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Language Students

Hey!

I'm thinking about studying French and Japanese at Leeds and was just wondering if any past or present students could let me know how they found doing the Year Abroad in Year 2 instead of Year 3?

I'm especially interested in hearing people's opinions who started a language ab-initio and then went abroad in Year 2.

I think a lot of people see it as Leed's major drawback with regards to their language courses but surely they do it for a good reason?

Cheers!

Reply 1

rakata

14

Bumping because I'd like to know too! I'm starting Arabic from scratch, with Spanish (done A level). I'm looking forward to it :smile:

if you're starting one language from scratch, and the other language is one that you've previously studied, then your year abroad will consist of doing 1 term in the country of the language that you previously have experience in, and the other 2 terms in the country of the language that you have started from scratch.

Reply 3

youshouldknowbedda

OP

ThisIsTheSea

You'll spend your second year in Japan, and the third term of your third year in France. One of my friends is in Japan currently, two others are in China. They all seem to be enjoying it! I know it's terribly scary, the thought of going when you've only been learning it for a year, but sometimes it's good to be thrown in the deep end!

Ok, thanks for that!

Reply 4

messynessie

1

youshouldknowbedda

Hey!

I'm thinking about studying French and Japanese at Leeds and was just wondering if any past or present students could let me know how they found doing the Year Abroad in Year 2 instead of Year 3?

I'm especially interested in hearing people's opinions who started a language ab-initio and then went abroad in Year 2.

I think a lot of people see it as Leed's major drawback with regards to their language courses but surely they do it for a good reason?

Cheers!

People I know that have done it tend to have pretty positive opinions about it, they just say that it's terrifying when you go, brilliant when you settle!

Reply 5

lovers in japan

2

I can let you know how I find the year abroad when I go on it, but already we've done a lot of Japanese and so I'm feeling fairly confident about it all :smile:

Reply 6

beccijayne

I've been thinking about doing french and japanese too. But, was wondering if you get the chance to do more japanese than french. Does anyone on the course know?
Hope your year abroard goes well georgie :smile:

Reply 7

messynessie

1

beccijayne

I've been thinking about doing french and japanese too. But, was wondering if you get the chance to do more japanese than french. Does anyone on the course know?
Hope your year abroard goes well georgie :smile:

I think as joint honours you have to do 50/50. But not sure!

Reply 8

lovers in japan

2

beccijayne

I've been thinking about doing french and japanese too. But, was wondering if you get the chance to do more japanese than french. Does anyone on the course know?
Hope your year abroard goes well georgie :smile:

I have friends doing it, and it's 50/50. But they do do more hours in Japanese... The Japanese department here is wonderful.

Reply 9

uri

splorgie

I have friends doing it, and it's 50/50. But they do do more hours in Japanese... The Japanese department here is wonderful.

splorgie is right!Japanese here is amazing, we started ab initio and we know so much already!!!definitely come to Leeds to learn Japanese!and yeah, people doing Japanese and French here are 50/50 (as in the modules they take are half for Japanese and half for French, but Japanese language is 9 hours a week, so technically you do spend more hours going to Japanese lectures!)

hope that helps!
xxx

Reply 10

lovers in japan

2

uri

splorgie is right!Japanese here is amazing, we started ab initio and we know so much already!!!definitely come to Leeds to learn Japanese!and yeah, people doing Japanese and French here are 50/50 (as in the modules they take are half for Japanese and half for French, but Japanese language is 9 hours a week, so technically you do spend more hours going to Japanese lectures!)

hope that helps!
xxx

Not only is the course amazing, but also the people of course! It's all good :smile:

You will spend a significant amount of your life in Japanese class, but it's all worth it when you realise how far you will have come by the end of the first semester! I know we have come far!

Reply 11

beccijayne

Thanks

How fluent do you think you will be when you've finished the course?
x

Reply 12

lovers in japan

2

beccijayne

Thanks

How fluent do you think you will be when you've finished the course?
x

I'm personally hoping to be near fluent... because we're doing the same amount of hours as people doing single honours, and they're expected to be near fluent by the end of the degree. But who knows :smile:

Reply 13

rakata

14

Is it naive to expect to be fluent by the end of my degree?! (in both languages?) If you're not, what do you do then?! Masters are usually translating & interpreting I swear. Is that the only option? :frown:

Reply 14

lovers in japan

2

rakata

Is it naive to expect to be fluent by the end of my degree?! (in both languages?) If you're not, what do you do then?! Masters are usually translating & interpreting I swear. Is that the only option? :frown:

If you're doing one from A level or whatever, then I think you will be fluent in it by the end, and very proficient in the ab initio. But it's all about what you put into it, how much work and effort you do... If you slack, you won't get far.

Reply 15

messynessie

1

rakata

Is it naive to expect to be fluent by the end of my degree?! (in both languages?) If you're not, what do you do then?! Masters are usually translating & interpreting I swear. Is that the only option? :frown:

In french you won't be near-fluent until your year abroad, I think for all languages that will be the clincher on how fluent you become.

Reply 16

Fleece

15

rakata

Is it naive to expect to be fluent by the end of my degree?! (in both languages?) If you're not, what do you do then?! Masters are usually translating & interpreting I swear. Is that the only option? :frown:

Depends very much on your own abilities and the amount of effort you put into it. I'm final year now, and whilst I'd say I was pretty fluent, I know plenty of people in my year who are nowhere near it. A lot rests on how much you put into your Year Abroad.

If you are not fluent by the end (again, depends how we are classing fluent - I tend to be of the opinion that you can only be truly fluent after having lived in the country for a number of years) then your option is to go to the country and live there for a while until you are.

Language Students

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