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Reading books not in your first language
Interesting topic!I learnt English, French and German in school, but I doubt if I could read a book in the latter two languages. Maybe German I could manage, with a dictionary and if it's not a too complicated book, but French, no way.
I try to read books in their original language as much as possible (which means I can read them in English or Dutch), because I'm always afraid parts of the book gets lost in translation. About 95% of books I read are in English. If a book was written in a language other than the two I can read, I still often read the English version. I like the English language, have no problems at all in understanding it, and as my job also requires lots of reading in English, it's like a second nature. And I like how it helps to improve my English vocabulary :)
I don't have any advice to offer I'm afraid.
I know the Book Depository holds a lot of foreign language versions of things (I accidentally got a copy of Solaris in German from them. It may have been better in German, I wouldn't have understood anything). But not sure on dual books.If you think the English are bad, at least you acknowledge there are people next door that speak another language and it could be useful. Us Aussies are so blind to it all, we hardly even do languages in schools. Working with Europeans, I am always embarrassed when these guys who speak their own language, learnt English, French or German (or both) and usually another one or two, and they ask what I know. The answer is "English, sort of. You won't understand me most of the time."
That being said, I'll ask them about this. They all had to learn all their 27 languages somehow. Another friend is a linguist who learns languages like I drink bottles of wine. And Spanish is one of his main languages. He probably knows of resources.
Oh, if you're looking for advice on refreshing one of the languages: I think it helps to start following something like a soap opera in the language you want to learn. It's a much more fun way to learn than from a boring textbook :)
This is a great idea, Sarah. I would definitely like to take part in a challenge to read a book in a different language. I also try to read books in their original language but that basically means the only foreign language books I read are in English. I´ve learned French in school but that is too long ago by now to get me through a book written in that language. Also I´ve tried to learn Chinese (Mandarin) when we moved to Singapore. I could count to 10 when we left - when we came back I could only count to 4 (great improvement here) as I did not practice and only spoke English there.
I think it might be easier to read a children´s or YA book in a foreign language at first, I´ve found those much more easy when I started to read books in English.
Well, I guess I could take my own advice and start on the very hungry caterpillar in Chinese regarding my fantastic counting skills - one apple on monday, two pears...
I have never read a book that isn't written in English before either. I studied Spanish and French at school (although the latter was only for a year or so) but I too have forgotten a lot of it now. I think I could possibly read a Spanish book now if I had a dictionary to help me but I don't think I could read a French book, dictionary or no dictionary.I think I will have a go at reading a dual language book or two next year. I figured that they might be the best starting point as they more or less eliminate the need for a dictionary. I have found a book of Spanish poetry on Amazon which is a dual language Spanish/English translation so I may well start with that. I will try and read as much of it in Spanish as I can and then refer to the English translation if I get stuck (which no doubt I will).
I took French in school and French is the second official language of Canada, but I would be hard pressed to understand the back of a cereal box let alone a whole book in French. My mother (born in Canada) spoke only German until she started going to school, yet she never taught us German. I feel shameful that I can only understand words and phrases in either language.
I love to learn languages but sadly, due to lack of company I'm never able to follow up on it. This post has encouraged me. I might actually give this a thought next year. And then perhaps I would have a word of advice for you. :)
Alexandra wrote: "This is a great idea, Sarah. I would definitely like to take part in a challenge to read a book in a different language. I also try to read books in their original language but that basically means..."I just got the ok from work to learn cantonese. I hear you this is something else....,
Sarah, if you need help in French, i would be glad to help. Graphic novel or kids book can be easier maybe? Let me know.The first novel is the hardest. Nowadays, I read english as fast as i do
French. Reading in spanish is still a slow process but i rarely need the dictionary anymore.
I am trying to convince myself to read something in German before I forget it all (my little Russian is gone,,,, ) so you may convince me to get on with it.
