Question How do you study a language by Translating?

Discussion in 'Translator's Corner' started by sakuratemple, Jun 24, 2020.

  1. sakuratemple

    sakuratemple Well-Known Member

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    I’m curious at how other translators study and learn new grammar and vocabulary by translating. Can anyone talk about their method? I’m specifically interested in using Chinese and Japanese novels to improve my language skills.
     
  2. Little Potato

    Little Potato Sexiest Potato Alive [SpaceBar's Master]

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    New Vocab -> Flashcards like Anki.

    Reading -> Read the same chapter several times. If you can understand at least 80 - 90% of the content, you can move on.

    Listening and Speaking-> have the chapter be read aloud to you using text to voice and try to imitate them. Speaking the words out loud helps with processing it in memory too.

    If you're unsure of what something means, join discord language servers.

    To test how much you've improved in the language ->Translate from Eng to CN/JP

    With that said, if you're interested in learning a language through translation, I do suggest you take a long time to digest the things that you don't know instead of rushing to put chapters out. A chapter every week or a chapter bi-weekly would be a good pace for learners given that you're consistently immersed in learning the language.

    As for source, modern genres are the always the most recommended material. They're easy to understand and they're practical for everyday use.
     
  3. nonononononono

    nonononononono NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO

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    At first, my goal was to expand my vocabulary. So when I just started translating DBA it was even shitty than MTL.
    Then people started to add me and correct my mistakes. I started to learn sentence structures and grammar mistakes.
    shout out to all the editors who have helped me in the past, thank you all.
     
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  4. Suijin

    Suijin Blood God [Medic]

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    text to voice on chinese is a big nono.
     
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  5. freeonlyonholidays

    freeonlyonholidays Member

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    Start by using aides such as youdao to translate a list of words you don't know.
    Collate all of them + their translations to form a mini library, which you gradually expand on as you go through new chapters.
    You'll find certain authors repeatedly use the same vocab. Through repetition, you'll gradually be able to recognize certain characters and be able to automatically come up with a list of translations for words you didn't know before.
     
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  6. ExcitableFoci

    ExcitableFoci Well-Known Member

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    The best way of studying the chinese language, once learned the basics, should be using flashcards.

    7-14 new words every day, reviews of past knowledge every 2-3 days, and writing exams of the learnt words every week,

    Rinse and repeat for 2-4 years and that's it. Trying to learn such difficult languages like JP or CN by translating stuff isn't but trying to complicate your path. You won't ever reach the end at that pace.
     
  7. Reyrey

    Reyrey Well-Known Member

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    My friend learned Japanese very quickly by reading untranslated vn and hooked it to some kind Kanji translation software.
     
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  8. Little Potato

    Little Potato Sexiest Potato Alive [SpaceBar's Master]

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    Wdym? I've been using that to listen to novels at work? = = It's pretty understandable
     
  9. AbrarMalik

    AbrarMalik Well-Known Member

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    Nice pfp
     
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  10. Novela

    Novela Immortal Sheep

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    I'm trying the language group rn and seems helpful '3') but confuses me too XDD
     
  11. Walter vi Britannia

    Walter vi Britannia Well-Known Member

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    Its not quite related, but when I was just learning violin I never rehearsed for orchestra performances. So when we got there I had to sight read the pieces on the spot in a very stressful environment. That kinda boosted my sheet music reading skills dramatically. Maybe if you could put yourself in similar situations multiple times you can learn quicker? Maybe set a deadline and barely make it. Have the deadlines have consequences if you're overdue. Like, maybe have people pay ahead for what you're translating and your fear of backlash will do it for you?...nah, that's not stressful enough.

    I don't know. Fear and anxiety is your greatest allies when learning these sorts of stuff...I think? Maybe translate for people in real time in a professional scene? That would be stressful as fuck.
     
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  12. Little Potato

    Little Potato Sexiest Potato Alive [SpaceBar's Master]

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    Oh? Which ones?
    I'm in the following for each:
    CN: /r/ChineseLanguage
    JP: 日本語と英語
    KR: Let's Learn Korean

    Though I only go there to check the resources or ask questions if I can't understand a certain sentence or grammar structure.
    I spend about 2 hours everyday learning one language. Spending 60% on grammar, 30% on reading/vocab, 10% on entertainment like music, drama, games, manga/manhua/manhwa etc.
     
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  13. Little Potato

    Little Potato Sexiest Potato Alive [SpaceBar's Master]

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    I wouldn't recommend doing this. Translating fast means that you're not absorbing the material well enough to remember it later on which basically renders your learning time moot and pointless because you'll be relearning over and over again and I'm speaking from personal experience of learning languages. Constant repetition and exposure is really needed to drill the material into head and heart.

    EDIT: I think the stressful kind of situation better is actually going to an environment where you are forced to speak, read, write and hear the language all the time. In this case, yes. It is actually effective because of full immersion.
     
  14. Novela

    Novela Immortal Sheep

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    I'm trying french orz and I'm like which channel is which cuz the current one has like 20 or 30 chats orz
    and is ur job a translator cuz so many hours for it?
     
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  15. Little Potato

    Little Potato Sexiest Potato Alive [SpaceBar's Master]

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    The chats should have a description of what they're about. Maybe try focusing on only two or three of them. That's what I do when I'm in many servers.

    I technically only have time to spare for learning two languages everyday since I work 9 to 6. But I don't do it religiously haha I'll skip maybe about 2 or 3 days a week if I'm feeling lazy. I just like learning languages and being able to read raws :blobsweat::blobsweat:
     
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  16. Novela

    Novela Immortal Sheep

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    But I'm like how should I start chatting with these strangers ;;;
     
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  17. Little Potato

    Little Potato Sexiest Potato Alive [SpaceBar's Master]

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    Think of it as making small talk. Ask about the weather, quarantine, school, work etc. simple daily use language.
     
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  18. Novela

    Novela Immortal Sheep

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    but I'm like wtf... cuz they seem to already be in convos and all and I'm like I don't understand... meh
     
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  19. Little Potato

    Little Potato Sexiest Potato Alive [SpaceBar's Master]

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    *patpat you'll learn when to interject soon :blob_patpat: do your best!!
     
  20. Novela

    Novela Immortal Sheep

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    ,.,)
    I'll leave it for today ;3;)
     
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