How long to learn Russian?

[superbb]

I would like some input from others who learned Russian as an adult.  I am not familiar with Crylic and it seems a bit intimidating just looking at it, not to mention the sounding of it.  For those of you who have learned the language later in life, how long did it take to become decent?

[tfcrew]

Even my English is terrible!

A site you might check...

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/mwiki/index.php/Learn_Russian

Karl

[myrddin]

superbb, I don't think there's too much useful information that can come of this.  Except of course for making me jealous of some people here

I've heard guys with years of experience say it's not really possible to learn Russian, and I know someone who is fluent who claims he achieved it in less than a year.  Whether these self-analyses are correct or not, it's certainly possible that aptitude for learning foreign languages really does vary that much. 

Even with similar DNA: my older brother has picked up a couple languages simply by working around some people who spoke it, whereas I learned Cyrillic a long time ago and have been studying Russian over a year and a half with minimal progress.

But I will say this: you should try.

[ECOCKS]

You say decent. Assuming (always dangerous) that your definition is that you can have simple conversations that include you asking and answering question on a range of life topics AND you are going to really study almost full-time, then I would say you'd be "decent" in a year or two. If you actually go over there and get fully immersed in living your life in Russian then it will be shorter. Trying to do it here in the states unless you are in an exceptional individual and find a near-perfect teacher is fgoing to run you quite a bit longer.

It you mean decent enough to live there, do your shopping, find your way around, meet some people who speak a bit of English, have some fun and you're patient, then studying diligently a few hours a week will have you able to "get by" in about 2 months or so.

[rambler]

My intended taught Russian at Uni and tells me that it is very difficult to learn. But I bought Level 1 of Rosetta Stone a few weeks ago.  I don't like that there is no English spoken in it at all, nor is there any printed material. You have to work out what they want you to say from pictures. e.g. he, she, they, the boy, girl, runs, eats drinks, reads, swims etc -- all from pictures. On the plus side you learn to read, speak and write - if you have the memory for it. 

I have just noticed that translate,google.com now has Romanisation, e.g.
Посмотрите на это
Posmotrite na eto  Look at this.   I think that is cool, but probably not accurate.  Like  I write Hello and it gets translated as welcome, you need to re-translate it back from the Russian to English to check it.

http://www.russki-mat.net/trans2.html

http://www.russki-mat.net/trans.htm
Hello and welcome to Russia
Здравствуйте и добро пожаловать в Россию

Translate.google. com also speaks the English if you translate from Russian which might help your girl practice English. 

R

[Shadow]

How fast you will learn Russian will depend fully on your experience and learning capabilities. If you have learned so far just a single language (English) and no experience, it might be a tough thing. If you have learned some languages and a 'feeling', you might learn it fast.
Once you go past the alphabet, you will find that Russian bears a resemblence to a number of languages, and a number of words can be found in Latin, German and English.

As for using online translators, experience in translating helps a lot. Translating something and translating it back will only give rubbish, as with every translation something is lost. To be able to use the online translator without having translating experience:
- do not use any kind of slang
- use short sentences
- use simple grammar
- ensure there are no spelling errors.
- be able to read the translated text, and see which words were just transliterated but not translated. Try to improve by finding synonyms for those words.

When sending the translated text, always send the original with it. If the reader is confused she/he might show it to someone to get the correct translation and meaning.

[Chicagoguy]

Sometimes I think it is sort of a left brain/right brain thing. Some people just have the brain wired to learn easier. My late wife could repeat back anything she heard. As for me, it just didn't register well.

My daughter and another good friend both teach ESL and they say it is about 10 years to be fluent. Read the New York Times.

And my Russian friends ask me - why? Are you going to live there ? Plus they add it is not easy. And the last thing is the older you are the more difficult it is.

[myrddin]

Sometimes I think it is sort of a left brain/right brain thing. Some people just have the brain wired to learn easier. My late wife could repeat back anything she heard. As for me, it just didn't register well.

I think that second sentence is definitely true. But I think it's more of a natural aptitude, just as some people are born with a musical aptitude.  Every measurement I've ever done has me pretty much at 50/50 right/left brain, and I move equally well in logical and creative domains.  I just don't have that talent for language. 

And the last thing is the older you are the more difficult it is.

Definitely.  It's one of the rare times I regret aging - when I think about how tough it was for me even back in high school... 

Still, I think if you can answer "as long as it takes" to the OP's questions, you've got a shot.

[superbb]

My intended taught Russian at Uni and tells me that it is very difficult to learn. But I bought Level 1 of Rosetta Stone a few weeks ago.  I don't like that there is no English spoken in it at all, nor is there any printed material. You have to work out what they want you to say from pictures. e.g. he, she, they, the boy, girl, runs, eats drinks, reads, swims etc -- all from pictures. On the plus side you learn to read, speak and write - if you have the memory for it. 

Oh, that sounds interesting.  I've seen Rosetta Stone commercials and I've seen it in the stores, but I had no idea that there is no spoken English and no printed material.  Let us know how that works out for you after you've done some more studying!

[IAmZon]

I have not made much progress with Russian at all!  E=MC(squared)

I have made great progress on Spanish however since I have been a member at RWD.  Interestingly, the more I learn, the more I am aware of that which you don't know.  And, Spanish is fairly easy - much easier than Russian certainly.  But, I have to admit that to know Spanish well - at least for me - it has taken / will continue to take a total of 3 to 5 years ...  and I have lived in Spanish speaking countries (maybe   I am stupid:)

Through out this process I have been struck with how VITAL it is for me to speak the language of those people with whom I have a sincere interest.  Just getting by an vacation speak really does not create any real understanding at all. The understanding that is derived from these "vacation / Internet dating" possibilities are mostly illusionary when good communication skills are absent. This is because each person fills in the blanks for each other positively.  Romance always makes the glass seem half full.

My point as it relates to RWD and this thread: the Russian language appears impossible to me. The importance of good communication, I increasingly see, as an absolute minimum for even an introductory meeting.  And, further, it seems that gaining a good cultural perspective of Russian / Ukraine (which requires a loose mastery of language) seems to be out of reach unless one has a very good reason to make an enormous investment in time and energy.

The tower of Babel!!!  It is unfortunate