Postby Expugnator » Thu Nov 23, 2017 8:24 pm
I'm finally managing to tune in to the Argentinian podcast again and actually following its content (the language skills I already have, it's been mostly a matter of losing focus).
When I started Russian for real in late 2012 (practically 2013, it was November), I had 2018 in the foresight, and I though how nice it would be to be fluent by then. I didn't set any plan, and Russian was never a priority because I don't like studying it (while I do enjoy using it). And so 2018 is coming and I'm far from fluent, even though for the first time I see it's doable. Even with worse resources, my Georgian has always been better than my Russian. Now I have a concrete need for my Russian and I also think I'm finally on the right track, having reached a critical mass of semi-mastered passive vocabulary that precedes attaining basic reading fluency. So close and so far. I should feel discouraged, but I won't. I have the feeling that one year at this (slow) rhythm would be enough for reaching B2ish passive and B1-active skills, which is a solid goal for an opaque language, but I need it six months earlier, in June, less than 8 months from now. I really don't know what else to do besides what I'm already doing. I will try to book 1 class a week for practicing language islands. I really need all the travelling-related vocabulary in order to function as a productive tourist to the extent of being able to help out other Brazilians while there. Probably reading a phrasebook cover to cover, with audio, wouldn't be a bad idea. I could also add another slot for dubbed series, because these tend to be more productive for learning than native series, even those I have double subtitles for. Plus writing practice on those islands, on italki. Yet I don't feel like giving up on any other activity right now for the sake of it, for reasons I've mentioned already. Moreover, Russian is a language that was and is hard to stick in my mind, and I am not convinced that doing more minutres of study a day (other than my usual 40 min mon-fri) will make my learning any faster, because I think my brain needs chronological time to learn and accept Russian, after all the struggle of those years. For now, I'll keep working and hoping for the best, but I'm open to everyone's suggestions.
With Mandarin I have solid reasons to be much more optimistic. I can understand a lot from translated novels, both written and audiobook. I'm getting used to native-speed reading and I'm starting to parse the sentences with a good eye for what role each expression plays in the sentence, just based on the inflection and intonation. Mandarin is a good example of a language where listening to a text being read enhances its comprehension overall. With native series i'm probably slightly behind, but I think I can catch up.
Another French film for the record, Amour & Turbulences. Not bad. Now it's time for L'Apprenti Père Noël.
I totally forgot I had read the first volume of Inkheart with the Brazilian Portuguese translation, and I've been reading it in English now. Wahnsinn! No wonder the English names sounded so unfamiliar.
Better Estonian reading today. The beginning of this book sounds quite casual, with small talk and such, and it has even more dialogues than the average Agatha Christie.
This was a quite productive day. All the schedule then some more Clozemaster, though not all, and then more time for pending tasks.
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Corrections welcome for any language.