Another assignment …

It’s funny because we had to transcript a podcast made by Steve Kaufmann, a linguist and a former diplomate who talks nine languages. My dear teacher Mr Gerome told us about him, so we have started to transcript a podcast which deals about the right way to learn languages, he says that it isn’t enough just to talk a lot without listening : if we really want to improve ourselves, we also have to want to improve. Anyway I’m trying to sump-up this because I was really going to do my assignment as my teacher told us to do, but the thing is … in the page he gave us to listen the podcast, the transcription of the podcast has already been made by its author, so it was really difficult to try to avoid it and pretend that “Oh gee I haven’t seen it and I will make my own transcription like I was blind -_-” you know what I’m saying… The other thing is that my friend Karine has kinda warned me about it, and so I couldn’t just do like her and pretend that I had never seen it, because even if I didn’t want to, I’ve read it all before I clicked on the link (ahah, that was fast uh? umh.. anyway…). You know, it’s like giving a test online and have the answers on the bottom, just right here and all you have to do is … not to look ! Well, I believe in a lot of things, but surely not in something like that, and I’m sure that you either.

So… Instead of making a pathetic copy & paste of the transcription, I was thinking that this little story about “how come I didn’t make my own transcription” would be a very-healthy-english-improvement-exercice ! Because at the moment I’m writing this, I’m thinking that it is not as easy as it seems. When we write in French, we think of the right way to make the sentence, and choose the words, (and even that is not easy for everyone, still…), when we write in English, we think in French, then in English, then we try to think of a better way to say it, or write it. Because, as Mr Gerome said in class last week, sentences translated in English or French do not sound the same after the translation. Passive form, for example, doesn’t sound as good in English as it sounds in French, and I’m realizing that now, while I’m trying to share my thoughts, and I really want to make it simple : no hard words, no complicated grammar, I just want to send a very simple message, and somehow I’m making my own reflection about langages too (but I know, I’m not a linguist, and I don’t have a beard either, ahah!).

Anyway, for you Mr Gerome (because now that I’ve read your e-mail, I know now that you DO watch our blogs, I’m aiming to do my assignment about the google search, so don’t worry, this time you will have it before 9:00 am tomorrow, and even before 10:00 pm) see you later !