Q&A: Not Good at English
Not Good at English
Question
Hello Rabbi Michi.
I very much want to enrich my knowledge, become proficient in philosophical thinking, and one day become a serious intellectual.
My heart has been drawn to that for years already. I'm really just at the beginning of the road, and of course there's still a long way ahead of me.
I wanted to ask: since my English level is really low (it's actually the only matriculation exam I'm missing), how necessary is command of this language in order to grow into the kind of intellectual person I'd like to be? Is there simply nothing to talk about without English, or won't it hold me back from my goal?
With thanks and great appreciation — Yehuda
Answer
I can't say this categorically, but English is important. By the way, my English isn't all that great either.
It's not a question of taking the matriculation exam, but of acquiring the skill. You can acquire the skill without the exam, and many people who took the exam don't actually have the skill.
Discussion on Answer
There is no such thing as "American concepts." Obviously, if there is a translated text, that almost makes English unnecessary (the added value of reading the original isn't worth the king's ransom).
Is the need for English in order to read books in English that haven't been translated into Hebrew, or in order to understand the American concepts themselves?