After WW2 French was once of the most popular languages. In earlier times is it was German.
My father learned basic German at school.
FRANCE
I earnestly learned to sing Frere Jacques in primary school but that was not much help to us when we wanted to find a hotel in France.
Frustration In France
My first experience of misunderstanding languages, nowadays called Lost In Translation, was when my parents took a trip from England to Northern France by car. We drove around looking for a hotel.
The Word Hotel
The word hotel is the same in English and French, and most of the world. Even in Japanese it is h o t e r u. (The Asians have difficulty saying the letter L.) So, in France, where the letters for hotel are identical (never mind the added accent in French) what could possibly go wrong?
Hotel De Ville
In the centre of the town was a big sign on a large building: Hotel de Ville. it was a large place, and we feared it might be expensive, but first chance to ask somebody for help. The lights in the building were blazing but the light in the sky was fading, time to stop for dinner and find a bedroom.
So we drove around hoping to find an entrance, with all the innocent expectation of British tourists abroad.
The Hotel De Ville Had Shut
Unfortunately, by the time we found the entrance, the lights had all turned off. The sign was lit but the gates were locked. Why? Was there another entrance? Had the place gone out of business? Were the lights simply to deter burglars?
Eventually we found a passer-by who spoke some English. They directed us around the corner to a nearby hotel. When we reached our small hotel, we asked why the Hotel de Ville was closed.
The receptionist burst out laughing. Why?
The Town Hall
Hotel de Ville means town hall.
Eventually we unpacked, found our dictionary and looked up hotel de ville. Then we started laughing. Hotel de Ville is town hall.
I now watch out for words which sound similar. Are they really the same?
If so, that's easy.
I love translating:
- The ingredients on chocolate bars, wine labels.
- On the coach or bus or car or train, sign posts on motorways in foreign cities, graffiti.
- Speeches of thanks, and toasts, at a wedding.
- Newspaper headlines in supermarkets and airport lounges.
I love stories of disasters from misunderstandings. In the last year I have been learning or learning about (alphabetically):
American English
Australian and New Zealand English
Arabic
Chinese (Mandarin)
French
German
Greek
Hebrew
Indonesian
Italian
Romanian
Russian
S i n g l i s h (spaced to correct the autocorrect which inserted signalise)
South African English
Spanish
Swedish
Tamil
Welsh
Yiddish
Borrowed Words In English
I also list words in English which are derived from other languages.
For example, yacht is Dutch. Safari is Swahili.
Translating French
I have translated French into English at conferences and press trips in France and India.
I start with fluent French, French A level.
I have translated English into French for packaging - then got asked to translate the same material into Spanish and German when mockups were needed in a hurry for a presentation and no other translator could be found quickly.
Teaching English
I have taught English language and literature, first in a Grammar School in England, later English language and literature as a home tutor, then to foreign parents and schoolchildren, singles and groups, ages ranging from five year old Japanese children sitting beside mother or on her lap, Sri Lankans, and intermediate English in four schools in Singapore, plus volunteering in a Singapore state secondary school coaching pupils to pass English O Level.
Speeches
I visit Toastmasters International speakers' groups in Europe and Asia, speaking, training speakers, and judging speech contests. Singapore has several bilingual clubs.
Duolingo
I have been learning other languages on Duolingo, by watching foreign language films with subtitles, translating. I hope you will enjoy my posts and find them a help in learning languages and adding new words to your vocabulary, just for fun.
Every restaurant outing is a language trip. I pick up the takeaway menu and business card to translate. I listen to the waiters calling to each other.
I sit in the sauna at a gym or club and ask other people about their language, their second language and what they find difficult or easy about pronouncing and speaking and learning English. Learning languages is a daily joy for me and I hope you will find my posts on language a daily amusement.
Helpful Websites
TRANSLATION
google translate
translate Google
CDs
Earworms: I have French, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish.
You can buy one disc or two, new or secondhand from Ebay. If buying secondhand, make sure your disc comes with the booklet.
About the Author
Angela Lansbury, language teacher.
Please share links to your favourite blogs and individual posts.
