Re: [Lingo] First Post - err, no, third post now...

[Godwin Stewart <godwin.stewart@example.com>]

On Sat, 19 Aug 2006 19:03:59 +0900, "Josh Glover" <jmglov@example.com>
wrote:

> Josh Glover here. I'm an American currently living in Japan,

Godwin Stewart here. A Brit living in France for the past 23 years
(ie: more than half my life), so I'm fluent in the 2 obvious languages.

Started learning German in school at age 11 and have kept some contact
with the language ever since. Drop me into Germany and I'll hold my own
for general conversation and basics like food, transportation etc.
Strand me in the country for a few months and I'll probably be more or
less fluent.

Started learning Dutch just over a year ago. Already knowing German was
both a help and a curse because the two languages are so similar. Some
things that I'd do instinctively the German way (word order for
example) are simply wrong in Dutch, but I'm overcoming that part now
and becoming reasonably fluent in written Dutch at least. To be honest,
I have yet to *speak* any Dutch - I'm trying to organise Dutch
conversation with a Dutch couple I know a few miles away.

Many years ago I started learning Japanese. Work pretty much took over
my life shortly afterwards and I had to give up any semblance of "fun"
outside work. Up at 7, shower, breakfast, out to work at 8am, back home
at 10pm having had to walk home because there were no buses at that
time of night, and more often than not without eating at "lunch" (what's
that?) time. Sometimes 7 days a week. Working a 100-hour week while
being paid 35 hours.

I ditched that job in 1999, set up my own business in 2002 (translation
bureau among other things...) and have recently got to the point where
I can breathe again and start digging Japanese.

For those who are really beginning to learn the language (like me...)
I've put together hiragana and katakana worksheets:

  http://lamproie.eu/japanese/hiraganaworksheet.pdf
  http://lamproie.eu/japanese/katakanaworksheet.pdf

(someone else is working on the stroke directions, which is why they
aren't complete)

And a quick test to ensure that you know your {hirag,katak}ana:

  http://lamproie.eu/japanese/hiraganatest.html
  http://lamproie.eu/japanese/katakanatest.html
  (javascript required)

-- 
G. Stewart - godwin.stewart@example.com

Computers will not be perfected until they can compute how much more
than the estimate the job will cost.

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