#also I need to refresh my finnish and spanish

[lago-morpha]

what happened to all the shit you can buy in the duolingo store

this is all I can buy now... I have over 4k gems but sure I'll double 50. why not.

[nordic-language-love]

Langblr Activation Challenge Week One - Introduction

To be fair, it’s been a while since I’ve done an introduction, so I guess it’s time for a refresh!

My name is Victoria/Jo (Victoria’s my middle name, but I started using it within the language community on account of Jo being kinda awkward to pronounce in a number of languages, and also I kinda hate it anyway. But I don’t mind which you use!)

I’m English and (British) English is my native language

I started my life in the langblr community in 2016 with a side blog called nordic-at-heart. I then decided I wanted my langblr to be my main account, so I started this one in July 2018.

My primary target language is Norwegian, which I started learning properly in late 2015/early 2016. I’m probably around a B2 level. I doubt I’ll ever reach C2 without living in Norway, but I hope someday to achieve C1.

I’m also currently learning Japanese. I started dabbling in September and finally accepted I was learning it mid-October. I’m still not at N5 level yet, but I don’t mind the slow progress and have no specific goals.

I flirt with Finnish and Icelandic fairly regularly, but not enough to say I’m actively learning them right now (I’ll get back to them someday!)

I also dabble a little in Tswana every now and then, but mostly I just like learning about it rather than trying to properly learn it (for now)

Until April last year I was learning Spanish. I put it on hold because I hated my classes and wanted to focus on my other target languages, but I’d like to return to it at some point.

I’m not currently learning any Celtic language, but I am a big fan of them/advocate for them and I often post about them.

I’m a certified TEFL teacher, but I’m yet to actually do anything with that.

I teach pole dance, aerial hoop and flexibility for dance and aerial. I used to compete in pole, but I took a break in 2019 with the hopes of restarting in 2020 and I don’t think I need to tell you how that went lol

I also did stilt-walking and fire performing pre-pandemic, and will hopefully continue once it’s all over too

My other hobbies include writing, baking, cooking, reading, dance (contemporary & street), generally being creative (currently enjoying nature photography, but I also delve into drawing, songwriting and sewing on occasion) and video games (mostly 90s platform games and Final Fantasy)

I have two cats called Yuffie and Bub, plus a boyfriend who is basically a cat in a person costume

[darkacademiadesign]

How about: Henry, Tweed, Autumn?

Henry: What languages do you speak? Which ones do you want to learn?

I speak swedish (native language) and english. I used to study spanish and french at school, but have since lost most of it due to not using them. so now I'm refreshing (more like re-learning) my french, and I've also started learning old norse and elfdalian. I want to learn finnish; korean; spanish; scottish gaelic or irish gaelic, I haven't made up my mind yet, might end up learning both eventually; latin; lule sami; and swedish sign language. it'd be fun to learn either latvian or lithuanian too.

Tweed: What do you want/plan to do as a job? What kind of life do you want?

I want to work with product design! my dream would be to work for a company (or start my own?!) that truly believes in the concept of democratic design, like IKEA.

I want my life to be happy, and filled to the brim with things I enjoy doing. I want to keep on learning new things for the rest of my life, I don't ever want to become complacent or stagnant. I want to live in an old farm, on the country side far up north, with plenty of animals and a huge library. the perfect blend of dark academia and cottagecore.

Autumn: Do you have any defining traits or characteristics? How do people see you?

I'm a very tenacious and stubborn individual. and my independent streak is a mile wide, so I have a hard time asking for help even when I know I need it. It's something I'm constantly working on, and I'd like to think I'm getting better at it.

[hidansama]

🎁🌐 if you haven’t answered!

🎁 Best gift you ever received and why? - there’s so many wonderful things i’ve received in my 24 years of being alive but the one that meant the most to me would be my birthday weekend last year, if that counts as a gift? my boy took me to an animal sanctuary for the weekend and i got to spend time with animals that have been rescued from slaughterhouses or cruel owners etc. i met a young male cow called Harrison and he took a nap on us and in that moment nothing else mattered.

