Output Challenge 2015/2016 Discussion

[Radioclare]

It kinda feels like there is no point though? Because I'm so far behind I can't even pretend I'm going to hit 50 000 words if I recommit today. The challenge has been a great idea but personally I have found the target quite overwhelming

[rdearman]

It kinda feels like there is no point though? Because I'm so far behind I can't even pretend I'm going to hit 50 000 words if I recommit today. The challenge has been a great idea but personally I have found the target quite overwhelming

Brings up a good point. Should I start the Output Challenge for 2016 on the 1st of January? Or run concurrent with the Super Challenge schedule?

[Radioclare]

It would be good to get lots of other people's views, but I think a 1 January start might be good. It would enable us to get off to a flying start when we're still full of enthusiasm for our New Year Resolutions

[tomgosse]

The November Mini-Challenge is to write/record a speech. Use this link: http://www.ratespeeches.com/t=Speech-Topics to generate random topics for a speech. Write and/or record a 5 or 10 minutes speech based on one of the topics. Speech must be in your target language!

As always if this months challenge doesn't float your boat, then you can always return to one of the other mini-challenges and either do it again, or try some of the example exercises from the first post of this thread. Good luck everyone!
Come on people! I know you are doing output challanges out there! Lets see some. Show us the YouTube video, or the lang-8 link to your writing.

Should we post the links to our projects here ? I have a very short essay that I will record tomorrow on Soundcloud.

It took me all yesterday afternoon to write it because I first wrote it in English and then translated it to French. I'm not at a point where I can think in French first and then put it down on paper.

[rdearman]

The November Mini-Challenge is to write/record a speech. Use this link: http://www.ratespeeches.com/t=Speech-Topics to generate random topics for a speech. Write and/or record a 5 or 10 minutes speech based on one of the topics. Speech must be in your target language!

As always if this months challenge doesn't float your boat, then you can always return to one of the other mini-challenges and either do it again, or try some of the example exercises from the first post of this thread. Good luck everyone!
Come on people! I know you are doing output challanges out there! Lets see some. Show us the YouTube video, or the lang-8 link to your writing.

Should we post the links to our projects here ? I have a very short essay that I will record tomorrow on Soundcloud.

It took me all yesterday afternoon to write it because I first wrote it in English and then translated it to French. I'm not at a point where I can think in French first and then put it down on paper.

Yes please, post away!!!

[Spoonary]

It would be good to get lots of other people's views, but I think a 1 January start might be good. It would enable us to get off to a flying start when we're still full of enthusiasm for our New Year Resolutions

I definitely agree with this. I always think if something is going to be a year long, why not start in January and end in December? It just feels more logical.

I hope I have the courage to try again next year. I really think the output challenge is a great idea and goodness knows I need the practice.

[Elenia]

I also think that a January start would be great. I started the challenge late any way, but a January start would give more flexibility.

[tomgosse]

Here is my very, very short essay. I have not recorded it yet because when I read it out loud I sound horrible.

Jour du Souvenir
Ce mois nous célébrer l’armistice de 1918 (mille neuf cents dix-huit). À la onzième heure dans le matin le onzième jour, du onzième mois, l’Allies et Allemande ont signé un armistice.
Au Royaume-Uni et Canada, il est connu comme Remembrance Day.
Dans de nombreuses parties du monde, les gens observent un moment de silence à 11h00 en signe de respect pour les quelque 20 millions de personnes qui sont morts dans la guerre.

Armistice Day
This month we celebrate Armistice Day. On the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, at 11 o'clock in the morning an armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany. This ended hostilities on the Western Front.
In the United Kingdom, and Canada it is known as Remembrance Day.
In many parts of the world, people observe a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. as a sign of respect for the roughly 20 million people who died in the war.

I had a hard time writing this. First of all, I had to fight the temptation to use an automatic translator. Get behind me Google! Then, I tried to write in French of the top of my head. That didn't work, so I wrote it in English and slowly translated with the aid of a dictionary and grammar book. It was an all day project. My head was spinning by the end of Friday.

This is one of my greatest challenges, thinking and writing in French. When I use programs such as Duolingo I'm pretty good at translating the French to English, but not so good the other way around. Often when I see a French word in a lesson I will think, that's something I should use. Then when I sit down to write French I never get beyond, "Je m'appelle Tom. Je suis au Massachusetts."

If I practice reading this out loud this afternoon, and get my courage up, I may record it and add it to this post.

[steyyan]

I'd prefer a January start as well, that would mean ~1000 words per week instead of ~1250 words. I intend to focus on German next year (to even out the huge gap between my active and passive skills), and this would be a good way to do so.

[sfuqua]

Sorry if I'm butting in here; I'm not a part of the current challenge.

What if the Output Challenge were changed to something like this:

10 000 words written, 100 100 word essays (about the right size for lang-8)
5 000 minutes speaking, 100 50 minute output sessions.

Maybe this suggestions shows that I'm lazy or that I don't like writing. Please ignore my suggestion if it is unwelcome. I suspect some of you are much more hardcore than I am