I'm not sure, and that's fine
A short in Serbian text at level B1. The translation sits next to it: reading with a dictionary is still too early at this level, and without support it will not happen at all. For a long time I felt awkward saying 'I don't know' at meetings. It seemed to me that doubt meant weakness and that…
Text
- Дуго ми је било непријатно да кажем «не знам» на састанку. Чинило ми се да сумња значи слабост и да сви очекују сигуран одговор. Онда ми је старији колега рекао: «Тешко да ико зна све, а погрешна сигурност кошта више од сумње». Од тада, кад нисам сигуран, кажем то наглас и тражим још један извор. Испоставило се да ме због тога више питају за мишљење, а не мање.Dugo mi je bilo neprijatno da kažem «ne znam» na sastanku. Činilo mi se da sumnja znači slabost i da svi očekuju siguran odgovor. Onda mi je stariji kolega rekao: «Teško da iko zna sve, a pogrešna sigurnost košta više od sumnje». Od tada, kad nisam siguran, kažem to naglas i tražim još jedan izvor. Ispostavilo se da me zbog toga više pitaju za mišljenje, a ne manje.For a long time I felt awkward saying 'I don't know' at meetings. It seemed to me that doubt meant weakness and that everyone expected a confident answer. Then a senior colleague told me: 'Hardly anyone knows everything, and false confidence costs more than doubt.' Since then, when I'm not sure, I say so out loud and look for one more source. It turned out that because of this I'm asked for my opinion more, not less.
Comprehension questions
The questions are asked in Russian on purpose: we test your understanding of the text, not your ability to read the question.
- What did the narrator feel awkward doing for a long time?
- What did doubt mean to him back then?
- What did the senior colleague say?
- How did it all turn out?
Frequently asked
What level do you need to read this text in Serbian?
B1. That means: you know the letters and have a stock of everyday words — about two or three hundred.
How to read a text in an unfamiliar language usefully?
First all the way through without peeking at the translation — just to catch the familiar words. Then with the translation. Then all the way through again: the second pass brings noticeably more, and that feeling matters more than any rule.