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CraftyRole4567 t1_j6dvdza wrote

Reply to comment by natus92 in Reading In Another Language For Pleasure by 7mariam

I hope you don’t mind me saying that I have the opposite experience. Reading in my second language, French, which I learned in high school, remains really satisfying to me – I know that it’s a chance to read something that would never be the same in translation, and I also am a little bit proud of myself for reading in another language 😏 It’s definitely a different experience than reading in my native language— but different, not worse. For me.

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natus92 t1_j6ea532 wrote

Not at all :) I've read two books in french so far, have a little knowledge about multiple languages and a linguistics degree but for me personally nothing beats reading in german.

edit: and at this point I doubt its due to lack of english skills

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CraftyRole4567 t1_j6eg8a6 wrote

You know a lot more than I do, obviously, but I have the impression that in German writers actually can create words on a pretty regular basis, which I would think would make reading in it an incredibly interesting experience that isn’t comparable to English.

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natus92 t1_j6ejzx8 wrote

English does have compound nouns like grasshopper too! And I honestly dont really see the big difference between the constructs Wohnzimmer and its literal translation living room. Sure, you can create long new(ish) words like Kreuzworträtselleitfaden (crossword puzzle guide) but I guess thats not as exciting for a native speaker any longer. Sorry to disappoint

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