So today was both intimidating and totally frustrating, with a few moments of awesomeness. This post will be short, but as an update on what I'm up to, I am currently reading the history of Chile from 1540-1880 in Spanish... I recognize some of the words...
Anyway, I was put in the track 1 Spanish but am currently enrolled in History of Chile which isn't allowed due to the difficult of the language in this class, so I was bumped up a level in my language courses. They didn't just say "yea it's ok" though, I had to do an entrance exam when I first got here and luckily I did well enough to confirm that I could take track 2. So now I'm in intermediate Spanish, I'm going to actually get credit for the photography class as well as for this Hx of Chile course. Now all I have to do is not fail.
For some reason if I read this text slowly, it totally confuses the crap out of me and I understand very little. But when I skim it, or just read more quickly, pictures seem to create themselves in my mind and I get a basic idea of what they're talking about. I hope that's enough.
Peace.
Be careful. Getting the basic idea through context clues is very different from learning the language. Those initial annoying beginning steps are frustrating. The "understanding" you've enjoyed by skimming the reading are only exercising skills that are already strong. You're smart, you can easily piece together disparate bits to form whole pictures. But it's a picture of an idea you're making not a picture based in the language.
ReplyDeleteFor now, it must be comforting to find any kind of meaning but be vigilant. I know you value the opportunity you have right now.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteTranslating from one language to another is really impossible. One can just try to get the ideas as closely aligned as one can. One needs to know the individual words but translation is about all the various complexities that arise from combining words.
I am sure you will do well in the end but as the previous comment says, "Be vigilant." Don't take anything for granted. Sometimes question what seems perfectly obvious!
Robert