Language fluency is defined as, “the ability to be understood by both native and non-native speakers of a specific language.” By that definition fluency can generally be achieved within 9-12 months of moderate language study. A higher level of competency can be referred to as native fluent or bilingual. This can often take many years of study, often coupled with living abroad in a country in which the target language is  spoken.

In its most basic form, fluency is achieved when one can speak in a language without halting or pausing. This can be achieved through a large vocabulary or the ability to express yourself in a roundabout way if the vocabulary is lacking. Anyone who has studied a foreign language knows that there are many stages within the language learning process and progress is often not as linear as people presume.

Many of my clients want to know if they are progressing “normally.”  In other words they want to know if they are on track to achieve their goals in a timely manner. Having taught over 1000 people I have a good sense of where students should be at a given point in their course of language study.While results vary between individuals I have outlined the basic stages of language learning below:

(Note: The following outline presumes that you are studying with a private instructor 1-2 times per week in addition to 4-6 hours per week of self-study)

1-5 weeks of study: the student is getting a handle on the basics of the pronunciation, the flow of the language, common everyday expressions and basic sentence structure

6-12 weeks of study-the student is learning to master the present tense, learning to introduce oneself, talk about work, family and hobbies, writing basic sentences

3 months-6 months of study- learning to express oneself in the past tense, talking about one’s childhood experiences, previous work experiences and relationships, able to participate in basic conversations with native speakers, translating simple paragraphs

6 months-9 months of study-learning to express oneself in the future tense, talking in a more in-depth level about world events, reading short stories, expressing emotions clearly and comfortably, able to hold everyday conversations on numerous topics

9 months-12 months of study-learning to express oneself in the subjective/hypothetical, learning more complex vocabulary surrounding politics, health, the workplace, able to read the newspaper and follow along with the news

1 year-2 years-completely comfortable in all tenses, able to watch television programs and conduct business in the target language, comfortable conducting an interview, able to write presentations and essays

2+ years-continually honing specialized vocabulary, mastering local idioms and generally communicating on a near-native level.

What most people do not understand is that to become a translator or interpreter one must understand all the varied nuances between two languages so as not to commit any mistakes. Training takes many years of both schooling and “living the language.” Found in Translation is full of anecdotes of what can happen when an unqualified person attempts to translate or interpret.

When I first started learning Spanish 17 years ago I remember coming across words which seemed to be the same in both languages but in fact had very different meanings. Anyone who has studied a language has found themselves on the wrong side of these “false friends.” Kelly details one such example in Chapter 1 in a side note titled Embarrassed to be Embarazada. I always get a good chuckle from my beginner Spanish students when I explain that the Spanish expression “estoy embarazada” has very little to do with being embarrassed but rather being pregnant!

I particularly enjoyed chapter 5, Partaking in Pleasures and Delighting the Senses in Translation. One part of this chapter gives hilarious examples of when companies get international brand names very wrong; so wrong that they are unsellable in English-speaking countries. Some examples given include the following: a Polish juice named Fart, a sports drink in the Czech Republic named Erektus, and a soft drink from Ghana called Pee Cola. For your eating pleasure you will find the Chinese snack food Only Puke, Prick, a Brazilian potato chips brand and Shitto which is apparently the name given to a spicy pepper sauce. I think it’s fair to say that these companies did not invest in proper translation!

An overarching theme of the book is how translators and interpreters often go unnoticed and underappreciated. Even I was surprised at many of the ways translation affects our everyday life without us even being aware of it. Translation is crucial for healthcare, the justice system, scientific advancements, politics and even love stories to reach their potential. I have heard Nataly Kelly speak on one of my favorite language podcasts PRI’s The World in Words where she very eloquently explained how she has a brief window into a very intimate moment in a person’s life and then she is gone often without knowing the outcome. This rang especially true when she described her experiences interpreting 911 calls.

In sum, Found in Translation is a wonderful read that can be enjoyed by language service professionals, students of language or just those curious about this profession. The book contains an extensive notes section with excellent resources for those in the interpreting and translation fields as well as an extensive index to cross reference specific interests.