Reading Spanish

[nuncapense]

In Spanish I've read (I'll edit this as a keep reading) :

1 Harry potter 3
2 Harry Potter 4 (might not have read the whole book)
3 Zetas
4 En el camino (still need to read last 90 pages or so)
5 Estrella distante
6 La vuelta al mundo en 80 dias, abridged
7 En Llamas (Juegos del hambre 2)
8 Sinsallo (only finished half)
9 El Juego de Ender
10. La Sombra de Ender
11 La Sombra del Hegemon (stopped reading around halfway; terrible book)
12 LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring / La Communidad Del Anillo
13 Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy / Guia del Autoestopista Galactico
14 The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (2nd Hitchiker's Guide book)
15 La Conjura de Necios / Confederacy of Dunces
16 Golden Compass
17 The Subtle Knife

(~5380 pages)

The rest of my Spanish activity is: watching 40 minutes a day of TV, meeting with a tutor once a week. I have already watched hundred of hours of TV and at this point I'm tired of it.

My first goal is to read 10,000 pages, or about 7000 more. My next goal is to switch to books originally written in Spanish.

How many more books/pages/words do I need to read to get a significant jump in ability? Does that ability translate speaking better? Any suggestions on future books to read? I would like to to read things that were written in Spanish, rather than translations.

[nuncapense]

I started studying Spanish mostly by listening to audio books and watching tv shows. I listened to all of the Harry Potter books many times, so the ones I have listed in my reading list are just the ones I've read in print.

When I eventually started to read books myself without listening to them (months into the process), I found it very difficult. I couldn't read a newspaper or online articles. I could read Harry Potter, but I also know it very well in English, and it also was very, very slow reading.

By the time I got my sixth book, The Tour of the World in 80 Days (abridged, unfortunately), I was understanding a lot more. I really struggled with the 7th book, the Hunger Games book. It was very slow. I carried this book with me everywhere, and would read it on the bus and while walking through the city. Ender's game was pretty easy, and a little faster, but I know the book well in English. Ender's Shadow was easy, but I also know that in English. I hadn't read Hegemon's Shadow before, but it was pretty easy to understand. My eye scanning had gotten much faster at that point. Unfortunately, I really started to hate the book about halfway through. (I think it was written by a ghostwriter rather than the original author).

I don't normally read by vocalizing in my head. But I have recently started pronouncing some passages in my head while reading Lord of the Rings. Lord of the Rings is hard for me. I can understand well the passages that have simple actions and more dialogue, but I can very lost when the characters are walking & walking and the narration is mostly just a description of the scenery. When I find myself getting lost, I start to vocalize the words in my head. I still get meaning that way. I'm reading about 40 to 50 pages a day in LOTR. It's hard to tell how much I would be understanding if I hadn't read these books as a kid. Some books I remember very well, because I used to read the same books over & over.

My short term goal is to read 10,000 pages.

When I read online articles in Spanish, it can still challenging. But if the articles are in a question & answer or interview format, they are pretty easy for me. I think that it's the logical complexity of paragraphs that confuses me and makes the meaning more obscure. I think my understanding might be more limited by grammar than vocabulary.

[Stelle]

That's a lot of reading! Like you, I lost interest in the Ender books somewhere along the line (although I read them in English). The ideas are so original, but they got a bit...silly.

I look forward to following along with your progress!

[nuncapense]

Thanks for the comment. Shadow of the Hegemon was really terrible.

I finished Lord of the Rings book 1 today. The end was pretty muddy for me. I looked at the Hobbit, which was much more transparent. I don't know whether I feel like continuing with The Hobbit or with LOTR book 2.

A page from LOTR:

--Un momento nada mas trare mis cosas! -exclamo Sam animado-. Todo esta listo. Pense que partiriamos hoy.
Corrio al sitio donde habian acampado, quito un bulto de la pila donde Frodo lo habia puesto, cuando sacara de la barca las pertenencias de los otros, tomo otra manta y alugnos paquetes mas de provisiones y volvio corriendo.
He aqui todo mi plan estropeado! -dijo Frodo-. Imposible escapar de ti. Pero estoy contento, Sam. No puedo decirte que contento. Vamos! Es evidente que estabamos destinados a ir juntos. Partiremos, y que los otros cuentren un camino seguro! Trancos los cuidara. No creo que volvamos a verlos.
-Quiza si, senor Frodo Quiza si-dijo Sam.
Asi Frodo y Sam iniciaron juntos la ultima etapa de la Busqueda. Frodo remo alejandose de la costa y el rio los llevo rapidamente, a los largo del brazo occidental, mas alla de los acandtilados amenazadores del Tol Brandir. El rugido de las cantaratas fue acercandose. Aun con la ayuda de Sam costo trabajo atravesa la correinte en el extremo sur de la isla y virar al este hacia la orilla lejana.

Here's my own translation of this, to see how much I understand.

====="Only one moment and I'll bring my things," said Sam, alivened. "Everything is[will be?] ready. I thought we would leave today." He ran to the place where they had camped. He threw off the thing where Frodo had put it, when he took the boat from the others, and he took another blanket and some packets of provisions and went to run back.
"All my plan has been blocked," said Frodo. "It's impossible to escape from you. But I'm content, Sam. I can't tell you how content!. Let's go! It's obvious that are destinies are going together. Let's leave, and hope that the others find a safe path. Strider will take care of them. I don't think that we will see them again.
"Maybe we will, Sir Frodo," said Sam.
So Frodo and Sam started together their last escape from the forest. Frodo paddled away from the coast, and the river took them away rapidly, to the other end, very far from the things at Tol Brandir. The noisy commotion from the waterfall was getting closer. With Sam's help they traversed the current to the southern end of the Island and kept going to the east towards the distant star.
======

I didn't know a lot of words so I made up some of it, and what I did know I translated clunkily.

