Tell me about your own experiences and tips on surviving and working through a master's degree in a second language that you are NOT fluent in. [more inside]
posted by so much modern time on Sep 22, 2009 - 9 answers

How do I become an amazing, inspiring, organized, respected, and effective teacher? What did your favorite teacher do that set him/her apart? Your tips, anecdotes, and resources (particularly online) are appreciated. [more inside]
posted by acidic on Sep 13, 2009 - 22 answers

Need help compiling a list of monolingual dictionaries. [more inside]
posted by RavinDave on Jul 18, 2009 - 11 answers

I'm a student who is in the process of teaching herself French. As much as I would love to take the French I course through my university, the course conflicts with a class I am taking Fall semester for my major. What I need? Practice. [more inside]
posted by thatbrunette on Jul 8, 2009 - 16 answers

Looking for favorites among the MeFi regulars in the category of: Foreign Language radio streams, suitable for language immersion and/or passive practice. [more inside]
posted by RavinDave on May 29, 2009 - 18 answers

I'm in a humanities field and I will likely need to learn multiple languages. As a Master's student, I'm scheduled to take around 3-4 courses each semester, with much of my second year devoted to research and writing a master's dissertation. My question concerns foreign language prep....when is the optimal time to do that? Do I travel abroad this summer and shore up on what I know? Or do I take care of the problem during my first few semesters? What are the pros and cons of traveling abroad vis a vis taking care of the problem domestically (e.g., either at my school or some other program in the states, unaffiliated with my school)? [more inside]
posted by Genco_Olive_Oil on Apr 8, 2009 - 8 answers

Are references not in English (but translated) as good as ones in English? [more inside]
posted by snwod on Apr 5, 2009 - 3 answers

Finding pronunciation-intensive courses abroad for French or German. [more inside]
posted by trouserlouse on Mar 24, 2009 - 11 answers

Why does French suck? [more inside]
posted by malapropist on Feb 18, 2009 - 64 answers

What are some great non-English blogs that I should be reading? [more inside]
posted by po822000 on Jan 21, 2009 - 7 answers

Help me sound like I know a lot of foreign languages. [more inside]
posted by blahtsk on Dec 17, 2008 - 22 answers

Where should I study Japanese in the Bay Area? I work at EA and one of my co-workers is visiting from Japan. I'm conversationally fluent but still feel my grammar and vocabulary is really rough (plus, I'm as illiterate as a peasant). [more inside]
posted by ebness86 on Nov 24, 2008 - 3 answers

To what degree should I moderate my children's use of language at home? I am raising six children aged 10 and below outside the US with my wife who is an non-native English speaker. [more inside]
posted by BinGregory on Nov 11, 2008 - 19 answers

I am trying to make a preliminary (or maybe final) decision on what foreign language I should study with respect to a computer science major after transferring to the University of Michigan. Any pointers??? [more inside]
posted by JoeXIII007 on Oct 24, 2008 - 24 answers

Does anyone know of a website (or heck, even a brick and mortar store in the SF Bay Area) where I (in the US) can purchase wall maps of either the world or other countries with place names and labels in their native language and not English? [more inside]
posted by Stryke11 on Aug 23, 2008 - 8 answers

Horrible breakup. Looking for fun pop music / musik / musique in other languages to stimulate my ears without having to know what's being said. [more inside]
posted by Admiral Haddock on Jun 7, 2008 - 43 answers

Where can I get Disney movies dubbed in Mandarin? [more inside]
posted by rubberkey on Jun 6, 2008 - 6 answers

In simplest possible terms, how do I pronounce the Khmer term 'Tonle Sap' [more inside]
posted by Fuka on Apr 29, 2008 - 5 answers

Help me remember this linguistic term. It refers to the phenomena of people hearing a foreign language as gibberish; something to do with their literally not registering the specific sounds made, just a "blur" of general sounds. Furthermore, does that word apply to this specific context? [more inside]
posted by Nattie on Apr 9, 2008 - 24 answers

How do I re-learn how to pronounce words in English and minimize my accent? [more inside]
posted by Memo on Feb 17, 2008 - 13 answers

Am I bound by the terms of a contract that I signed if that contract was written in Spanish? I'm in California and a native English speaker. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 17, 2008 - 12 answers

I seek recommendations for foreign language films which feature extensive narration or otherwise crisp, clear, lovely dialogue. [more inside]
posted by SassHat on Dec 17, 2007 - 21 answers

SpanishPhoneticsFilter: Which gringo pronunciation best approximates [β]? [more inside]
posted by Bizurke on Nov 17, 2007 - 25 answers

