Stop learning english words
Six tips for those who want to learn a language and translate.
Habr’s authors who translate articles do a great job - they overcome the great language barrier for others, I say this without irony. At the same time, I regularly see home-made or company-made programs for memorizing words, and I think this is not the most useful thing. Yes, of course, the cards are useful. At the initial stage, learning from complete zero, the first 50 words can be learned by them. Further words are best taught in context.
My first advice and the main thing that is worth remembering from a note is to stop memorizing words. Learn grammar.
This work of Lyudmila Petrushevskaya is known to many. And while reading, you can even imagine the meaning, and if you define the words, the meaning will only be clarified .
But without grammar there is no sense. I think almost no one here knows Portuguese. Here are 4 words for you, as if you had learned them from cards:
andar - go
baixo - low
terreno - land
um - one
And the phrase:
um andar baixo terreno ( mind and Ar baishu terrenu ), "one go low earth".
A thousand interpretations come to mind. “One traveler was walking along the valley,” or even “Someone went to the lower world (apparently died).”
In fact, I gave inaccurate translations, as if we had learned the words incorrectly. In this context, andar is “floor”, and baixo is the pretext “under”. The phrase means "floor underground" (not underground, andar subterráneo, namely, "underground"). If we knew a little grammar, we would immediately notice that andar is a noun, not a verb, and baixo is a preposition, that is, it would be easier to "fix" the meaning. Without grammar, everything is blurry and fuzzy.
One student translated segundo mais importante (“second in importance”, literally “second most significant”) as “quickly became the most significant” - because segundo took the meaning “second”, turned it into a “moment”, and thought up the verb, which was not here.
In our native Russian language, we rarely learn words other than obscure terms. But the grammar in the school has to be mastered - the participial and participial expressions have to be specially taught to use.
Morality: language is a grammar; it is precisely this language that must be learned.
What does it mean to learn grammar? Do the exercises.
Many argue that they don’t speak, but they understand - as can be seen from the experience of my students, most likely they incorrectly separate the words, and come up with something from the wrong words on the go. The mass of errors of amateur translators is due to the incorrect interpretation of grammatical constructions.
So, tip number 1: learn grammar .
Out of context. Read books, magazines, listen to the radio. Repeating words themselves will be remembered even passively, and more rare - if they are actively used.
Find something interesting for yourself. How did I learn Portuguese? He began to correspond on the forum about buses of Curitiba in Brazil. Later I heard in a speech by Ken Robinson (not about the language, but about work, but still for sure) "as soon as you find your element (what you like and get), you no longer work."
Tip # 2: Find what you are interested in and you won’t have to learn a language anymore.
There is, however, an exception - translation of articles. A common inaccuracy in them is incorrect translations of words that refer to a cult context. (“Noodles on the ears”, “clear guys”, etc.). When you (the translator) see such a word that does not fit into the literal meaning, you need to search or ask for carriers, but not write a gag.
Tip number 3: do not look in the dictionary when you read or write.
Many programmers are familiar with the phenomenon of Google dependency, when you constantly google it at work, such as “python open a link”, “stick a div to the bottom edge”. All this knowledge is forgotten as easily as it was found. So with the words. It’s worth looking into the dictionary sometimes to double-check the word or clarify the meaning. But if you have to watch the translation of every second word, then reading or writing is too tough, go to a lighter load.
In general, radio is preferable for passive language acquisition, because in the video there are a lot of tips for you - gestures, facial expressions, plot. They are not on the radio. But there are a lot more films with subtitles than podcasts with transcripts, so a movie, of course, is more convenient.
If you look with subtitles or listen with transcripts, the brain gets used to reading, which is easier. If you listen all the time without decryption, the ear will become “washed away" - you will simply stop noticing the incomprehensible. For example, I won’t write misheard lyrics, because I’m already used to not noticing the incomprehensible.
Total, tip number 4: it is better to first look (listen) 1 time without decryption, then listen and read . And then you can translate unfamiliar words, if hunting.
If you have a good command of the language and are trying to translate, here you aretranslator's advice, No. 5: translate a whole paragraph or a few sentences, not looking at the source text, but the meaning . For this, as you understand, you need to understand the meaning precisely, and not think out, that is, own the grammar and vocabulary.
Even if the translator is fluent in language, word for word translations, all of these “android applications”, “diy products” in Russian look awful, and the translator exposes himself not to speak Russian, although he simply “translated from the wrong foot”.
And from here advice number 6: read fiction in Russian . Or find a publicist who is beautifully expressed, plays with words and word formation. Then learn to think more flexibly (and not “more flexibly”), and it will be easier to translate.
And throw these cards away.
PS What advice from what experience? I speak four languages, teach, sometimes translate, learn the fifth language.
PPS I will give a detailed answer to 2 comments with a comment, they say, cramming a grammar is also bad.
Of course, just cramming the rules is useless. More effective practice is when you try to use words in the right form.
The advice not to learn grammar until you speak up is wrong, because you can spend so much time on it. When you listen to speech and know the conjugations of verbs, you can hear them. If you listen just like that, for example, you do not distinguish a verb from a noun, and, in fact, there will be nothing to cling to: children learn words together with actions in real life. Radio just tells the story without interfering in your life.