[iguanamon]

You got most of the gist but, yes, you missed some of the important details in the translation. It's late, so I'll only do the last paragraph. Please don't take offense at my corrections, I'm only trying to help.

... Asi Frodo y Sam iniciaron juntos la ultima etapa de la Busqueda. Frodo remo alejandose de la costa y el rio los llevo rapidamente, a los largo del brazo occidental, mas alla de los acandtilados amenazadores del Tol Brandir. El rugido de las cantaratas fue acercandose. Aun con la ayuda de Sam costo trabajo atravesa la correinte en el extremo sur de la isla y virar al este hacia la orilla lejana.

... So Frodo and Sam started together their last escape from the forest stage of the search. Frodo paddled farther away from the coast, and the river took (I would probably say "carried" here) them away rapidly along the western arm,to the other end beyond the menacing (threatening) cliffs (misspelled- acantilados) of the Tol Brandir. The noisy commotion roar from the waterfalls (misspelled- cataratas) was getting closer. Even with Sam's help they traversed it took a lot of work to cross the current to at the southern end of the island and kept going to the east towards the distant star turn to the east toward the distant shore.

I think you confused "etapa" (stage/phase) with a conjugation of the verb "escapar", "busqueda" (search) with "bosque" (forest) and perhaps also confused "orilla" (shore) with the word "estrella" (star)

Because of the hassle and time involved with corrections of L2 this forum is not a good place to get correction help. So, I won't be doing this again because of that, and, well, it just takes too much time and word choice can be argued. Not to mention, it's late and I may have missed some stuff and possibly misspelled a few words myself. I'm a lousy translator (best left to professionals!) but I do it in my log and I find it helps me, that and it helps me to share what I'm reading with others who don't speak those languages. I just wanted to give you an idea of some of your miscomprehension. I hope it helps you.

Personally, I find it easier at this stage to read with a parallel text, using the English primarily as a check on my comprehension. With LOTR, you should be able to procure the English (you probably already have it or you wouldn't be reading it in Spanish) and have a parallel text, even if you have to do it manually with bookmarks. my version may be more correct but I rather like the idea of "going to the east towards the distant star" . If a book you are reading is a faithful translation, then the original English is the best check against your comprehension.

By the way, if you want to type with accent marks, in windows change your keyboard to US International. It's easy to do, and really necessary sometimes for understanding especially with conjugations where "tomo" can mean "I take/I drink" and "tomó" is the past tense. Typing with accent marks is second nature to me now. Also, it wouldn't hurt to install a Spanish spell-checker in your browser as an add-on. Not that I'm a spelling cop, but it can not only help you to spell words correctly and get things right if you're close, but you'll also learn from it. A great place for corrections of writing in L2 is lang8.

¡Mucha suerte! Welcome to the forum, nuncapense!

[nuncapense]

Thanks for the comment and corrections!

I got quite a bit of the translation wrong, but honestly I'm thrilled, because I think I can accurately say that I'm getting the gist of the meaning. A few months ago, in September or October, I would have never been able to read what I can read now. Also, I think I was wrong about grammar holding back my understanding more than vocabulary. From that passage I wrote, it's clear to me that I just didn't know a lot of the words, especially the words relating to rivers and water and waterfalls.

I like LOTR a lot, but before starting on the second book, The Two Towers, I decided to start on a translation of Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy that I just found. I think it's a lot easier.

[nuncapense]

I'll figure out accent marks later. A piece from Hitchiker's Guide.

=====
Se dio la vuelta y lanzo una leve sonrisa a los demas clientes de la taberna por si alguno de ellos habia oido algo de los que pasaba.
Ninguno de ellos se habia enterado, y ninguno comprendio por que les sonreia.
El hombre que se sentaba frente a la barra al lado de Ford miro a los dos hombres y luego a las seis cervezas, hizo un rapido calculo aritmetico, llego a una conclusion que fue de su agrado y les sonrio con una mueca estupida y esperanzada.
--Olvidelo, son nuestras --le dijo Ford, lanzandole una mirada que habria enviado de nuevo a las sus asuntos a un suntiger algoliano.
Ford dio un palmetazo en la barra con un billete de cinco libras.
--Quedese con el cambio -- Dijo.
--Como! De cinco libras? Gracias, senor.
--Le quedan diez minutos para gastarlo.
El tabernero, simplemente, decidio retirarse un rato.
--Ford, dijo Arthur--. Querrias decirme que demonios pasa, por favor?
--Bebe-- repuso Ford -- te quedan tres pintas.
--Tres pintas?-- dijo Arthur-- A la hora del almuerzo?--

=====
My translation:

He looked around and shot a happy smile at the other tavern clients, in case any of them had heard something in passing.
Not one of them had heard, and none of them understood why he was smiling.
The man who at the bar next to Ford looked at the two men, looked at the six beers, and making a rapid mental calculation, he came to a happy conclusion and smiled a stupid happy smile.
"Forget it, they are ours," said Ford, shooting him a look to make him mind his own business.
Ford threw a five pound note down on the bar.
"Keep the change," he said.
"What? Five pounds! Thanks, sir."
"You have ten minutes to spend it."
The bar keep decided to keep to himself for the time being.
"Ford," said Arthur. "Do you want to tell me what in the hall is happening, please?"
"Drink, " said Ford. "You have three pints left."
"Three pints?" said Arthur. "At breakfast?"
=======

[Tomás]

almuerzo == lunch, right?

[nuncapense]

Yes, you're right. Good catch. Also (I think): lonche, comida (as in comida corida).

[Serpent]

Do you mentally translate everything you read?