language

Devant vos yeux

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A few months back, I dove headfirst into Duolingo French. I had been invited on a trip, and that provided the motivation to start learning. However, I dropped the daily French activities when it started interfering with my Swedish. But what I found is that I had already been exposed to enough to start understanding bits and pieces of French that I saw in everyday life.

For example, on the website for the trip, I saw a photo of the tombstones of Vincent van Gogh and his brother, which had “ICI REPOSE” inscribed above their names. I’d already learned that “ici” means “here,” and with context, it wasn’t much of a leap to translate it as “Here lies…”

A few months later, in the new Universal Studios “Epic Universe” park, I was able to pick out words and phrases on signs and posters in the Wizarding World section, which focused on Newt Scamander’s time in France. (I don’t remember which movie that is. I ended up with a terrible migraine halfway through the second and gave the rest of the series a pass.) For example, “et fils” (“and sons”), “Biereaubeurre” (“Butterbeer”), “devant vos yeux” (“before your eyes”), and “Une Nuit Avec la Mort” (“A Night with Death”).

I’ve been taking in a lot of media related to language learning, lately, and one of the videos I watched stressed the importance of curiosity. Seeing what I can read now makes me wonder what I could read if I just learned a little more. I’m currently looking at taking an in-person French class, if only to get a better foundation in pronunciation before I try speaking in public.

I’m currently reading Salima om de sina by Salad Hilowle in Swedish, though I haven’t found a good way to translate the title. Hilowle is a Swedish artist, and the book recounts the story of his family coming to Sweden from Somalia, told from his grandmother’s perspective. The book was recommended by the two teachers running the Swedish immersion day at ASI, after we saw some of the exhibition of Hilowle’s sculptures and video at the museum. Minnesota also has a large population of Somali immigrants, so reading it is making me think about the families whose kids come to Homework Help at the library as well as my mom’s grandparents’ experience of immigrating to the US from Sweden in the late 1800s.

My niece is very into Japanese manga, but she doesn’t seem to be interested in learning the language. After all, can’t your phone translate everything for you? But learning another language isn’t just about translating the words. It’s also about understanding other people and their cultures. And Google Translate isn’t going to help you with that.

Varför?

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The question “Why?” is important in goal setting, which is popular around this time of year. The answer to that question provides the motivation that drives you to accomplish said goal(s). Many of my goals are learning-related, and for me, the “why” is where things often fall down a bit.

For most of my compulsory schooling, as well as college, the “why” was a distant carrot. Do well in school so you get good grades; get good grades so you get into a good college; get into a good college so you get a good job. Practical applications of what we learned were few and far between; much of what we learned was presented as a foundation for what came next. We had to find ways to love learning for the sake of learning.

I am a professional word nerd, and I’ve been taking Swedish since the winter of 2022. I love that the word for “Why?” in Swedish–varför–translates directly to “Wherefore?” in English. They’re both Germanic languages, so this makes sense. For their shared roots, think back to Shakespeare: Wherefore art thou Romeo? So, wherefore (or “for what,” per Merriam-Webster’s) am I learning Swedish?

Originally, I had a goal: I wanted to travel to Sweden to meet my mother’s second cousins and their families. A bit over a year later, at a family reunion in Sweden, I was asked about my “Swedish plan”: Was I going to continue learning Swedish? If so, why? I muttered something about maybe wanting to live in Sweden at some point, but I didn’t have a real answer. (When I was in Sweden, I had issues with the affective filter, often freezing up when trying to talk to someone. They, in return, often took pity on me and started speaking in English, which kinda defeated the purpose of learning Swedish.) So why do I keep signing up for classes?

Beyond being part of the American Swedish Institute’s (ASI) community of learners, I enjoy reading in Swedish. While in Sweden, I bought a copy of En Man Som Heter Ove (A Man Called Ove) to read. I also received several books in Swedish from the ASI, including one about handweaving (no loom needed!). So far, I’ve finished Short Stories in Swedish for Beginners by Olly Richards and En Droppe Midnatt (the condensed version) by Jason Diakité. Next up, Astrologi (a graphic novel) by Liv Strömquist, which I need to return to ASI’s lite bibliotek at some point.

I have more ambitious learning goals as well:

  • Relearn/refresh my calculus via Barron’s E-Z Calculus by Douglas Downing (Despite the cheesy title, and the fact that the learning is narrated via a fantasy story, I’m getting more out of it than I was out of the intro to calculus course I was taking via Coursera. I’m currently on chapter 5.)
  • Take Introduction to Probability (which requires calculus) or Fat Chance (which doesn’t) via edX
  • Refresh my Python knowledge (which will likely involve going back through CS50’s Introduction to Programming with Python)
  • Take Introduction to Data Science with Python
  • Complete my Master Naturalist Volunteer certification and maintain my Master Gardener Volunteer certification
  • Profit???

These goals may not seem related, but they all converge around citizen science and research involving the natural world. I want to find ways I can contribute through my interests. Though I have a general idea of what citizen science entails, I need to educate myself more about that world before I get too far along. That’s where my last endeavor fell apart. From helping students with math homework at a local library, I thought I would enjoy tutoring students in math at a local elementary school.

. . . Let’s just say they didn’t want my help and leave it at that. Here’s hoping that groups asking for volunteers will be more welcoming. (I like the quote from Rumi “As you start to walk on the way, the way appears,” but sometimes it’s not the way you really want to be going.)

What are your ridiculous goals for 2025? Are they grounded in reality, or are you soaring on a wing and a prayer?