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Communication
17. August 2006 - 17:45
#11
Communication
I think most Americans only speak one language because they are lazy.
I speak english of course, Spanish well enough to get by, and understand Cherokee enough just to get the gist of the converstaion. (I'm half Cherokee) I find the diversity of the E+ world mesmerizing. I'm learning a little bit of Romanian, French and German as I play and enjoy it very much.
For those I encounter that can't speak the languages I understand, I have a handy little shortcut to an online translator that is about 80 percent accurate that I use. It makes my response time really slow compared to conversing in an already learned language, but communication is accomplished none the less.
What I've learned in my endeavors to grasp the concepts in languages other than english is, that english is backwards from all others that I've encountered. For most it is difficult at best to think grammatically in reverse.
So, my suggestion would be, find an online translator that works and use it to read the posts in languages other than english and to post in reply as well. This works for translating english for those who don't speak it also.
You should not get offended if some one is conversing in their native language. It may be all they know, just like English is most likely all you know.
And the truth of the matter is, some things just can't be translated into another language well enough to express the full meaning. For example, in the Cherokee language, there is no translation for the english words murder or kill. The concept simply does not exist in the language. These people were and still are for the most part, a peaceful people who revere life and nature greatly.
This isn't directed at you Xefyre. Its just my airing of my opinion.
17. August 2006 - 23:44
#12
Communication
As someone who is also American, I agree with this topic. Obviously I speak English however I am not fluent in any other languages. When I was in school, foreign language courses were an elective instead of a requirement. The only courses the schools I attended offered were in French and Spanish. I did take the Spanish and French courses and can usually understand basic communication but not enough to carry a conversation.
There is an great arrogance in America. The government and the majority of the population go by the "WE ARE NUMBER ONE" motto which is a very ignorant viewpoint. Most Americans don't believe they should take the time to learn other languages to communicate with citizens of non-English speaking countries. Instead they believe non-English speakers should be the only ones to put forth effort in a step towards communication. When a citizen from another country moves to America, the majority of American society believes he or she should learn to speak English. I would not dare move to Russia for example and expect Russian citizens to learn English to communicate with me. Unfortunately that is not how it is in America. I recently saw a news story on the television about a retail vendor who put a sign up in his establishment which read "English Only" on the front door. He refused to deal with customers who did not speak English. The arrogance and audacity of that man is infuriating. Unfortunately there are so many others who have the same stance on the matter.
I embrace the diversity of the E+ community and I make an effort to communicate with players who speak other languages. I am also picking up bits and pieces of different languages. There have been times when I've used a translator to communicate with people who do not know English. I would love to learn other languages. I feel inadequate by only being able to communicate fluently in one language.
I can completely understand and empathize with the frustrations people who do not speak English have towards Americans. I'm frustrated with the majority of Americans too. 
Bliss, the actress
Bliss, the assasin
Bliss, the abyss
18. August 2006 - 0:37
#13
Communication
the more languages you know, the better. the whole language situation reminds me of a little episode i had back in hungary budapest, some years ago. everyone there drinks ONLY water with gas... so i go to visit and i hate water with gas, i was DEAD thirsty so i go to this little shop and ask for water. the guy gives me of course water with gas. i say in a very bad accent and bad grammar that i want water with no gas. he replies in a very funny accent "oooh TOILET vater! (water)", he points at the danube and starts talking to the next customer 
in cyprus its good because if you dont know english you DONT survive back when i was in school french was obligatory and know all kids HAVE to learn spanish and italian 
most people after high school either go to greece or UK or some country like hungary or slovakia or russia etc etc so wanting or not you pick YET another language up thus i can speak greek, cypriot, english, hungarian, some french, some italian, some russian, some spanish and in general a bit of almost every language used in the e+ community hopefuly some zooloo guys will start playing too so i can use my little knowledge of the zooloo language hehe
edit1: sorry about the smilies i guess im just a smilie person hehe
18. August 2006 - 0:40
#14
Communication
Quote:
"thedevilbitch"
Instead they believe non-English speakers should be the only ones to put forth effort in a step towards communication. When a citizen from another country moves to America, the majority of American society believes he or she should learn to speak English. I would not dare move to Russia for example and expect Russian citizens to learn English to communicate with me.
I'm a bit confused. If mexicans move here, we should all learn spanish. if *i* then move to mexico, i shouldn't expect mexicans to learn english to communicate with me? :-k seems like a double standard. 
18. August 2006 - 1:08
#15
Communication
wrote:Quote:"thedevilbitch"
Instead they believe non-English speakers should be the only ones to put forth effort in a step towards communication. When a citizen from another country moves to America, the majority of American society believes he or she should learn to speak English. I would not dare move to Russia for example and expect Russian citizens to learn English to communicate with me.Quote:Custastic: I'm a bit confused. If mexicans move here, we should all learn spanish. if *i* then move to mexico, i shouldn't expect mexicans to learn english to communicate with me? :-k seems like a double standard.I'm just speaking of the general way in which most of America views citizens who do not fluently speak English. I see your point though. If I went to another country where I did not speak the native language, I'm pretty sure the natives wouldn't learn English in order to communicate with me. There are many different languages of the world. Obviously there are going to be communication barriers no matter if a person knows one language or ten languages. We all have to bend and stretch ourselves some to achieve a level of communication.
