Keeping up my languages
October 19, 2010 2:30 PM Subscribe
Help me maintain my (fluent) French and (slightly worse) Italian post-graduation in a foreign language-free job.
I graduated with a degree in French and Italian in June, and searched very hard for a job using them, but thanks to this damned recession I have to spend a year minimum getting the experience to find one. I love the job I have now, but am really worried I am losing my languages since there is no opportunity to speak anything other than English (and Spanish, annoyingly!).
I hope to start tutoring these languages at the weekends once I have balanced full-time work a bit better, but that's not going to be very soon.
I've read lots of the language questions in the archives but they are mostly aimed at people who want to learn languages, I know there's always room for improvement but I am pretty happy with the levels I'm currently at.
What are some interesting ways I can maintain my languages?
I graduated with a degree in French and Italian in June, and searched very hard for a job using them, but thanks to this damned recession I have to spend a year minimum getting the experience to find one. I love the job I have now, but am really worried I am losing my languages since there is no opportunity to speak anything other than English (and Spanish, annoyingly!).
I hope to start tutoring these languages at the weekends once I have balanced full-time work a bit better, but that's not going to be very soon.
I've read lots of the language questions in the archives but they are mostly aimed at people who want to learn languages, I know there's always room for improvement but I am pretty happy with the levels I'm currently at.
What are some interesting ways I can maintain my languages?
Response by poster: Oops forgot to mention I went to a French meetup over the summer and it was the most awkward evening I've spent in a long time :(
posted by ellieBOA at 2:41 PM on October 19, 2010
posted by ellieBOA at 2:41 PM on October 19, 2010
My parents spoke fluent Spanish at home; ever since I moved out, my Spanish has progressively declined. Nevermind I live in Florida, where the language is very pervasive. I can still read it well enough, but I speak it extremely poorly.
My advice to you is to keep the languages in your ear and on your tongue through movies, music, audiobooks, etc.
posted by Wossname at 2:51 PM on October 19, 2010
My advice to you is to keep the languages in your ear and on your tongue through movies, music, audiobooks, etc.
posted by Wossname at 2:51 PM on October 19, 2010
Best answer: I spent a year in Germany when I was 15 & 16, came back about 98% fluent, and managed to maintain that fluency at almost the same level until I moved back to Germany at almost-21. I did this through reading, talking regularly with people from Germany, and watching movies and TV shows from German speaking countries. I didn't use my spoken German super regularly, and I didn't have any formal German instruction after that point.
posted by naturalog at 2:52 PM on October 19, 2010
posted by naturalog at 2:52 PM on October 19, 2010
Best answer: If you have any French or Italian friends, calling them occasionally is a good way to stay in touch and keep up your language skills.
posted by ripley_ at 3:03 PM on October 19, 2010
posted by ripley_ at 3:03 PM on October 19, 2010
Best answer: One way people keep their Spanish up is to watch telenovelas. The Spanish on them is fairly jargon and slang free, and some of it is useful in conversation. Maybe find French and Italian tv on you tube, and make a habit of watching some shows regularly?
posted by pickypicky at 3:27 PM on October 19, 2010
posted by pickypicky at 3:27 PM on October 19, 2010
Best answer: For passive understanding, reading and TV/movies are good and neither should be hard to come by in 2010.
For writing practice, consider a diary (penpal is also good but daily practice would be better). Maybe an online forum if you can find one that interests you?
Speaking practice is the hardest part because you have to find someone, preferably a native speaker, who'll listen to and interact with you. Since you are asking this question, I assume you don't have friends nearby to fill that role. Consider finding and paying a tutor (for French) or enroling in a community college class (for Italian). It may seem silly to pay for tutoring in a language you already already fluent in, but it's a good way to work on areas of the language you could still improve in (technical vocabulary or archaic forms or whatever) and actually paying will help you stay committed.
Also, investigate French/Italian embassies/cultural outreach societies/university clubs!
And remember, short but frequent practice sessions always beat long but infrequent ones!
posted by No-sword at 3:32 PM on October 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
For writing practice, consider a diary (penpal is also good but daily practice would be better). Maybe an online forum if you can find one that interests you?
Speaking practice is the hardest part because you have to find someone, preferably a native speaker, who'll listen to and interact with you. Since you are asking this question, I assume you don't have friends nearby to fill that role. Consider finding and paying a tutor (for French) or enroling in a community college class (for Italian). It may seem silly to pay for tutoring in a language you already already fluent in, but it's a good way to work on areas of the language you could still improve in (technical vocabulary or archaic forms or whatever) and actually paying will help you stay committed.
Also, investigate French/Italian embassies/cultural outreach societies/university clubs!
And remember, short but frequent practice sessions always beat long but infrequent ones!
posted by No-sword at 3:32 PM on October 19, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I had a roommate who was fluent in several languages, and I'd often come home to find him watching a movie in a foreign language and talking back to the TV in that language. Maybe try renting/borrowing movies and doing your own MST3K?
posted by rabbitrabbit at 3:44 PM on October 19, 2010
posted by rabbitrabbit at 3:44 PM on October 19, 2010
Best answer: did you like anyone you met at the meetup? really, the best way to keep the language is to use it actively. i went to some meetups for awhile and found everyone to be a huge drag EXCEPT one person - who became my closest friend!
if not, you could always post an ad on craigslist or at a college or university near you, looking for a language exchange partner. it might take some hunting, but someone really compatible with you is out there!
posted by andreapandrea at 5:12 PM on October 19, 2010
if not, you could always post an ad on craigslist or at a college or university near you, looking for a language exchange partner. it might take some hunting, but someone really compatible with you is out there!