🌐 Languages you can speak and/or are learning. Which are you fluent in? - i speak two languages fluently, english and finnish! i’ve also spent a fair amount of my life learning swedish but my skills are at the level of a toddler so i wouldn’t really count that as being able to speak it lol. i’ve also done a few years of spanish that i need to refresh myself on because it’s my favourite language of all time.

[laurapausinifinland]

Anni miei

I still carry a very distinctive memory of something that happened to me 23 years ago as a 7-year-old. It was one of my daily routines with my mom, watching american soap opera ”Bold and the Beautiful” when during one of the commercial breaks there was Laura with the album ”Laura” and ”Gente”, ”Strani Amori” or something like that. I just remember the voice, the sweet melody and the pretty girl sitting on a beige cushion. And how it all hit me. It was love at first listen, at first look or however you wanna think of it...anyhow the feeling hasn’t faded in 23 years.

Then, ”Laura” album and especially the song ”Amori Infiniti” were my ultimate favourites and in fact for many years to come after that. Never getting old though how much time would go by. The melodies, the voice and lyrics I’d always go back to. The tunes of my childhood. I literally listened the same album for another seven years because I was totally unaware of any other LP albums being released until it was time for another tv-commercial this time about ”Tra Te e Il Mare”. Needless to say how I adored to hear again the familiar voice and sounds that had gone stronger during the years. Eagerly I translated the lyrics to Finnish with a dictionary in my hand and zero Italian classes in my head.

Tra Te e il mare, 2000

The following ”The Best of: E Ritorno da Te” was basically a brand new album for me! While waiting for her English album to be published I collected slowly her albums along the years.. some were harder to find in Finland than others. But I was learning her story. With her singing I also discovered the beauty of Spanish and Italian languages which I began later to study. With ”From the Inside” I remember the fresh sound brought by the language change. I loved it how I didn’t need a dictionary anymore to understand what she was singing about! And even though she hadn’t written any of the songs on the album I still recognized her. Her image had changed but it was still her. Even today I’m still the most saddest about this album not being as successful as it should have deserved to be. But even without the chart success she is equally amazing singer and performer also in English.. or in any language she chooses to sing. Americas, UK, the entire English speaking market – you have no idea what you’re missing.

”Resta in Ascolto” was the first album I remember to have really been waiting for. I remember the excitement of hearing the first 30 sec. of the title song and finally seeing the music video for the first single. How carefully I listened the album and its every note when I finally had it in my hands. I loved it already then but who knew how much more these songs would mean to me during the years to come. These were the days when I started to think about my own LP page for the first time. But with a lack of technical skills and social media the idea stayed as just as an idea.

Come se non fosse stato mai amore, 2004

In 2006 Laura was a Grammy and a Latin Grammy winner. I knew these awards meant so much more on national level in Italy but my joy and pride were dedicated only for her as a person and as an artist who had created something amazing and really deserved the credit, on an international level for that. On ”Io Canto” I was one of those who had never been exposed the poetry and beauty of the music Laura had chosen on the album. It was educating, refreshing and eyes opening. Not only in Laura’s musical life but also in Italian music in general. She sounds so amazing when she gives in to someone else’s writing. There’s something very fragile and emotional compared to when she sings her own pieces. After being a fan of 12 years I finally joined to the official fan club.

Before 2007 San Siro Stadium did not say much to me, especially since I don’t watch football. At all. I did not understand the fuss around the concert but when the DVD/CD came out… from the first notes on – I knew. I think there will not be a concert or a live release that could top San Siro 2007. Even today I cannot watch it without crying at the end. The emotion tops over everything even through tv screen - nevermind that your favourite song isn’t included or the camera crew was kind of lost for the entire evening.. the faults don’t count. It would also be the one (out of the live releases) I’d recommend to someone who’s never seen or heard of Laura before. All the essential parts are there.

