Writing Keeps Me Alive and Kicking

I don't think I would have survived without my love for writing. Since I'm more of a write-and-tell sort of person, words come easy. In fact, I express things better in writing than I would ever do verbally.

It's been an endless journey of random jobs that had no soul to them, decided that I'd go solo for a bit. Doing freelancing while being on the lookout for a full-time opportunity is part of the plan. 

Freelancing comes with its limitations for some of us, but it's wise to keep your passion alive, albeit the lack of a steady income. Furthermore, there's a lot to gain for those of us who chase after our course.

If you're on the lookout for a writer who knows her way around words and niches, grammar, syntax, and the finer nuances, you should give me a shot. Who knows, we might be in a long-term relationship where content is the winner.


Thanks for taking the time to read; I appreciate the gesture.


Cheers!


Disclaimer: The articles here are actual guest posts that were published and don't necessarily have a by-line. These are just few samples, there are many more.

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Polyglot, Are You? Vous Pouvez Lire Cette ?

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If someone were to ask you “Are you a polyglot?” would you know what that meant? You can confidently respond with a “Yes,” because most of us are polyglots; in other words, most of us speak more than one language.

Sometimes, learning a new language is a necessity rather than an interest. Say for example, if you’re planning to migrate to another country, you might want to learn the language of that country. If you’re planning to move to Quebec-Canada for a job, knowing French gets you brownie points, and well, more chance of you making it there hassle-free.

Besides the innumerable job opportunities that open up, learning a foreign language is a great way to broaden your interests and contact list, and it’s great for business too.

Imbibing a Foreign Language

Take it as a blessing or curse, but Americans don’t really have to deal with learning a new language as part of their curriculum, but if you happen to be in a European country, you don’t really have a choice. Taking up a foreign language for about a year is mandatory in more than 20 European countries, except Ireland and Scotland. However, English happens to be the most frequented foreign language open to just about all European countries on all levels.

Statistics show that 25% Americans speak a language besides English; 43% of people who knew a second language claimed to speak the language pretty well. Digging deeper, 89% multilinguals attuned to a non-English language acquired these skills right at home, while 7% picked it up in school.

Trying to challenge your limits and learn a new language? Way to go! Learning takes guts and patience, and it’s not going to go down easy. Everything from pronunciation to vocabulary can be quite the challenge. However, a step in the right direction is a great place to start.

Getting Down to Learning

There are about 6,500 spoken languages, and though it’s a mighty number, not all languages are difficult to learn. Some languages are considered easier for English speakers to learn than others depending on ideal conditions.

A study conducted by the U.S. FSI (Foreign Service Institute) states that there are three languages for English speakers to catch on easy – 1) French 2) Spanish and 3) Portuguese.

  • 1. Spanish
  • 2. Portuguese
  • 3. French

This language has fewer abnormalities than quite a few Latin-based languages. What’s more? You have more opportunities to bump into Spanish almost every day, especially, if you’re in the United States. However, don’t get too carried away only because there are quite a few dialects that differ in a grammar and pronunciation. As per the FSI, a native speaker needs an average 23-24 weeks and around 575-600 classroom hours to learn Spanish inside out.

This happens to be the official language in about 9 countries, and is spoken in more than 34 countries globally. For what it’s worth, about 176 million people around the world speak the language with ease. Though pronunciation might be quite the tongue-twister, Portuguese is pretty smooth-sailing for English speakers.

The FSI states that it would take a native English speaker an average 23-24 weeks and nearly 600 hours to get a good hold of the language.

French is often called the language of love, and rightly so, because Paris is known as the “City of Love.” Call it coincidence, or perhaps, French is indeed a beautiful language to have up your sleeve. More than 75 million native French speakers walk the earth today, of which, 190 million take it up as a secondary language.

French is the official language in 40 countries, and spoken in about 54 countries globally; in fact, it’s more geographically distributed. Experts and linguists argue that nearly 1/3rd of modern English is influenced by the French language. They have more similarities than most other Latin-based languages – If you’re a native English speaker who’s learning French, you’ll experience quite a few déjà vu moments.

If you’re wondering how long it would take you to turn into a proficient French speaker, about 23-24 weeks and 585-600 hours.

Having stated the obvious, the English language owes more than half of its vocabulary to French. There’s more than a ton of reasons for you to turn to French; listed here are just a very few:

  • Recognized as a top international language
  • Staying connected with the world on a higher plane
  • French is very out there and trolling
  • The most frequented language for budding learners
  • Switching to French gives English speakers an edge

It’s time to wear your thinking cap and get started on a fantastical journey with Le langage de l'amour (the language of love). You definitely aren’t going to regret it on any level whatsoever.

May the Force be with you.