posted by andreapandrea at 5:12 PM on October 19, 2010
Best answer: I keep up my German by reading der Spiegel. Maybe you could find a French/Italian newspaper to read daily?
posted by chicago2penn at 6:27 PM on October 19, 2010
posted by chicago2penn at 6:27 PM on October 19, 2010
Best answer: I have this same challenge. There's meetup groups that meet once a week in my city to chat, practice and enjoy eachother's company in a foreign language - look at meetup.com. Find the alliance francais in your city (if you live in one) they tend to have lots of cultural events, wine and cheese parties once a month. i get all the foreign films out of netflix i can find, keep your ear tuned. I also listen to a lot of French music - my favorites I discovered my year abroad. If you can get to Quebec, go up there once in a while, listen to French radio. make a french friend or two who are learning english. Trade language. I also own a cache of foreign films and watch them over and over again (the good ones) to keep my ear tuned. There's so many ways to do this - fret not...and try to get back there once in a while (i went ten years without going back to France but when I went back it was a day or two and my fluency returned)
posted by dmbfan93 at 6:41 PM on October 19, 2010
posted by dmbfan93 at 6:41 PM on October 19, 2010
Best answer: I have to echo the previous answers with regards to Meetup.com (or a similar style group, some of them do exist that aren't organized completely on the internet!). Maybe a local university might have a semi-regular language table?
If you really want to keep up your language, persevere through the awkward phase. Native and/or other fluent speakers are the best way to keep up a language. Find the interesting people in the group, make friends with them. Hang out with them outside of the group. Be an interesting/gracious/not awkward member of the meetup group that the non-weird people will want to get to know.
I've had a lot of success with one German group in the city where I live (Philadelphia), but if I had gone to the slightly stuffier, much older, and all around not as appealing other group, things would have been much different.
Also, shop around -- I know, for example, that there are for some reason 3 or 4 French-speaking groups here. I think they're somewhat differentiated by level, some may have more fluent speakers and more native speakers, while others seem to attract more "learner" types. Don't give up hope!
I've managed to cobble together a group of friends out of people I've met through the meetup groups, their friends and acquaintances (if you find one Italian, there's doubtless more ;)) -- some of us speak English together, some speak German together, sometimes it depends on the exact constellation. But it's never hard to find someone willing to go with me to catch a German or Austrian film at the local indie film theater, and I'm always getting to know more people I can keep up my language skills with.
If only I could do the same for Mandarin...
posted by polexa at 8:03 PM on October 19, 2010
If you really want to keep up your language, persevere through the awkward phase. Native and/or other fluent speakers are the best way to keep up a language. Find the interesting people in the group, make friends with them. Hang out with them outside of the group. Be an interesting/gracious/not awkward member of the meetup group that the non-weird people will want to get to know.
I've had a lot of success with one German group in the city where I live (Philadelphia), but if I had gone to the slightly stuffier, much older, and all around not as appealing other group, things would have been much different.
Also, shop around -- I know, for example, that there are for some reason 3 or 4 French-speaking groups here. I think they're somewhat differentiated by level, some may have more fluent speakers and more native speakers, while others seem to attract more "learner" types. Don't give up hope!
I've managed to cobble together a group of friends out of people I've met through the meetup groups, their friends and acquaintances (if you find one Italian, there's doubtless more ;)) -- some of us speak English together, some speak German together, sometimes it depends on the exact constellation. But it's never hard to find someone willing to go with me to catch a German or Austrian film at the local indie film theater, and I'm always getting to know more people I can keep up my language skills with.
If only I could do the same for Mandarin...
posted by polexa at 8:03 PM on October 19, 2010
Best answer: maybe see about finding a couple conversation partners through a local esl program. if they're trying to polish their english, you could get together for coffee twice a week:converse with them one day a week in their native language (french or italian), and one day a week in english. help you both. that's a lot of time invested per week, but no more than tutoring in a couple languages, plus you may find some nice friends.
posted by miss patrish at 9:20 PM on October 19, 2010
posted by miss patrish at 9:20 PM on October 19, 2010
Best answer: I'm active in an online forum in my target language dedicated to a hobby of mine. It provides daily reading and writing practice, because it's something that I'm interested in.
posted by gakiko at 2:09 AM on October 20, 2010
posted by gakiko at 2:09 AM on October 20, 2010
Best answer: I see that you went to a French meetup group, but try again, either a different group or just a different approach. (It could be you, or it could be you ended up talking to There's Always That Guy.)
In addition to searching through meetup, you might consider joining couchsurfing. You can meet up with or host people coming through town and search for other local speakers. I have also had incredible luck meeting people through polyglot club. The website is quite primitive, but you can use it to search for other people near or far, native speakers and learners. Cities - even smaller ones - have meetups. I have really met some wonderful, wonderful people through these two groups. About Polyglot, you can see a France2 segment here (parts in French and English).
posted by whatzit at 10:44 AM on October 20, 2010
In addition to searching through meetup, you might consider joining couchsurfing. You can meet up with or host people coming through town and search for other local speakers. I have also had incredible luck meeting people through polyglot club. The website is quite primitive, but you can use it to search for other people near or far, native speakers and learners. Cities - even smaller ones - have meetups. I have really met some wonderful, wonderful people through these two groups. About Polyglot, you can see a France2 segment here (parts in French and English).
posted by whatzit at 10:44 AM on October 20, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for all the fantastic ideas, I will be trying them all. I will persevere with the meetups, hopefully I just got a bad one and there are better ones out there.
posted by ellieBOA at 12:17 PM on October 20, 2010
posted by ellieBOA at 12:17 PM on October 20, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by threeants at 2:39 PM on October 19, 2010 [1 favorite]