First year language students, how are you finding it?

Sorry, I should have specified that I'm thinking more along the lines of English to French translation.

From this perspective I'd say the act of translating is very useful because it gets you thinking about how to say things and then also leads to general discussions on important grammar points. Here we don't have a lesson where we sit down and work through a grammar book because they think it's more stimulating to give a context to the grammar points we are learning.

As for French-English translation, yes that doesn't really help with language learning any more than reading the text. I agree with you on translation being a skill that goes beyond being fluent in two languages. As you say, a lot of the time the problem isn't with knowing what the foreign language means, but rather with putting it into eloquent English with respect to register etc. It doesn't help when your tutor is extra picky.

What modules are you taking for finals if you dislike literature? History? Politics?
I did some French film last term which was a refreshing change from books!

Are you doing any medieval French? I have a friend at Warwick doing English and French and she said some people do La Châtelaine de Vergy, which is something I study too.

Chatelaine was the first text I studied last term. It's part of a general French literature/culture module, not specifically medieval focused. There's a whole other module I could have chosen which focuses a lot more on medieval French texts. Do you analyse the original medieval French? Or do you focus on the modern French translation?

We can quote in modern French (thankfully) for the exam, but we had medieval French grammar lectures because they told us when commenting about themes it's fine to use the translation, but when commenting on style it's better to use the original.

How did you find it? I really enjoyed it and seeing as for Finals I will have to take a Medieval French translation paper I'm thinking studying the medieval period would be really useful.

I quite enjoyed it, more so when comparing it to other texts. I somehow compared it to Montaigne, analysing to what extent the texts show an existing truth - which was fun.

Wow, don't think I could deal with medieval French; I find Middle English difficult enough. Are you a joint or single honours student?

I just study French, which is why I have a compulsory Medieval language exam.

Which Montaigne did you do? We did "Des coches" from his Essais which was quite a random text in that it floats around different subjects which aren't really that linked.

I loved reading Middle English for A level English Lit. but it must be really hard to actually learn the grammar of it all!

Do you do the approaches to literature paper? (I think that's what it's called) The one comparing English and French works. It sounds soo good.

Haha you've really been informed about the course. Yeah I do love Approaches, it's compulsory for my course which is great! We have an awesomely enthusiastic seminar tutor and it's the first time I've actually completely enjoyed practical criticism! It just feels like a casual hobby, not a chore The French translation part is a little daunting, but it's mostly detective work due to the fact that generally you understand 80% of the poem, but there are little details which you don't quite get and have to work out using the context. Quite a good brain work out

We studied 'des Cannibales' primarily and looked at other essays in less detail. Dealt with ideas of perception and all that jazz, very interesting work

This is my first foray into Middle English so it's all new to me. Our course is mostly translating into modern English along with critical analysis of passages with a tinge of grammar, so I can't say I'm that knowledgeable on grammar yet (I shall be come the exam - hopefully!)

How varied is your course? I've heard is pretty much literature, or is that a misconception?

Ha my friend talks in detail about her favourite parts of the course and Approaches is one of them.

My course is not very varied for first year. I have two language exams, a commentary paper dealing with poetry/prose/plays from various periods, a narrative fiction paper, a French philosophy paper, a literary theory paper and finally a film paper.

I guess the topics do vary, but the non language stuff all require essays using the same sorts of skills. I'm thinking of doing linguistics next year.

I'm not really keen on the examination system here: everything I do in term time ultimately counts for nothing, my final grade for the year is solely determined through 7 three hour long exams that take place within a week of each other.

It could be worse though, the classicists here are currently doing their first official exams (they take them halfway through second year) They have 11 three hour exams over the course of 8 days

That's what the French Bac's like (although I did have a few 4h-long ones, sometimes the same day as a 3h-long one. Oh, the joy.) If you're thinking of going for the ENS on your year abroad (I think it's Oxford that offers it, can't quite remember), the exams may be just like that, they've got some crazy 6h-long ones as entrance exams, I don't know how anyone manages…

There's a French linguistic paper in 4th year that's apparently pretty good, and that coming from my friend who generally avoids linguistics at all costs. I've helped him with a few questions and it seems generally interesting.

Wow, this thread has slightly put me off applying to both Oxford and Bristol... anyone here study MML at Cambridge?

Wow, this thread has slightly put me off applying to both Oxford and Bristol... anyone here study MML at Cambridge?

The negatives I pointed out for Oxford really are peeves and not anything that remotely approach major problems with my course.

Any course is going to have a certain aspect that you don't enjoy as much, but this is probably mostly a first year thing because the first year at Oxford is trying to expose you to a lot of things so all modules are compulsory.

I'm in the process of looking at my choices for finals and I'm actually really looking forward to it because there is a greater focus on speaking and there are loads of options in literature/history/linguistics and, my personal favourite, a special paper on advanced translation.

Don't write off Oxford completely, it really is an amazing course and I'm having a lot of fun. I get the impression, based on what my Cambridge MML friends say, that Cambridge has a broader focus for first year, so some linguistics is involved straight off the bat. However, as I've already explained above, options are broader later on at Oxford.

The only real deal-breaker I can see is if you're someone who hates exam pressure and doesn't think they can cope with so many important exams concentrated into a short period. If so, fair enough!

The thing is, I really love Oxford as a place and I've always preferred it to Cambridge. But when it comes to their MFL course, I'm not so sure. They place a lot of weight on literature, and I don't do any literature in either Spanish or German (not my fault, it's my school), nor do I do English Lit. And English was my weakest subject at GCSE. I just don't like analysing literature.

I love speaking languages, having conversations, doing presentations, etc. And if they don't put as much weight on the oral aspect of the language then it would be a big disappointment to me...

Oh and I'm not so concerned with exams... exams actually excite me, however freaky that sounds. I've always performed well in exams (always been **** at coursework!).

x

Also not course related, but the fact I do a year abroad is making me undateable as no guy will even consider it.

By the time i do my year abroad i'll have been with my boyfriend 7 years, i'm worried now I never really thought about how long it'll be..
Other than that, i'm just excited I'm doing French and German at Newcastle. I do struggle with A level, so i hope i can handle it

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