• Thorry@feddit.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    1
    ·
    13 days ago

    Yes context is very important in Dutch. Which is why translations are almost always off. A Dutch speaker can almost instantly recognize whether a translation was done by someone with a native speaking level, or a machine. That’s why a lot of Dutch folk prefer English on their computers and phones. The Dutch translations are often terrible, or as the Dutch would say “tenenkrommend”.

    Dutch is also a language you can very easily unlearn, even as a native speaker. I’ve experienced this firsthand, where I mostly use English and German every day. My Dutch has gotten terrible over the years.

    • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      6 days ago

      sounds a lot like the swedish experience as well, especially the unlearning thing. So many people these days are effectively starting to talk a new pidgin language with english mixed into it.