Applied LanguageHola.
Lately I've been thinking about how I can apply my language skills. Partly for resume purposes, I admit, but also just because. I don't want my abilities just sitting in my head.
Living in a French Community dorm next year is a first step. Unfortunately I kind of doubt that the residents follow the "Speak French Only" rule there, but I guess I'll personally enforce it to an extent, without looking too much like a loser or an ass.
Too bad French isn't too useful in the South! I really should work seriously on that Spanish.
Japanese, on the other hand, there are...some opportunities to use it. Not as much as in California or New York of course. But since I'm a relatively rare native Japanese speaker here, I think I have advantages sometimes.
I've served at Japanese restaurants. Every time a Japanese customer came, the owner would summon me. I stumbled some on Japanese honorifics, though...since I'm not very accustomed to it. お飲み物は何にしますか？お飲み物は何になされますか？（What would you like to drink? in two forms. Hopefully I'll explain the difference in a later post.) Arrrrrgh!
Oh, I have to add, at the restaurant there was a regular customer who was French. FRENCH. In that little suburban bubble town. I was soooo excited, and I started talking to him in French. I learned that "chopsticks" in French is "les baguettes." Heh. Literally meaning, "sticks." Baguettes, oh ho ho!
I think what I'd like to do this summer is volunteer at local elementary and middle schools in my home town as a translator. There're a handful of Japanese families that have NO IDEA what's going on in the school curriculum. Seriously. Sometimes Japanese parents don't even know that their kid is failing. Say, perhaps I could show up at meet-the-teachers-day or orientation or whatever it's called, and let Japanese parents know of what they're supposed to be doing, you know? I think that'd be something enjoyable and impressive at the same time for me.
I'm more than willing to help with the Japan exchange program at my university, so I contacted "Japan Club" (run by a white guy -_-) in hopes of acquiring connections... but they didn't really respond to me. Shame.
Tutoring. Tutoring is always an option. I don't know how good of a teacher I am, though.
I suppose "applied" Linguistics a lot harder to find than applied foreign languages. I have to figure out what to do with the semi-ghost "Linguistics Club" here. Maybe I want to revive it, I don't know.
But I guess I'm accomplishing something already with this blog? At least I'd like to think so.
Let me know if you see any "Wanted: French-Japanese translator with knowledge in Linguistics" ads. Ooooh, that's me, that's me!
Lately I've been thinking about how I can apply my language skills. Partly for resume purposes, I admit, but also just because. I don't want my abilities just sitting in my head.
Living in a French Community dorm next year is a first step. Unfortunately I kind of doubt that the residents follow the "Speak French Only" rule there, but I guess I'll personally enforce it to an extent, without looking too much like a loser or an ass.
Too bad French isn't too useful in the South! I really should work seriously on that Spanish.
Japanese, on the other hand, there are...some opportunities to use it. Not as much as in California or New York of course. But since I'm a relatively rare native Japanese speaker here, I think I have advantages sometimes.
I've served at Japanese restaurants. Every time a Japanese customer came, the owner would summon me. I stumbled some on Japanese honorifics, though...since I'm not very accustomed to it. お飲み物は何にしますか？お飲み物は何になされますか？（What would you like to drink? in two forms. Hopefully I'll explain the difference in a later post.) Arrrrrgh!
Oh, I have to add, at the restaurant there was a regular customer who was French. FRENCH. In that little suburban bubble town. I was soooo excited, and I started talking to him in French. I learned that "chopsticks" in French is "les baguettes." Heh. Literally meaning, "sticks." Baguettes, oh ho ho!
I think what I'd like to do this summer is volunteer at local elementary and middle schools in my home town as a translator. There're a handful of Japanese families that have NO IDEA what's going on in the school curriculum. Seriously. Sometimes Japanese parents don't even know that their kid is failing. Say, perhaps I could show up at meet-the-teachers-day or orientation or whatever it's called, and let Japanese parents know of what they're supposed to be doing, you know? I think that'd be something enjoyable and impressive at the same time for me.
I'm more than willing to help with the Japan exchange program at my university, so I contacted "Japan Club" (run by a white guy -_-) in hopes of acquiring connections... but they didn't really respond to me. Shame.
Tutoring. Tutoring is always an option. I don't know how good of a teacher I am, though.
I suppose "applied" Linguistics a lot harder to find than applied foreign languages. I have to figure out what to do with the semi-ghost "Linguistics Club" here. Maybe I want to revive it, I don't know.
But I guess I'm accomplishing something already with this blog? At least I'd like to think so.
Let me know if you see any "Wanted: French-Japanese translator with knowledge in Linguistics" ads. Ooooh, that's me, that's me!
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