Search results for 'tag:Translation tag:Learning English' matching tags 'Translation' and 'Learning English'

movies subtitle

mubrik88 — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:16:19 GMT

Hi

I'm just wondering my friends, do you recommend watching movies with or without the subtitle (translation) ?

I mean to help learning English .

If I watch it without the subtitle I understand may be 60% from the conversation.

I don't know why, may be because they talk too fast

I like to see horror movies because the conversation is usually simple

What about you my friends

How to put English into our own language

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:39:08 GMT

When you are learning English, you find it not clever to put an English sentence, word for word, into your own language. Take the sentence âHow do you do?â as an example. If you look up each word in the dictionary, one at a time, what is your translation? It must be a wrong sentence in your own language.

Languages do not just have different sounds; they are different in many ways. Itâs important to master the rules for word order in the study of English, too. If the speakers put words in a wrong order, the listeners canât understand the speakerâs sentence easily. Sometimes when the order of words in an English sentence is changed, the meaning of the sentence changes. But sometimes the order is changed, but the meaning of the sentence doesnât change. Letâs see the difference between the two pairs of sentences.

âShe only likes apples.â

âOnly she likes apples.â

âI have seen the film already.â

âI have already seen the film.â

When you are learning English, you must do your best to get the spirit of the language and use it as the English speaker does.

Mistakes made by Chinese Learners

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:30:26 GMT

Hi everyone

I just wondered if anyone could help - I have to write a profile of a chinese learner of English (completely made up). In it I must put any difficulties that the learner has in learning English as an L2. I have got so far:

Intonation transfer from L1 may cause them to be perceived as rude/inconsiderate, more serious transfer may affect comprehensiveness.
No inflections in L1 - tenses difficult to learn in L2 as L1 has no true tenses and concept of time is expressed by adverbs/implicit or contextual assumptions.
Difficulty distinguishing [r] & - Does anyone know why this is as I can't find a reason?!!
Prepositions such as 'on', 'in' & 'at' have one chinese translation in many contexts, 'zai' - may be confused resulting in phrases such as 'on Taiwan' instead of 'in Taiwan'.
Use of awkward gerunds e.g. 'no noising', excessive use of verbs ending in 'ing' e.g. 'do not climbing', confusion of 'ed' & 'ing' verbs e.g. 'i am bored' vs 'i am boring' --- all of these errors occur because verbs are not conjugated in chinese, for tense or pronoun.
No equivalent word for 'the' so may be used excessively when not needed e.g. 'The China' or missed out when needed. May also be confused with 'a'/'an'.
Confusion over countable and uncountable nouns, use of 'how much?' vs 'how many?' - leads to phrases such as 'I want a soup' & 'a lot of shoe'. This is due to there not being plurals in chinese - no inflections.

Switching between 'he' & 'she' - Does anyone know why this is?

If anyone can think of anymore it would be greatly appreciated or if anyone knows the answers to my questions about gender switching and distinguishing [r] & this would also help a lot!!

Thank you in advance.

Shannon

Re: People fought in a Chinese translation forum

nona the brit — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 08:57:48 GMT

My advice would be to avoid getting into disputes such as this on forums. Learning English is not a competition between the learners. You'll just get dragged into a fairly pointless argument, exchanging insults, and wasting your time.

To comment on the passages you posted.

1. I certainly don't find anything incorrect about the passages and uses of English that he has a problem with. I would trust your dictionary.

2. Comparing your English to his, I'm afraid I have to say that his is better as you have some word choices and phrases that are not quite right. On the other hand, you are perfectly understandable, so his comment that he cannot read it is just silly.

Comments on Motivation Letter asked

Claire* — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:15:48 GMT

Dear members,

I am a Dutch scholar in my exam year of grammar school. Upcoming Friday I need to have sent in all my application papers for university. I saw the excellent help offered by all of you to correct motivation letters and give advise. I just finished my motivation letter and I would like some comments on it. I am applying for a university which is very selective. It is an international orientated institute and offers broad education (I want to study litarature, political theory, business and maybe some law) It is very intensive studying and I will be living on campus if everything turns out okÃ© and I will be accepted. But... only one out of five scholars get the chance to be accepted. So I can use all help offered by getting the best motivation letter ever. The yellow gaps represent fitting words I did not just come up. (sorry for some Dutch but thats for translation)

One special thing: I find it quite difficult to limit myself to two pages so if you have any advise on what to delete in this text it would be great (it is too long)

My motivation letter:

Dear Sir/Madame,

Hereby I am applying for a place in the liberal arts programme at University College Utrecht for fall 2008, and in this letter I will elaborate on the reasons of my motivation and why I am perfectly fit for the concept.

My name is Claire. I am a sixth form student at the Koningin Wilhelmina College in Culemborg, I will be graduating from grammar school (Dutch: gymnasium) in June 2008.

I must say I like all my subjects and in particular English and Social Studies. I started learning English from a young age and it has always felt like my second language. Sometimes I feel I can express myself better in English than in Dutch, or at least more beautifully.

