a short vlog from Schloss Belvedere, down at the bottom of the post). I arrived from Berlin on Wednesday, by train. It would have been quicker, and about a third cheaper, to fly. I enjoy train journeys so … [Read more...]
Language learner’s update (May 2018)
I haven't done an update on my own language learning is going since my review of 2017-18 in late December. It's time to catch up. I also want to flag up what's been going on the site....and what's coming up. Back in Germany I'm writing this from Berlin at the start of a twelve day period in the German "Sprachraum". I'm here to celebrate the joint 50th birthday of three … [Read more...]
Advice for a career as a translator: a pro shares her story
One of the most popular posts on Howtogetfluent is my overview of a career in interpreting. I'm delighted that translator pro Karen Rutland has agreed to be interviewed for this new, companion piece offering advice for a career as a translator, which I think will be just as useful. This also follows on nicely from last week's look at translation as a language learning method. … [Read more...]
Translation as a language learning method: why and how
On my first trip to Russia, I got a lesson in translation as a language learning method. I met a young man about my age who spoke astonishingly good English, even though he'd never had the opportunity to travel. It was 1990 and Russia was only just opening up to the west. He explained, proudly, that he'd perfected his knowledge English by translating the whole of The Lord of … [Read more...]
How long does it take to learn a language? The truth!
How long does it take to learn a language? The research suggests it takes between 400 and 2200 hours of study plus a lot of practice to learn a foreign language. In this post we'll explore key variables. You'll get clear on the nature of the task so that you can pace yourself realistically if you're thinking of starting to learn a foreign language in 2023 or if you've been … [Read more...]
Icelandic’s success as an inspiration for Welsh and Europe’s other “lesser used” languages.
There a host of reasons why I was looking forward to going to Iceland and learning some Icelandic for the first time. One of them was to compare the Icelandic and Welsh linguistic situations. The two languages are not closely related. Icelandic is a Germanic language and Welsh a Celtic one. They do both share the characteristic of having a relatively small number of … [Read more...]
Reading for fluency…and pleasure in your foreign language
When you're reading for pleasure, you're focussed on narrative, atmosphere, character, action. The individual details (and words) may not be as important as the pervading message. This post is about how to smooth the flow of such "extensive" reading in your foreign language. In the first post in this series on reading in your foreign language, we saw how important reading is … [Read more...]
Russian Easter in London – the blessing of the food ceremony (with vlog)
Христос Воскрес! Christ is risen! Khristos Voskress! That's the salutation used at Russian Easter. Last Sunday I was up in Yorkshire celebrating the Western Easter with a slice of traditional English simnel cake. Today, I got to celebrate all over again. The flavours this time were Russian...and I've captured them all in a short, impromptu vlog (link at the bottom of … [Read more...]
Ten brilliant ways to beat exam nerves
You've put a huge amount of effort into preparing for your exam. It would be so unfair if it all fell apart on the day. So, check out these ten brilliant ways to beat exam nerves. This is the final post in a series of three on foreign language exams but the tips here should help you with any kind of exam. Of course, some people suffer from anxiety which needs professional … [Read more...]
Ten ways to support Welsh, even if you don’t speak the language
You may not speak Welsh yourself, but you want to support Welsh speakers. Maybe you have a child or grandchild in a Welsh-medium school, maybe you feel Welsh and the language matters as part of your family's history or your personal identity. Maybe you're not Welsh but you've moved to Wales and want to show support. Maybe you simply love Wales and its unique culture from … [Read more...]