4
votes
Is it possible to learn a language without translation?
Practically, no, but with huge amounts of time and willpower, maybe. In Japan, for example, there is a small community of people from developing countries as well as Chinese people who largely learned ...
- 136
3
votes
How can a Hindi speaker understand Nepali?
With a fair amount of practice reading and listening in Nepali would be helpful here. As the old saying goes practice makes perfect.
Are Hindi and Nepali mutually intelligible?
No, they are very ...
- 373
3
votes
Accepted
Transcribing / translating snippet of Burmese (to English)
Easiest option is to use some language exchange (which are many, google is your friend). You promise to do some work for a Burmese speaker, and get something in return.
I would assume there are many ...
3
votes
Is there a website that can help with finding the most appropriate word for a sentence?
Here are several ideas:
Tip of My Tongue: for words that you've been thinking about all day but just can't seem to remember.
Reverse Dictionary: look up words by their definition.
RhymeZone for ...
- 5,076
3
votes
Translating paragraphs then comparing with an existing translation: is this technique used to improve writing skills?
I've done this from time to time in the past, with American novels and their forward translations.
I can (probably) make myself "intelligible" with my own translations. But I learn a lot from reading ...
- 1,869
2
votes
What multi-language translator or dictionary software is it worth to consider?
I prefer monolingual dictionaries where possible.
If I want to translations in particular, I use Wiktionary via https://www.sanakirja.org/ (no affiliation). The benefit is that when I write a word ...
- 3,425
2
votes
Accepted
How can one learn to be a professional translator on their own time?
I think that restricting your option to only professional translator you seriously limit your chances of succeeding.
Far better approach will be IMHO to learn the best L2 you can, and find a job in ...
2
votes
Should my current translating process be improved and if so how?
If your translation technique should be improved is only contingent on it being fit for its purpose. For instance, if it allows you to understand Japanese texts at a reasonable pace and if that is ...
- 186
2
votes
Translating paragraphs then comparing with an existing translation: is this technique used to improve writing skills?
Free online texts in a pair of languages can be found in several ways.
Of course, it depends on the language pair. Good bet would be a famous book in English (L1) translated to your target language (...
2
votes
Is it possible to learn a language without translation?
It is definitely possible, but you need some half decent learning materials.
French for foreigners in France and Belgium are exclusively taught without translation and it works fine. You learn the ...
1
vote
Are word translations adequate when starting to learn a new language?
In the world of language teaching, there is a method called the translation method. It has largely been replaced by other methods.
#2: Grammar-Translation With this method, the student learns ...
- 192
1
vote
Why is it that I can understand German when I have had low amount of exposure to it?
I suppose it's a wrong impression. The examples you give appear impressive, but that may be due to survivor bias, because we don't see how many examples you misunderstand, or how much prior knowledge ...
- 111
1
vote
How can I be an interpreter?
That depends on a few variables. If you want to be a legal or medical interpreter, you are more likely to have clients who don't speak English. However, if the majority of medical and legal ...
- 975
1
vote
Collaborative translation
I'm not aware of any, but would be interested as well. I used to contribute to Wikinews - and did some translations there of articles to and from english, but that typically was by myself, not ...
- 83
1
vote
Literary translation production: How much does it help with a language?
I'm the live evidence of that, I'm a literary translator. I started as a teenager by translating a (fairly easy) poem by Lorca. Translating literary works can bring great benefits but the learners ...
- 101
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