new vocabulary - advice wanted

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Kellyqa
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new vocabulary - advice wanted

Postby Kellyqa » Mon Mar 27, 2023 4:41 am

Hi!

What do you think is the best way to learn new vocabulary when you're going to an advanced level?
Also, after a conversation with someone I got the next doubt: Is it a good idea to learn the definition of the words in your native language? Or is it a bad idea?

Thanks!
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anitarrc
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Re: new vocabulary - advice wanted

Postby anitarrc » Mon Mar 27, 2023 11:42 am

Disclaimer: I don't do Anki or lists.

We have a vast Terminology database at work, for example there are 180k entries for French and 120 k for Spanish. I always try to keep both, a definition in the source language (try door parts in German) and one in the target language. If something comes up again AND I remember the context, it will usually come up as the target language context in my brain.
In case I don't remember or the context is different, i do a quick research. If the translation for the new context is different, i'll save it as a secondary entry.

Vocabulary WITHOUT context rarely works. Car parts, for instance, have a mental image in my brain, which then relates it to EN, ES, FR and NL. To a point, this also works for DE and PT. If it should be pignon, engrenage or denture depends on the context. If I am trying to prise a :mrgreen: very tight nut off said part, I also know the appropriate swear word in the target language.
Last edited by anitarrc on Mon Mar 27, 2023 12:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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språker
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Re: new vocabulary - advice wanted

Postby språker » Mon Mar 27, 2023 12:32 pm

Being at an advanced level makes it possible to read (and listen) a lot, and actually understand things, so that you can go over a much vaster quantity of material than a beginner or immediate learner could. This means that you don't have to do (in my opinion) boing explicit studying of vocabulary, with or without context, as reading and listening comes with the ultimate context already.

If you see a word in context that you understand, I don't think it matters so much whether you look up the word in your native language or the target language. Just looking up the word also doesn't necessarily means that you have "learned" the word, you might have to look up the stubborn ones many times.

For me, a "vague" understanding of a word or phrase, like when guessing somethings meaning while reading, is not at all very bad, as the vagueness gradually disappears if you see the word many times. Or you can look it up if the vagueness remains. The probability that you will "remember" the word increases if you already know it vaguely.
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Re: new vocabulary - advice wanted

Postby Kraut » Mon Mar 27, 2023 1:49 pm

Although translating from your mother tongue into your target language is not recommended (bidirectional translation is!) if you are a beginner, now with a C1 level in Spanish, I enjoy asking myself how I would render single words or passages in Spanish. For that I use "Simple Translate" which offers either Google or DeepL as translators, can be positioned and allows size and colour modifications.
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Re: new vocabulary - advice wanted

Postby leosmith » Tue Mar 28, 2023 12:16 am

Kellyqa wrote:What do you think is the best way to learn new vocabulary when you're going to an advanced level?
First and foremost, have a balanced language learning plan wherein you get a lot of input, and you practice output a lot. Input - reading and listening; output – conversing and writing. That is sufficient for some people, but many find that doing additional vocabulary studies speeds things up. For example, they make lists of unknown words, or flashcards, memorize and review them. Or maybe even more common, they let SRS (spaced repetition software) such as Anki schedule reviews for them. This is quite personal – some love it, some hate it.

But if you take every unknown word you come across and put it in SRS, there may be too many reviews to stay on top of. If this is the case, I recommend first choosing your source for new vocabulary, then limiting the number you put into SRS (if still necessary). For example, my priority for language learning has always been conversation, so I only take new vocabulary from my conversations (I take notes during them). In the beginning, I may have too many words after a class, so I limit the number I put into SRS. Ymmv, but I think you can get the picture from what I’ve described here.
Is it a good idea to learn the definition of the words in your native language?
It generally is a good idea, the exception being if you have a high level (B2 or better) in an L2 that has better resources for your L3 than your L1. This is the case for many non-native English speakers. First they learn English to a high level, then they use it to learn other languages. This is called laddering.
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