Una storia che vale - live 2007

Personally ”Primavera in Anticipo” predicted what was coming to me in my personal life. During these years Laura visited Finland for several times, doing concerts and promo visits but I had not gone to any of them. Because I was shy, because I was young and did not know anyone else who’d like her music too. I literally kept her in a closet and only a few people knew about my passion for her. I was different than the other teens and I avoided bumping into opposite opinions that I didn’t wanna hear. So I kept all of this to myself.

But on May 20th in 2009, it was Wednesday. The day had come when I would see her live for the very first time in my life. 15 years after falling in love with her on the album ”Laura”. I did not take a single photograph nor video. I couldn’t. Too distracting. I was just 100% on concentrated staring at her, listening to her, memorizing every sound, gesture and move she made. I was blown away by her presence and voice. Unable to believe that I was actually breathing the same air with her and sitting only a few meters away from her. I cried during the first songs. I sang with her every note until the end but I can only remember a handful of moments during the concert lasting over two hours. The most beautiful ones of my life which I thought for a long time would never happen. But it did happen. And again. On October 1st, seven years ago I traveled to Rome, Italy to attend the official Fan Club Party. The one and only I’ve ever been to. Another unique experience. I met so many people I had met online, on the FC forum who’d become my friends in real life too without never meeting them face to face. Some I haven’t met again since but the feeling of friendship is still very much alive.  

In 2011 I was in a crossroads and going through a difficult stage in my life and so I was not ready for ”Inedito”’s optimism and maturenes. It took me two years to understand the beauty of this album and to feel the words as my own. And how important it was to have these songs by my side when I was going through the things I did. Today it remains one of the best works of Laura and I find it criminal that it wasn’t at least nominated for Latin Grammy as its three predecessors.  

Mi tengo, 2011. 

As what it comes to her 20th anniversary release ”Greatest Hits” I couldn’t have imagined it to be done in any better way. It was so respectful for the old, but still with a modern touch adding new depth to the familiar songs and including even some of her less known work but which have shaped her career. It was such a perfect release! In 2014 I had my own 20th anniversary with her.

Between 2011-2014 I met Laura three times briefly, in Spain, UK and Canada. No words can describe these encounters but I gotta try at least. To meet the woman who’s voice has been speaking to me for 20 years. Whose words, emotions, melodies and music have been accompaning me for every step of the way. Hers as much as mine. Songs that were maybe a bit too adult for a 7-year-old to understand I listen today with a different perspective and wisdom.

In 2014 I did what I’ve always wanted to do: created my own LP page. Even though it’s a FB one but at least it’s technically do-able for me and maybe even better way to reach people in these days than a traditional website. I wanted and still want to create a place for Finnish and international LP fans around the world where to go crazy about the most and least favorite LP songs, facts, albums, lyrics, stories, videos, translations, photos etc. Besides of FB I have a similar Tumblr page also. On Youtube and Spotify I love to create different playlists. I put a lot of effort, time and thought on my posts and I appreciate every like and comment people give even though without single reaction I do create these posts mainly for my own pleasure. My site isn’t one of those fastest growing like the Spanish/Italian speaking ones on FB but I’m proud of every 1015 (I have at the moment) friends I have.

”Simili” did ”Inedito” to me. In 2015, again I was in a difficult spot in my life. Even though I didn’t exactly feel simili I still realized its greatness. The diversity between musical genres. Richness in lyrics, using talented new songwriters bringing a fresh sound. The songs grew in me for much after its release. And like ”Inedito” I hold it one of the or maybe the THE deepest and most mature LP album so far.

As the 3-year-anniversary of my FBpage  I wanted to share my childhood favourite ”Amori Infiniti” with you. For being a LP fan for the most of my life, we’ve come such a long way together. Because that’s where it all began and how this site is just a continuing piece in my LP story as in my personal life. Back in 1994 there was only ”Laura” album and this song topping everything else but today after all the years, experiences, albums and songs I couldn’t name my favorite LP album even if I wanted to. Too many great ones. Fitting into different moments in life and unable being compared against each other.

