| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Do you keep up to date with your working languages? Thread poster: Sofía Creo
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Sofía Creo
Argentina
Local time: 03:34
English to Spanish
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Hi, colleagues!
As a professional translator, I always try to keep updated with my working languages, especially English. I put into practice different strategies to avoid being rusty! Here I share some:
- Speak with natives
- Meet up with colleagues to speak in English
- Read news in English related to my specialization
Do you do some of these activities as well? Do you have any other strategy?
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I watch the news in French at lunch time (Rtbf via TVMonde) and in English at dinner time (BBC and/or SkyNews). I read French (“Obs”, “Le Monde”, “Elle”, “Marie Claire”) English (“The Economist”), Spanish (“El País”) and Italian (“La Stampa”, “Corriere della Sera”) newspapers and magazines (digital and/or print). The most effective way to learn a language is immersing yourself in the local culture and I lived in the francophone part of Belgium for 30 years. I’v... See more I watch the news in French at lunch time (Rtbf via TVMonde) and in English at dinner time (BBC and/or SkyNews). I read French (“Obs”, “Le Monde”, “Elle”, “Marie Claire”) English (“The Economist”), Spanish (“El País”) and Italian (“La Stampa”, “Corriere della Sera”) newspapers and magazines (digital and/or print). The most effective way to learn a language is immersing yourself in the local culture and I lived in the francophone part of Belgium for 30 years. I’ve moved back to my home country and town in October 2015 (time flies, it doesn’t seem 8 years ago)… ▲ Collapse
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I translate them all day, that’s enough exposure for me.
| | | | Sofía Creo
Argentina
Local time: 03:34
English to Spanish
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TOPIC STARTER | Very interesting, María Teresa! You could experience the language and the culture at their best :) | Jan 16, 2023 |
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
I watch the news in French at lunch time (Rtbf via TVMonde) and in English at dinner time (BBC and/or SkyNews). I read French (“Obs”, “Le Monde”, “Elle”, “Marie Claire”) English (“The Economist”), Spanish (“El País”) and Italian (“La Stampa”, “Corriere della Sera”) newspapers and magazines (digital and/or print). The most effective way to learn a language is immersing yourself in the local culture and I lived in the francophone part of Belgium for 30 years. I’ve moved back to my home country and town in October 2015 (time flies, it doesn’t seem 8 years ago)…
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Though a full and prolonged language immersion is a great tool, the trouble with it is the fact that after a few years you will struggle to retain your first language and you will have to pay great attention not to mix up everything. It didn’t happen to me in the written form but I’m guilty of using occasionally some uncommon Portuguese verbs and nouns entirely “borrowed” from French in the oral form. Migrants and expats know what I’m talking about, that's the flip side of the coin...
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 07:34
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
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Proz.com is your friend too.
It not only helps us to keep up to date with our working languages, but also helps us in many other aspects.
[Edited at 2023-01-17 09:19 GMT]
[Edited at 2023-01-17 09:49 GMT]
| | | | | Teach your native languages | Jan 17, 2023 |
I do pro bono. It makes me check grammatical rules and see whether there are changes. It also makes me keep up with new vocabulary.
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
Though a full and prolonged language immersion is a great tool, the trouble with it is the fact that after a few years you will struggle to retain your first language and you will have to pay great attention not to mix up everything. It didn’t happen to me in the written form but I’m guilty of using occasionally some uncommon Portuguese verbs and nouns entirely “borrowed” from French in the oral form. Migrants and expats know what I’m talking about, that's the flip side of the coin...
A few days ago I wrote "que" instead of "che" fortunately it was a whatsapp message to my son.
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When I waste my time watching movie series, I do it in English. British series are great for listening to various accents. The latest fun is watching the Gomorra series in Italian with the English subtitles. It just sounds cool, and you can learn some Italian curses too.
| | | | | Yes of course | Jan 17, 2023 |
I keep up to date with my working languages not only because of my work but also because I love those languages. Nowadays, it's really easy keeping up to date with them in Malta. Many foreigners who come over or who live or work here speak French and we have many Italians working here and just won't learn or speak in English (or any other language) so it's easy practicing. Apart from that, I watch most programmes in Italian and I love their programmes, and I make it a point to watch and listen t... See more I keep up to date with my working languages not only because of my work but also because I love those languages. Nowadays, it's really easy keeping up to date with them in Malta. Many foreigners who come over or who live or work here speak French and we have many Italians working here and just won't learn or speak in English (or any other language) so it's easy practicing. Apart from that, I watch most programmes in Italian and I love their programmes, and I make it a point to watch and listen to news in French. I also use Simple Radio on my mobile to listen to any foreign station broadcasting programmes, from music to discussions and news, so keeping up is no big deal now. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Adieu 
Ukrainian to English
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Just watch news on YouTube at 1.5x - 1.75x speed.
| | | | Baran Keki
Türkiye
Local time: 09:34
Member
English to Turkish
Evgeny Sidorenko wrote:
When I waste my time watching movie series, I do it in English. British series are great for listening to various accents. The latest fun is watching the Gomorra series in Italian with the English subtitles. It just sounds cool, and you can learn some Italian curses too.
I'm doing the same, watching "4 Blocks", a cracking German series. Trying to brush up on my German, learning from 'die kanaken'.
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Sofía Creo
Argentina
Local time: 03:34
English to Spanish
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TOPIC STARTER | Thank you all for your comments! | Jan 17, 2023 |
I like taking courses as well to refresh some aspects of the language.
| | | | | And then of course | Jan 17, 2023 |
Go to the countries of the source languages if possible, mix with locals (not touristy sense). I used to go before Covid, nearly every year, to different parts of both countries. Now I'll go again. That is the best then, if possible.
| | | | Sofía Creo
Argentina
Local time: 03:34
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Here in Argentina, that is sometimes difficult because of the distances and prices. I use an app called Tandem to speak with natives every time I can 
Josephine Cassar wrote:
Go to the countries of the source languages if possible, mix with locals (not touristy sense). I used to go before Covid, nearly every year, to different parts of both countries. Now I'll go again. That is the best then, if possible.
[Edited at 2023-01-17 15:03 GMT]
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