I learned english slowly in my childhood, thanks to TV, romanian TV channels broadcast english movies with subtitles rather than doubling voices. Around 12 years old (2001) I was able to understand any english without looking at subtitles, but only when I had internet connection (2005) and english friends (2007), I learned to write english fast enough, as I write romanian. Since 18 years old I became addicted to spanish shows, I watch on their TV channels, so no subtitles, was hard but after 2 years I succeeded to understand 90%. In early 2011 I did not understood a sentence in portuguese but in 2012 I no longer need Google Translator. Fastest-learned language!
I never had courses, I never rushed to learn other languages, but today I can understand 4 languages.
Funny language issue:
2 mature people visited me. I decided to show a slice of what I work, at some moment they saw Freestyle Complex of 472 apartments (my biggest project at that time), which obviously have an english description added on AutoCAD render. They asked me…
– So beautiful! Do you translated it?
– What to translate? I didn’t translated anything!
– I see english text. From where you downloaded this photo?
– Downloaded? Are you crazy? I AM the designer and I wrote in english…
Then I showed them this website, they again didn’t believed that I made it just because is mostly in english.
It’s funny how I failed to proof that I am the author, just because I use primary english in architecture. I showed them that I have personal photos on website and they became speechless.
(there’s a possibility that someone lied them, saying that I am retarded and they did not expected to find me able to write in other languages or to have overseas friends)
Also, a lot of romanian movie watchers ask for subtitles, even the mature people who understand english. Why they need subtitles?
Do you think that all my english posts were written in romanian and passed through Google Translator?
No automatic translation software can make so good english like my website, for me is faster to write directly in english than translate.
Do you think that is necessary to have everything translated in your native language to understand?
No, I prefer to read them in original language, I don’t need any translator to read english, spanish or portuguese (I have little practice in writing spanish and portuguese so I need translator only for writing), for other languages is necessary just to be translated in one of these 4 languages. I can watch Japanese movies with spanish subtitles and understand all.
Funny issue with computers:
A lot of friends ask me help for various computer problems. I tell them how to solve using english terms, but some do not understand because their Windows is in romanian, I do not know romanian terms. They called me a fucking idiot who is not able to know even native language… what a funny shit!
I think that Windows XP was first to be available in romanian, but only the interface is in romanian and if you install updates, they will get back to english, so is worthless. Who use computers since 1990s, including me, familiarized with english terms and find romanian terms very strange.
Most romanians who reached their adulthood in 1990s and 2000s can speak english. Sadly the new generation of kids, grown in internet-age, do not bother to learn english “because of Google Translator”.
Many people claim that can speak english, but they only know words like Hello, bye, fuck you, suck my dick, etc.
Funny issues with local friends:
A 25-year old actor (he should be smart at this age) asked me how I spend my life, so I simply gave him a link to my website. His reply: “are you fucking crazy? WTF is this english, you aren’t romanian? Write in romanian, I can’t understand anything!”
Many younger friends told me to make website in romanian. This is a business website, targeted to worldwide adults, not to romanian kids, real life friends!
Maybe I should add romanian version of Index page and Biography, to help my real life friends to understand my business life…
Why to write in romanian, a language spoken by 30 million people when I can write in english, spoken by 3 billion people?
As 2010, 40% visitors are from Singapore, 15% from Romania, 10% from USA, and 35% from rest of world.
As 2012, visitors are 65% Singapore, 5% Romania, 5% USA, 25% rest of world.