However ”Laura” stays classic. Classic 90’s. Classic Laura. So I do hope you enjoy this rarity. With me. Now and in the future. Thank you for reading.

Amori infiniti, 1994

[mapplestrudel]

10 Questions

I was tagged by the lovely @gugle1980​ - thank you! :D

Rules:  Always post the rules, answer the questions given to you, then write 10 questions of your own, and tag some friends!

1. One thing you would change in your personality? A little bit more ambition, maybe?

2. What is your DA rare pair? I don’t really know….

3. A song that makes you cry? Bedřich Smetana - Vltava

4. The best movie ever? Only a sith deals in absolutes. But I do like Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Café. Amongst others. There are so many!

5. Food you will never eat? I’ll try anything at least once.

6. Your celebrity crush? I’m starting to have a crush on Joseph Gilgun’s voice (CW: some graphic hack and slay on a plane..)

7. Your favorit DA location and why? Hinterlands. They kinda feel like home….

8.You’re a night or a morning person? I’m most productive in the morning, until noon. That is also when I have the least time for things.

9. You have any tattoos? No, but I want to! But I don’t know what!

10. How many languages you speak? Fluently: German and English. Some basics in French and Norwegian that are in dire need for refreshing. Some phrases in Spanish and Italian. Some words in Finnish, Japanese, Klingon and Sindarin. Also, Python basics. I surely do like languages ^_^

My questions:

1. What do you see when you look out of the window?

2. Your least favourite thing to do?

3. Your most favourite thing to do?

4. Recommend a song.

5. What are you afraid of?

6. Any fear you have overcome?

7. What’s written as fourth sentence on page 23 of the book/magazine closest to you?

8. Favourite motivational quote?

9. What was your highlight of the last week?

10. Wenn ist das Nunstück git und Slotermeyer?

I’m gonna tag: @princess-underthemountain, @element-104, @gwen-cousland @john-cousland, @waitinginthepen, @lykris, @novamm66, @a-shakespearean-in-paris, @gugle1980, @ladydracarysao3, @kagetsukai, @whiskeyeyedcullen, @dragonagethistle (only if you want to, of course!) 

[ergohacks]

Over the years I’ve had a lot of monitors on this desk. Some big, some small some with amazing specs and some emphasising their budget credentials. The AOC G2590PX manages to stand out of the crowd by picking and choosing some of the best features of a whole range of monitors and doing it at a decent price. I tend to prefer larger monitors but the G2590PX tempted me to try 24 inches.

The monitor is primarily a gaming screen and it’s headline spec – 144Hz refresh rate with Adaptive-Sync and 1ms refresh rate is enough to catch anyone’s attention. It suggests a great gaming experience and after hooking it up to my gaming system I’m happy to report that it is both as crisp and as quickly responsive as you’d expect.

While I enjoy gaming it’s not my primary reason for using my PC – that’s work. The G2590PX did well here as well. The screen is easy on the eyes and after a few minutes changing blue light levels, I was able to get a matt and fairly dim setup that suited me. I was also able to save this as a gaming profile which I could switch to whenever I wanted to.

The monitor follows the trend we’re seeing in a number of places with a smaller bezel design. Indeed the bezels around the top and sides are less than a centimetre wide and are not obvious at all. The bottom bezel is thicker but the brushed red colouration makes it seem like a stable visual base for the screen rather than a negative. There is a single coloured LED in the bottom right that indicates power and state but it’s wonderfully dim and unless you’re looking for it is overshadowed by the screens itself.

The screen is controlled by a single clicker / joystick behind the right-hand side of the screen. A single click gives you access to the menu system then lets you move to the menu point you want, click again to select them move left and right to change a setting. Once you find the clicker button it’s a decent system and quite intuitive.

The stand takes the black and red theme of the screen with brushed, matte plastic and is adjustable and feels solid. Power and visual inputs are aligned vertically around half way up the monitor and the built-in USB hub is on the left-hand side horizontally with the input on the top, the fast charge just below it and three regular USB 3.0 ports below that. The ports are close enough together that I had difficulty plugging in a couple of the fatter USB cables I have right next to each other.

