Pages in topic:   < [1 2 3 4 5]
22 years old - too late to learn a new language?
Thread poster: vchampea
Becca Resnik
Becca Resnik  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:22
Member
German to English
+ ...
WAY TO GO! May 5, 2020

vchampea wrote:

Moreover, I decided to learn using only the unconventional methods I had been reading about for the last 10 years on the blogs of polyglots. I invented a flashcard system and successfully taught myself Spanish.

I now teach English and Spanish online using my custom made flashcard methodology. I am working with a team in India to streamline this flashcard methodology that I have created to help other people learn as fast as I did. I was a super underdog.


Wow, what a fantastic update. A great story of language learning, innovation, and overcoming obstacles. Go you, and thanks for the update!


Mervyn Henderson (X)
Dan Lucas
 
Mervyn Henderson (X)
Mervyn Henderson (X)  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:22
Spanish to English
+ ...
Not so much The Sharpshank Redemption ... May 6, 2020

... as The Champea Redemption. Happy 32nd, Vinnie, and well done!!

I write some bosh and tosh on this forum now and again, but most of it I make up. In fact, when I started reading your account, I thought it was fiction, but reality seems to be stranger than fiction.


Mervyn


 
Robert Rietvelt
Robert Rietvelt  Identity Verified
Local time: 11:22
Member (2006)
Spanish to Dutch
+ ...
Turning Korean May 6, 2020

Mervyn Henderson wrote:

I hope Louise, who posted on this way back in 2010 as well, won't mind me latching on to her title at that time if she's still around. I remember that song too.

Maybe "turning Japanese" is what vchampea did. He did say that he intended to avoid English as much as possible, so maybe he went to Japan, set up with his Japanese girlfriend, turned so Japanese that he forgot the English language completely, and even if he saw our ramblings today he simply wouldn't have a clue what we were on about.

It's only a theory, mind.


Just Google "vchampea". I didn't really read it, but it looks like he ended up in Korea.

[Edited at 2020-05-06 11:50 GMT]


 
S_G_C
S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 12:22
English to Romanian
Languages May 6, 2020

It's not too late.

I learned conversational German and Italian while watching TV. I was 16. Coming from a Communist country, when people finally tasted freedom, they bought satellite dishes, installed them on their balconies, and turned them into hotspots (or hubs?), wiring (cabling) several neighbors. They who had the dish were the remote controllers. It was fun. Neighborhood networking followed, you should have seen
... See more
It's not too late.

I learned conversational German and Italian while watching TV. I was 16. Coming from a Communist country, when people finally tasted freedom, they bought satellite dishes, installed them on their balconies, and turned them into hotspots (or hubs?), wiring (cabling) several neighbors. They who had the dish were the remote controllers. It was fun. Neighborhood networking followed, you should have seen the husbands up on the roofs of the blocks, uncoiling cables. When Spanish came along, it unfortunately messed up with my Italian and now I tend to make a mishmash of the two.

However, though I tried the same method with Hindi, which I am fond of, it never stuck to me.

A colleague of mine started learning Japanese when she was 20.
Collapse


 
Paul Dixon
Paul Dixon  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 07:22
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Never too late May 6, 2020

It's never too late to learn a new language, especially with the world crisis caused by coronavirus. A new language is another translation pair to explore.

I plan to resume my Italian (studied for two years and still remember a bit) and also learn Esperanto. I had thought of Slovenian (I have a great desire to visit Ljubljana and see a bit of sLOVEnia) but the seventeen declensions, three genders and three numbers (yes, there is a dual form) put me off. At least Esperanto is simple,
... See more
It's never too late to learn a new language, especially with the world crisis caused by coronavirus. A new language is another translation pair to explore.

I plan to resume my Italian (studied for two years and still remember a bit) and also learn Esperanto. I had thought of Slovenian (I have a great desire to visit Ljubljana and see a bit of sLOVEnia) but the seventeen declensions, three genders and three numbers (yes, there is a dual form) put me off. At least Esperanto is simple, but if there are many EN/EO translations remains to be seen.

Benefits of senior citizens learning a new language:
https://www.mondly.com/blog/2018/01/30/benefits-learning-new-language-senior-years/

Seven reasons you're NOT too old to learn a language:
https://www.iwillteachyoualanguage.com/blog/not-too-old-learn-language

However, they may take time to learn. I had an elderly student of English, he had never learnt English before and he took six months to learn "I'm a student" (he kept saying 'I a student')
Collapse


 
Becca Resnik
Becca Resnik  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:22
Member
German to English
+ ...
Love the story May 7, 2020

Sorana_M. wrote:

I learned conversational German and Italian while watching TV. I was 16. Coming from a Communist country, when people finally tasted freedom, they bought satellite dishes, installed them on their balconies, and turned them into hotspots (or hubs?), wiring (cabling) several neighbors. They who had the dish were the remote controllers. It was fun. Neighborhood networking followed, you should have seen the husbands up on the roofs of the blocks, uncoiling cables.


I find this story really endearing. Thanks for sharing!

When Spanish came along, it unfortunately messed up with my Italian and now I tend to make a mishmash of the two.


I could understand that for sure. They're so mutually comprehensible that I've had conversations wherein I spoke Spanish and the other person spoke Italian.

I have found that even with very disparate languages, I have to fight the urge to let the handy, simple words and phrases cross boundaries into each other. For instance, most people know the sound "hai" to mean "yes" in Japanese, but it's a little more like "got it" or "okay" or even "I understand." It's so convenient that I want to use it when I speak other languages. Or "jein" in German, which is one of my favorite foreign [to me] language terms. ja + nein = jein, or "yes and no." So convenient!

However, though I tried the same method with Hindi, which I am fond of, it never stuck to me.


Yep. I tried mapping my methods for learning Mandarin onto Japanese, using the logic that they're both character-based languages. Disaster! I'm sure that works for some, but not for me.


 
Pages in topic:   < [1 2 3 4 5]


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

22 years old - too late to learn a new language?







Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »
Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »