Rosetta Stone

[yellowking]

I know the SF have to learn foreign languages, is there any particular technique or course they tend to use to learn in a hurry?

[fng]

Good question. I would like to know the answer as well. Any takers?

[Seraphim]

Well each special forces group is given a location in the word. Like 5thsfg is middle east. So they do have time to learn different languages. They get a teacher from that country and also learn their culture aswell instead of getting an american to teach them.

[GearGod]

Was there a reason they needed interpreters in some cases such as Afghanistan? I also saw the british SF guy speaking in arabic to the Iraqis which I thought was pretty impressive--

Also, when one is a SF operator; One has to adapt and operate in the country which one specializes in; More info here:

http://sf.goarmy.com/flindex.htm

[GearGod]

I agree 100%--- You've gotta "fit in" with the community and actually practice speaking and interacting with the "indigeneous personell" to fully learn the language

[Royal]

Was there a reason they needed interpreters in some cases such as Afghanistan? I also saw the british SF guy speaking in arabic to the Iraqis which I thought was pretty impressive

The main local languages in Afganistan (Pushtun and Dari) have not been taught much to SF/Int personnel in the last few years, hence the need for local interpreters.

On the other hand we've had a long relationship with partts of the middle east, particularly the Oman (where we fought and won CI campagins in the late 50's and early 60's and again in the late 60's early 70's) as well as places like Saudi and Kuwait.

Arabic is the most common default language for training for UK int/SF personnel.

[Sabre]

Well British SF tend to be opportunistic in their training. Some blokes may just get enrolled in a local college for night classes during training. Preparing for a deployment they might get someone who speaks the local language (intelligence or one of the unit) to teach some usefull phrases.
I know one guy (a reservist) was nearly called up to be an interpreter in Afghanistan as he had been on the Afghan border the summer before 9/11 learning Farsi. As it happens he was off to Sandhurst in a few months so he didn't go.

[fng]

I saw a photo of SF studying languages in front of a row of computers once and wondered what type of language program they were using. Is it something developed at the Defense Language Institute or one of these commercial programs you can buy anywhere? If it is a commercial program, which one is it? The reason I am asking is that I need to learn Portuguese and brush up on my spanish and I'd like to find the best computer program I can get.

[kutter]

I don't know if theres a quick learn system but US Army Special Forces are normally expected to learn at least one foriegn language. There are 14 language classes offered that range from a minimum of 18 weeks to a maximum of 25 weeks. For example, the Arabic class is one of the longest at 24 weeks 2 days (by the way, I got this info from 'America's Special Forces' by David Bohrer).

[GearGod]

HELL YEAH!

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005APYM.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg


Learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency.

The Rosetta Stone Level I program offers a comprehensive course of study for beginning learners, leading to intermediate proficiency. The program contains over 3,500 real-life images and phrases in 92 lessons and more than 250 hours of mastery instruction in listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing. Systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. There are reviews, exercises, and tests for every lesson with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older)

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005APYM/qid=1052615849/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-3674307-4372612?v=glance&s=software

[fng]

Thanks adam. This program looks good but I am still curious what SF uses.

[Skyranger]

The main military forign language school is in monteray california, its where most of the sf guys take classes in forign language.

[XASA]

I attended what was then called the Defense Language Institute West Coast Branch in Monterey, CA, and learned German in six months, and took a "quicky", 16 week Vietnamese course at DLI Southwest Branch at Biggs Field, Ft. Bliss, TX several years later. I was not SF but ASA, and, later, PsyOps, but there was a large contingent of SF officers and EM as well as civilian students at both schools. Asian languages and Russian were 47 week courses, European languages 24 weeks. The DLISW in Texas was a temporary school used exclusively to teach Vietnamese. The DLI also operated on the east coast. The instructors were all native born speakers and the technique was one of repetition, using no English during instruction, and, supposedly, three hours homework using tape recorders. There were several "field trips," too. Obviously, we weren't fluent upon completion; however, by the time my three year tour ended in Berlin I was dreaming in German. The "quickie" Vietnamese language profiency was quickly lost since I didn't use it as much as I did German. The MOS at the time was O4B (Interpeter) and, later, in the Agency 098G (Voice Intercept Operator). Profiency pay and re-enlistment bonuses were top dollar, too!

[18C4V]

The main military forign language school is in monteray california, its where most of the sf guys take classes in forign language.

Not true. If your SF, language is taught at Ft. Bragg, NC. The exception is if a language is not taught at the SOAF, then it's off to DLI. For example, Mandarin Chinese is taught at DLI and not at Bragg. Hope this helps.

[fng]

This does help. Thank you, gentlemen, for your input.

[Royal]

The main military forign language school is in monteray california, its where most of the sf guys take classes in forign language.

Not true. If your SF, language is taught at Ft. Bragg, NC. The exception is if a language is not taught at the SOAF, then it's off to DLI. For example, Mandarin Chinese is taught at DLI and not at Bragg. Hope this helps.

Again not entirely true (I know I'm a Brit, but before you shoot me down in flames) I did an exchange from our Defence School of Languages (where we send some but not all Int and SF operators) to Monteray where I met several SF operators doing courses such as Serbo Croat and Albanian which are also taught at Bragg.

[Wiseman]

The Rosetta Stone language program is available for you guys and if you have the time you could start learning a language.

[Brookes]

Sweet!

___________

[remo williams]

The Rosetta Stone language program is available for you guys and if you have the time you could start learning a language.
Free download or do I have to shell out some organs?

[Wiseman]

It is free. You don't download it though, you do it right there online.

[Hellfish]

Lucky bastards. They won't let me get an AKO account now that I'm ETSed.

[Dronetek]

Free download or do I have to shell out some organs?
http://www.dantooinebase.com/upload/imgs/oh_hey_ram.gif

[remo williams]

It is free. You don't download it though, you do it right there online.
Do you have a link or address. I'm hoping I can access it from work, but since they classify Kermit the frog as ****/recreational i'm iffy. Funny guy that Dronetek:roll:

[MPNFL]

good deal, will use that soon enough. looks like the Army's gettin smarter :)

[dave81]

Rosetta Stone is incredibly frustrating. They use what they call the "dynamic immersion method" which is basically you're bombarded with sights and sounds in the language you're trying to learn, with no English help WHATSOEVER. You are exposed to a series of 4 pictures at a time, like flashcards, while a spoken and written description of what is going on in the picture is presented. You then have to basically guess which phrase correctly describes what you're looking at. The theory is that you will learn the language the same way a baby learns, by completely learning the language through association from the ground up. Learning is slow and tough, and picking up on words definitely happens, but with absolutely no lessons on grammar, sentence structure, syntax, or even alphabets (for non-Roman lettered languages such as Arabic or Korean) I can't see this as more than a helpful assist or supplement to learning a language, but no way can it be used on its own (just my opinion).
Try the demo to see what the "dynamic immersion method" is all about: http://www.rosettastone.com/en/individuals/flash-demo-form

By the way, I'm doing the Arabic right now and if I hadn't already casually studied some on my own, I would be COMPLETELY lost.

PS: Does anyone know if one can get any kind of credit for completing these courses?
Edited to add: Hey, you get cool certificates in your email for every lesson you finish! (4 hours credit each.)


Do you have a link or address. I'm hoping I can access it from work, but since they classify Kermit the frog as ****/recreational i'm iffy. Funny guy that Dronetek:roll:http://usarmy.skillport.com/
Needless to say, you'll need an AKO address to access it.

[Violence Of Action]

pretty damn awesome

[TacoDelRio]

Forgot my damn password..... :( then again if you want total immersion, well, I'm the only white guy for MILES! :)

[dave81]

If you are, then, how [can] Army Knowledge Online be offensive to anyone, as its a mil site (Proffesional)
I used to be a big comic book collector. While I was in Korea, I was unable to access DC Comics' official website using on-post computers (yes, this was in the internet cafes in the recreation buildings), even using such inocuous URLs as www.superman.com. Those crazy government filters!

[LibertyUnites]

this is probably a really stupid question but the fact of the matter is i have no ****ing clue. how do i find out my MACOM?

[the_recruit]

I'd like to know if anyone has a good website or a good source for that teaches the German language. anything will be apreciated, thanks.

[sucker4gurls]

Do you have access to a community college? The best way I know to learn a language is to learn it from someone who can speak it fluently. They would be able to answer your questions to a better degree than a website could. Also they would be able to help you out with your ****ounciation.

However www.leo.org/leo_home_en.html does have a good dictionary on it and it might help you form sentences. However it wont tell you how to ****ounce it.

[Deftoner]

Try here (http://www.deutsch-lernen.com/learn-german-online/beginners/summary.php)

Its still better though to learn from someone who speaks it, ****ounciation is key. My mothers side of the family is german, so I got the ****ounciation right from years of hearing it.....but I don't speak it enough so i'm really really really rusty. You need to keep working on it, as with learning any other language.

[toki]

I'd like to know if anyone has a good website or a good source for that teaches the German language. anything will be apreciated, thanks.

Try to attend courses where you're forced to communicate and interact. I think homelearning is better for advanced speakers. You need people to speak to.

Like someone mentioned, i guess there are community colleges and since you live in NY you have quite a big german community with original speakers. I once heard numbers, not sure, but there are many, many gemans living and working in NY. And i'm not speaking about tourists or second generation immigrants, just expats.

The best Dictionary imho:
http://dict.tu-chemnitz.de/ works both ways. I use it quite often. OK maybe not perfect for you, since the site itself is german. But there are many others.

[Blumenteufel]

What helped me a lot was first watching the news in german and then in english ( you´d have to do it the other way around ;P ). It´s short enough to memorize the content and the phrases are quite similar. Same with movies and especially computer games. The key is to get the language you want to learn into your everyday life.

Maybe this site comes in handy :

http://www.dw-world.de/

[Buckeye67]

These guys (http://www.dliflc.edu/index.asp) have a pretty good german program. p-)

[RS_Leo1A5]

http://german.about.com/

[Thunder]

Another victim of and another victory for Groß-Deutschland.

[tsuri]

Another victim of and another victory for Groß-Deutschland.

Kleindeutschland. Austria is not on board. Yet ;)

If you are going to learn at home, I suggest the Rosetta Stone. It uses a different approach to language learning than usual courses. It copies the natural way of learning them.

[kosse]

Ja JA! Ich komme...aaaAAAUUUGGNNgghhH.

[Stormy]

Buy "Toki" a "Doner" and he'll teach you some German, Eh Toki ? p-)

[Macs.]

Buy "Toki" a "Doner" and he'll teach you some German, Eh Toki ? p-)

I doubt Toki (aka Tsuir.) wants a Döner these days.

[Stormy]

I doubt Toki (aka Tsuir.) wants a Döner these days.

So get him a slice of Pizza, that'll do it ?

[a_very_ex_STAB]

Shag a German bird then when you realize she's nagging you all the time you will have learned enough and you can dump her.

[HooyahCQB]

Doeners ueberalles.

[Machi]

I doubt Toki (aka Tsuir.) wants a Döner these days.

why not - then the_recruit will learn the colourful phrases first ;)

@the_recruit: a brave step.


CU Machi

[Freibier]

As for Döners - there's a big disgusting scandal going on atm.

BELIEVE ME, YOU DON'T WANNA KNOW MORE

[Stormy]

As for Döners - there's a big disgusting scandal going on atm.

BELIEVE ME, YOU DON'T WANNA KNOW MORE


what 'choo mean ? ... Cat meat or man flesh !? :|

[Macs.]

As for Döners - there's a big disgusting scandal going on atm.

BELIEVE ME, YOU DON'T WANNA KNOW MORE

I still enjoy my 50 cent Döner.

[a_very_ex_STAB]

what 'choo mean ? ... Cat meat or man flesh !? :|


Mad beef from England?
:)

[Freibier]

Na dann guten Appetit!
I hear some of those 50cent Döners can talk and walk rofl





Stormy:
We have a meat scandal atm,
some wankers sold meat in large numbers that was couple years past its expiry date :|
Lots of it made its way into Döners

[Machi]

what 'choo mean ? ... Cat meat or man flesh !? :|

rotten meat.

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,435457,00.html

CU Machi

[Stormy]

Damn, that's serious. Not a couple of months old, which is bad enough, but years. That's some serious "cestoda" problem in the belly right there.

[toki]

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?t=91463&page=2

i just had a Dönner and a can of Mezzo Mix. Friday after work, no cooky...
And the Döner guy around the corner told me it's made of fresh meat. Hmmm of course :lol:, but who cares.

[Macs.]

R.I.P. Tsuri.

[Macs.]

I am sitting at work and wondering what I should eat now.

I am going to the Supermarket now - BUT WHAT SHOULD I BUY ?

[Stormy]

Unfortunately, it will be a difficult task to locate a Donner spot around here. We have Gyros though, it's just as good, I gather.


http://www.roadfood.com/photos/4322.jpg

[toki]

I am sitting at work and wondering what I should eat now.

I am going to the Supermarket now - BUT WHAT SHOULD I BUY ?

Whatever you buy, get a can of Mezzo Mix or Schwipp Schwapp and post the pic in the Mezzo Mix thread.



...my stomach hurts.... :-(

[Macs.]

I was thinking about going to Nordsee, but what does one eat there ?

[Thunder]

R.I.P. Tsuri.
May he go to heaven and masturbate to hentai for eternity.

[toki]

Unfortunately, it will be a difficult task to locate a Donner spot around here. We have Gyros though, it's just as good, I gather.


http://www.roadfood.com/photos/4322.jpg
that's like the cousin of the Döner.But they don't like each other. Greeks and Turks you know.


I was thinking about going to Nordsee, but what does one eat there ?

Matjes-Brötchen. When you have it there, it's actually dutch.

[Freibier]

Backfisch XXL and a Shrimp Box is my favorite Nordsee meal! woot

[toki]

Backfisch XXL and a Shrimp Box is my favorite Nordsee meal! woot

Actually i've never tried Nordsee, i just guessed they have Matjes Brötchen, probably not.

[Freibier]

Sure they have,
I rediscovered Nordsee just a few weeks ago and atm rather snack there than bei Gammel Ali ;)

[Stormy]

You're making me hungry. http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/images/smilies/sad/devil-smiley-100.gif
Maybe I'll grab a Jamaican Beef Patty.

[Thunder]

What's Nordsee?

The words 'Meer' and 'See' used to confuse me. In Dutch, 'meer' means 'See' and 'zee' means 'Meer'.

[toki]

What's Nordsee?

The words 'Meer' and 'See' used to confuse me. In Dutch, 'meer' means 'See' and 'zee' means 'Meer'.

In german: Meer/ (die) See = the sea
(der) See = Lake

Nordsee is North Sea. Also a chain:
http://www.hallen-am-borsigturm.de/pics_ladenfronten/035.jpg

[Machi]

What's Nordsee?

The words 'Meer' and 'See' used to confuse me. In Dutch, 'meer' means 'See' and 'zee' means 'Meer'.

Nordsee is Noordzee (dutch)

It's also the name of a german fast food chain.

CU Machi

[Thunder]

Ah ha! Learning every 23,902 hours.

[tsuri]

R.I.P. Tsuri.
I wont´die from Döner. I don´t eat it. Nordsee, Subway or the nearest Currywurststand will do.


The words 'Meer' and 'See' used to confuse me. In Dutch, 'meer' means 'See' and 'zee' means 'Meer'.


In Low German the meanings are reversed. As Dutch is a derivate of Low German, it uses this too.


May he go to heaven and masturbate to hentai for eternity.

H does not mean hentai (http://web.archive.org/web/20021212041355re_/home.attbi.com/~kagamix2/H_does_not_mean_hentai/)

[toki]

I wont´die from Döner. I don´t eat it. Nordsee, Subway or the nearest Currywurststand will do.


In Low German the meanings are reversed. As Dutch is a derivate of Low German, it uses this too.


H does not mean hentai (http://web.archive.org/web/20021212041355re_/home.attbi.com/~kagamix2/H_does_not_mean_hentai/)

He is talking about me. For some reason for him we're one person. Read the post before his post. Not the first time that our swabian friend calls me Tsuri.

[tsuri]

He is talking about me. For some reason for him we're one person. Read the post before his post. Not the first time that our swabian friend calls me Tsuri.

I see...
76er also does it all the time...

Our Avatars can´t be any more different. It can´t be helped..

[Kitsune]

I have always wondered why the Brits call the North Sea the North Sea and not the East Sea...

[toki]

I have always wondered why the Brits call the North Sea the North Sea and not the East Sea...

...get yourself a Jägermeister and lay off the week.

[Manu]

Who needs a Döner if there is a BurgerKing around ? :D

[weissent]

H does not mean hentai (http://web.archive.org/web/20021212041355re_/home.attbi.com/~kagamix2/H_does_not_mean_hentai/)

H does always, always mean hentai. You cannot escape this stark reality, it's a subsection of internet rule #34, ey tsuri ~nyu?

[weissent]

Who needs a Döner if there is a BurgerKing around ? :D

Some ppl like it to have their hunger stilled after spending less than 12 bucks. See, I hate to pay the same money on both 2 chilly-peppers filled with creamy **** and a Döner with meat, salad, tomatos, the whole package. Remember: you only eat ONCE at a joint who screws you with rotten meat.
99% of the guys are legit.

[Machi]

I have always wondered why the Brits call the North Sea the North Sea and not the East Sea...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea

CU Machi

[Kitsune]

Hehe. Thx.

[alphabet]

http://www.quia.com/shared/german/

They have games too!

[tyovan]

Have you looked into the Deutsches Haus at NYU?

http://www.nyu.edu/deutscheshaus/lang_cal.shtml

[Count Lippe]

It's the same as learning any other language... you have to create a german environment. Watch german news, listen to german music, etc. After a while you'll find out that English and German have much in common, and then you'll be able to read many things.

[Ryan Boyd]

im currently sixteen, and a junior in highschool, as my forgein language i decided to take Arabic, i figured it would help out when i join the military.
im only a week into it and im really enjoying it.

my question is, in two to three years of taking it (using rossetta stone) how well should i know it? and how hard is it (compared to other languages) to read and write?
And are there any websites or books that ya'll know of that would help?

thanks in advance

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

I took Arabic for 3 semesters in college.

The short, blunt, unpleasant truth is: You will have to devote all of your time to learning Arabic. Arabic becomes your life, your friends become the people you see every day in Arabic class.

I had class 4 days a week, and 4-6 hours of homework each night.

At the end of 3 semesters I still couldn't speak much. Not even conversational.

Becoming conversational in Arabic takes a good 3 years or more of study. Becoming fluent takes even longer (4+).

[1911-a1]

I think it's gonna be hard, but still worth a try.
I know a little... "kul chara" = eat sh1t. "Dahro" = ****. "Kess emmak" = your mothers ****** (something similar...). I probably spelled everything wrong though.

[Ryan Boyd]

I think it's gonna be hard, but still worth a try.
I know a little... "kul chara" = eat sh1t. "Dahro" = ****. "Kess emmak" = your mothers ****** (something similar...). I probably spelled everything wrong though.

haha, i see you didnt bother yourself with all that unimportant stuff

[DivingEngineer]

good luck mate.

i tried (still trying) to learn a bit of arabic for when i was over in the middle east (Oman) for a holiday at the start of this year.
Its a hard language to learn becasue street signs etc are written as they would sound. So as long as the writing sounds like the word the spelling can be flexible, which is a big difference to the western way.

It wasnt until i learnt this that i stopped getting lost....

But i tried to learn enough arabic to get myself out of trouble if need be. And being a guest in someone elses country i wanted to at least to be able to say 'thankyou' etc.

heres a couple of words i still remember

Inshalla-god willing (basicly there laid back way of say it might happen but if it doesnt it wasnt meant to)

Mafi- no

Mafimuskala-no problems

but yeah good luck mate---does anyone have any good wesite on how to learn arabic/correct ****unciation

cheers

[therifleman]

It's not worth the trouble. Learn Spanish or something that will be useful in the long term. A family friend of mine learned Arabic at Princeton before going to OCS then off to A-stan. The guy is a as smart as they come and he said it was bloody hard.

[SoundOFaGun]

I know of some cases where they take guys that know arabic and put them in HQ or in an S shop, So It can be a good thing and a bad thing.
The Army will pay you if you know a lang that they need, but it could also be a factor in your assignments.

[Ryan Boyd]

thanks for all the advice, but just wondering, how have you all taken it? was it through school or private lessons or a program like rossetta stone?

and you all say that over a long period of taking it you dont really learn much, but ive taken it for only a week and ive learned quite a bit, things like

man, women, boy, girl. Some verbs like, walk, run, eat, drink. And some fruits and colors.
although i imagine it gets slower as you learn to put the words together in sentences

[Backpacker]

thanks for all the advice, but just wondering, how have you all taken it? was it through school or private lessons or a program like rossetta stone?
I'm currently using Rosetta Stone but am not impressed by it. I find it doesn't actually teach you the mechanics, granted i haven't explored it that in depth.

[SoundOFaGun]

Im taking Russian, and plan on taking Swahili. But I take mine through a combo of books and rossetta stone. The Army gives you rossetta stone for free so I take advantage of it. Look up Living Language, I like it better than rossetta stone in my opinion because it gives you a book to follow along with an audio cd so your not confused right off the bat

[Ryan Boyd]

Im taking Russian, and plan on taking Swahili. But I take mine through a combo of books and rossetta stone. The Army gives you rossetta stone for free so I take advantage of it. Look up Living Language, I like it better than rossetta stone in my opinion because it gives you a book to follow along with an audio cd so your not confused right off the bat

thats what i wanted to do originaly, but my brother is in the army so i have access to free rossetta stone lessons, so its much cheaper. but i wouldnt mind doubling-up. I'll check out the living language

[Mr. Bunny]

Graduate high school.Save up money go live in Arabic speaking culture, hire local who speaks engrish and Arabic. Live there for 1-2 years. You will have then learned to become conversational in Arabic.

Only way to really learn in so to live in the language.

[SoundOFaGun]

Its not the only way, and I think getting a head start would be a good thing, Do it while your in school. You plan on joining at 17? or after school?

[JUNKHO]

Have never studied Arabic. Picked up a little from here and there. It does seem to be a challenge. Encourage you to stick with it. IMO its difficult to compare your progress to anyone else because IME each person picks other languages up at a different pace. Hang in there. Good luck.

[Ryan Boyd]

Its not the only way, and I think getting a head start would be a good thing, Do it while your in school. You plan on joining at 17? or after school?

as of now, after school, which includes college, but it all depends

[SoundOFaGun]

Join after school, go active duty.

[Ryan Boyd]

Join after school, go active duty.

Thats what i would like to do, but I still see myself two years from now in class thinking "screw this, im joining the army."

[INAT]

I think it's gonna be hard, but still worth a try.
I know a little... "kul chara" = eat sh1t. "Dahro" = ****. "Kess emmak" = your mothers ****** (something similar...). I probably spelled everything wrong though.


Why is it Serbs teach their friends to curse in Serbian and can curse in any language.rofljebem ti what is it with you Serbs .
f**k --translation--

[Peanut]

Thats what i would like to do, but I still see myself two years from now in class thinking "screw this, im joining the army."

Dont learn Arabic just for the military, you'll find it to be a waste of time, especially with such a difficult language such as Arabic. Learn something that can help you in the long run, like Spanish, its easy too.

Pashtu works too if your looking forward to getting captured by the Taliban. p-)

[Ryan Boyd]

Dont learn Arabic just for the military, you'll find it to be a waste of time, especially with such a difficult language such as Arabic. Learn something that can help you in the long run, like Spanish, its easy too.

Pashtu works too if your looking forward to getting captured by the Taliban. p-)

well im not JUST learning it for the military, i do have a natural interest in the language. And as others have said, i think if im goin to another country i think the least i can do is have a basic understanding of the language

[HollywoodMarine]

Dont learn Arabic just for the military, you'll find it to be a waste of time, especially with such a difficult language such as Arabic. Learn something that can help you in the long run, like Spanish, its easy too.
Forget Spanish. There are plenty of us Spanish speakers in the US military. I would stick with learning Arabic. The limited Arabic you know, will give you a head start if you decide to become a linguist. Due to security background checks, I would speak with a recruiter before you decide on "immersing" yourself in a Muslim setting. If you decide to become a linguist, you'll receive plenty of training at DLI in Monterey, CA.

[Ryan Boyd]

With the limited Arabic you know, I would speak with a recruiter about becoming a linguist, plus getting a second opinion before "immersing" yourself in a Muslim setting due to security background checks. If you do become a linguist, then you'll receive plenty of training at DLI in Monterey, CA.

sounds cool, thanks

[Macs.]

If you are focused on learning a language which could be beneficial for the military in the future, I would also look at languages spoken through Africa.

[HollywoodMarine]

Re-read what I just typed. If you have any questions regarding Linguist, feel free to drop me a PM.

[Ryan Boyd]

If you are focused on learning a language which could be beneficial for the military in the future, I would also look at languages spoken through Africa.

well dont they speak a lot of Arabic in northern Africa?

[HollywoodMarine]

There has been a serious decline with American youth not having the knowledge to speak a foreign language. Current high school curriculum for foreign language studies a little less than 2 years, while Europeans take 5 years and speak 2-3 languages. I noticed how out of touch we were when a few Marines had to translate for our company or battalion while we trained, and relaxed on liberty. Although I am not an 27xx Linguist, I am 03 Infantry, fluent in one foreign language, and understand 2 others. Not only was I able to bridge the gap between the language barrier, but I also did make extra cash in regards to my skill.

Marines Clever Language Bonus

4 August 2006: The U.S. Marine Corps has announced its plan for allocating extra pay to Marines who speak foreign languages. Before, the most a Marine could get for knowing a much needed foreign language, was $700 a month. That now goes up to $1,000. Typically, Marines who are very good with Arabic, qualify for this bonus. The languages most in demand are Arabic, Farsi (Iranian) and Pushtu (spoken by many Afghans and Pakistanis). One unique aspect of the Marine program is that you can qualify for a $25 a month bonus if you are very good at the several dozen Arabic words and phrases most used in combat. All Marines headed for Iraq are supposed to know these phrases. Now, those who know them best, will get the $25 a month bonus. Very clever use of bonus money. So far, about a thousand Marines have qualified for one language bonus or another, but many more are expected to qualify under the new plan.
My recommendation for you Wannabe's, regardless if you are a high school or college student... enroll in a foreign language! Trust me. This skill will open a plethora of doors.


FIELD 27, LINGUIST

The linguist OccFld contains skill designator MOS's broken down to identify specific foreign language skills. Qualifications require that Marines obtain and maintain a minimum Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) skill proficiency level of 2 in at least two out of the three tested areas (listening, reading, and speaking). The DLPT is the current Department of Defense standard to determine foreign language proficiency and maintain quality control . Duties may involve direct supervision and participation in language translation/interpretation activities in support of the full range of military operational and intelligence matters encountered during contingencies, operations, and exercises . Formal schooling is provided to those Marines entering this OccFld as a part of the comprehensive training program for designated Moss within the 02XX (Intelligence), and 267X (Signals Intelligence), OccFlds .

However, required foreign language skills may be obtained through any combination of formal or informal training.
Requirements/Prerequisites

(1) Successfully complete the required course of instruction at the Defense Language Institute . (Note : Individuals may also qualify for this skill designator MOS by demonstrating proficiency in the appropriate language by achieving a minimum level 2 proficiency in both the listening and either the reading or speaking portions of the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT).

(2) Maintain a current qualifying Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT) score of Reading Level 2/Listening Level 2.

Duties
(1) Conducts bidirectional consecutive interpretation of target language to English and English to target language using phraseology selected to preserve the original intent, meaning, and emphasis.

(2) Phrases ideas to avoid language that is stilted, unnatural, and difficult to understand.

(3) Displays an impartial attitude toward each speaker and to facts and opinions expressed.

(4) Interprets into either English or foreign language statements made by participants in conferences, working parties, and all similar activities.

(5) Interviews friendly non-English speaking civilians such as police, clergymen, and other citizens to obtain information of military value.

(6) Writes reports, including opinion as to the credibility of the person interviewed, for use by unit commander and for dissemination to lower, adjacent, and higher headquarters.

(7) Translates into either English or the foreign language, written material of both a technical and non-technical nature.

(8) Establishes a file of language reference materials, English and foreign language dictionaries, and glossaries of military terms.

Skill Designator MOS's

2711 -- Afghan Pushtu
2712 -- Arabic (Modern Standard)
2713 -- Arabic (Egyptian)
2714 -- Arabic (Syrian)
2716 -- Amharic
2717 -- Bengali
2718 -- Hebrew
2719 -- Hindi
2721 -- Kurdish
2722 -- Persian-Farsi
2723 -- Somali
2724 -- Swahili
2726 -- Turkish
2727 -- Urdu


Asian Pacific Linguists

2733 -- Burmese
2734 -- Cambodian
2736 -- Chinese (Cantonese)
2737 -- Chinese (Mandarin)
2738 -- Indonesian
2739 -- Japanese
2741 -- Korean
2742 -- Laotian
2743 -- Malay
2744 -- Tagalog
2846 -- Thai
2747 -- Vietnamese


European (West) Linguists

2754 -- Dutch
2756 -- Finnish
2757 -- French
2758 -- German
2759 -- Greek
2761 -- Haitian-Creole
2762 -- Icelandic
2763 -- Italian
2764 -- Norwegian
2766 -- Portuguese (Brazilian)
2767 -- Portuguese (European)
2768 -- Spanish
2769 -- Swedish


European (East) Linguists

2776 -- Albanian
2777 -- Armenian
2778 -- Bulgarian
2779 -- Czech
2781 -- Estonian
2782 -- Georgian
2783 -- Hungarian
2784 -- Latvian
2786 -- Lithuanian
2787 -- Macedonian
2788 -- Polish
2789 -- Romanian
2791 -- Russian
2792 -- Serb-Croat
2793 -- Slovenian
2794 -- Ukrainian


Note: A Skill-Designator MOS is a "job within a job." It denotes a special skill or training that the Marine holds in addition to the general requirements of his/her Primary MOS.

This secondary MOS does have many advantages for foreign speakers, and those who are willing to learn. Good luck on your future endeavors.

Semper Fi

[JUNKHO]

Semper Fi


x2
What the Marine said!

[Octavian]

Arabic (MSA) is a good foundation. Learn it. It's a globally important language, regardless of if you're involved in a war or not.

Speaking Spanish and English doesn't make you an asset. There are plenty of fluent speakers available in the US. Fluent Arabic/English speakers are more difficult to come by.

Don't worry about Pashto...I'm learning that now, it's a much less structured and developed language than Arabic, lacks resources (there really is no decent Pashto/English dictionary that is readily available, no childrens books, very little TV or movies, etc) and it is not a widely spoken or flexible language.

As far as resources: use everything. Watch Voices of America Arabic newscasts, read the news, listen to radio, use Rosetta Stone, buy a GOOD dictionary, and do textbook work. etc, etc...

[Peanut]

This secondary MOS does have many advantages for foreign speakers, and those who are willing to learn. Good luck on your future endeavors.

Semper Fi

A little OT,

but can you get extra pay if you know a specific language without becoming a linguist?

For example, if I'm enlisted under 03xx, and I let my recruiter know I speak Farsi, would that give me any benefits?

(Aside from when we invade Iran.:))

[Aerosoul]

Learn Spanish anyway. Regardless of military usefulness, you'll need it living in America soon enough.

Good luck and all but I wouldn't be surprised if you change your mind 10 times in the next 2 or 3 years.

[Ryan Boyd]

Learn Spanish anyway. Regardless of military usefulness, you'll need it living in America soon enough.

Good luck and all but I wouldn't be surprised if you change your mind 10 times in the next 2 or 3 years.

thanks for the advice

[HollywoodMarine]

A little OT,

but can you get extra pay if you know a specific language without becoming a linguist?
Yes

For example, if I'm enlisted under 03xx, and I let my recruiter know I speak Farsi, would that give me any benefits?
Yes
In Iraq, I had one of my Marines (an American of Egyptian descent) who was pulled out of my rifle company, to be utilized by the battalion CO as his right hand man (interpreter/translator). He left as a LCpl., and returned as a Cpl. with awards left and right to show for his skills and for a job well done.

When applicants arrive at MEPS, there will be a form that asks if you are bi-lingual. You'll take a proficiency exam on the fluency of speaking and understanding the language in question.

Speaking from my Marine Corps knowledge, I again took a proficiency exam a few days after arriving at Boot Camp. Fast forward at my duty station... we foreign speakers take an annual linguist test to maintain our proficiency. We received our bonus pay only when our language skills were utilized while on deployment.

[Peanut]

In Iraq, I had one of my Marines (an American of Egyptian descent) who was pulled out of my rifle company, to be utilized by the battalion CO as his right hand man (interpreter/translator). He left as a LCpl., and returned as a Cpl. with awards left and right to show for his skills and for a job well done.

When applicants arrive at MEPS, there will be a form that asks if you are bi-lingual. You'll take a proficiency exam on the fluency of speaking and understanding the language in question.

Speaking from my Marine Corps knowledge, I again took a proficiency exam a few days after arriving at Boot Camp. Fast forward at my duty station... we foreign speakers take an annual linguist test to maintain our proficiency. We received our bonus pay only when our language skills were utilized while on deployment.

Thanks for the info, Marine.

[vinny_121_ND]

It's a tough language to master and I wish you determination and success. The US state department employees who learn arabic intensively require 2 years of study, which is significantly longer than all the other languages, I've been told.

I tried learning arabic and it was tough. I needed classroom training and a lot of time and practice. Good luck to you.

[Mu-Meson]

Im taking Russian, and plan on taking Swahili. But I take mine through a combo of books and rossetta stone. The Army gives you rossetta stone for free so I take advantage of it. Look up Living Language, I like it better than rossetta stone in my opinion because it gives you a book to follow along with an audio cd so your not confused right off the bat

No offense dude, but that is one dumbass plan. Swahili? Really? Mandarin might be a better bet.

[SoundOFaGun]

No offense dude, but that is one dumbass plan. Swahili? Really? Mandarin might be a better bet.

Who are you to judge my plan? do you even know my plans or reason for learning that lang?

Think before you post

[One?]

I think it's gonna be hard, but still worth a try.
I know a little... "kul chara" = eat sh1t. "Dahro" = ****. "Kess emmak" = your mothers ****** (something similar...). I probably spelled everything wrong though.

correction

"Dahro" = his back or bring it out depending on how you say it and which dialect.

Learning arabic might be easy, but not everyone speaks the same dialect. Traditional arabic is understood by all, but not commonly spoken. Depending on your teacher you might pickup a certain accent, and if you go to an arab country they might not understand what you are saying.

[KEEPER0311]

I learned basic "check point" Arabic for my deployment to Iraq. And it took me a bit of time to pick up the few things I know. No program will teach you a new language better then a native speaker, and sitting around and shooting the sh!t with them.

[brainplay]

Chinese is the way to go. If the military isn't your cup of tea then Mandarin or Cantonese will come in really handy. If you're fluent you can recruited by a number of different companies. Japanese seems to be sought after as well. Knew some guys that went to Japan as missionaries. They were contacted right after the MTC language training phase. Not sure if they ever followed up. With China becoming more and more entwined in both military and economic issues the demand for translators will be skyrocketing where as the current conflict may or may not last much longer.

[dave81]

For amateur "Do It Yourself" language training, check out the Pimsleur Language Courses on CD at Barnes & Noble or online. Best f cking introductory language learning tool I ever used, and it's nowhere near as expensive as Rosetta Stone (which, by the way, is free if you're in the military). It's completely audio (no reading), lessons are 30-minutes a day, and it's conversation-based, using words and phrases you'll actually be using in real life. It's very, very, very good.

The best book (in my opinion) to learn to read Arabic, is the book "The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read and Write It" (http://www.amazon.com/Arabic-Alphabet-How-Read-Write/dp/0818404302/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251033193&sr=1-5). This book breaks it down as if you're a preschooler learning to write, and makes it extremely easy to decipher what at first looks like a big jumbled mess of script. With this book I learned to read Arabic in just over a week, but your results may vary. (By the way, when I say I learned to read Arabic, I mean read the words and ****ounce them, with minimal comprehension, the same way an English-only speaker can "read" Spanish or Italian words and names because we use the same alphabet.) Best of all you can get this book used on Amazon for $3.50.

That being said, the only way you're really going to learn a language fully is with a native speaker, and immerse yourself in it, either with a quality college-level course or, as suggested earlier, to live in a country (or community) with the language you want to learn. Is there an Arab community where you live? You could try starting there. I once worked with a long-haired rockin' American white guy who was 100% fluent in Spanish because he lived in a Mexican community and wanted to learn the language.

[BigDukaroo]

What do they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Arabic?

[1911-a1]

What do they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Arabic?

Haram.Haram.

[Octavian]

I can vouch for the Putros/Samano Arabic Alphabet book. I used it with success and lend it to others who are intimidated by script.

[dallas_112678]

im currently sixteen, and a junior in highschool, as my forgein language i decided to take Arabic, i figured it would help out when i join the military.
im only a week into it and im really enjoying it.

my question is, in two to three years of taking it (using rossetta stone) how well should i know it? and how hard is it (compared to other languages) to read and write?
And are there any websites or books that ya'll know of that would help?

thanks in advance

If you are not in a place where alot of arabic is spoken then you can pretty much forget becoming fluent in it. You need to live in a place where arabic is the primary language if you trully want to be fluent and learn it. Its pretty much the same with all languages, if you dont use it alot then you will never learn it.

[Mofreaka]

DON'T DO IT!!!!! I made that mistake...holy **** i hated that class.

[Ghost Nappa]

Meh, I live near refugees camp here in Sweden couple of hundred yards away, plenty French speaking West Africans and "fresh of boat Iraqi" :)

As no one said this before, I warmly recommend the Kurdish community, especially those from KRG or Syria (not Turkish, Iranian), many of them harbouring great knowledge about Arabic. As aforementioned if you don't find Arabs try the Kurds since bilingualism is common. And try older people, some old uncle or grandpa or grandma 40-50 years old, many of them are are good as any native Arabs


If you hit jackpot you may find an KRG Kurd fluent in Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic (with the variety of dialect of course)

[AROUETLJ]

I think it's gonna be hard, but still worth a try.
I know a little... "kul chara" = eat sh1t. "Dahro" = ****. "Kess emmak" = your mothers ****** (something similar...). I probably spelled everything wrong though.


That's because you've got the ****unciation wrong, and you don't understand the root of the words you're trying to write.

[1911-a1]

That's because you've got the ****unciation wrong, and you don't understand the root of the words you're trying to write.
Obviously.

[el borracho]

I learned Arabic through DLI but also browsed around at other materials available at local bookstores, online, etc. I honestly don't think that someone can learn that language, or any for that matter, using only these resources. There is no way they can accurately explain every topic in a way you can understand. Plus there is no better way to learn than with a native that can answer your questions right away and tailor their teaching style to your personal needs.

If you join the military as a linguist thinking you will be fast tracked into Arabic, that is not a sure bet. Depending on your preliminary test scores and the needs at that time you may end up in a different language. You could make the argument that since you know some Arabic they would train you to perfect your skills...but you could also say that since you know one language, they wouldn't waste money retraining you and would prefer to put you somewhere equally as challenging.

[Steelersfan413]

I really need to learn a second language. I live in Florida, but I don't plan on staying after college, and I'm so tired of hearing Spanish, (no offense anyone). I have cousins in France that I'll be visiting this summer, and countless times after that, so it could be helpful in that case. Also, in trying to get a job with the Federal Government, (as a Special Agent), is French at all desirable? Obviously they'd prefer Farsi or Arabic or Mandarin, but I fear these are way too hard at this stage in my life, especially considering the fact that I can't be submerged in an atmosphere where it is commonly spoken.

And if I decide to go through with learning it, would you recommend I wait the extra year to start learning it in college, or will that not be enough, where I should try to take some sort of class now or buy Rosetta Stone or something?

Any insight would be great.

Thanks in advance.

[dacanadianbomb]

Vous avez post votre thread dans le categore off topic and humour svp ?

[Steelersfan413]

I only caught the last few words, but if this needs to be moved, I'll try to get a mod to.

[Chimera]

From my experience with my US buddies, the ones who speak french fluently had to come here and study at least for a semester. Unless you have a lot of time to spend and take french as a major and not minor, it's gonna be tough.

Visiting your cousin won't be enough I'm afraid. But definitely a good thing to give you the taste of the language (and the taste of the food as well...).

Anything you can use prior to your college classes are more than welcome, but you gotta stick to it with a strict planning and several hours in the week.

Remember, what will make the difference is immersion in the country. Preferably the countryside.

[Horizon]

First congratulations, secondly from my point of view learning in college is maybe not the best way to learn as an adult, you will learn absolutely useless sentences schemes that maybe are not used in everyday language. Buy or grab a English-French dictionary that will serve you to find meanings of word and vocabulary, the most important is having vocabulary, then you can try grammar.
Surrounds yourself with French material, try to read news in French, or choose something that interest you the most and but get it in French e.g you like motorcycles just get on the web to look for French speaking materials on motorcycles.

Hear French news or movies, it is not important if you grab a few words while reading or hearing French, the time passing you will understand more and more, do it in the long term and you'll see...

Cheers!

[HollywoodMarine]

You trying to stir up some problems BW? If you aren't, use common courtesy for our fellow members on here and remove that comment.

[Chimera]

BudW, you better remove that comment right away.

[Steak-Sauce]

Watch "La Boum" with subtitles. p-)

[Scousemouse]

Mate, loads of people speak French, learn Arabic or Farsi as you say, as for those being hard languages to learn all languages are hard - I trust you want to be able to do more than ask where the library is so beyond that it could be any language and it's going to take you years unless you're insanely talented at this sort of thing...

You are not going to become fluent in a semester, hell you're not going to becoming fluent over a couple of years, certainly not to an extent that is going to be helpful professionally... my suggestion thus if you are serious about learning a language is pick one, study hard at it during College, and then move to that respective country / region and immerse yourself for a few years and hope for the best... oh and as for what to do now don't wait a second more and go and book yourself into an language school be it private or group... you're not learning this so you can be a better tourist, you're serious about this, so online courses and such things will only ever be a very poor supplement...

Also, and I mean this with respect, but saying that Arabic or Farsi are too hard a language firstly shows a lack of understanding about hard French is, and secondly suggests that you're not really that serious about this or willing to commit as much time and work that you'll need... you wan't to be a 'special agent' and to learn a language to the extent that it will be an asset in any job application process than be prepared to live this language for the next few years otherwise it's just a waste of time or little more than a hobby...

Oh and lastly if you're going to learn Arabic (which I would recommend but only because that's what I'm studying so I'm a little bias) then you've gotta work out what type of Arabic... in the US as in the UK chances are they'll teach you Modern Standard however nobody uses this in the Middle East on a day to day basis however it's a good start for sure... personally I tried to learn some variant of the levant Arabic and then you can go and live in Lebanon or Syria (the latter being the best place to learn due to the very limited English spoken in Damascus) and keep working on it...

Good luck mate!

[breki]

Learn a language that is spoken by attractive women.

French would be a natural choice.

[The Investigator]

French is a relatively easy language to learn. I took it in school and can still speak a far bit of it. I would recommend German. Its the sister language of English and is easy to learn.

[Rokovak]

Je parle un peu français, mais pas très bien. I've been studying French on and off for over a year, and I may be worlds from fluent but I cant at least carry a basic conversation. If you want to learn on your own there's all sorts of avenues to explore.

Online: Many sites let you practice reading, writing, speaking and listening with native speakers. That's the next best thing to total immersion, for those of us who can't just pack our bags and move to other other side of the planet. www.busuu.com and www.livemocha.com are two sites that I like. There's also www.frenchassistant.com for extra practice.

Software: I will never, ever see the appeal in Rosetta Stone. Who wants to learn the same old "The apple is red" or "The horse is running" routine? LoL what useless merde, it's no wonder so many people struggle with languages. I recommend www.fluenz.com They actually teach you things you'll need to know as a tourist or visitor. It's not perfect, but software never is.

And don't forget a French dictionary! It's a valuable resource for building your vocabulary. A native speaker (of any language) only needs a few hundred words for everyday use (with a few hundred more less-commonly used words), and a dictionary contains far more than that.

[creativeUsername]

You dont have to become absolutely fluent in French, theres hundreds of thousands of immigrants in Canada and the US who speak rough, broken English and they still get by perfectly fine. I dont see why people feel when they want to learn a new language they need to speak it in perfect fluency.

[Comm]

And if I decide to go through with learning it, would you recommend I wait the extra year to start learning it in college, or will that not be enough, .

I took Mandarin in my first semester of University (I'm Cantonese), it was definitely not enough; You forget everything because you never use it except for that one course, these courses only teach you the very basics and you need to continue if you want to be able to hold a proper conversation with a person who speaks that language.

Learn now and immerse yourself in that language don't wait one or two years to do it. Capacity of learning a new language diminishes with age, do it now while your still in your late teens.

Mandarin and Cantonese isn't a hard language to learn for non-Chinese, in fact it's harder for Cantonese members to learn Mandarin.

I'm sure you'll find enough Chinese Americans who speak the language and can help you develop your language skills. Whatever language you choose learn it now and keep speaking it.

[Lt. James Anderson]

Start with Rosetta Stone and take college classes. At least that worked OK for me. The thing is you have to practice the language all the time and if you don't you pretty much wasted all that hard work (and time). Learning another language on your own is not easy even if you're good at learning language.

[matthew.manhorn]

Learn a language that is spoken by the ethnic group you interact the most.

Classes and rossetta stone are only good on paper, you need to practice it with people who speak that language often.

I took french for 2 years during highschool and I forgot all of them since I didn't have a chance to speak that language.

[xav]

Where are you in S. Florida?

The best thing i can advise you is to go to Alliance Française.

You won't find better (native speakers) and cheaper.

You have one in MIA:
http://www.afmiami.org/

in MCO:
http://www.aforlando.org/

In Tampa:
http://www.aftampa.org/

There is actually at least one in every state in the US

[jklv]

Vous avez post votre thread dans le categore off topic and humour svp ?
Withouth knowing any French at all, the words look a lot like Spanish ones. (and some English)

Vous avez post votre thread dans le categore off topic and humour svp ?
Vos haber post vuestro thread en la categoria off topic and humor svp?

Even though the sentence doesn't make much sense, one can figure it you.
Vos haber posteado vuestro thread en la categoria off topic and humor?

I think I'll learn French too, it looks easy.

[breki]

Here ya go, fellas.

Listen to the song, and read the subtitles.

Plus, it proves my earlier point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfSYeXPQaQI

[MajorPayne]

Learn Spanish, it's almost an official language of the USA.

Hell, you can take a drivers test totally in spanish now.

[passeur_TSI]

french and spanish language are very close, after a week of spanish course in september i went to spain and stayed there for 2 weeks at the end i was able to follow a conversation and speak a little bit, the thing I need is more vocabulary but no secrets watching film with subtitles is the best way to learn some. if you have skills in spanish, learning french can be easier

[Chimera]

Breki you gotta stop with her, she drives me completely nuts.....................

[Rokovak]

Here ya go, fellas.

Listen to the song, and read the subtitles.

Plus, it proves my earlier point.

As achingly gorgeous as she is, there's yet another reason to learn French. Mademoiselle Theuriau shown here, is a full-on YouTube Hall of Famer.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiXFB4cKGDs&feature=related

[Chimera]

Faustine Bollaert and Marie Drucker get my votes as well.

Finally, it always come down to the real deal and the real spirit of this country, women.

[cn_habs]

french and spanish language are very close, after a week of spanish course in september i went to spain and stayed there for 2 weeks at the end i was able to follow a conversation and speak a little bit, the thing I need is more vocabulary but no secrets watching film with subtitles is the best way to learn some. if you have skills in spanish, learning french can be easier

+1.

French is the easiest language for Spanish speakers by far.

Many Quebecers go on vacations in Florida during the summer. Maybe some job in some popular hotel would help a bit? If you want to be fluent in the language, you need to have an French-speaking environment. See if you could move to Montreal for a couple of years as the city is pretty much bilingual. That's where I learnt my French at the age of 12 and is really your best bet.

[-CZ-75]

I don't know the school system in the USA.
But didn't you learn there your second language ?

[breki]

Breki you gotta stop with her, she drives me completely nuts.....................

Ben voyons donc... you gotta be kidding me. Elle est hot en tabernak.


As achingly gorgeous as she is, there's yet another reason to learn French. Mademoiselle Theuriau shown here, is a full-on YouTube Hall of Famer.



Awesome. She has a new fan, thanks for the post!

[Vince S]

Be aware, french grammar is a nightmare.

[breki]

http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/hJgQCbRsq-I (http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/hJgQCbRsq-I)

[Vince S]

http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/hJgQCbRsq-I (http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/hJgQCbRsq-I)


This ain't french... it's Quebecois FFS

[breki]

This ain't french... it's Quebecois FFS

I just think that a North American would be far better off to learn Québecois instead of French. Then we could all go to Celine Dion concert together and have a good time.

[seej]

VIVE LE QUÉBEC!!!! seriously, Québec is a great place to learn French, its only 3 hours by plane from Florida, US $ is worth more than Canadian money, Quebec city is one of the most beautiful cities in America. :D

[budgie]

Depends on your amount of passive knowledege to begin with. Cafe Creme is a good textbook series for beginners and you'll definitely need the CDs that come with it and other audio-visuals. If you have the budget try the Rosetta Stone CDs for PC. They do a whole bunch of languages and French is one set. Also there is L'Alliance Francaise which is a French culture and language center with branches all around the world. Dunno what part of Florida you are in but here's the Miami page:

http://www.afmiami.org/

Good Luck.

[breki]

VIVE LE QUÉBEC!!!! seriously, Québec is a great place to learn French, its only 3 hours by plane from Florida, US $ is worth more than Canadian money, Quebec city is one of the most beautiful cities in America. :D

1. Québec is actually not a great place to learn French, comme tel.

2. The American and Canadian dollar are about equal right now.

3. Yes! Québec City is probably the most beautiful city in North America.


Also, you forgot to mention, les bars danseuses

[xav]

Look at page 2... :)

Where are you in S. Florida?

The best thing i can advise you is to go to Alliance Française.

You won't find better (native speakers) and cheaper.

You have one in MIA:
http://www.afmiami.org/

in MCO:
http://www.aforlando.org/

In Tampa:
http://www.aftampa.org/

There is actually at least one in every state in the US

[coltfan111]

Immerse yourself in the language.When you get on in your studies a bit, start buying weekly French newspapers and read through them. Any words you don't understand underline and look up in the dictionary.

They all speak English anyway. All I remember is how to say I am a cat, my name is, I live in a house. I took Spanish at school, a much cooler language.

[pascalywood]

I just think that a North American would be far better off to learn Québecois instead of French. Then we could all go to Celine Dion concert together and have a good time.

My protein shake almost came out from my nose, mon esti p-)

[Scousemouse]

You're getting a lot of advice mate... but if you want this for professional ends then one, yes you do need to be fluent, and two, you can't just chose a language because its 'easy'... speaking French is not going to help you become a 'special agent'... whatever that may be! lol

[breki]

My protein shake almost came out from my nose, mon esti p-)

What, would you rather go see Marie-Mai?


http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/ciuzE9XehhM (http://www.youtube.com/watch/v/ciuzE9XehhM)

[MichaelF]

My problem with French (4 yrs in High School) is that I'm evidently tone-deaf with regard to the accent. Word endings are spoken so subtly that the masculine and feminine nouns sound the same (the accent elides the suffix). I could read it and write it, but not speak it.

Italian and German were much easier for me to pick up, with regard to speaking/listening skills.

[Steelersfan413]

You're getting a lot of advice mate... but if you want this for professional ends then one, yes you do need to be fluent, and two, you can't just chose a language because its 'easy'... speaking French is not going to help you become a 'special agent'... whatever that may be! lol

I'm not considering this language just because it is easy, but based on my current age, and accessibility to the other listed languages, I think it would be very difficult to learn them. I don't exactly plan on spending a few summers in Tehran just to learn Farsi. Count me out. French is also spoken in a good amount of countries, with little variation. Arabic has 20-something or 30-something different dialects, making it difficult to go to other Arabic-speaking countries, unless I learn a few of the dialects.

And Xav, I'm much closer to Miami. I live a few miles from Ft. Lauderdale.

I appreciate all the info guys. Really, it's been a big help.

[gaijinsamurai]

Like Chimera and Coltfan wrote, immerse yourself in the language as much as possible. The more time you spend speaking AND THINKING in French, and avoiding English as much as possible, the better for you.

[Aerosoul]

A special agent. With the government.

[Steelersfan413]

Like Chimera and Coltfan wrote, immerse yourself in the language as much as possible. The more time you spend speaking AND THINKING in French, and avoiding English as much as possible, the better for you.

Exactly why I wouldn't be able to learn Farsi, Arabic, or Mandarin to the best of my ability.

[Scousemouse]

I'm not considering this language just because it is easy, but based on my current age, and accessibility to the other listed languages, I think it would be very difficult to learn them. I don't exactly plan on spending a few summers in Tehran just to learn Farsi. Count me out. French is also spoken in a good amount of countries, with little variation. Arabic has 20-something or 30-something different dialects, making it difficult to go to other Arabic-speaking countries, unless I learn a few of the dialects.

And Xav, I'm much closer to Miami. I live a few miles from Ft. Lauderdale.

I'm sure Tehran would be a pretty amazing place to spend a couple summers actually mate but I can understand a certain hesitancy on your part! Mate in the end you asked for advice and I, along with others, was just giving you some so take or leave whatever you want and as I said before I wish you good luck in whatever language you chose!


Exactly why I wouldn't be able to learn Farsi, Arabic, or Mandarin to the best of my ability.

Why not mate!? You could easily go spend a couple summers in China for instance, probably be much cheaper than France even if you do have a friend / family there... having said this I think there is no doubt that Mandarin is indeed harder than French, fair enough, but who cares about the French!? (I say this as an English person French people... you understand of course!)

[Atlantic Friend]

I really need to learn a second language. I live in Florida, but I don't plan on staying after college, and I'm so tired of hearing Spanish, (no offense anyone). I have cousins in France that I'll be visiting this summer, and countless times after that, so it could be helpful in that case. Also, in trying to get a job with the Federal Government, (as a Special Agent), is French at all desirable? Obviously they'd prefer Farsi or Arabic or Mandarin, but I fear these are way too hard at this stage in my life, especially considering the fact that I can't be submerged in an atmosphere where it is commonly spoken.

And if I decide to go through with learning it, would you recommend I wait the extra year to start learning it in college, or will that not be enough, where I should try to take some sort of class now or buy Rosetta Stone or something?

Any insight would be great.

Thanks in advance.

