| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Off topic: Do you have to switch on/off your "language" mode"? (based on circumstances, people, etc) Thread poster: Claudia Alvis
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juvera 
Local time: 22:56
English to Hungarian
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| The switch works only too well... | Aug 8, 2008 |
I interpret frequently in official situations for Hungarians in the UK. Some of these people understand a certain amount of English, and their passive knowledge is greater than their active knowledge. That means, they would understand the English question, and sometimes, when they can, they answer in English. In a relatively fast conversation and particularly after working like that for maybe an hour or more, although it is totally unnecessary to interpret that particular sentence, my brain swit... See more I interpret frequently in official situations for Hungarians in the UK. Some of these people understand a certain amount of English, and their passive knowledge is greater than their active knowledge. That means, they would understand the English question, and sometimes, when they can, they answer in English. In a relatively fast conversation and particularly after working like that for maybe an hour or more, although it is totally unnecessary to interpret that particular sentence, my brain switches automatically and instructs me to interpret what was said, in the "other language", causing some surprise to both parties.
I can also identify with José Henrique, down to the biting of my cheek occasionally:
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
I can watch a whole film listening to the audio and reading the subtitles. The problem is physical, the way I have to set my mouth to speak each one. If I switch too often and too fast between these two languages, there is a moment when I accidentally bite my cheek really hard, and it hurts!
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| | | | Wendy Cummings
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:56
Spanish to English
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| bilingualism | Sep 12, 2008 |
There is a really good book that i studied when at uni, called Life with Two Langauges, by Francois Grosjean (http://www.amazon.com/Life-Two-Languages-Introduction-Bilingualism/dp/0674530926)
I don't have it to hand at hte moment to quote any passages, but it has a fascinating section on "code-switching" - the phenomenon of switching between t... See more There is a really good book that i studied when at uni, called Life with Two Langauges, by Francois Grosjean (http://www.amazon.com/Life-Two-Languages-Introduction-Bilingualism/dp/0674530926)
I don't have it to hand at hte moment to quote any passages, but it has a fascinating section on "code-switching" - the phenomenon of switching between two languages, what triggers it.
One of the ideas is that of any two languages a person speaks, in any given situation one of the languages will be "superior", and therefore if the speaker is speaking in the "lesser" language and wishes to take on an authoritative tone, they will switch to the higher language.
The same language will be superior in some cases, and inferior in others.
Code switching is also triggered by reported speech (e.g.: I was talking to my boss, who is spanish, and he told me "que trabajes mas o ya no queremos verte" y luego al llegar a caso me eche a llorar a causa de su brutalidad; = because the boss spoke to me in Spanish, i then continued speaking in Spanish after I had reported his speech).
There are other examples, but unfortunately can't remember them now ( ▲ Collapse
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