How do I get over my fear of speaking in public... in a foreign language? I can barely function when speaking in my second language, partially because of this fear. [more inside]
posted by flibbertigibbet on Nov 6, 2007 - 14 answers

Suggestions for Spanish and Italian language tapes/CDs for business people? [more inside]
posted by DarlingBri on Oct 31, 2007 - 4 answers

I only know English but I've decided I'd like to be fluent in other languages (reading, writing, and speaking). I've decided to start with Spanish. I'm looking for success stories of people who have learned a language (and Spanish in particular) from scratch, at home, and have become as fluent as possible without being immersed in a Spanish-speaking country. [more inside]
posted by debacle on Sep 7, 2007 - 20 answers

I'm learning a new language (Italian), and as with other languages I've learned, I have no trouble with the written form. But, as with the others, the spoken variety gives me trouble. [more inside]
posted by SuperNova on Aug 29, 2007 - 15 answers

Foreign-language music, for fun and learning [more inside]
posted by thumpasor on Mar 1, 2007 - 25 answers

What recreational reading books would you recommend for a Spanish-speaking adult to work on her English? [more inside]
posted by christinetheslp on Dec 21, 2006 - 17 answers

Grad School Foreign Language Requirements: What demonstrates proficiency at the grad school level? Are there media studies, cultural studies, critical film studies, or similar masters programs without them? [more inside]
posted by cowbellemoo on Aug 29, 2006 - 8 answers

Anyone know what language this slick kid is singing in? [more inside]
posted by mono blanco on Mar 10, 2006 - 3 answers

How to teach my child a foreign language (English)? [more inside]
posted by davar on Jan 29, 2006 - 21 answers

What are the best Japanese language schools in Tokyo? [more inside]
posted by dead_ on Jan 18, 2006 - 1 answer

Looking for foreign words for something akin to sock(s), glove(s), mitten(s), shoe(s), etc. I'm (apparently) adopting this sweet girl tomorrow morning, and am considering names for her. Given her markings, something like this may work, so long as it would make a good dog name. [more inside]
posted by Ufez Jones on Dec 30, 2005 - 28 answers

Languages: I would like to teach myself a foreign language with the primary motivation of reading literature written originally in that language. (Italian, in this case.) For now, speaking and pronunciation are not as important as learning grammatical rules, sentence construction, and growing my vocabulary. Ideally, I would like to learn at my own pace, without having to hire a tutor or enrol in language classes, and I would prefer to skip general phrasebook greetings. Apart from a dictionary, what should I arm myself with? Are there any good resources on the web for this? How should one go about teaching oneself to read a foreign language? Thanks!
posted by Lush on Jul 6, 2005 - 18 answers

For those of you fluent in Japanese, I'd like to hear your best advice on the subject. I've studied for about 4 years, and have been living in Japan for nearly a year, but despite this, achieving true "fluency" still seems like an insurmountable task. Although I am conversationally fluent, at times I become incredibly frustrated. How long do you think it takes to become fluent? And now for the oh-so-impossible question: what should I do to speed up the process? Advice, experiences, suggestions would be welcome from any students of foreign language.
posted by dead_ on Feb 13, 2005 - 9 answers

Any free or cheap Spanish language lessons in New York? [reasons for miserliness inside] [more inside]
posted by madman on Aug 9, 2004 - 5 answers

Any recommendations for non-English rap/hip-hop songs? I've found a couple I like ("Represent" by Orishas (Spanish), "Hasta la Vista" by MC Solaar (French)), and I'm trying to put together a full mix CD. Bonus points for songs available on iTunes.
posted by rorycberger on Aug 4, 2004 - 31 answers

I have been searching for a MetaFilter thread I remember reading about a year ago concerning (I think) words for sex in the Finnish language. As I remember, there were about seven words that don't quite translate into English for different types of encounters. Any help?
(Forgive me if this is the incorrect forum for this post) [more inside]
posted by TurkishGolds on May 14, 2004 - 7 answers

ForeignLanguageFilter: What tools (if any?) are available on the Internet for translating materials that are not prose into English? Specfically, I need an English translation for a song lyric I have only in French. Neither my pathetic high school slacker French nor the usual suspects are producing anything useful... Any suggestions?
posted by JollyWanker on Apr 26, 2004 - 9 answers

Have any native English speakers here had to learn a foreign language (especially Spanish) for work, etc. in a relatively short amount of time? How did you do it? Any recommendations for books/classes/training programs? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by AstroGuy on Dec 20, 2003 - 27 answers