Habr’s authors who translate articles do a great job - they overcome the great language barrier for others, I say this without irony. At the same time, I regularly see home-made or company-made programs for memorizing words, and I think this is not the most useful thing. Yes, of course, the cards are useful. At the initial stage, learning from complete zero, the first 50 words can be learned by them. Further words are best taught in context.
My first advice and the main thing that is worth remembering from a note is to stop memorizing words. Learn grammar.
Two examples
Example 1. Know the grammar - understand the meaning
Kalusha slept on the coffer and respected the small bottle.
This work of Lyudmila Petrushevskaya is known to many. And while reading, you can even imagine the meaning, and if you define the words, the meaning will only be clarified .
Example 2. Do not know the grammar - you carry nonsense.
But without grammar there is no sense. I think almost no one here knows Portuguese. Here are 4 words for you, as if you had learned them from cards:
andar - go
baixo - low
terreno - land
um - one
And the phrase:
um andar baixo terreno ( mind and Ar baishu terrenu ), "one go low earth".
A thousand interpretations come to mind. “One traveler was walking along the valley,” or even “Someone went to the lower world (apparently died).”
In fact, I gave inaccurate translations, as if we had learned the words incorrectly. In this context, andar is “floor”, and baixo is the pretext “under”. The phrase means "floor underground" (not underground, andar subterráneo, namely, "underground"). If we knew a little grammar, we would immediately notice that andar is a noun, not a verb, and baixo is a preposition, that is, it would be easier to "fix" the meaning. Without grammar, everything is blurry and fuzzy.
One student translated segundo mais importante (“second in importance”, literally “second most significant”) as “quickly became the most significant” - because segundo took the meaning “second”, turned it into a “moment”, and thought up the verb, which was not here.
In our native Russian language, we rarely learn words other than obscure terms. But the grammar in the school has to be mastered - the participial and participial expressions have to be specially taught to use.
Morality: language is a grammar; it is precisely this language that must be learned.
What does it mean to learn grammar? Do the exercises.
Many argue that they don’t speak, but they understand - as can be seen from the experience of my students, most likely they incorrectly separate the words, and come up with something from the wrong words on the go. The mass of errors of amateur translators is due to the incorrect interpretation of grammatical constructions.
So, tip number 1: learn grammar .
But how to learn words?
Out of context. Read books, magazines, listen to the radio. Repeating words themselves will be remembered even passively, and more rare - if they are actively used.
Find something interesting for yourself. How did I learn Portuguese? He began to correspond on the forum about buses of Curitiba in Brazil. Later I heard in a speech by Ken Robinson (not about the language, but about work, but still for sure) "as soon as you find your element (what you like and get), you no longer work."
Tip # 2: Find what you are interested in and you won’t have to learn a language anymore.
There is, however, an exception - translation of articles. A common inaccuracy in them is incorrect translations of words that refer to a cult context. (“Noodles on the ears”, “clear guys”, etc.). When you (the translator) see such a word that does not fit into the literal meaning, you need to search or ask for carriers, but not write a gag.
Tip number 3: do not look in the dictionary when you read or write.
Many programmers are familiar with the phenomenon of Google dependency, when you constantly google it at work, such as “python open a link”, “stick a div to the bottom edge”. All this knowledge is forgotten as easily as it was found. So with the words. It’s worth looking into the dictionary sometimes to double-check the word or clarify the meaning. But if you have to watch the translation of every second word, then reading or writing is too tough, go to a lighter load.
How to learn a language using radio or TV
In general, radio is preferable for passive language acquisition, because in the video there are a lot of tips for you - gestures, facial expressions, plot. They are not on the radio. But there are a lot more films with subtitles than podcasts with transcripts, so a movie, of course, is more convenient.
If you look with subtitles or listen with transcripts, the brain gets used to reading, which is easier. If you listen all the time without decryption, the ear will become “washed away" - you will simply stop noticing the incomprehensible. For example, I won’t write misheard lyrics, because I’m already used to not noticing the incomprehensible.
Total, tip number 4: it is better to first look (listen) 1 time without decryption, then listen and read . And then you can translate unfamiliar words, if hunting.
If you have a good command of the language and are trying to translate, here you aretranslator's advice, No. 5: translate a whole paragraph or a few sentences, not looking at the source text, but the meaning . For this, as you understand, you need to understand the meaning precisely, and not think out, that is, own the grammar and vocabulary.
Even if the translator is fluent in language, word for word translations, all of these “android applications”, “diy products” in Russian look awful, and the translator exposes himself not to speak Russian, although he simply “translated from the wrong foot”.
And from here advice number 6: read fiction in Russian . Or find a publicist who is beautifully expressed, plays with words and word formation. Then learn to think more flexibly (and not “more flexibly”), and it will be easier to translate.
And throw these cards away.
PS What advice from what experience? I speak four languages, teach, sometimes translate, learn the fifth language.
PPS I will give a detailed answer to 2 comments with a comment, they say, cramming a grammar is also bad.
Of course, just cramming the rules is useless. More effective practice is when you try to use words in the right form.
The advice not to learn grammar until you speak up is wrong, because you can spend so much time on it. When you listen to speech and know the conjugations of verbs, you can hear them. If you listen just like that, for example, you do not distinguish a verb from a noun, and, in fact, there will be nothing to cling to: children learn words together with actions in real life. Radio just tells the story without interfering in your life.