Poll: How often do you get to speak your source language?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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Jul 5, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How often do you get to speak your source language?".

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Sara Ibrahim
 
Angus Stewart
Angus Stewart  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:38
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
Not very often Jul 5, 2018

I used to attend a conversational group for fluent speakers of French (my main source language), but have stopped going since I gave up driving as it was held midweek during my business hours at a location that is difficult to access by public transport. I have also just taken the decision that I will no longer be taking my annual vacations in France, so that will be the loss of another opportunity to speak the French language along with the associated opportunity to acquire invaluable source la... See more
I used to attend a conversational group for fluent speakers of French (my main source language), but have stopped going since I gave up driving as it was held midweek during my business hours at a location that is difficult to access by public transport. I have also just taken the decision that I will no longer be taking my annual vacations in France, so that will be the loss of another opportunity to speak the French language along with the associated opportunity to acquire invaluable source language materials. My reason for this is due to the "cheminots" (railway workers) and their super self-indulgent 3 month long strike, which they have since renewed by announcing their intention to down tools again tomorrow after having only just returned to work. As a matter of principle I refuse to pay the wages of people who are not willing to work and accordingly the French can now regard me as a long term tourist who is now officially "en greve" (on strike). However, the overall impact on my opportunities to speak my source languages is likely to be neutral, since next year my plan is to take my main holiday in Italy, the country of my second source language and if I like it I may decide to go there on a regular basis.

[Edited at 2018-07-05 09:25 GMT]
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Ahmet AKIN (X)
 
Catherine De Crignis
Catherine De Crignis  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 07:38
Member (2012)
English to French
+ ...
More than once a week Jul 5, 2018

- Usually with friends
- Often with myself, my daughter or my cat
- Sometimes with clients


Debora d'Amato (X)
Ahmet AKIN (X)
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 06:38
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Not very often Jul 5, 2018

Since 2015 when I decided for family reasons to move back to Portugal after 30 years in francophone Belgium, I shifted from speaking French every day to very occasionally.

I speak my other source language (English) with my brother and his wife when we visit each other or talk on the phone. My brother opted for the British nationality many moons ago, has always lived and worked abroad (UK, Ireland, Spain, South Africa, Venezuela, Mexico, and USA) and nowadays speaks English like a n
... See more
Since 2015 when I decided for family reasons to move back to Portugal after 30 years in francophone Belgium, I shifted from speaking French every day to very occasionally.

I speak my other source language (English) with my brother and his wife when we visit each other or talk on the phone. My brother opted for the British nationality many moons ago, has always lived and worked abroad (UK, Ireland, Spain, South Africa, Venezuela, Mexico, and USA) and nowadays speaks English like a native and Portuguese like a foreigner…

[Edited at 2018-07-05 12:22 GMT]
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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 07:38
Spanish to English
+ ...
Daily Jul 5, 2018

Even when not in Spain, I still mutter away to myself in Castilian, or occasionally swear in Valenciano...

And right now, I'm on Skype, helping a colleague who is translating a text on pyrotechnics into Spanish...

[Edited at 2018-07-05 09:47 GMT]



PS: Off topic, although my French maybe a bit rusty nowadays, my impression from the article in the link below is that the railway workers'
... See more
Even when not in Spain, I still mutter away to myself in Castilian, or occasionally swear in Valenciano...

And right now, I'm on Skype, helping a colleague who is translating a text on pyrotechnics into Spanish...

[Edited at 2018-07-05 09:47 GMT]



PS: Off topic, although my French maybe a bit rusty nowadays, my impression from the article in the link below is that the railway workers' grievances are pretty well-founded.

https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/economie-social/sncf-pourquoi-les-cheminots-font-ils-greve-a-partir-de-ce-mardi-1522690463

[Edited at 2018-07-05 10:38 GMT]
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Ahmet AKIN (X)
 
Mr.Q
Mr.Q  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 07:38
French to English
+ ...
Getting by vs. Integrating. Jul 5, 2018

Getting by vs. Integrating.

The charming "Everyone speaks English, innit?" line has a grain of truth to it, at least here in France.
However, expressing your gratitude to the ever-competent SNCF staff, or waxing lyrical about Neymar's theatrical talents (next stop RSC) with a local is a tad more challenging when you don't speak the local lingo.


 
Angus Stewart
Angus Stewart  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:38
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
Are we talking about the same SNCF? Jul 5, 2018

Mr.Q wrote:
However, expressing your gratitude to the ever-competent SNCF staff, ..... is a tad more challenging when you don't speak the local lingo.


