My answer now is different than it would have been in the past.
Safe travel? That can change in an instant and is unpredictable. I guess that was always true, but the pandemic and the ripples effect that I expect to grow exponentially will result in things that I know that I cannot imagine. It is not safe to travel now. Borders can close down too quickly. I have some beliefs about how things are going to go down and they are not in agreement with Western media's professed predictions. I will keep them to myself for now.
I care more about what I WANT than what I "should" right now. That is new for me. It is not that I am joining the bandwagon of increased selfishness going on around me, but just hoping to reap the most from my work that is possible. Immediate gratification is certain. Sacrificing for future payoffs that are promised for obedience to "should" have not panned out. Life is too short to waste being fooled into wasting it for the benefits of someone else's agendas, again and again and again. Been there. Done that. Trying something new.
Things can change. Things can change fast. Things can change a lot.
So ...
1. Do I want to learn the language because it makes me feel better in some way to do that TODAY? Right this moment. Not because the HOPE makes me happy.
2. Do I have access to the materials that I need to learn THIS language at the level that I am studying TODAY? I use very different types of resources to learn different languages. Looking ahead MIGHT be useful; it also might not be useful at all. Things go out of print or no longer work after a technology change that is forced upon us with no warning. And new things pop up when we least expect them.
Maybe the world we are living in didn't change so much. Maybe it was always this way and we just didn't know. Some people are still living in pockets where little has changed. Others of us have had our lived upended. My world changed. I changed. How I choose what language to study has changed.
Factors You Consider Before Starting a New Language?
- Decidida
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- rdearman
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Re: Factors You Consider Before Starting a New Language?
None. I have never considered anything. I wanted to do it, so I started. I have frequently considered if I should continue, and often decided, no. But that is a different conversation.
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- maxalmonte14
- White Belt
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Re: Factors You Consider Before Starting a New Language?
At this point in my language learning journey I consider several things before starting to learn a language, but the main one is what can I do with the language, are there any speakers near me. After that I just go for it.
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