By Alexandra de Vries, DLD Blog Coordinator
Next year I will have lived outside of the Netherlands for exactly as long as I have lived there. This is quite the milestone of course, even more so because it will coincide with my 50th birthday.
I left the Netherlands a year after graduating from university, but even back then I was already passionate about languages and dabbled in translation. I call it dabbling because I mostly did volunteer projects for a Brazilian cultural organization. But over time word of mouth led to referrals for paid translation work. Back then my approach was still quite amateurish. It wasn’t until I was in my early thirties that I realized the potential of making translation and (later) interpretation into a viable career. Over time I acquired all the various entrepreneurial, administrative and organizational skills (a good topic for another blog) that this field requires. But I also discovered that it takes time and effort to maintain and improve your language skills, especially when you live in an environment where you speak a different language on a daily basis. I always say there is a difference between being fluent and being ‘translator fluent’. And it was only when my translation career began to take off that I realized that the more I learned, the more there was still to learn. Of course it is important to keep your grammar and writing skills fresh and sharp. But if you don’t live in the country of your working languages, you also need to worry about language erosion.
We all know that feeling (probably a typical translator/interpreter thing) when the word you are looking for is on the tip of your tongue, but you can only remember it in one language. Or even worse, sometimes I know I know a word, but cannot remember it in any of my languages! Total multilingual blank. Over time, local terms start slipping into our language and if we spend time with people who share our language combinations, we develop a strange hybrid lingo of literally translated terms, terms that combine two languages or imported terms that only your small circle of family members or friends understands.
I always like to say that language is a living organism, but as translators we also have to keep up with the language developments of our working languages and be careful not to develop our own hybrid version. How do you go about doing this when you no longer live in the country of that language? I recently interviewed for a linguistic position and one of the questions was: “how do you keep up your language skills?”
As I started answering the question, it made me realize that there are numerous things that I do that have become a regular habit and that help me stay up to date. I thought I would share some of these with you. First of all, I have to say that the internet has made all of this so much easier!
When I was a teenager living in Amsterdam, I would sometimes stop by the Varig office (now defunct Brazilian airline) on the Bloemenmarkt in downtown Amsterdam just to read a Brazilian newspaper. Yes, I was a very nerdy child! Or I would buy a very expensive Sunday edition of the New York Times just to read an English-language newspaper.
Nowadays I start the day browsing various foreign newspapers online, a great professional way to procrastinate. And of course I also have various newspaper and news apps, such as NOS, Volkskrant and NRC, on my phone so I can kill time waiting in line or riding the subway. It’s important to look at the news just to see what names, events, incidents and new terminology are trending. New issues that weren’t around when I lived in the Netherlands all involve new terminology that is bound to come up in our work (climate change, fake news, driverless cars, etc.)
Luckily, as a language professional I don’t have to restrict my reading to serious news. Anything can be research, right? So for my guilty pleasure I don’t skip the schlocky news. How else would I know that De Luizenmoeder is a popular tv show? You never know when this knowledge may come in handy.
Another inexpensive way to get access to great Dutch reading material is with a digital library subscription (onlinebibliotheek.nl). For only 42 euros a year, you borrow 10 e-books every three weeks, listen to audiobooks and take 2 online courses. The summer deal is even better! Sign up for the vakantiebieb and you can borrow up to 60 e-books for free, even if you are not a library member. This special offer only applies from July 1 through August 31.
Anything language-related usually catches my attention and a few years ago I had great fun reading the columns and books written by Paulien Cornelise, such as Taal is zeg maar echt mijn ding. For a fun excerpt, read this NRC review.
On the topic of comedians, I find that stand-up comedy is also a great way to stay current on language trends. Some recent favorites I discovered were Claudia de Breij with a great skit on the Nationaal hitteplan (National Heat Plan) and Pieter Derks with a very relatable skit on flying with Ryanair.
Around Christmas and New Year’s I love watching the Oudejaarsconferences. These comedians provide a great overview of the year’s major events, political issues and personalities. It’s a great way to pick up new terminology, such as “treitervlogger” (someone who sends harassing vlogs), “fipronilei” (egg contaminated with the pesticide fipronil) or “regenboogtaal” (gender-neutral language). For an added challenge, I can practice my interpretation skills and try to interpret along in my head as I watch.
In addition to reading and watching Dutch content, I also like to invest in professional development. Again, thanks to the internet you can get your daily word in the mail, check common language questions and read a variety of articles on language and language developments at Onze Taal. There are also a number of organizations in the Netherlands that offer training opportunities, including online seminars.
KTV-Kennisnet specializes in training for translators and interpreters and features a great selection of e-learning content. Another great resource is Teamwork. Unfortunately they don’t offer training online, but their courses and conferences are well-organized and interesting. I have occasionally planned my visit home to coincide with one of their events.
And I guess my efforts are paying off! Earlier this year I told someone that I hadn’t lived in the Netherlands for almost 25 years and was told: “Nou, dan spreek je nog goed Nederlands!”
Do you have any favorite tools or resources that you use to keep up with your language?
Please share them with us!