Dusting Off A Language?

[Shiftkitty]

For the past several months I have been working on translating a game from French into English. It's been tough because I have no real knowledge of French. I've been building a vocabulary, however, of the written word in so much as when I see it, I can tell you what it means, and can even pick up the context by the words and phrases around it.

I was ascribing my growing familiarity with the language to my work on these books, but the deeper in I go I have started to feel like I'm dusting off the language more than "learning" it. I couldn't tell you how half of it was pronounced, but I could tell you what it meant.

As an aside, I once stumbled across a news show from Quebec that was in French with English subtitles. I ignored the subtitles and tried to follow along, blocking off the subtitles with a towel. In about an hour I was starting to pick it up.

Anyone else stumble onto a language they find themselves "dusting off"?

 

[BriarRose]

The only language that I am strongly drawn to is French, and I did study that for four years. A friend and I walked home from school together, and only used French in conversation. Our teacher was amazed that we were the most fluent students in the class, although our grammar was an abomination! I recently realized that I had a PL where I would have been fluent in that language. I wonder if my friend and I shared that life? She eventually got a doctorate in languages. Do you have ties to the French Revolution, Shiftkitty?

 

[Shiftkitty]

Not that I know, but I do remember reading about it and thinking how horrible it was when they started going nuts with the guillotine. Some people in the higher classes were actually on their side, but they got it as well. Then when I read about situations regarding how the lower classes wouldn't eat some of the food that was provided because it wasn't French-made, it just made it all the more absurd (no offense meant to anyone, and if my information is correct, please educate me!).

 

[TMeganV]

I've always been interested in Brazil, and tried to learn Portuguese (brazil-portuguese ofcourse), and it went super fast. I'll admit some things sound a lot like the Dutch versions (futebol - voetbal etc) but I still picked it up really quickly. I don't know if it means anything, but still thought it was funny.

 

[argonne1918]

I've always been interested in Brazil, and tried to learn Portuguese (brazil-portuguese ofcourse), and it went super fast.

That's usually a good indication that you spoke the language before.