My native language is Bulgarian, but I only read books by Bulgarian authors or translated to Bulgarian when I am home visiting my parents. So twice a year. The rest of the time I read in English. I have been abroad for 6 years now and English is my main language of communication. There are even some areas in which I can only express myself in English...Recently, however, I have been really motivated to learn German, mostly because I am working in German :). And a great way to improve your vocabulary is reading. I am still in an intermediate level where I can't understand a proper book very well so instead I am reading books that are made for people studying the language. They are usually based on real books and rewritten in a shorter, easier to understand version. So this can be a good starting point for reading in a language you don't know very well. I also had similar books in English when I was younger - now my mom is learning English and reading them to practice :)
Thanks for the heads up Rusalka on the Book Depository. I checked them out and Amazon. Interestingly Amazon UK have loads of French books and a handful of Spanish and the Book Depository is the other way around! I see they have a few Terry Pratchett books in "English / Spanish" - do you think that means it's a dual language book?I think a kids/YA book or graphic novel sounds like a good starting point. I also like the idea of the dual language books. I was also thinking it might be best to avoid fantasy genre as there may be made up words which might throw me.
Thanks Esther for the offer of help if I choose to go down the French route.
The other thing I wondered was whether to read a book I really want to read in the other language as this might motivate me to see it through to the end but then it also might ruin my experience of that book so perhaps it's best to choose any old book to start with.
I think I will definitely need a dictionary at hand regardless of which book or language I go for!
Maybe it also makes it easier to read a book you read before? At least you know the story which might help at some point.
I did wonder that Peggy. I see that Alice in Wonderland can be purchased as a dual language book and I know that story so perhaps that would be a good one to choose.
I really like the idea of dual-language books by the way. I had never heard of them before. I would love to learn Spanish but I just can't do it the traditional way (learning words and grammar rules). If I could do it with a book, I think it would be much more fun :)
Might some teen/older child books be an option? Not suggesting a learn to read book, but they might have a simpler grammatical structure and vocabulary range.
I have a copy of Winnie the Pooh in Latin, but have never learnt a word of it. Curiosity value only, but something like that might be an easy starter, rather than trying War and Peace and being discouraged.
I have a copy of Winnie the Pooh in Latin, but have never learnt a word of it. Curiosity value only, but something like that might be an easy starter, rather than trying War and Peace and being discouraged.
Sarah wrote: "I did wonder that Peggy. I see that Alice in Wonderland can be purchased as a dual language book and I know that story so perhaps that would be a good one to choose."Or you can borrow the english translation of the book from your library. I did this while learning spanish. I went to read the part i had trouble with in French to make sure i was understanding correctly.
Good point Esther. If I go down that line, I'm thinking perhaps Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as I already have this in English on my kindle and it's available pretty cheap in both French and Spanish.Decisions, decisions!
This discussion has definitely got me excited about doing this now.
Sarah wrote: "Good point Esther. If I go down that line, I'm thinking perhaps Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as I already have this in English on my kindle and it's available pretty cheap in both..."Good. You may shame me into tackling my books in german. I need to be kicked a bit. :)
Helen wrote: "I have a copy of Winnie the Pooh in Latin..."That just makes me laugh so hard! Where was this book when I was in high school conjugating all of those verbs?
Cherie, I had the same thought. I was stuck with Ceasar's Gallic Wars. So unfair.
LOL! We must have had the same Latin teacher!
Growing up in Canada, I took French, of course, plus Latin and German. Grade 13 was spent on literature in those languages but I couldn't comfortably read a book in any of those languages now. I also spent several years in Israel and studied to be a teacher (all classes were in Hebrew). I would be hard pressed to read a popular novel in any of those languages without becoming frustrated and giving up. A children's book, fairy tale perhaps , would be a better place to start. The language isn't necessarily simple, but the grammar is correct, the story is short, there's less slang, and by the time I'd get frustrated, I'd probably be done.
I think this is a fabulous idea and I would definitely join in on something like this.
I've read books in Spanish. I wouldn't mind reading more German in 2014. I definitely have to do dual language/kids books for that.
When I started reading Spanish books in high school (a looooong time ago) I read Harlequin romances. I confess I still read them. Available on kindle, nook, and google play books and reasonably priced.
Here's an interesting blog post about reading romances in Spanish.
PS: Telenovelas are great for learning Spanish. This blog posts recaps in English of the current Univision novelas.
I've read books in Spanish. I wouldn't mind reading more German in 2014. I definitely have to do dual language/kids books for that.
