Re: "Usefull languages"

> Christophe wrote:
> >
> >On the other hand, I took one month of Dutch now that I am
> >25, and I'm already good enough to speak it on an everyday basis! So the
> >problem is really not the age when you begin learning, but the way you
> >learn.
> >Dutch and French people begin learning English at about the same age. Yet
> >nearly all Dutch people reach bilingualism,
Well, nearly all Dutch being fully bilingual may be overstating the truth,
but it is true that most averagely to highly educated people in Holland, as
well as most younger people are quite adept at English. Unlike in some othe
European countries, English TV is subtitled instead of voiced over, 95% of
the popular songs is in English, all computer related stuff is in English,
most people I know read books like Lord of the Rings in their original
language. Most of my Dutch friends would much rather buy an English movie
without subtitles than one which has voice over. In university and to a
lesser extent in colleges, many classes are taught in English, and most
higher educational literature is in English.

I play RPGs with a group of my friends each sunday, and although we speak
Dutch at the gaming table, all written material we produce is in English,
even though we use a home made rules system and have a home made campaign
world. English products in Holland are nearly always sold untranslated (e.g.
we use the original English Magic: the Gathering cards, unlike countries
like Germany, France, Italy or Japan, which use translated versions). And I
could go on and on...

Maarten