[ElJefe]

sup Gents,

I now finally know, or at least have a much clearer idea, of what I want to do, career-wise and what steps I want to take to get there. But how to take those steps is where my problems come up. I'm really hoping some of the guys on this forum can give me some ideas.

This year I spent a few months in Central America learning Spanish on the cheap. I'd say I'm intermediate at this point. I did it to get my Spanish to a level where I could study a semester or two in a Spanish speaking country - preferably Argentina.

Facts about me:

• In graduate school for an MSc. in Economics
• Just bought an apartment
• Have a nice internship with a regional IB, where I work in Derivative Sales (Interest Rate Swaps, Caps, Floors, Swaptions, etc.)
• Internship pays for appt
• Can get generous scholarships for studying abroad - should have between USD1600-USD2000 a month during my time abroad, after tuition (pertaining to my degree - additional tuition I pay for myself)
• Appt can be sub-let at little or no income loss
  

What I want to do:

• Do a semester at UTDT in Buenos Aires starting July 2012
• Improve my Spanish (for possible career purposes)
• Improve rugby skills, photography, get an MC drivers license, parachute, etc. (hobbies)
• Go to Brazil afterwards (Jan/Feb 2013 - Jun 2013) to learn Portuguese
• Bang as many bitches as possible under the above constraints
• Return to Denmark Aug 2013 to write my masters thesis - finish 1 October 2013.
• Start working for my the same bank where I am now, except in Emerging Markets as their man for/in South America
  

I understand some points you guys might not be able to offer advice on, but hopefully others you'd have some ideas.

Appreciate all your great advice in advance - I understand Argentina can be the country of blue-balls, but I'm willing to run that risk.

Cheers

[MiXX]

I don't recommend learning Portuguese at the same time you are learning Spanish. The languages are about 70% identical to each other and will confuse the shit out of you (I speak both). Being very similar is actually not a good thing, because the same words have different meanings completely!

Also, I'd recommend spending time in Brasilia if you are dead-set on Brazil. Although it's the capital of Brazil, you'd be surprised how 3rd tier-city like Brasilia is, and it is packed with opportunities in your specific profession. Not to mention that local Brasilia women are amongst the friendliest I've ever met in Brazil!


Mixx

[ElJefe]

That's interesting.

I really enjoy learning new languages - thoroughly. I was hoping 6 months of improving my Spanish would make starting Portuguese far easier. It'd be great if it was somehow possible to learn both (seeing how my Spanish is already intermediate, I was hoping that'd be feasible in a year of effort).

as for Argentina, I was kind of set on going to that school I linked to for Jul-12 semester. It seems like it'd a great way to meet locals AND meet my other goals, too.

I'd like to learn more about how to ensure I my application to this school is accepted, that I manage opportunities when I get down there in addition to keeping my current employer interested in me when I get back.

Right now my plan is stuck at the level: get my current manager to adore me, so he'll root for me in all this. It'd be nice if I could tie my desire to learn Spanish and Portuguese in with a future career.

[InternationPlayboy]

(12-21-2011 10:19 AM)MiXX Wrote:  

I don't recommend learning Portuguese at the same time you are learning Spanish. The languages are about 70% identical to each other and will confuse the shit out of you (I speak both).

70%? Not even close. Especially if you take into consideration the words that are spelled the same and pronounced different. Portuguese and Spanish are similar, but at the same time very different. I used to think if you could speak one you could speak the other, but apparently that's not the case. Most people at work that speak spanish need my help to understand Portuguese speakers. A lot of them say Italian is easier to understand than Portuguese. But at the same time, I agree it's not a good idea to learn both languages at the same time. I still get confused trying to learn and speak spanish.

[MiXX]

(12-21-2011 10:40 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(12-21-2011 10:19 AM)MiXX Wrote:  

I don't recommend learning Portuguese at the same time you are learning Spanish. The languages are about 70% identical to each other and will confuse the shit out of you (I speak both).

70%? Not even close.

Actually it's 85% similar.

http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/e/l...index.html


Mixx

[Dash Global]

Its pretty similar.

Brasilians have a much easier time understanding spanish speakers than visa versa

Saw this first hand in Myrtle Beach when I meet this group of 3 girls (2 from peru and one from brazil)

[InternationPlayboy]

(12-21-2011 10:45 PM)MiXX Wrote:  

(12-21-2011 10:40 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(12-21-2011 10:19 AM)MiXX Wrote:  

I don't recommend learning Portuguese at the same time you are learning Spanish. The languages are about 70% identical to each other and will confuse the shit out of you (I speak both).

70%? Not even close.