I enjoyed the fact that my (former) secondary school is rather innovative. In 2006 Bizzgames was introduced; a simulation of a business environment. This is an excellent way of putting management and organisation skills into practice. Consequence was I came in first as a two-person team with a student I did not know. On the one hand working after school did result in less active extracurricular activities, on the other hand I did learn to â¦

I know people see me as an open-minded, ambitious, passionate and hardworking student. Academically I am a critical thinker. I am almost always passionately interested in a subject Travelling is one of my enduring passions. It gives me an indescribable feeling boundlessness.

From my point of view current students are definitely well educated; however we are also quite restrained by the borders of Europe. I think this attitude will no longer serve. We are naturally ignorant of â¦ I, on the contrary, am very driven and interested in breaking through this boundary. From these I want to get good the elements. I am eager to develop. I find it interesting to put economic/political problems into the pillory. I can be quite taken up by thinking of a balanced policy.

Having experienced the concept of liberal arts and science in 2006 my conviction to apply for University College has grown stronger as time passed. The completed Roosevelt Junior Academy days (see enclosed certificate) and the open day visited at University College Utrecht have only served as reinforcements. I am appealed by UCâs curriculum, campus, professors, students, students associations and ambiance. I felt at home immediately with the campus and I felt a connection with the students I spoke to. I want more than offered by general universities. General universities do not strive to exploit ones individual academic abilities and they do not offer academic excellence. I want to be challenged. My future prospects are at the limit of what I want to consider reachable by own means, and no less. This is because I know I will do the best I possibly can and therefore I identify my future with endless possibilities.

In summer 2007 I took an educational travel to Cambridge. I stayed in a host family, for the reason I wanted to experience British living closely. It gave me renewed my energy to focus on what I want to achieve and therefore made me so much stronger and more motivated. For me this was a very special/changing experience. I finished with the intensive English course, specialized in Academic English at Advanced level. My English has improved â¦ in England. My environment had continuingly existed of a very rich diversity of cultures, which I experienced as very inspiring. I think it takes quite some adaptability to get settled in a totally new country and culture, and I think this is a very important talent to posses. I can easily find a way and socialize in unfamiliar surroundings.

In my exam year an opportunity occurred. I was selected for the School of Economics programme. I signed up and I intensely wanted to participate, for several of itâs aspects appealed to me; the academic education, the English language in studying and specialising in one of my most favourable subjects. This rather demanding extracurricular activity I enjoyed fullest, I am convinced studying in English will increase my satisfaction of studying and turning to English education will cause least trouble. I wanted more of my education and this challenged me.

Furthermore I arranged I will not be making a general PWS, but to complete this in a more academic, specialized and scientific way at School of Economics (Utrecht University) in the British language.

I put a lot of energy and satisfaction into the art of debating. When I was fifteen, I joined the students association Utrecht Debating Society. Speaking in public now represents one of my skills. As a scholar I had to catch up the gap between me and the student members. This only stimulated my ability in learning faster. Besides regular debating I am very interested in performing eloquentia en Iâm considering making that one of my extracurricular activities in the future. I have also been a co-judge at the NK debating tournament 2007 in Tilburg. In my leisure time I like to â¦ in the ancient theory of pleading, especially to read the great works of Cicero, Socrates and Plato.

I am already making efforts to make arrangements to go abroad upcoming summer. My aunt and uncle are very active in Africa concerning charity and voluntary activities, with this connection I hope it is possible to obtain a safe and valuable place to analyze and learn about unbalanced political/economical systems, and experience helping people for whom I think I can contribute to transfer knowledge to people unable to get education. There are still two sides of the badge, because I think such an experience enriches me as a human being. I also like to analyze the as it seems bottomless situation.

I have a broad range of interests and I have quite a few requirements fit for a study to my personal wishes. My contribution to University College Utrecht would be valuable, if given the opportunity. One of the reasons I am so passionately firm about studying liberal arts and sciences is the great international orientation. I would be honoured to join/strengthen the Future Leaders Project. The living environment of a large diversity of cultures does seem only tremendously inspiring to me. Considering UCU students make use of â¦ a lot, my debating skills will definitely be an advantage for me and liveliness in class. My active class-participation will be a mentionable contribution. I would also like to be actively involved in several committees at University College Utrecht. In my high school there was no occasion to have been involved in MUN, Model United Nations. Since Iâm aware of the MUN at university level is offered at University College Utrecht Iâm determined to become member of this organisation.

UCU could give me the possibility to fulfil my academic needs, such as Future Leaders Project and an MUN-foundation. It will also shape me exactly fit for my future plans.

I think it is a huge prÃ© for a student ambitioning an academic international carreer to be all-round. UCU is able to offer, in my opinion, optimal âvormingâ. Highly academic skills, an intensive network with motivated people all over the world, an international âblikâ, broad but good knowledge and ability to speak English almost as a native speaker.

