Sex, Drugs, Swearing (etc.) in the LingQ-library?

Content Forum
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Hey there,

Do lessons on LingQ have to be appropriate for children?
I wrote a story based around the awkwardness of “doing the wheelbarrow” during “sports day”. In 5th or 6th grade…and “the wheelbarrow” happened to be a girl I liked.

It´s not pornographic but I imagine that it might make some people feel uncomfortable. Horsecrazy´s Mom might call me “sub-human scum” or something like that. I guess most of my “when-I-was-a-teen”-stories contain sex, violence, drugs, swearing and whatnot to some degree , which is why I´d like to know where “the line” is.

I think the most “extreme” things I´ve ever read on LingQ were “I was drunk yesterday” and “I was acting like a bitch, sorry”.

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Paule, never mind about those crazy Pferdefreunden - I want to hear these stories! :smiley:

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As children do use LingQ, perhaps Paule’s lessons - tempting as they might sound - should better be shared on a blog or so?

The little dears can then download them in the privacy of their rooms while LingQ remains clean-cut.

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Just for learning purposes :wink:
I guess the level C2 will protect the lesson from too young students.

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ad Paul: (…) …In 5th or 6th class…and “the wheelbarrow” happened to be a girl I liked.

It´s not pornographic (…)

I’m not sure if by 5th or 6th class you mean 11 or 12 year old kids, if you do, I sure hope your story is not pornographic :wink:

Generally speaking, I always tell my language exchange partners that “taboo words” are part of any language and that it is useful to learn them. You just need to know when to use them and for me this means to usually refrain from actively using them. Knowledge of these expressions, however, can never hurt.

It also very much depends on how these words and expressions are presented. If you just deliver a list of obscene words, well, I guess there is no need to try and upload a lesson for that because there are enough websites out there where you can download swearwords in numerous languages.

The way you plan to do things, seems to be different though. It sounds more like an xxx rated diary :wink:

Personally, I would not be against it as long as you are not endorsing any acts of violence, drug use etc. I have to admit, however, that in my own language studies I always try to focus on getting a very good general understanding of the language first before I try to familiarize myself with “taboo expressions”.

When things are put in perspective, these lessons might turn out to be interesting for quite a few people. The lessons should be marked as lessons containing adult language. Sure, teens will want to listen to them too, but I’m convinced there is nothing they won’t have heard or said in their own language already.

I have a Taiwanese friend who learned most of his German from German rap singers. He is a very nice and friendly guy, but the minute he starts speaking German my stomach turns upside down. He even once greeted my father with “Hey, Alter, was geht ab?” ---- I almost dropped dead lol.

I keep telling him that people don’t really talk like this but he insists that he wants to learn “real German” and somehow he must think that the way Bushido and Co talk is the “real German” (if that were the case I’d readily give up my native tongue).

EDIT: As “great” a guy as my father is, people normally “greet” him and don’t “great” him lol. Typos can be a real pain in the neck (or a little futher down ;-)).

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ad Paul (…) …I guess most of my “when-I-was-a-teen”-stories contain sex, violence, drugs, swearing (…)

Almost sounds as if you grew up in the Bronx (or Neukölln) :wink:

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I’m sure it’s a charming tale of early adolescent awakening. Please share, I would certainly check it out (as long as it’s in German).

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"perhaps Paule’s lessons - tempting as they might sound - should better be shared on a blog or so? "

I´d like to put them on LingQ, though, because the system provides a higher chance to be found by people. The points are a nice reward too, even though it´s more like a symbolic reward.^^

“I guess the level C2 will protect the lesson from too young students.”

Brilliant xD

“The lessons should be marked as lessons containing adult language”

Putting an “adult”-label on anything attracts most children and teens, though. I remember watching “Private Ryan” only because the cover said it´s “16+” xD

You could introduce some “age verification”-process to LingQ, but I´m 99% certain that LingQ won´t to do this.

“I’m sure it’s a charming tale of early adolescent awakening.”