When I made the hypothetical statement about moving to Russia, I was saying personally I would want to know the language before I moved. I wouldn't want to misunderstand and be misunderstood. However, that's just a matter of personal preference. Some people learn as they go along and some never learn and get by using translation. Again, it just depends on the individual and the way he or she chooses to handle the language barrier.
Bliss, the actress
Bliss, the assasin
Bliss, the abyss
18. August 2006 - 1:40
#16
Communication
Quote:
"thedevilbitch"
Instead they believe non-English speakers should be the only ones to put forth effort in a step towards communication. When a citizen from another country moves to America, the majority of American society believes he or she should learn to speak English. I would not dare move to Russia for example and expect Russian citizens to learn English to communicate with me.
Quote:
Custastic: I'm a bit confused. If mexicans move here, we should all learn spanish. if *i* then move to mexico, i shouldn't expect mexicans to learn english to communicate with me? :-k seems like a double standard.
Quote:
"thedevilbitch"
I'm just speaking of the general way in which most of America views citizens who do not fluently speak English. I see your point though. If I went to another country where I did not speak the native language, I'm pretty sure the natives wouldn't learn English in order to communicate with me. There are many different languages of the world. Obviously there are going to be communication barriers no matter if a person knows one language or ten languages. We all have to bend and stretch ourselves some to achieve a level of communication.When I made the hypothetical statement about moving to Russia, I was saying personally I would want to know the language before I moved. I wouldn't want to misunderstand and be misunderstood. However, that's just a matter of personal preference. Some people learn as they go along and some never learn and get by using translation. Again, it just depends on the individual and the way he or she chooses to handle the language barrier.
It would be kind of cool if there were classes here one could take to learn the basic terms and structure of several languages at once. well, not at once but one right after another. that way we could communicate with non english speakers if they have to ask for directions or for like,a payphone or the nearest bathroom while here.
i guess i can't really complain too much about non english speakers here. because america is known as the melting pot. when my great grandparents moved here, they didnt know a bit of english. nothing but polish.
18. August 2006 - 1:42
#17
Communication
Polish language - Lesson number 1
Yes = Tak
No = Nie
Tree = Drzewo
Bird = Ptak
Mullard = Kaczka Krzyżówka
Everything Else = Kurwa
18. August 2006 - 1:47
#18
Communication
Quote:
"Madbringer" ]Polish language - Lesson number 1Yes = Tak
No = Nie
Tree = Drzewo
Bird = Ptak
Mullard = Kaczka Krzyżówka
Everything Else = Kurwa
haha. kurwa mac was the first thing necro taught me.
18. August 2006 - 2:07
#19
Communication
wrote:Quote:"thedevilbitch"
Instead they believe non-English speakers should be the only ones to put forth effort in a step towards communication. When a citizen from another country moves to America, the majority of American society believes he or she should learn to speak English. I would not dare move to Russia for example and expect Russian citizens to learn English to communicate with me.Quote:Custastic: I'm a bit confused. If mexicans move here, we should all learn spanish. if *i* then move to mexico, i shouldn't expect mexicans to learn english to communicate with me? :-k seems like a double standard.Quote:"thedevilbitch"
I'm just speaking of the general way in which most of America views citizens who do not fluently speak English. I see your point though. If I went to another country where I did not speak the native language, I'm pretty sure the natives wouldn't learn English in order to communicate with me. There are many different languages of the world. Obviously there are going to be communication barriers no matter if a person knows one language or ten languages. We all have to bend and stretch ourselves some to achieve a level of communication.When I made the hypothetical statement about moving to Russia, I was saying personally I would want to know the language before I moved. I wouldn't want to misunderstand and be misunderstood. However, that's just a matter of personal preference. Some people learn as they go along and some never learn and get by using translation. Again, it just depends on the individual and the way he or she chooses to handle the language barrier.
Quote:Custastic: It would be kind of cool if there were classes here one could take to learn the basic terms and structure of several languages at once. well, not at once but one right after another. that way we could communicate with non english speakers if they have to ask for directions or for like,a payphone or the nearest bathroom while here.i guess i can't really complain too much about non english speakers here. because america is known as the melting pot. when my great grandparents moved here, they didnt know a bit of english. nothing but polish.
Yeah, I'd go to those classes. Some colleges and universities offer classes like that as part of continuing education programs but you have to pay a pretty big chunk of money for enrollment. There may be some non-profit programs that offer classes but I haven't heard of any. It would be worth looking into.
The government should take some money out of the billions of dollars that are pissed away each year and offer government funded classes to those who wish to increase their communication skills by learning other languages. Of course that will never happen though. The concept of something for nothing is a big joke for the "leaders" :pukeleft: of this country.
Bliss, the actress
Bliss, the assasin
Bliss, the abyss
18. August 2006 - 3:34
#20
Communication
Everything Else = Kurwa
rofl Kaczka Krzyżówka / głupek?
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