During my high school I have personally been through a hard time regarding my domestic situation and I have no doubt this had also restrained me in performing to my fullest academic capability. Especially in de 4^th and 5^th class I was most affected by this, and therefore my exam grades averages started at a lower rank. It took me a while to be able to remain least affected by this negativity with help from a psychologist. I managed to get my grades up with hard work and high grades, but considering my own personal capability this couldâve been a lot more and will be at University College Utrecht. I think it did make me a lot stronger as an individual. In my opinion a human must strive to take advantage of every event.

Enclosed you will find a form of recommendation from Dr. Verbraak and Dr. Filius. Mr Verbraak is my teacher of management and organisation. Mr. Verbraak knows me well as a student and as an individual. Mr Filius has been my mentor in the sixth class and has been most aware of my personal circumstances. Mr Visschers has been my English teacher for several years and is well aware of my English level of proficiency, enclosed you find his comments on this matter.

Finally, I consider myself a suitable candidate for this program. In my time at KWC I have really showed my motivation, both academically and socially. I hope that I have convinced you of my motivation and that you will grant me this opportunity.

Yours faithfully,
Claire Wientjes

Re: Pucca's expressions - I understood it now

Yoong Liat — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:44:16 GMT

Pucca wrote:
Hello!

Thanks, I think I am starting to understand, but, what would be translation of "Ya he entendido"? I know, I don't have to think in Spanish while learning English but seems that there isn't a way to translate it, is it?

Thanks in advance!

"Ya he entendido". What does this sentence mean?
I'm glad that you now understand why it should not be 'understood'.

With best wishes

Re: Pucca's expressions - I understood it now

Pucca — Tue, 29 May 2007 19:36:48 GMT

Hello!

Thanks, I think I am starting to understand, but, what would be translation of "Ya he entendido"? I know, I don't have to think in Spanish while learning English but seems that there isn't a way to translate it, is it?

Thanks in advance!

Re: Microquestions or question tags

Yankee — Fri, 25 May 2007 20:55:12 GMT

Hi Kooyeen

If you wanted to sound like a German who is learning English and still making mistakes, you could say:
"MrPedantic is from Venice, or?"

That would be an overly direct translation of German, and not typical English..
I'm sure you already know that direct translations often don't work or sound natural.

I'd say "MrP is from Venice, isn't he?" or maybe "MrP is from Venice, right?"

Also keep in mind that the intonation of a tag question (rising or falling) also makes a difference.

Re: What books do you advise me?

MrPedantic — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 23:43:50 GMT

Englishuser wrote:

Hi MrPedantic,

You wrote:

Besides which, many of the books native speakers read when learning English are translations

Yes, but we need to keep in mind that people might be learning other languages than English as well. For instance, Anon might be a student of French. If that is the case, I think Anon had better focus on French literature as part of his or her French studies.

Englishuser

Hello EU

Anon may very well be a student of French. But since Anon asked the question in English, in an English Forum, I think we can reasonably assume that Anon would like a simple book on love in English. In which case, The Little Prince is a very good suggestion.

It doesn't matter if it's a translation, or if the English isn't particularly stylish. Many of the books English people read when learning English are translations; many aren't particularly stylish.

What book would you suggest, out of interest?

All the best,

MrP

Re: Language learning vs. acquisition

Englishuser — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 14:29:22 GMT

Dear Hena,

First of all, thank you very much for taking time to deal with my post.

Yes, most of the time you need to be surrounded by native speakers in order to acquire a new language. This tends to be the case when people move to another country at a young age. Some people also acquire a language thanks to TV programmes, the radio, and films. This sounds unbelievable, but it actually happens.

It was nice to read about your experiences as a person learning English. I am sure you have found your English studies useful as you now live in the United States. I also became curious as you told us about you learning Arabic in Syria. Some people say it takes around three months to "learn a new language" if you spend time in a country where the language is spoken natively, others say it takes six months or even a year to learn a language for communicational purposes. Of course we are all individuals in the sense that some of us learn faster than others, mostly because people's brains are differently wired.

I asked the question because I find language learning an interesting topic. I am particularly interested in comparisons between people's age when they started to learn a new language (their age of onset), how they learnt the language (i.e. in an traditional classroom where the teacher used the grammar-translation methodod or some other way), and how proficient they actually are in the language. I am not a language teacher myself, and my experience in the field of language learning/teaching is very limited, so I suppose you could say I am interested in this kind of things as a layperson.

All the best to you.

Englishuser

Search results for 'tag:Translation tag:Learning English' matching tags 'Translation' and 'Learning English'

movies subtitle

Hi

I'm just wondering my friends, do you recommend watching movies with or without the subtitle (translation) ?

I mean to help learning English .

If I watch it without the subtitle I understand may be 60% from the conversation.

I don't know why, may be because they talk too fast

I like to see horror movies because the conversation is usually simple

What about you my friends

How to put English into our own language

Mistakes made by Chinese Learners

Re: People fought in a Chinese translation forum

** Comments on Motivation Letter asked **

Re: Pucca's expressions - I understood it now

Re: Pucca's expressions - I understood it now

Re: Microquestions or question tags

Re: What books do you advise me?

Re: Language learning vs. acquisition

Comments on Motivation Letter asked