The monitor has dual stereo 2W speakers built into it that are louder than I’d expected but sound rather tinny. They’re usable in a pinch but I’d not be comfortable using them as my main speakers longer term.

So would I recommend the G2590PX? Yes. If you’re a gamer who want’s great performance in a smaller package with a decent combination of ergonomics and looks it’s a great and well-priced choice and will suit you perfectly.

Buy it from AOC and Amazon + 

Price: ± £256 Included:  Screen, Power cable 1.8m, Cables VGA 1.8m, HDMI 1.8m, Display port 1.8m.

Features

Screen dimensions: 31 x 55cm Height: 38.5 – 51cm Depth (screen to furthest back support on the stand): 18cm Weight (including stand): 5.4kg

Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Refresh rate: 144Hz Response time: 1 ms Panel type: TN Aspect ratio: 16:9 Brightness: 400 cd/m² Diagonal size: 24.5 inch Screen size 54.3 x 30.2 cm Viewing angle: 170/160 Colours:16.7 Million Finish: Matt Built-in languages: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Russian, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Simple Chinese, Japanese

Connectors: VGA, DisplayPort 1.2 x 1, HDMI 1.4 x 2 USB: USB 3.0 x 4 Speakers: Stereo 2W speakers

Ergonomics: Pivot: -20/20 ° Swivel: -3.5 / 19.5 ° The whole unit rotates on the base Height adjustment: 13cm Vesa mount: Yes, standard 10x10cm

Modes: Game mode (FPS, RTS, Racing and Gamer 1, 2 and 4 Presets), variable shadow control, Game colour, lowBlue mode, overdrive, DialPoint (a crosshair in the centre of the screen).

Freesync: Yes

Warranty: Three years free from manufacturer or component defects

Requirements

Like any other higher end monitor the G2590PX will need to be paired with a more powerful PC with a higher end graphics card to get the most out of it. The Freesync built in will work best with an AMD card.

About AOC

AOC, “Admiral Overseas Corporation”, was founded in Taiwan in 1967 and is now part of TPV Technology Limited, a PC monitor manufacturer who ships around 15 million monitors worldwide per year. It is one of the big name brands in computer monitors and has a reputation for reliability, durability and their top of the line monitors are some of the best on the market.

We based our Ergohacks Verdict on three weeks of use. It was kindly loaned by AOC in February 2018.  This article was first published on 12 March 2018.

AOC G2590PX 25 Gaming Monitor Over the years I've had a lot of monitors on this desk. Some big, some small some with amazing specs and some emphasising their budget credentials.

[eurolinguiste]

Welcome to this year’s second post as a part of the Language Reading Challenge.

As a quick recap, here are the books we’ve read so far this year:

January // Book about your native language

The guidelines to participate are available here and you can also join up by commenting on the posts here at Eurolinguiste or by becoming a part of the group on Goodreads.

This month, the challenge was to read a book in your target language (translation of a book from your native language). So I chose to read a book by one of my favorite authors, Patrick Rothfuss. The title of the book in Spanish is El Nombre del Viento, or in English, The Name of the Wind.

El Nombre del Viento by Patrick Rothfuss

I’ve mentioned before that I love reading fantasy/science-fiction. It’s one of my many favorite genres and lately, it’s become one of my best language learning resources for when I hit that intermediate/advanced stage in a language.

Patrick Rothfuss became one of my favorite authors in the genre for a variety of reasons (his craft, his storytelling style, the list goes on…), but more notably, the fact that his protagonist is a language-learning musician. I couldn’t relate to a character any more than I do with Kvothe if I tried.

When I was browsing his shop, The Tinker’s Packs, I first discovered the Croatian edition of his book, then went on to see that they had several translations of his work available. After the difficulty of getting Game of Thrones in Croatian, seeing a book that I love in the language so easily available had me floored and I knew that I had to get it. I then wondered what other languages his books were translated into and started making my wishlist.