“Early adolescent awakening” sounds like a good description. It´s a pretty interesting genre, as long as it´s authentically written.

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@Paule
Actually I’ve gone by some lessons in the English library that contained swear words, here is an example

I also remember some lessons talking about sexual orientation and homosexuality and so forth.

@lovelanguages3
“Personally, I would not be against it as long as you are not endorsing any acts of violence, drug use etc”

I totally agree.

And I think as Ress said before the level c2 will protect it from too young learners.

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My impression is that LingQ’s policy is a deliberately vague, “at their discretion”. I think that for you and I all this means is that LingQ will take it down if someone complains about the content matter and they agree with the person complaining. Setting the lesson difficulty at Advanced 2 is probably a good idea. I think you’re right about the adult label though, that will just get more children and teens to look at the lesson. Hmm… on second thought, maybe I should tag my shared lessons as ‘Adult’, ‘XXX’, etc. ^^

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ad Paul: (…) "Putting an “adult”-label on anything attracts most children and teens, though. I remember watching “Private Ryan” only because the cover said it´s “16+” xD …(…)

You are probably right. I was suggesting that you label the lessons simply because I think to remember that Steve once said that if lessons contain swearing etc. they should be appropriately marked. But my memory might fail me on this one. I’m getting older after all :wink:

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ad m_essam: I just checked the link you included in your post. Well, if George Carlin makes his way into the library, Paul should have nothing to worry about :wink:

And I trust that Paul is not the kind of guy who would just string together swearwords randomly. Besides, there is so much other content in the library that his contributions may really make for an interesting change.

If I ever made some lessons, I probably could not come up with the kind of stories Paul has in mind. I’m just not the type of guy who could pull off that kind of language and make it sound natural, which, however, does not mean that I don’t know these words.

And, yes, I swear too but I prefer to do so in my privacy :wink:

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Putting it to Advanced 2 and add a short remark in the description should by fine in my opinion.

“I keep telling him that people don’t really talk like this but he insists that he wants to learn “real German” and somehow he must think that the way Bushido and Co talk is the “real German” (if that were the case I’d readily give up my native tongue).”
That is my experience too. Sometimes I don’t know if it is more funny or strange. I made a lesson about this topic. The main problem is that you have to have a real high level in a language before you can use slang and swear words correctly. So such lessons are definitely and not only for the protection of children an Advanced 2 lesson.

“I also remember some lessons talking about sexual orientation and homosexuality and so forth.”
This not a problem for me at all.

“Personally, I would not be against it as long as you are not endorsing any acts of violence, drug use etc.”
I agree, and want to add that insulting minorities for example handicapped people is a problem for me too and not acceptable.

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@Robert - "He even once greeted my father with “Hey, Alter, was geht ab?”

Laughed my head off! At least he didn’t ask how’s it hangin’!

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@Paul - I’ll be sure to scan the text before listening to them, to determine whether they contain vulgarities, or whatever. Then I can choose whether I want to study the lesson or not.

Thanks for the heads-up ^^

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ad Julz (…) … At least he didn’t ask how’s it hangin’! (…)

LOL The effect was almost the same though.

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Another thing with swearwords and taboo language is that they are often translated incorrectly. It is not enough to just look up words in a dictionary, you NEED to consider how and when words are actually used in the target language.

A typical example is the English expression: “you son of a b.tch”. In the German versions of Hollywood movies they usually translate that as “Du H.rensohn!”. This is COMPLETELY wrong. The German expression has a totally different connotation and is MUCH stronger than the English version.

Obviously, they just looked up the meaning for “b.tch” (not the one referring to the female dog ;-)) and then thought ok, “son” means “Sohn”, so if I put together “b-tch” and “son” then I get “H-rensohn”.

The appropriate German term for “son of a bitch” would be more along the lines of “Mistkerl”.

The funniest “translation” I have come across in a movie so far was “Säurekopf” for “acid head” in Coppola’s “Apocalypse now”. Using a wrong expression, ok, but coming up with a word that does not even exist in German …lol

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