My experience of dealing with the SNCF staff is that they have been anything but helpful. Indeed, I would describe my experiences of them as complete jobsworths on the rare occasions when they aren't actually on strike. Twice I have got trapped between two sets of ticket barriers at la Defense when my ticket unexpectedly failed to work having already let me through the first set of barriers. I approached the SNCF agents on duty in the station for assistance. On the first occasion, the SNCF agent point blank refused to help saying that it was not his job to deal with issues like that and even refused to call for assistance from one of his colleagues whose duty it was. On the second occasion, the SNCF agent gleefully informed me that his shift had just finished and that he would "see me tomorrow". On both occasions I had to enlist the help of fellow passengers by handing them the money to buy me a replacement ticket and pass it to me over the barriers so that I could continue my journey.


 
Angus Stewart
Angus Stewart  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 06:38
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
Off topic: I am of the opinion that the SNCF railway workers' grievances is not well founded Jul 5, 2018

neilmac wrote:

PS: Off topic, although my French maybe a bit rusty nowadays, my impression from the article in the link below is that the railway workers' grievances are pretty well-founded.

https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/economie-social/sncf-pourquoi-les-cheminots-font-ils-greve-a-partir-de-ce-mardi-1522690463

[Edited at 2018-07-05 10:38 GMT]


Sorry Neil, but I don't agree that the railway workers' grievances are well-founded. SNCF is in a massive mess and has just been bailed out by the French government to the tune of several tens of billions of Euros. From what I have read, no one at SNCF is going to lose their jobs as a result of the reforms, which wouldn't be the case if it were treated like a normal private sector company for which the standard route would have been liquidation. Instead of being grateful that they are all still in gainful employment, the railway workers are protesting over the loss of some fringe benefits for new recruits and the proposal to raise the retirement age from what is an unjustifiably low level. I think that their attitude is massively disrespectful to the people who pay their wages - the travelling public.


Yetta Jensen Bogarde
 
Mr.Q
Mr.Q  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 07:38
French to English
+ ...
Tongue firmly in cheek Jul 5, 2018

My favourite incident was when their website was down. I needed to make a local trip (within France).

I approach an SNCF worker in the information office. He turns his PC screen around so I can follow.
He connects to www.panicking-railway-worker.de*, a German website, to find information on the local French train timetable.

Maybe he should be praised for his pragmat
... See more
My favourite incident was when their website was down. I needed to make a local trip (within France).

I approach an SNCF worker in the information office. He turns his PC screen around so I can follow.
He connects to www.panicking-railway-worker.de*, a German website, to find information on the local French train timetable.

Maybe he should be praised for his pragmatism.




* names changed to protect the incompetent

[Edited at 2018-07-05 11:29 GMT]
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Debora d'Amato (X)
Debora d'Amato (X)  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 07:38
English to Italian
+ ...
Every day Jul 5, 2018

About English, every day. I live in a small but multicultural town so it comes daily to speak English with people, especially young students.

In addition, I have many friends (from Russia, India, Spain) with whom I can talk only in English otherwise we wouldn't understand nada))


Ahmet AKIN (X)
 
Catherine De Crignis
Catherine De Crignis  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 07:38
Member (2012)
English to French
+ ...
Off-topic too Jul 5, 2018

My recent train trip to Orléans and back was absolutely fine. Most SNCF workers are not on strike and many trains have actually been running.
I happened to live very near Ladbroke Grove in 1999 and a number of colleagues were commuting into Paddington station.

Hope you have a brilliant time in Italy, Angus


 
Edward Potter
Edward Potter  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 07:38
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Jobsworths Jul 5, 2018

Angus Stewart wrote:

...I would describe my experiences of them as complete jobsworths...


LOL! Angus, thank you for teaching me a useful new word. I love it!

Neil, you have come up with some great ones as well. (e.g. "They want the moon on a stick.")


The discussion you are having is interesting. I wonder if there is another forum on Proz to continue with it since we are going off topic from the poll question.

I do think the French rail system is language related since it deals with an important transportation provider which most certainly needs a lot translation work.


 
Vanda Nissen
Vanda Nissen  Identity Verified
Australia
Local time: 16:38
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
It depends Jul 5, 2018

It depends on the source language. I speak English on a daily basis (well, it is easy to do when you live in Australia:), we also speak Danish at home. I speak Polish on occasion with my friends. Unfortunately, I rarely speak Swedish and Ukrainian nowadays for different reasons though. I do not have any Swedish speaking friends in Brisbane, and as for Ukrainian, since my Russian is much stronger, we tend to use Russian...

 


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Poll: How often do you get to speak your source language?






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