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| What should Europe do about all its languages? |
| Just leave it the way it is and find enough translators for the job |
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20% |
[ 7 ] |
| Choose one language like English, French, German for example and use that |
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23% |
[ 8 ] |
| Choose a constructed language to use to avoid favouring one country over another |
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2% |
[ 1 ] |
| First option plus spend more money on promoting trilingualism (at least) in each country |
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17% |
[ 6 ] |
| Disband the EU |
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17% |
[ 6 ] |
| I have no idea |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| Give preferred status to the biggest languages and semi-official status to others |
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17% |
[ 6 ] |
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| Total Votes : 34 |
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ladyandthetramp
Joined: 21 Nov 2003
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 Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 6:04 pm Post subject: |
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| There is no problem with the language situation in Europe. People in different countries speak different languages. Should we make every country change its language to English for simplicity? Europe is simply a group of different countries with different languages slowly trying to unite, in some way or another. Still, they all have their own separate governments and distinct (well, sometimes) languages. Should a government create and enforce policies that are not even written in the languages of their country? You can't expect people to know the law when it isn't written in their own language, thus you must continue to translate everything done in the EU into the languages of the EU. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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| billinkorea wrote: |
| Most people ive met in Europe have a grasp of languages that most English speakers find unbelievable, being bilingual is the norm, trilingual is regulation in many countries and most have the ability to understand the basics of 5 or 6. |
In my experience, that would apply to people in Scandinavia or Netherlands, Belgium.
I've met very few Brits, French, Germans, or Spanish who were well spoken in more than their own language. There are some, but the mass majority of their populations - no.
(Kind of surprising actually - when I lived in Spain last year, you'd think they'd have a concept of basic English or familiarity with another latin language like Portuguese right next door).
Maybe some of the bilingual/trilingual teachers going out tonight can test out their non-English languages on Brits/Irish/etc. tonight.. and see if they can find other bilingual/trilingual Europeans in the ROK.
(Even the French and Germans I've met living in the ROK have been hard-pressed to bolt out English - even when living abroad). Some can, some can't.. thats tough figuring that they are locked into Korean or English living in the ROK.
I can't do much better myself.. but this myth that ALL Europeans speak MULTIPLE languages seriously needs to be re-examined. |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 10:32 pm Post subject: |
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| ladyandthetramp wrote: |
| There is no problem with the language situation in Europe. People in different countries speak different languages. Should we make every country change its language to English for simplicity? Europe is simply a group of different countries with different languages slowly trying to unite, in some way or another. Still, they all have their own separate governments and distinct (well, sometimes) languages. Should a government create and enforce policies that are not even written in the languages of their country? You can't expect people to know the law when it isn't written in their own language, thus you must continue to translate everything done in the EU into the languages of the EU. |
Having one's own language isn't a problem but finding translators is. If a Maltese speaker steps up in parliament to say something then you need a translator for each and every other language, a Maltese-Estonain, Maltese-Lithuanian, and every other sort of combination. I think the EU still hasn't found quite enough transators for some of the smaller languages and they're having to first translate into German or English and then into their own language, and double translation can often pose a problem.
The idea of choosing one language is not to get rid of the others but to have one used in parliament, and then translators only need to be from the main language into those of each country. The problem is nobody can agree on a language, or the need for one. |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 9:13 am Post subject: |
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Here's some info on the real state of languages in Europe. Anyone who has put some time into studying French or Spanish should be able to read most of this with no problem.
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Al termino del anno 2000 on interprendeva, inter tote le 15 statos membro del UE, un detaliate inquesta nominate "Eurobarometro". On interviewava plus que 15.900 personas super lor ideas e experientias con le complexe thema del linguas. Inter le datos colligite on relevava le sequentes.
53% del europeos dice que illes pote parlar al minus un lingua europee in ultra a lor lingua-matre. 26% dice que illes pote parlar duo linguas estranier. In ultra a lor lingua-matre, le gente in Europa tende a cognoscer le anglese (41%), le francese (19%), le germano (10%), le espaniol (7%), e le italiano (3%). In general le lingua le plus parlate como prime lingua estranier es le anglese (32.6 %) sequite per le francese (9.5%).
Un majoritate tende a creder (si illo parla o non un lingua estranier) que cognoscer linguas estranier poterea esser utile a illes. In paises ubi le anglese es le prime lingua estranier, on tende a asserer que lor cognoscentia de ille lingua es bon (32.5%). In Svedia il ha 88% que lo crede, e in Danmark plus que un tertio del personas mesmo assere que lor cognoscentia del lingua anglese es "multo bon".
Le lingua anglese es le lingua que verisimilemente es seligite occasionalmente in viages al exterior o con visitatores estranier (35%), pro al minus un hora pro septimana. Iste prime lingua estranier es usate super toto in vacantias al exterior (47%), pro spectar films (23%), e pro conversationes de labor o via telephono.
Plus sovente le europeos ha apprendite o meliorate lor linguas estranier in le scholas secundari o in viages al exterior. Le maniera le plus commun de apprender linguas es participar a gruppos linguistic con un inseniante (46%). Parlar informalmente con un locutor de un lingua estranier esseva seligite del 17% inter le respondentes.
Apprender un lingua estranier comporta pro le 47% motivationes de vacantias al exterior. In ultra, 26% del europeos declarava que illes poterea esser motivate a apprender un lingua estranier, si illes lo poterea usar al labor, 24% si illo les permitterea de comprender personas de cultura differente, e 22% si illes poterea obtener un occupation melior in lor pais.
Le ration principal que poterea discoragiar europeos de apprender o de meliorar le cognoscentia de un lingua estranier es que illes non ha le tempore de studiar lo in maniera appropriate (34%). Le manco de motivation es mesmo le ration proponite del 31% del europeos. In le paises del sud de Europa le motivation economic (le costo del studios) es uno del motivos de discoragiamento. Finalmente 22% del europeos interviewate non se considera apte a apprender un lingua estranier. Un grande majoritate de ille cives europee que non parla un lingua estranier crede que apprender un altere lingua esserea troppo difficile (65%) o que isto requirerea troppo de tempore.
Mediemente, le 28% del europeos esserea preste a dedicar 1~2 horas pro septimana in apprender linguas, si bon opportunitate esserea a lor disposition, in un location conveniente e a precio rationabile. Tamen, 34% non es preste a dedicar alicun tempore a apprender un lingua estranier. Incentivos a apprender linguas esserea super toto lectiones gratuite, si illos esserea pagate pro isto (22%) o si illes poterea trovar un curso conveniente a lor ingagiamentos.
Super le importantia de cognoscer un lingua estranier, le 71% del personas interviewate considererea que omnes in Europa deberea esser capabile de parlar un lingua diverse del proprie, e le mesme proportion que illo deberea esser le lingua anglese. |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 11:34 am Post subject: |
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| Just curious, mith, how many languages can you speak at "survival" level or better? |
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mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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| Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 8:41 pm Post subject: |
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| At that level, eight I think. |
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junkmail
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
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| Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005 12:42 am Post subject: |
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| Tiger Beer wrote: |
| I can't do much better myself.. but this myth that ALL Europeans speak MULTIPLE languages seriously needs to be re-examined. |
Depends. Dutch are really goo | | |
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