Through the Tinker’s Packs, I could get his books in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, French, Russian, Croatian, Italian, Catalan, Czech, Hebrew, Greek, Finnish, Dutch, Japanese, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian, Swedish, Turkish, German, Estonian, etc. Granted, I don’t speak all of those languages, so it was easy to narrow the list down, but I still ordered the books in Korean, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, and Croatian. Plus, my purchase went towards helping out the Worldbuilders charity which was a pretty big plus.

  A post shared by Shannon Kennedy (@eurolinguiste) on Oct 25, 2016 at 6:13pm PDT

So back to The Name of the Wind.

The Name of the Wind is the first book in Patrick Rothfuss’ Kingkiller series. Kvothe, the main character in the book, is quick-witted and sharp-tongued, a university student and a talented musician. Like much of modern fantasy, The Kingkiller Chronicles, has several invented languages. And in the first book, Rothfuss uses different languages to illustrate the relationships between characters, to further embellish scenes, and to world-build. He talks somewhat about the language learning process, but not as in-depth as he does in the second book (so I’ll save that for later).

Some of my favorite bits about language learning:

– The use of the Temic language between Kvothe and Bast to show their friendship. In an early scene, Kvothe switches into the Temic language to joke with Bast, and the banter is well-employed. The main character also uses language to sometimes establish rapport with other characters – much in the same way we do (‘Hey, look, I speak the same language as you! Let’s be friends!’). – The Chronicler’s shorthand writing system which Kvothe picks up within moments. This was used to show Kvothe’s aptitude for languages and the description of the shorthand system is just vague enough to sound like it could exist.

—¿ Es cierto que aprendiste temán en un solo día?

Kvothe esbozó una sonrisa y agachó la cabeza. —De eso hace mucho tiempo. Casi lo había olvidado. Tardé un día y medio, para ser exactos. Un día y medio sin dormir.

[…]

—¿ Aprendiste todo el idioma entero?

—No, claro que no —contestó Kvothe con cierta irritación—. Solo una parte. Una parte importante, desde luego, pero no creo que se pueda aprender todo de nada, y menos de un idioma.

Rothfuss, Patrick (2013-09-03). El nombre del viento: Cronicas del asesino de reyes: Primero dia (Spanish Edition) (Kindle Locations 1317-1324). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

“Did you really learn Tema in a day?”

Kvothe gave a faint smile and looked down at the table. “That’s an old story. I’d almost forgotten. It took a day and a half, actually. A day and a half with no sleep.”

[…]

“Did you learn the whole language?”

“No. Of course not,” Kvothe said rather testily. “Only a portion of it. A large portion to be sure, but I don’t believe you can ever learn all of anything, let alone a language.”

Rothfuss, Patrick (2007-03-27). The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle Book 1) (p. 51). DAW. Kindle Edition.

– The Tolkein-like historical depth to the languages even if the languages themselves aren’t as developed.

—Eso sí lo sé —dijo Ben—. Son siete. De eso puedes estar seguro. De hecho, su mismo nombre lo dice: Chaen significa siete. Chaen-dian significa «siete de ellos». De ahí viene Chandrian.

—No lo sabía —repuso mi padre—. Chaen. ¿En qué idioma? ¿En íllico?

—Parece temán —comentó mi madre.

—Tienes buen oído —dijo Ben—. En realidad es témico. Es unos mil años anterior al temán.

Rothfuss, Patrick (2013-09-03). El nombre del viento: Cronicas del asesino de reyes: Primero dia (Spanish Edition) (Kindle Locations 2034-2040). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

“That I can answer,” Ben said. “Seven. You can hold to that with some certainty. It’s part of their name, actually. Chaen means seven. Chaen-dian means ‘seven of them.’ Chandrian.”

“I didn’t know that,” my father said. “Chaen. What language is that? Yllish?”

“Sounds like Tema,” my mother said.

“You’ve got a good ear,” Ben said to her. “It’s Temic, actually. Predates Tema by about a thousand years.”