When I started reading Spanish books in high school (a looooong time ago) I read Harlequin romances. I confess I still read them. Available on kindle, nook, and google play books and reasonably priced.
Here's an interesting blog post about reading romances in Spanish.
PS: Telenovelas are great for learning Spanish. This blog posts recaps in English of the current Univision novelas.
I wish one of you French readers was reading Zuleika Dobson with me! I cannot believe that I cannot find an English translation of the French on page 106 on the web. I guess I just have to keep trying.
Take a picture. I will tell you.The description got my interest. Worth reading?
Rusalka - I will try another time, but Esther's offer is more appealing to me - now that I know how to do that! :)Isn't technology wonderful!
Esther - the book is actually very funny in a weird sense. The conversations are almost too much to believe and then there is a lot of dry, English history thrown in, and then it goes on. I knew that this was a satire, but not that it was SUCH a satire. I have seen a lot of comments about having to look up words, and I admit that I have had to look up lots, but I like that and do not have a problem with it, but the French stumped me. I cannot cut and paste whole phrases from my Nook and the Library book I have has no translations.
These are the ghosts of Chopin and George Sand speaking about the Duke - who is playing the paino in this scene.
You will get an awful headache. Let's go home, sweetheart (what it really says is little heart) said George....Let me pay tribute to/say hello/say goodbye (depeding on the context, my guess is the 1st from what I can read above) to him, cried the....
Tomorrow night, yes. He will be among us...said the novelist.... It will be a great pleasure for me as well to met this young man.
Chopin and Sands? Now i am curious.
Esther wrote: "Chopin and Sands? Now i am curious..."Read it, read it! I am so hooked now, I cannot stop reading.
Thank you for the translation, Esther. By the way, John - the moderator on Audiobooks Group indicated that the Librivox narration of this book was very well done, if you are interested in listening to it.
Oh totally better to have a a real translator. My point was more if it's 3am and you're waiting on Esther :P I need to add in context to my comments... sorry!I totally managed to translate 45% of those words.
Rusalka wrote: ". My point was more if it's 3am and you're waiting on Esther ."There is this thing called insomnia.....
i will keep an eye for it, Cherie.
Hah I love my translate tools being up all night! Sleep well if and when you get there :D
I attempted to read Don Quixote in Spanish and I gave up after 20-some odd pages because I was heavily consulting family members or online translation tools. Although we spoke Spanish in my home growing up, it definitely took a backseat to English as we got older. It didn't help that I studied French and I didn't read in Spanish until university. That being said, I have this overly-ambitious desire to read Roberto Bolaño (Savage Detectives, Distant Star, 2666) in the original Spanish...
I've just bought La Brújula Dorada (The Golden Compass) for my first Spanish read. My challenge for 2014 of reading a book not in my first language. I was planning on Harry Potter but the person who has borrowed it from the library decided not to return it and it's expensive to buy - The Golden Compass was cheaper! I've not read The Golden Compass (in any language) before so I hope I don't miss out by reading it in a different language as I've heard lots of good things about it.
I have a feeling it might take me a long time to get through it! Wish me luck!
Sarah wrote: "I've just bought La Brújula Dorada (The Golden Compass) for my first Spanish read. My challenge for 2014 of reading a book not in my first language. I was planning on Harry Potter bu..."You can always borrow the english version from the library to consult.
Good thinking Esther - sounds like a plan!
Sarah wrote: "Good thinking Esther - sounds like a plan!"Been there, done that... :)
And i have Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders to read this year. It is my fisrt gernman novel....It is lost behind a pile of chuncsker so it will wait for a bit.
I'm sure once I get it to it, it will get easier but looking at it now it's quite daunting! Just checked my library and they have the English version available so I'll go get that tomorrow in preparation! Good luck with your first German read Esther!
Esther wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I've just bought La Brújula Dorada (The Golden Compass) for my first Spanish read. My challenge for 2014 of reading a book not in my first language. I was planning on H..."Agree. For the love of god, don't go near the movie. Watched it a week ago... just... no.
Esther wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Good thinking Esther - sounds like a plan!"Been there, done that... :)
And i have Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders to read this year. Imy fisrt gernman novel......"
