Anyone speak either Italian or Czech?

[Fif Angel]

Well, I applied to study modern languages(French and Spanish) at university.

I was offered a place to study French but I have to do it with either Italian or Czech lol and I have no idea which to choose.

 

I could study Spanish at another university but the one I have been quasi-accepted to is one of the best in the country and it would be a shame to pass it up.

 

But I`m not really sure how I`d feel about studying these langauges. I have a smattering of Italian but I don`t really know much about the czech language, although I am quite interested in the politics of the region, which I would also be studying.

 

Does anyone here speak or study either of these languages ( but especially czech)?

 

What about job prospets for a degree in these subjects?

 

Unfortunately I have to decide by Monday so I don`t have a lot of time..

 

All help is appreciated!

[annie24]

Nope - I don't study any of these languages - I study science, so I can't be much help to you there. But as for job prospects... if you study French, then you can work in any country in the world that speaks French (ie France, Camaroon... do they speak French in Tahiti?)

 

What's with the quasi-acceptance? Since it is such a prestigious university, and there are soooo many countries in which spanish is spoken, that sounds like a wonderful opportunity.

 

What do you want to do? Work as a translator, work in foreign relationship, international trade, teach? It all depends on what you want to do and how you market yourself.

 

Good luck! What a wonderful decision to have to make!

[Fif Angel]

Well by quasi-acceptance I mean that I have only been accpeted to do one of the subjects I want-French. So basically if I want to do joint honours in French and Spanish I`ll have to go to a different university. So I`m afraid it`s either French with Italian or French with Czech!

[arwen]

I have studied in Italy and learned Italian when I was there. It's a lovely language. Easy to learn if you have a background knowledge of French, Spanish, ancient Latin or Portuguese.

 

So, seeing your situation, Italian will be easier to learn.

 

As for Chech, I have no idea. I knew several Chech people in Italy, and it's a completely different language. I think if you want to be 'broader' orientated, Chech is better, because Italian will be easier to learn/understand if you already speak Spanish.

 

As for the other studies, I have no idea. All I know is that Italian people generally speak very little English. This might be different for Chech people.

 

Ilse.

[annie24]

Ok, so I don't know how that works that university, but if you start with French, and you're a really really good student, could you petition in your 2nd or 3rd year to take up another language? Only because this is a very prestigious university, this could help you a lot when it comes to finding a job later. I entered university with one subject, but the I petitioned to have them let me study 2. I had to propose what classes I would take, obtain consent from both departments, and I had to prove that I could finish within a certain number of years. I also had to keep my grades up. But, it worked just fine, and I earned a degree in both subjects.

 

Or, could you study Spanish on your own while doing the French, and then take some sort of "spanish compentency exam?"

 

So, the way I understand this, French is your 1st choice language, Spanish is your 2nd, and Italian and Czech are your 3rd?

[Fif Angel]

well, that`s kindof how it works but not exactly!..

 

Basically I applied to do French and Spanish at this univeristy, I didn`t have a 2nd or 3rd choice.

 

I got a reply saying that I had been rejected for that particular combination but I could do either French with Italian or French with Czech.I think the reason they offered me these subjects was because there was less demand to study them, not becuse I put them down as my 3rd choice ( the idea of studying czech has never occurred to me in my life!)

 

So now Im torn. I could study French and Spanish at a less good uni or I could go to this really good one to study the sunjetcs I was offered.

 

So hard!

 

Like Ilise was saying, I guess Italian would be easier to pick up, but then increasingly , with expansion of the EU etc, there is more demand for Czrch speakers.

 

I really have no idea what to do after graduating..maybe journalism, or working for the European Parliament or something.

 

The worst part is, that the one person who would be able to give me some good advice is my crappy ex-boyfriend who I split up wth two weeks ago. He knows quite alot about degrees and job market etc. I told myself that I wouldn`t break the no-contact but then I would like some advice....ahhh what to do.

[annie24]

Yeah, don't contact the crappy ex-bf. Are there other people who work in these fields who you can contact? What do you think would make you the happiest? If you think you wouldn't be that happy at the prestigious university, then don't go there. If you think you would be happy there, I say do it. Take up either Italian or Czech. Like Ilse said, Italian may be easier, but Czech would be different. If you later wanted to pick up another Slavic language, it would be easier. Spanish, like I said, you can always study on your own. So, I'm in the US, I'm not sure how the european system works, but do you have to have a degree in a language to prove that you know it?

 

Oh yes, and the other thing... I know in the US, many people get rejected from universities because the demand for a particular major is too much. However, in the 2nd and 3rd years, many people drop out or switch fields, so the upper division classes become more empty. Thus, I know a lot of people who applied to a university under a less-demanded major, and then switched into the field that they were particularly interested in, once they showed their good grades.

 

Is it possible to accept the French-Italian, and then switch to French-Spanish? But, like Ilse said, I think if you do French-Italian, taking up Spanish will be very very easy for you to do.

[MetallicAguy]

Well since French and Italian are both latin-based languages if I were you I'd find French and Italian easier. Czech is kind of slavic type stuff and it's a bit hard. Plus latin languages are easier anyway. Go with Italian.

[Kaia]

I've only studied Latin and French before so I'd be bias and say you should go for Italian! Especially if you ultimately want to learn Spanish, they're all very similar. But I think Ilse has a point, if you want to broaden your knowledge and leave more doors open then Czech is better. I'm not too familiar with modern languages in univ, but even when you get accepted to French/Italian or French/Czech, can't you still pick spanish as elective? (or pick it as minor?)

[Fif Angel]

Thanks for the replies everyone..

 

According to the letter I was sent out, it `will not be possible to change this course at a later date`. So I probably wouldn`t be able to pick up Spanish in 2nd or 3rd year.

 

I am kindof leaning more towards Italian at this stage, I`m worried that Czech will be very difficult to pick up ( although apparently it is similar to german and greek, and it does use the Roman alphabet)

 

But then I would probably be more interested in studying eastern european politics and history, which is also part of the course.

[Jaela]

Hmm. What percentage of the world population speaks Czech as their native language? How about Italian? Using these figures, you could gauge which language could ultimately prove more useful by allowing you to communicate with the highest degree of people as possible.

 

Italian does seem like a more convenient or easier choice for you, and it is a beautiful language! But considering your interest of politics, Czech may prove to be a bit more difficult, but also more rewarding. Good luck with your decision, and keep us posted.

[arwen]

Well, in fact Italian is also spoken by a very small population- Italians. As for Dutch, (sorry, since when do I suffer from a form of nationalism?), it is still traceable in Afrikaans, they speak it in parts of the Antilles, and Suriname. All due to a history of colonialism we really shouldn't be proud of...

 

Italian is easier with a background of any language that has Latin-roots. Even from English learning it is quite easy, as many English words actually have latin roots. Sort of a mixture of Germanic and Romanic. For grammar, both will be very hard. Italian has difficult constructions, and rules of agreement you don't have in English.

 

However, Chech is probably more difficult. I could understand a newspaper in Italian when I got there, but the books of my Chech roommate might just as well have been in like Chinese to me.

 

If you choose Italian, we can practice over email lol,

 

Ilse.

[Fif Angel]

Lol Ilise, that is true!

 

I can already speak a wee bit of Italian- the basics, bongiorno, mi piace andare al cinema etc but I am unable to even identify czech !

 

I don`t have to make a decision straight away now-apparently I can have a look round the uni first which is good.

 

Although am battling a bit with parents just now, father isn`t very keen for me to go to this uni as it is quite expensive and wants me to go to a more local one

 

 

Oh well, we shall see