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PaperclipPerfector  6mo ago (text post)   2842 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for October 22, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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How well do communication skills transfer across languages? I have always been impressed with Ilforte’s writing, and a few days ago, saw Anatoly Vorobey (whose Russian blog I follow - I suspect Hebrew is his strongest language, but I cannot read it) post in very precise and clear English here.

(I would not be surprised if there are many other such posters here, but I can’t read their native languages. I’m not a very effective communicator in either language, though writing verse is way easier in Russian).

I'm certainly more eloquent in English, but find myself having to rephrase myself or clarify in Spanish about as often as I do in English. Datapoint of 1, but I find it much easier to switch gears from English to Spanish than from Spanish to English, although I don't know why that is.

I encounter this as well and have thought about it. I think it's b/c when switching from English to Spanish I'm switching to a simpler/easier language. Spanish language structure just makes more sense.

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