1 - Work on the grammar really hard.
2 - Don't let the grammar rules (and their many exceptions) discourage you. They're frustrating even for native French speakers, but hey, if we manage to learn them, so will you (and even native French speakers occasionally do some mistakes, so...)
3 - Find a few books that you would enjoy in English, starting with pretty simple ones, and moving your way up to the kind of novels you already enjoy in English as your grasp of the language improves. Keep a dictionnary at hand so you can learn new words. Try to get hold of a few crime stories - like a French translation of a US crime novel for example - as they will include both formal and informal vocabulary (and well, if you're looking at some LEO job, police/criminal vocabulary will come in handy as well I suppose). Use DVD subtitles options as well. And practice as much as you can, written and spoken French.
4 - Did I mention the thing about not letting the grammar rules discourage you?

As for the usefulness of French in a Federal Govt job, well, French-speakers tend to cause rather minor trouble on the global scene, but between French cops (Interpol headquarters in Lyon, Alliance Base headquarters in Paris), Swiss bankers, the Gendarmerie Royale du Canada, Belgian authorities, and a good many African nations that use French as the official, formal language, plus the fact the USSS has fields offices in France as well, I'm sure it'll still be an asset. If for no other purpose, you'll get ahead of your colleagues when hitting on girls during your holidays on the Riviera!

[Death.]

Yeah, the whole bit about girls loving men that can speak french is pure bull****.

[Steelersfan413]

Yeah, the whole bit about girls loving men that can speak french is pure bull****.

Haha. This is not what I'd need it for. My girl actually speaks Cantonese. (and not Mandarin. How convenient would that have been?)

[stonecutter]

Yeah, the whole bit about girls loving men that can speak french is pure bull****.

Ah, but you 'ave to 'ave ze accent! :)

[Atlantic Friend]

Ah, but you 'ave to 'ave ze accent! :)

And ze French touch of civilized irony.

[mas-36]

Yeah, the whole bit about girls loving men that can speak french is pure bull****.
It worked for me...took 4 years of French in high school/college and spent a few years in France. Came back and I had girls wanting to make dinner for me, whereas a few years previously they didn't want to give me the time of day. The French exchange student who came to my home had hawt girls all over him. So, I'd say there is something about the French accent that turns them on. Hence the weird thing: In the US (or at least where I live) I act like myself I can't get dates, but if I act like a foreigner, then it's a different story altogether.

[subotax]

It is a question of your motivation to learn:

It is for building career potential and increasing your professional brand, or for fun and personal self accomplishment.

If it's professional I suggest you keep french of your radar. I would also suggest avoiding Mandarin, it will take you a good 4 to 5 years of intensive learning to be considered apt enough for any official work.

I am fully bilingual in English and in French , I had spent almost 1 year of intensive Mandarin to be far from reaching professional levels.

Keep in mind for Mandarin that many native speakers will learn English at a much younger age and as such will master both, leaving you at a major disadvantage.

Spanish is much more used in the world, and if you master it, you can switch over to other Latin languages more easily.

My opinion would be to try Spanish or a middle eastern language. And don't under estimate how much time and effort it takes to get proficient enough to the levels you mentioned, if that is still your goal.

[TheBelgian]

I spent my last year at uni taking arabic and I want to get back into it, so I got a copy of Rosetta Stone. So far I'm only a few days in and, I gotta say, I'm liking the simple, intuitive format and the fact that you have to figure the meanings of words out for yourself, rather than being spoonfed eveything.

That having been said i'm wondering if this format will end up teaching you finer points of grammar and complex concepts, or only simple conversation in the present tense, which will allow you to surivive in an Arabic speaking country.

Anyone else used Rosette Stone? How did it work out?

[Evolv5]

A female friend paid me to do her German course-work via Rosetta Stone.
She passed.

Other than that, I've just recently started using it as well. Though I'm still at the beginner stages. Am interested in an answer as well.

[pocoloco]

Not familiar with the software. Any links?

Best way to learn the language to survival level would be move and live amongst the speakers of that language for at least half a year or so. Any chance for that?

[Knight216]

I have a copy of Rosetta Stone and I wish I had more time for it. I do agree it is an enjoyable way to learn, and I like how it teaches you the more common usages/conversational than in a structured regimen. I'm curious to know what the advanced levels of it is like, and if it allows full mastery of a different language or not.

[ßå$tĮТHÏ¿ð]

I have also been interested in this myself, if anyone has used this stuff speak up!

[Mofreaka]

Apparently it's free on AKO, i gotta figure out how to do that ****.

[GrinchWSLG]

I hated the Japanese version. I learned way more the "survival" way.

[HK in AK]

If I could use this keyboard to type in Classic Arabic I would answer you in Arabic that it works pretty well. You have to do sort of an immersion into the program so that you build your knowledge. It works just like the way you learned your native language as a child, you see and are told the name of that item or object and then learn to string together comments. Is it easy to learn.....not really, but you do learn it than traditional language programs.

[Victor_S.]

I started doing the russian version a few months ago, but didn't have time for it with work and other things. I found that I remembered words it taught me pretty quickly as it is based off association. I like it better than memorizing another language word for word. The problems I started to run into was that I was progressing yet I didn't understand the full meaning of some of the words I was building on as it doesn't explain words it all. There are no explanations or deffinitions it is all done through pictures and audio. I would recommend combining rosetta stone with some traditional books and dictionaries.

[USMC29]

So did a search and nothing came up.
I'm taking a couple of spanish course for my degree at ASU and in order to supplement it I was wondering if you guys know of any good software programs or anything. Anybody ever use rosetta stone with any success? Thanks in advance boys.

[Corrupt]

How good is your Spanish at the moment? Are you a total beginner or can you book a table at a resteraunt or?

[Navel Lint]

I wouldnt buy software programs.

Watch Spanish language tv. Even if you dont understand right away, you will expose yourself to constantly hearing it.

Read childrens books. The language is simplified.

Learn phrases. Grammar will click easier as you learn it.

Search a language meetup group to attend.

[Hennie the Great]

I tried Rosetta Stone to learn Russian but that was quite the failure, mostly because it was so damn hard to learn those weird symbols.
It's quite expensive but pirated it will set you back about 0 dollars. Could at least try it.

[Corrupt]

I wouldnt buy software programs.

Watch Spanish language tv. Even if you dont understand right away, you will expose yourself to constantly hearing it.

Read childrens books. The language is simplified.

Learn phrases. Grammar will click easier as you learn it.

Search a language meetup group to attend.

These are all great ideas. The best way to learn a language is exposure. There will be plenty of Spanish Tv/Radio on the internet you can watch and probably a Spanish speaking society at your university, send them an email and see if you can go to a few socials or something.

[Insane Tadpole]

Best thing for me was to mix with the people that speak the language. Heaps better than just some silly computer program.

But if you do want to go down the course of software programs there is a few on Iphone. Like Byki which helped me a bit with the basic stuff.

http://www.byki.com/

[Navel Lint]

And get verb/tense flashcards. Carry them around with you. Whenever you get a chance, read over them.

Label everything in your house with the Spanish word for it.

When you are thinking/talking to yourself, throw in the occasional Spanish word for objects, activites, etc. to help speed up the ability to think in Spanish.

Find a chica that will only have *** with you depending on how much Spanish you speak to her.

[USMC29]

Thanks for the responses. I've taken 4 years of high school spanish and am up to SPA 202 at school. I can also get Rosetta Stone through the Marines or torrent online if need be.

[James]

I had good luck with Rosetta Stone for Dari, but it seemed better for speaking and listening than reading and writing.

[JUNKHO]

You probably already knew about this but as a reminder--

Foreign Service Institute Language Training - Public Domain

http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php

http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Spanish

[USMC29]

You probably already knew about this but as a reminder--

Foreign Service Institute Language Training - Public Domain

http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php


http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Spanish

No I did not! Thanks for that JUNKHO!

[Euroamerican]

Thanks for the responses. I've taken 4 years of high school spanish and am up to SPA 202 at school. I can also get Rosetta Stone through the Marines or torrent online if need be.

Does the USMC have any foreign posting locations in Spanish speaking countries? Another way to get exposed to the language and culture, as long as you don't stay locked up on the base during your tour.

I really like Policia's idea of watching Spanish TV too.. That's free and easy.

[khalifah]

You probably already knew about this but as a reminder--

Foreign Service Institute Language Training - Public Domain

http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php

http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php?page=Spanish

copy...saved. (for my Japanese!)
I agree with Policia's suggestion, and on exposure...
Having to work with Mexican Tourists everyday, im gradually expanding my vocabulary. Its done more in months than highschool/college courses ever did ;)

[ComradeMP 2.0]

My suggestion, novelas man. Novelas. Plenty of spanish dialouge and plenty of hot chicks with big ****s.



Japanese eh? I self learned a lot, an organized course would do me good.

[HollywoodMarine]

Does the USMC have any foreign posting locations in Spanish speaking countries?
USMC29 is a reservist and wont be allowed to be stationed with MCSF Co., Rota, Spain; nor MSG Duty in Latin America. I learned Spanish from exposure in Spanish speaking locations, and college. I suggest studying abroad for a semester or more if anyone wants to learn.

[wwjs]

We were using sometimes Rosetta Stone in Spanish class, and I can say that it's pretty good

[MajorPayne]

Don't try learning French. That language is hard as hell to learn.

I did a few years of French in high school and even in college but I still can't speak it well.

[FrankBooth]

Don't try learning French. That language is hard as hell to learn.

I did a few years of French in high school and even in college but I still can't speak it well.

I'm afraid that a few years in HS and college wouldn't make the average person proficient enough in a language. You have to be proactive with that stuff, take classes, pile up material from online sources, watch tv in the language and so on.

