We are t-minus 45 hours away from the beginning of the Medieval German final exam. Today I went to a review session hosted by our class tutor and looked like an idiot in front of the entire class when I couldn't translate a few lines of text we were working with. The worst part was that the tutor just sat there and didn't make any effort to give me a hint -- there was only the crushing silence in the room as I tried to decipher the text and felt my face grow hot.
"I have no idea what that word is," I sheepishly admit.
"It's 'sparrow.' It's a type of bird," the tutor says.
"Oh. I didn't know that word."
"Well, this isn't biology class," the tutor smirks.
I am continually amazed that people expect me to be to able to translate a medieval German text with PERFECT precision when I don't even have the German vocabulary to recognize some of the words. I can't translate a word from medieval German unless I know the corresponding MODERN German word. I'm not stupid! Is it my fault that English is my mother language and not German??
I hate this class. I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it.
Final for EU Policy is also on the horizon and I'm even less prepared for it. Oddly enough I am somewhat at peace about both of the tests and my oral test, despite the fact that I have a strong chance of failing horribly. This must be the calm before the storm. Either that or I've come to terms with my fate.
I hope I pass.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
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3 comments:
I'm sorry Matthew, what a drag. I'll be praying it goes well.
Here is where people usually put reasuring words, but I know you have heard enough of them, and you just look at the people, like, you have no idea. So yeah, how about I say that I am not jealous of you, but brave it for a little longer, then break. And hey, if you don't get all the credits this semester, maybe you could take extra next semester, and just kinda switch it around, the registrar can't read German, at least I hope.
Hey, props to you for even taking that class. Its tough on the Germans and it probably makes some of them a little uncomfortable you can follow at all when you have to do two translations. On another note, there is a girl in my ecology class for whom english is her second language and she asks for clarification about language from time to time. Next time it annoys me I'll think of you and that her position is like yours except she has to translate eco-science-nerd language. ;P
Melissa
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