Foreign Language anyone?

[madmyk]

How many of us are bilingual? (speaking NY, or redneck doesn't count)...:D
If so.. How did you learn? How often do you practice?

I know in the job market being bilingual is a plus, but how much so do you see it in the postSHTF world? Is it worth it?

[Legio]

English and French. Learned French as mother tongue, started English when I was 11 at school. Got better at it with plane manuals then moved to the US. I could read it, write it and speak it (with a strong accent (I still have it)), but I had a hard time understanding it. I worked that flaw watching TV with the hearing impaired subtitles on.

[Legio]

Oh and I started Spanish for a while. Can make out the general idea in an article, and pick up some of the speaking.

[avmech]

Tri-lingual: English, French (from my mom's side and living in the french speaking part of Switzerland), and Spanish (from my dad's side and living in Cuba way back when). Tiny bit of German, can understand Italian and some Portugese.

Legio: plane manuals....you in the aircraft business too?

[wnn]

thought about it before, but decided against it.If i were to go to another country Id learn the language,but since im in the states I'll stick to what i know ,as for after the shtf, being in the US the only people I could see running into that wouldnt know the language would be foreign troops & even they know some. As for conversing with foreign troops ,use the old cue ball theory:the harder you hit em the more english you get outa them...

[Legio]

Legio: plane manuals....you in the aircraft business too?

When I first came in the US I was buying helicopters. I was an aircraft engineer for a long time. Was one officially when I was "working" for special services in Africa, then moved to other things from there. Aviation is my original love.

[mitunnelrat]

Here is the extent of my foreign language skills:

Je ne parle pas francais. Je parle anglais (englais). Parlez vous englais? Sorry, I don't remember the actually spelling of "English" in French.

no habla espanol. Habla englais? (I have the same problem with Spanish. I also know how to ask for a beer and greet someone is Spanish as well though, my dad dated a Puerto Rican cop for a while, and had her come visit for a week.

In each case though I made sure to learn how to say I couldn't speak the language, and ask if they understood English.

[Legio]

Here is the extent of my foreign language skills:

Je ne parle pas francais. Je parle anglais (englais). Parlez vous englais? Sorry, I don't remember the actually spelling of "English" in French.

no habla espanol. Habla englais? (I have the same problem with Spanish. I also know how to ask for a beer and greet someone is Spanish as well though, my dad dated a Puerto Rican cop for a while, and had her come visit for a week.

In each case though I made sure to learn how to say I couldn't speak the language, and ask if they understood English.

Well, English in french is " Anglais " and in spanish " Inglès " (not sure about the accent on the 'e') so you know.

Also you didn't realize it, but you speak a lot more french than you think, like french bread, french wine, french kiss, etc...

[Fidel. MD]

English, Spanish, a little french, German, Hebrew, some Latin....

And at least ten words in whatever language the country I may be in speaks:
yes/no; please/thank you, beautiful, numbers 1-5

[chicom]

Took French, remember a bit lost quite a lot. Speak Castillian Spanish somewhat. Learned basics from a Venezualan fellow who was a teacher.

My bread and butter is Serbo-Croatian. More of a speaker than a reader. Cyrillic is just a tad different.

[Gunfixr]

Post SHTF, if you come to my camp and don't speak English, I believe that the muzzle end of an FAL crosses all language barriers ...................

[cz75]

I speak Dutch/English/German/ a little french....

CZ

[Stainless]

I took Spanish and French in HS over 20 years ago. I cannot speak either of them, but can communicate if need be a little.

That said, I will not leave America in a SHTF scenario, and if you come around here you need to learn in a hurry. I have very little patience and I will shoot you if you do not 'habla'. I will not try to negotiate with a person that I cannot understand.

I am very bi-lingual, I speak .22, .45, .223. and a little Russian (7.62x39 and 54r).

[wy0mn]

Read French, can't speak it well.
Forgotten Greek & military Russian language classes years ago. That sentence doesn't flow. I spent a tour in Greece, and took a US mil linguistic course in Russian. Both forgotten, although I intend to refresh my Russian.

[caster]

English as a first language, Spanish 70% fluency, conversant in Italian and Portugese but probably less than 25%. I can read Portugese, Italian & French with 40% comprehension. I cannot even say "up yours" in Chinese.

[Legio]

I can't even say "up yours" in Chinese.

You cannot or you can? If the latter, please share!

[chicom]

Would that be Cantonese or Mandarin?


你的。

[wy0mn]

Got on the University of Wyoming website earlier. Trying to access their Community Outreach program schedule. Most user unfriendly website I've been on in a very long time.
The best I can deduce... there are NO linguistic offerings open to the general community this semester.

