What languages do you speak?

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AND the longest sentence I can remember from Chinese is 'I would like a glass of orange juice' !!!!!!!!

Hey, after reading your post I realised I remember orange juice in Japanese too! Hehe, but that's probably because it sounds almost identical to the English way of saying it.

Well there goes the theory that you learn languages best when you are, what, under 3 years old or something? If your parents spoke other languages and you have forgotten them I mean ........

Actually I think languages are like most things you learn: if you don't continue your practise you'll just start to forget. Sure, a language you once knew should come back to you easier, but if you don't use it you lose it! I know a Swede who's lived in Australia for almost 40 years (I think he left Sweden at about age 20) and no longer feels comfortable reading or writing in Swedish. He has one of those classic Swedish accents when he speaks English, but still speaks it better than he does his own mother tongue. So the moral of the story is practise, practise, practise!

Polish and Swedish parents? I hope you will be posting something the in the recipes thread!!! YUMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH breads and pastries *drool*

Actually I just realised that my favourite breads in Sweden are actually the Finnish rye breads you can buy there, so I think we'll have to ask Mervi and the other Finns for the recipe! The Swedish pastry-type recipes I know are pretty standard: gingerbread biscuits, cinnamon buns and so on. But I'll be happy to post them if anyone wants.

I remember having to read and translate articles about dangerous particles in coffee and what kinds of bugs people had to try to avoid after their aircraft landed in the middle of Amazonian rainforest.

Now that just sounds bizarre, Mervi! I wonder whose idea that was. I had a look at that article you linked to. Very interesting. And it's funny that they got you to do such complicated translations in German when the article points out that translation is one of the most advanced language skills of all!