Rothfuss, Patrick (2007-03-27). The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle Book 1) (p. 82). DAW. Kindle Edition.

– The fact that people who speak different languages in the story don’t have magical total mastery of the primary language of the book.

  — …adláteres. —Pronunció despacio la última palabra—. ¿Se dice así? ¿Adláteres?

Asentí, y Wilem puso cara de satisfacción. Entonces frunció el ceño. —Ahora que me acuerdo, hay una frase extraña en tu idioma. La gente siempre me pregunta por el camino de Tinuë. «¿ Cómo está el camino de Tinuë?», dicen. ¿Qué significa?

Sonreí.

—Es un modismo. Significa…

—Ya sé qué es un modismo —me interrumpió Wilem—. ¿Qué significa ese en concreto?

—Ah —dije, un tanto abochornado—. Solo es un saludo. Es como preguntar «¿ Cómo va todo?», o «¿ Qué hay?».

—Eso también es un modismo —protestó Wilem—. Vuestro idioma está plagado de tonterías. Me extraña que os entendáis. «¿ Cómo va todo?» ¿Va adónde? —Sacudió la cabeza.

—A Tinuë, por lo visto —dije sonriendo—. Tuan volgen oketh ama —añadí. Era uno de mis modismos siaru favoritos. Significaba «No para quitarle importancia—.

Rothfuss, Patrick (2013-09-03). El nombre del viento: Cronicas del asesino de reyes: Primero dia (Spanish Edition) (Kindle Locations 6501-6521). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

“…coterie.” He pronounced the last word slowly. “Is that the right word? Coterie?”

I nodded, and Wilem looked vaguely self-satisfied. Then he frowned. “That makes me remember something strange in your language. People are always asking me about the road to Tinuë. Endlessly they say, ‘how is the road to Tinuë?’ What does it mean?”

I smiled. “It’s an idiomatic piece of the language. That means—”

“I know what an idiom is,” Wilem interrupted. “What does this one mean?”

“Oh,” I said, slightly embarrassed. “It’s just a greeting. It’s kind of like asking ‘how is your day?’ or ‘how is everything going?’”

“That is also an idiom.” Wilem grumbled. “Your language is thick with nonsense. I wonder how any of you understand each other. How is everything going? Going where?” He shook his head.

“Tinuë, apparently.” I grinned at him. “Tuan volgen oketh ama.” I said, using one of my favorite Siaru idioms. It meant ‘don’t let it make you crazy’ but it translated literally as: ‘don’t put a spoon in your eye over it.’

Rothfuss, Patrick (2007-03-27). The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle Book 1) (pp. 273-274). DAW. Kindle Edition.

– Just the fact that Patrick Rothfuss put that much thought into his characters speaking different languages, learning different languages, and that they’re always learning no matter how well you speak a language. It definitely beats some of the other portrayals of language learning I’ve read where characters just magically pick up a language without any effort or prior experience. It’s refreshing to see something more authentic.

On Reading Translations

You may have noticed that as a part of this challenge you’re asked to read two books in your target language. One is intended to be a translation of a work originally written in your native language and the other a work that is originally written in your target language.

Why?

Because you gain different things by reading both.

In reading translations you benefit from already knowing the story because you’ve likely already read the work in your native language. You also benefit from the language because it’s going to be written differently as a translation that it would be as a work originally conceived in your target language. Plus reading a translation guarantees that the book is available in your native language to use for reference if needed.

In reading works originally published in your target language you get to benefit from the language. As I mentioned above, things are written completely different when they are originally conceived in a language rather than translated into it.

That being said, reading translations gives you the opportunity to work with material you know and love (like Patrick Rothfuss’ work for me). This is so valuable because it increases the odds that you’re going to enjoy the tools you’re using to learn your target language because you aren’t just using boring old textbooks or flashcards to learn a language. You’re actually ‘living’ in the language and using materials that you enjoy.

Title: El Nombre del Viento Author: Patrick Rothfuss Pages: 880 pgs Publisher: Vintage Espanol Publication Date: September 3, 2013

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