'What are some success stories of learners studying a category 5 language?''
FSI categories are for English speakers.
It would be interesting to discuss Category 5 from my perspective. Perhaps I will do so in my log soon.
Korean&ChineseSome Achievements・Currently C2+ level in both.
・Chinese: Passed HSK 6 in less than 4 months. Not satisfied with HSK standards, passed TOCFL/C2 5 months later, everything through self-study.
・Korean: Certified TOPIK II/Level 6 in a year through self-study.
・Former translator and interpreter for:
Chinese <-> Korean,
Chinese & Korean <-> Japanese, Spanish, Russian, and German.
I've extensively worked in both academic and business domains, for both general and more experts audience, and varying formality levels.
I'm no longer a professional translator and interpreter, but I've specialized in IT. That said, I've also worked for government officials throughout my career. So, I'm also well versed in law (criminal law, international law, contract law, property law etc), using Chinese and Korean <-> languages above.
--Some of the resources:
・HSK
HSK 1 and 2 books: a few hours.
HSK 3 book: 1 week.
HSK 4 book: 1 week.
HSK 5 book: 2 weeks.
HSK 6 books: 1 month.
I did the whole HSK series 1-6 while working full-time (40 hours + overtime) and having private commitments.
・TOCFL materials.
I did this series from textbooks 1 to 6. I can't recall how many words I have learned, but I'd estimate that I have roughly learned and reviewed 8000 words. I remember using my own Anki for both HSK and TOCFL, with audio and translations in either English or Japanese, pictures etc.
・TOPIK
Did little preparation for TOPIK. Learning Korean was very straightforward for me because some similarities or structures resemble Japanese syntax or morphology.
I've used a lot of native resources for both formal and informal variants, and I did everything I needed for all skills: listening, reading, speaking, writing, translation and interpretation.
--use of tutors and/or teachers
I've been using tutors and teachers to maintain my speaking, writing, translation, and interpretation skills. Excellent professional translators and interpreters have trained me in Korean and Chinese languages.
I'm no longer a professional translator and interpreter, but such skill helps keep my brain healthy and active; it prepares me to have fast thinking and response and keep thinking across languages. For example, Chinese <-> Japanese, English, Spanish, Korean, and recently Russian and German. It even helps and can be transferred when doing other activities such as programming. When I think about, how I'd solve the coding problem by using another programming language.
I get some feedback from time to time on my writing skills. Most of the time, they advise me on changing the style accordingly to the audience. It is not about grammar mistakes etc. I've received valuable feedback
--if you were in TL country or elsewhere.
No.