[NBREW875]

I speak french and some German not to good with the german

[wnn]

im pretty fluent in one what everyone understand no matter what language you speak.
http://www.whenshtf.com/picture.php?albumid=15&pictureid=63 its kinda a reflex either that or i have a spring loaded finger...best part is i gotta backup incase they dont understand the 1st time..

[FISTER]

English , Highschool / College Italian , Enough Arabic to survive , and have a friend thats slowly working me into some Farsi.
And its not a racial thing at all (my son is half cuban) but I refuse to learn spanish on principal , nothing is more obnoxious then walking into a McDonalds and seeing two menus one in spanish and one in english ..... yes for real .... yes in the Austin TX area...

[Legio]

... nothing is more obnoxious then walking into a McDonalds and seeing two menus one in spanish and one in english ..... yes for real .... yes in the Austin TX area...

Been in Miami lately??

[wy0mn]

Ordered a meal in the Rawlins WY TacoBell/KFC last summer. They share the same building, migrant employees & menu. English isn't even a third language.
Anyway, got a nice three piece chicken meal... but I ordered a #3 burrito meal, even holding up 3 fingers AND pointing at the menu selection!

[FISTER]

Been in Miami lately?? No but I can only imagine :rolleyes: Dont get me wrong , I understand this country was forged in the melting pot. But lets face it , this kind of thing isnt catering to international tourists or visa holders. And to the OP sorry for getting off track

[Legio]

Dont get me wrong , I understand this country was forged in the melting pot.

Melting pot means that we all blend together to form one. When I arrived in the US, I did my best to speak english, I worked at getting better at it, I dressed like everybody, I ate like everybody, did not ask for café crème and croissant, etc. I melted in the pot to become a proud american with different roots.

They're not trying anything. They want to speak spanish, they want to dress spanish, they want to eat spanish. This is not melting in the pot, this is trying to bring your pot in the US, and I find it totally unacceptable. Go in their country and try to bring your pot there and you'll see.

Now it is fine to speak your mother tongue with people with the same roots or people learning the language but don't want the host to change it to yours. If you're melting then a few words will integrate the host language.

And don't start me on the something-american. If they want so bad to remind themselves that they want to be something then go back somewhere. I am french by birth, and AMERICAN BY CHOICE! I just want to be refered to as AMERICAN.

[FISTER]

Melting pot means that we all blend together to form one. When I arrived in the US, I did my best to speak english, I worked at getting better at it, I dressed like everybody, I ate like everybody, did not ask for café crème and croissant, etc. I melted in the pot to become a proud american with different roots.

They're not trying anything. They want to speak spanish, they want to dress spanish, they want to eat spanish. This is not melting in the pot, this is trying to bring your pot in the US, and I find it totally unacceptable. Go in their country and try to bring your pot there and you'll see.

Now it is fine to speak your mother tongue with people with the same roots or people learning the language but don't want the host to change it to yours. If you're melting then a few words will integrate the host language.

And don't start me on the something-american. If they want so bad to remind themselves that they want to be something then go back somewhere. I am french by birth, and AMERICAN BY CHOICE! I just want to be refered to as AMERICAN.
Well said Legio :salut:

[T.B.]

enough Spanish to get by in a medical emergency, and to flirt with the chicas.

[NonConformist]

I used to be pretty good in Spanish, and spoke a little German

Now I speak less of both so Im not so well off there anymore...

[tommyzDad]

All the Chinese I know I learned from Firefly / Serenity. ;)
"Dong ma?"

http://fireflychinese.kevinsullivansite.net/

"Chur ni-duh."
"Screw you."

My personal faves:
"Tai-kong suo-yo duh shing-chiou sai-jin wuh duh pee-goo"
and
"Ching-wah TSAO duh liou mahng"

[gatorboi117]

I think it is really going to be worth it in PAW scenarios.
Right now, I'm in Spanish 2, lol! But I plan on becoming multi-lingual before the age of 30, if I last that long, lol.

[duffydog]

English, that is one of the problems, they come and we cater to them. English is our language. if i go to another country will learn enough to get buy.
why should i have to learn another language just to please them. this is still the USA

[the doc]

just the basics to greet and get around in Arabic,french,russian,spanish, and british because my moms british so i can understand the accent.

[Draven Azropht]

I picked up a few words in Russian and Korean. I know enough spanish to order beer and survive without English. Beyond that I'm good...

[Legio]

... and british because my moms british so i can understand the accent.

Man, I was in west London just 2 week ago on a Citrix demo, and I am still trying to figure what the girl was saying.

[HIHOAG]

Russian, although I really should try to pick it up again...and Pashto with a little Dari. My Pashtos good, Dari not so good. And obviously English.

[Paladin]

my total amount of spanish... cervesa por favor..