Actually it's 85% similar.

http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/e/l...index.html


Mixx

Dude, that website's full of shit. All you have to do is put a spanish speaker in front of a porutuguese speaker and you will realize the spanish speaker doesn't understand anywhere close to 85% of what the person is saying, not even 50% in most cases! It says French is 80% similar! I don't understand a lick of french, and I'm sure almost no spanish speakers do either unless they've studied it. For a better idea look at this.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differences...Portuguese

[MiXX]

(12-21-2011 11:03 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(12-21-2011 10:45 PM)MiXX Wrote:  

(12-21-2011 10:40 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(12-21-2011 10:19 AM)MiXX Wrote:  

I don't recommend learning Portuguese at the same time you are learning Spanish. The languages are about 70% identical to each other and will confuse the shit out of you (I speak both).

70%? Not even close.

Actually it's 85% similar.

http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/e/l...index.html


Mixx

Dude, that website's full of shit. All you have to do is put a spanish speaker in front of a porutuguese speaker and you will realize the spanish speaker doesn't understand anywhere close to 85% of what the person is saying, not even 50% in most cases! It says French is 80% similar! I don't understand a lick of french, and I'm sure almost no spanish speakers do either unless they've studied it. For a better idea look at this.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differences...Portuguese

I speak both Spanish and Portuguese, so I may be the wrong guy to challenge this. I understand A LOT of French simply if they speak slowly just because I am fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.

Mixx

[InternationPlayboy]

(12-21-2011 11:09 PM)MiXX Wrote:  

(12-21-2011 11:03 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(12-21-2011 10:45 PM)MiXX Wrote:  

(12-21-2011 10:40 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

(12-21-2011 10:19 AM)MiXX Wrote:  

I don't recommend learning Portuguese at the same time you are learning Spanish. The languages are about 70% identical to each other and will confuse the shit out of you (I speak both).

70%? Not even close.

Actually it's 85% similar.

http://how-to-learn-any-language.com/e/l...index.html


Mixx

Dude, that website's full of shit. All you have to do is put a spanish speaker in front of a porutuguese speaker and you will realize the spanish speaker doesn't understand anywhere close to 85% of what the person is saying, not even 50% in most cases! It says French is 80% similar! I don't understand a lick of french, and I'm sure almost no spanish speakers do either unless they've studied it. For a better idea look at this.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differences...Portuguese

I speak both Spanish and Portuguese, so I may be the wrong guy to challenge this. I understand A LOT of French simply if they speak slowly just because I am fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.

Mixx

I understand that, but I speak Portuguese and don't speak Spanish. Therefore, shouldn't I be able to understand 85% of what spanish speakers say? And should all the spanish speakers at my work understand 85% of what portuguese speakers say then? Even when reading Spanish, I understand a lot more than when I hear it spoken, but still nowhere near 85% of what I read. I've seen you write Portuguese, and it was spanish with a couple words you've thrown in that were correct in Portuguese. About 60% of what I read was Spanish not Portuguese.

[MiXX]

(12-21-2011 11:19 PM)InternationPlayboy Wrote:  

I've seen you write Portuguese, and it was spanish with a couple words you've thrown in that were correct in Portuguese.

That's because I learned like a baby, I speak fluent Portuguese with local slang, I suck at writing and grammar in Portuguese

Point taken Cara. I don't see where this is going.

Mixx

[Dash Global]

how did u learn portuguese so well mixx?

[InternationPlayboy]

I'm just trying to make it clear that it's not the same. I talk to many people who speak spanish that went on vacation in Brazil thinking they would be well off only to find they could barely understand anything the locals were saying. Yes they are similar, especially if you know how to read and write, on paper I think it's much easier to understand, but 85% similar? I think not. I wish they were, it would be much easier for me to communicate in Spanish, but it's just not the case. I can get by in decent in Spanish, but I still run into lots of barriers. I'd say MAYBE 30% of words I know in Portuguese are the same as spanish. Especially once you take congigating verbs into consideration, they are all congigated different. Sometimes very similar though.

[MiXX]

(12-21-2011 11:31 PM)Dash Global Wrote:  

how did u learn portuguese so well mixx?

I dated Brazilian women FOB for the past decade, then I lived in Brazil for 2 years.

Mixx

[Amour Fou]

(12-21-2011 10:50 PM)Dash Global Wrote:  

Brasilians have a much easier time understanding spanish speakers than visa versa

Very true.

I've also met native Spanish speakers learning Portuguese real fast just by either living with Brazilians or living in Brazil.

I feel that if I spent some good months in a Spanish speaking country (with good accent, like Colombia) I'd learn the language just by osmosis.