[Navel Lint]

I learned Spanish from exposure in Spanish speaking locations, and college. I suggest studying abroad for a semester or more if anyone wants to learn.

I thought you were native speaker?

[Breakfast in Vegas]

Only thing that really works is getting a basic grasp of grammar and then practice, practice, practice. This will give you some comfort in the language, subsequently things like vocab and grammar will seem more logical and come easier to you.

One of the very best methods is finding a girlfriend who ONLY speaks that language, so you don't fall into the "speak English cause it's easier" rut.

[Stormz_STA]

I thought you were native speaker?

His first language was Violence. Spanish came second.



Why bother learning other languages if all foreigners speak Amerikkkan?

[Navel Lint]

Why bother learning other languages if all foreigners speak Amerikkkan?

Foreign honey holes.

[brokenclog]

Why bother learning other languages if all foreigners speak Amerikkkan?

I must say that for someone holding that attitude, your Dutch is remarkably good!


Location: Polen zijn tuig. Allemaal!:P

[Opening Batsman]

I've only just started using Rosetta Stone for French, and it seems pretty good to me. It doesn't rely on you memorizing painful translations. It's kind of hard to describe, but I'd give it a go.

[USMC29]

USMC29 is a reservist and wont be allowed to be stationed with MCSF Co., Rota, Spain; nor MSG Duty in Latin America. I learned Spanish from exposure in Spanish speaking locations, and college. I suggest studying abroad for a semester or more if anyone wants to learn.

Thanks dad.

[gaijinsamurai]

Best thing for me was to mix with the people that speak the language. Heaps better than just some silly computer program.

x1,000


And get verb/tense flashcards. Carry them around with you. Whenever you get a chance, read over them.

Label everything in your house with the Spanish word for it.

When you are thinking/talking to yourself, throw in the occasional Spanish word for objects, activites, etc. to help speed up the ability to think in Spanish.

Find a chica that will only have *** with you depending on how much Spanish you speak to her.

Flashcards helped me too, both with Spanish and Japanese.


I suggest studying abroad for a semester or more if anyone wants to learn.

If you are a college student, see if your university offers any "study abroad" programs.


Foreign honey holes.

Goes without saying. There were a few times I remember in which I could have scored with total babes, if only I had the ability to communicate better.

The absolute best way to become proficient, and progress beyond the level of the average second or third year college student, is to go to a Spanish speaking country and immerse yourself in the culture. Avoid other English speakers, and try to think in Spanish. Do it for as long as possible. I have seen the difference between the abilities of someone who was a Spanish or Japanese major in college but never went anywhere, versus someone who never took formal classes but lived amongst the people. The former were grammatically and technically proficient, but sounded awkward and could not carry a meaningful conversation. The latter may have made subtle mistakes, but could converse with ease.

[armored_diplomacy]

I absolutely agree with everybody here about the benefits of learning spanish in a spanish-speaking environment;
Traveling would be simply awesome and extremely useful.
We had some companies over here that provide outsourced customer services for US phone companies, I spent a couple of years there and it was a 10 hours-a-days in english only, either on the floor or at the phone: thet helped me A LOT. I wonder if you don´t have the same, but in the other way around, where you live (it is, a company that provides services to spanish-speaking people).
Otherwise, and as also suggested here, watch tv shows in spanish, but just for you to know (and not trying to start a p*ssing contest), keep this in mind: the spanish from Spain sounds nice, but it has words and phrases mostly used in Spain only (I´ve got family there); some central american countries have a strong accent, plus many other words only used there that may provided you with a pretty "focused" slang. Because of its sound, less strong accent and "how it sounds" I´d suggest you to use either Argentine or Mexican TV sources, being that last one the more "universal".

Buena suerte !

[Navel Lint]

Univision!!!

The hot chicks are a plus.

[b0sco]

Be happy that you only need to learn Spanish to be able to communicate in your own country.

Turkish is considerably harder.

[HollywoodMarine]

I thought you were native speaker?
Just because I have a tan complexion you envy, you assume I'm a native speaker huh. I cut your lawn no more senior!

Thanks dad.
Shadup son! No keys to the pvssy wagon for you!

[Navel Lint]

I cut your lawn no more senior!



I know how to bribe you people.

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/2825/buddduweue.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/641/buddduweue.jpg/)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[HollywoodMarine]

And I know how to bribe yours. p-)

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d124/kerrylynns/CRACKERS.jpg

[Navel Lint]

Pffft.....here is a list.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/full-list-of-stuff-white-people-like/

[brokenclog]

Do people actually drink Budweiser? Or is it just a funny way to torture tourists like we do with Heineken?

[Navel Lint]

Do people actually drink Budweiser? Or is it just a funny way to torture tourists like we do with Heineken?

I dont know many people that do, except Mexicans. But its not bad considering what other actually do drink.

[HollywoodMarine]

Do people actually drink Budweiser? Or is it just a funny way to torture tourists like we do with Heineken?
My Japanese and German friends like that crap. Funny how we don't... just like Heineken.

[Breakfast in Vegas]

Do people actually drink Budweiser? Or is it just a funny way to torture tourists like we do with Heineken?The older US generation does and foreigners coming to the US want to drink typical local beers that they know from films or songs or whatever, so they end with Bud and Coors. Their own fault, as there are much better local beers available although I think the odd names of US brews like Fat Tire or Anchor Steam etc. are very foreign to most Euros and they often select something that they've at least heard of. Dummies.

And yes to your Bud analogy, essentially it is the social equivalent to Heineken.

[Stormz_STA]

I must say that for someone holding that attitude, your Dutch is remarkably good!

:P

Well, I had to learn that phrase in order to truly appreciate those warm words the Dutch say about us.

:)

[RSone]

Considering the tag, I suspect Niels was involved..
Poles scare me. They're EVERYWHERE. Masquerading as 'handymen'...they raze our crops and take our wimmenfolk...
Now that i'm able to attend uni in September, i might go for a language acquisition minor. Just don't know what the language would be. Might do Russian, as swearing in Russian sounds cool as shyte / JUVENILE.p-)

[Lugiahua]

Thinking about learning Irish...wonder if there is any trick on that...

[HollywoodMarine]

There is. Drinking copious amounts of Guinness. p-)

[Ceriy]

Watching lots of movies/tv.
This helped me a lot when I first moved to states.

[scrybe]

My Spanish increased exponentially studying abroad in Spain. So did my alcoholism.

[Mujo2000]

I couldn't find another thread on this.

Has anybody used Rosetta Stone before? Does it work? I've heard they don't teach you any grammar, you just learn to speak, but pretty much have no clue how a language works. If that makes sense.

[Alpha_Mustang]

It's worked well for me. I used their Arabic program when I was in service and achieved fluency. Lost it because I had no one to speak it too... Learning Vietnamese right now.

[themacedonian]

I think it is better than anything out there. Repetition of words is the key in any learning and The software does it and provides more complexity to their use.

Lack of grammer in English makes difficult understanding other languages. I can attempt translate Macedonian to French like for like but from english requires changing the sentence.

[Spartan10k]

Idk, it didn't work for me. For Rosetta Stone to work for you, your brain has to work a certain way. I learn better when I know the rules, grammar, sentence structure....ect. Rosetta Stone explains none of that. They just throw words at you with no explanation for anything. I tried learning Arabic, but it didn't work for me.

However, since I already know the rules for French, I'm thinking about getting the French version so I can brush up on it (haven't spoken it in over a year).

[w0nder]

I learned French using RosettaStone and it worked very well for me, although i already had some basic knowledge of the language and it is quite similar to English so cant really say how well it would work if I was trying to learn Chinese or Arabic or something non-latin based

[Squeezee]

I have always wanted to try it but the $380 price tag is ridiculous. How exactly does it work?

[Lazy Lob]

I tried using it to learn Polish but just got Stormz_STA's whiny, screaching voice.

[SgtFool]

I need one for Scottish. I'd like to visit one day. Need to be able to communicate with the locals.

[FlintHillBilly]

Meh. Was gonna "buy" it for Español but decided ill go old school and use a book.

[Ivan Kesja]

i "have" it.
And I'm testing out Russian which i'm catching onto really easily, easier then english and I've been speaking english my whole life (sad i know). But anyways I would say give it a go since it does seem to work.
Also arabic, i've tried an simply put i failed at it and gave up first 5 minutes,

[Wahnsinn]

I need one for Scottish. I'd like to visit one day. Need to be able to communicate with the locals.

I'm available for translating work for the right fee. :)

[sgt_G]

I tried it the scant free time I had when i was deployed (was offered free through AKO for a while) learned a bit of russian which I have retained....wished it was still offered BUT the army education system in its "infinite wisdom"

[Spartan10k]

I'm available for translating work for the right fee. :)

Do you become unintelligible when you get excited? I don't usually have trouble understanding y'all.....except for when y'all start talkin real fast, lol.

[Wahnsinn]

Do you become unintelligible when you get excited? I don't usually have trouble understanding y'all.....except for when y'all start talkin real fast, lol.

I'm not sure, I don't have too strong of a Scottish accent compared to some of my compatriots. French people never seem to understand me though and some Scottish words are a little difficult to work out but I don't think I'm unintelligble. :-P

[Mujo2000]

Thank you guys. Makes it easier to make a decision.

[J.Noah ה]

Yes. If you do not know the Alphabet of the language, it will be very hard to learn. You may pick up on words but nothing fluent unless your very receptive to foreign languages.