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Attention to detail

Language learning involves attention to detail. We have all interacted with people who have half-learnt our language, and when they speak or write at times the 'connection' is lost entirely. Half-learners gabble, say confusing things, experience major interference with their native language and make the same mistakes all the time. It can be tiring, even annoying to converse with them. And often they don't realise or do anything about it.

At the present time I am involved in several situations which require attention-to-detail language learning and teaching. I thought it would be worthwhile sharing some things I am learning.

1. Always go back and check things. Even if you are certain you have written or said it right. I have worked long enough as a translator to know that mistakes creep in and can be overlooked. A completed translation would require at least three start-to-finish read-throughs and checks. Language learning would be much the same.

2. Find objective ways of checking. These include spell-checkers, Google searches (enter the phrase in speech marks to check it comes up in searches), proofreaders/editors, but most importantly asking a fellow human whether your translation is appropriate. Very often it requires more than one 'go' to work it out. This is time-intensive, but next time you will know for sure.

3. Often language learning involves lateral thinking, moving away from commonplaces, stereotyped phraseology and attachment to particular words. In one context I am tryiing to translate the phrase "embrace your future". This immediately makes sense to a mother-tongue speaker and is also quite an evocative phrase. But what does "embrace" actually mean? Is is the same as "accept"? If my sense of language is working, "embrace" means something akin to "welcome" or "grasp". Sometimes it can help to refer to common sayings, such as "seize the day" (carpe diem) to get closer to what is intended. Sometimes a single word in one language may require more than one word to translate into another. if the proposed translation lacks something, often "compensate" using other words, e.g. translating "embrace" as "willingly accept". 

4. Keep it simple (there is even an acronym, K.I.S.S.: keep it simple, stupid). When you are learning a foreign language, learn to 'walk' first, saying things simply, before attempting to 'run', i.e. saying things in a more complicated way.

5. Aim for 100% error-free language. Of course, we all make mistakes, but deliberately don't set out to make them! If we aim for 100%, we may get 90%, but if we aim for 70%, we may get 60%. 100% error free means everything right down to the use of commas and capitalisation.

6. Be aware of ambiguity and strive for clarity. Often in conversational situations we can say something which makes sense it is context, but, for example, if read by someone else. Just yesterday, someone offered to read something for me, but said they could only do it the following day. My response in Russian was the phrase "без вопросов" which literally means "without questions". I was telling him to relax; he could have understood me to mean "give me feedback but make sure it is all positive." Try and put yourself in the proverbial shoes of your listener/reader and adjust your language accordingly.

Happy language learning!

If you are interested in language learning, follow this blog.

My name is Russell Phillips. I give online video language tuition in English, Russian, German, Italian and French.

My rate is GBP 9 (nine pounds sterling) per block of 15 minutes (a typical lesson might be 45 minutes), payable in advance.  

Contact me via www.facebook.com/russelljamesphillips or on email at regnavit[at]gmail.com  


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