I'd be interested what this is like in German. Good luck.
Rusalka wrote: "Esther wrote: "And i have Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders to read this year. "I'd be interested what this is like in German. Good luck."
Me too. I read the English version and I really liked - I noticed you didn't Rusalka!
No. This book nearly physically caused a road accident as when I finished it I threw it. In a car, travelling down our main highway at 110km per hour, stuck between Lexx and my brother in the backseat and my Mum driving.But my usual disclaimer. Lexx's sister loves it. It's her favourite book. I love and respect her and her opinions and we usually agree. Her dad loves it too. Same with him. Her husband hated it. Threw it at her once he finished it. Same with him, we agree most of the time. I read it to find out who I agreed with. I agree with the husband. It's a Vegemite book. I tell people to read it as you may find it a 5 star read. But you may find it a 1 too.
So i'd be so interested to see how the original German reads.
I read it because it talked about aromas and smells and as I was interested in aromatherapy I thought I'd give it a go. It wasn't what I expected but I really liked it.
The first part, where you learn about the whole smell thing, i loved actually.
Rusalka wrote: "No. This book nearly physically caused a road accident as when I finished it I threw it. In a car, travelling down our main highway at 110km per hour, stuck between Lexx and my brother in the backs..."I am in the "loved it" side. Read it in French and loved it. And that is another "stay away from the movie".
Rusalka wrote: "No. This book nearly physically caused a road accident as when I finished it I threw it. In a car, travelling down our main highway at 110km per hour, stuck between Lexx and my brother in the backs..."ROFL! I want to see a video clip of the infamous throwing book ritual.
I'm British, my mother tongue is English and I read books in French and Spanish. I get an enormous amount of pleasure and self satisfaction from doing so. I have never formally studied either French or Spanish.My ability to speak French came about because to do so helped me progess in the job I had at the time in a travel agency in London where there was no shortage of people who I could practice my French on. My reading habits were strange to say the least, I limited myself to original French versions of the Maigret books by Georges Simenon. I have also read some of them in English and Spanish and wouldn't recommend it to anyone. The magic conjured up by Simenon is invariably lost in translation. To say they are a difficult read is perhaps an understatement. I read my first one with both a normal English-French dictionary and a dictionary of argot at hand. Probably the more useful was the dictionary of argot.
50 years on my ability to converse in French has been lost due to lack of practice but not my ability to read. Understanding every word that Simenon wrote was never really necessary to enjoy the books, 99% was sufficient, and I look back on the years of self imposed torture battling with those books with great pleasure. It was definitely worth the effort.
For the last 30 years I've lived in Spain where I'm totally immersed in Spanish society. At home my Spanish wife and I converse in English but the TV, Spanish naturally, is on all day bombarding my brain with Spanish and I never attempt to speak to Spaniards, apart from my wife, in English. My Spanish is totally fluent but gramatically incorrect. It worries me not one iota as I never have the slightest difficulty in making myself understood. My reading habits have switched from Maigret in French to Spanish politics. It's very much easier to read in Spanish than it ever was in French. I sweated blood mastering Simenon's books, by comparision reading Spanish is child's stuff. It is a very rich language but so much "simpler" than French. Nevertheless I derive enormous pleasure from reading 700 pages about a controversial politician and then having a good argument with Spanish friends of the opposed political leaning to me about the book.
Reading books in languages other than English has provided me with decades of pleasure. The one piece of advice I would offer to anyone wishing to do so is if you're going to do it give it your all, don't do it half heartedly, put your everything into it. The satisfaction gained is well worth the effort. Naturally the first step is the worst, as you progress it gets easier. It's made easier, of course, by only reading about something you have a great interest in.
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The problem with English people (who I am one of), we tend to be a bit lazy about learning other languages as English is so widely spoken across the world. I learnt French and Spanish at school but have forgotten a lot of it although a few years back I did have another go at Spanish so that is much fresher in my mind.
For 2014, I'm thinking of trying to read a few books in other languages other than my own. I wondered if anyone had any advice for me, could recommend a good place to start or perhaps anyone else would like to join me in this challenge? Also I see that you can buy dual language books and wondered whether this might be a good starting point.