Arabic in bite-sized parts (now with doses of JP & RU)

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Zireael
Orange Belt
Posts: 158
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 6:29 pm
Languages: Native: Polish
C2: English
B2: Spanish
Somewhere I don't know: German
Beginner: Arabic, Polish Sign Language
Wanderlusting: Japanese, Russian
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=815
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Re: Arabic in bite-sized parts (now with doses of JP & RU)

Postby Zireael » Wed Mar 22, 2017 7:29 am

Traineeship getting close to an end. I redoubled my efforts to find a job - decided to pick up Java as a programming language.

I had 0 contact with Arabic in the last few months, but I managed to keep following Noriaki's blog (via GT of course).

Yesterday I asked around on a Japanese-English Discord channel for sports pages and got directed to a couple, so I started up Learning With Texts and put in an article about Raw Air. Then I put in Noriaki's latest blog entry. Turns out I can recognize a couple more kanji on sight such as 位 which means place. And I can sorta read katakana now, given how often it's used in the blog (every time a non-Japanese ski jumper gets mentioned, which is often, as Nori often comments on the other jumpers).

I wish I had more to report on Russian, but all the sites I managed to spot were full of the usual libellous articles where the EU, Poland, Ukraine etc. are concerned. I suspect the sport sites won't be any better due to doping scandals the Russians are mired in. Any tips?
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Zireael
Orange Belt
Posts: 158
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 6:29 pm
Languages: Native: Polish
C2: English
B2: Spanish
Somewhere I don't know: German
Beginner: Arabic, Polish Sign Language
Wanderlusting: Japanese, Russian
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=815
x 77

Re: Arabic in bite-sized parts (now with doses of JP & RU)

Postby Zireael » Fri Mar 24, 2017 6:11 pm

That Japanese sports page is a goldsend.
Can you believe I read and understood a news note without resorting to GT or Rikaisama? ^.^

http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/1797258.html

Kasai Noriaki 4th, Ito 11th, Takeuchi 27th in ski [jumping] world cup
Men's ski [jumping] world cup 25 individual <something1> on the 24th, Slovenia, Planica, HS (Hill Size) = 225 meters

Flying hill <something>, 24 <something1> 2nd place <something> world cup's oldest competitor podium record <something in past tense> 44<something-years old?> Kasai Noriaki (Tsuchiya Home) totaled 453,3 points, <took> 2nd place.

1st round, 221 metres and 8th place <something in past tense>, 2nd round 235,5 metres <verb> position <uplifted?>. Stefan Kraft (Austria) with 243 metres, 240.5 m totaled 490,2 points and won for the 7th time this season, <something> 11th time <something>.

Ito Daiki (<something something mi-ru-ku>) was 11th with 427.5 points, Takeuchi Taku (North <something something> with 387.9 points was 27th. 2nd round <something something> Kobayashi Ryoyu (Tsuchiya Home) took 34th place.
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Zireael
Orange Belt
Posts: 158
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 6:29 pm
Languages: Native: Polish
C2: English
B2: Spanish
Somewhere I don't know: German
Beginner: Arabic, Polish Sign Language
Wanderlusting: Japanese, Russian
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=815
x 77

Re: Arabic in bite-sized parts (now with doses of JP & RU)

Postby Zireael » Sat Mar 24, 2018 4:00 pm

Loong time no see.

I have a job now (since half a year). The only time I really can devote to language learning is the weekends.

Contact with Arabic has gone from minimal to zero (Sarah is now married and in Nigeria, which means the timezones conspire to keep us from chatting on FB) so I've focused mostly on the other two. Russian sites that are sensible are very difficult to find, so I stuck to Japanese.

I mostly do it via GT-translating Nori's blog. Occasionally I drop the text, if it turns out to be interesting, in LWT and then go through it with a fine-tooth comb to spot any kanji that I know. While I was using Mecab to insert spaces at first, I have recently found the courage to do away with the tedious "run script, fix bad spaces" part and just dump raw Japanese texts in. The biggest text I have in LWT now is an Asahi article on Kasai that was released during the Pyeongchang Olympics. It's around 500 characters long, but many of those are kana (people names, place names etc.). My kana isn't that brilliant, so the added practice is worth it!
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MamaPata
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Languages: English (N), French (C1*), Russian (B1), Spanish (B1).

Long lost: Arabic and Latin.
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3004
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Re: Arabic in bite-sized parts (now with doses of JP & RU)

Postby MamaPata » Sat Mar 24, 2018 4:26 pm

What sort of Russian sites are you interested in?
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Corrections appreciated.

Zireael
Orange Belt
Posts: 158
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 6:29 pm
Languages: Native: Polish
C2: English
B2: Spanish
Somewhere I don't know: German
Beginner: Arabic, Polish Sign Language
Wanderlusting: Japanese, Russian
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=815
x 77

Re: Arabic in bite-sized parts (now with doses of JP & RU)

Postby Zireael » Sat Mar 24, 2018 5:58 pm

MamaPata wrote:What sort of Russian sites are you interested in?


Sports (basically anything, football, basketball, ski jumping, F1, whatever) and computer games. I'd like to avoid politics, so current events and any such are out. Maybe there is some 'dummy's guide to Russian' similar to NHK Easy? Or kiddies' stories?
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MamaPata
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Posts: 1019
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2016 9:25 am
Location: London
Languages: English (N), French (C1*), Russian (B1), Spanish (B1).

Long lost: Arabic and Latin.
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3004
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Re: Arabic in bite-sized parts (now with doses of JP & RU)

Postby MamaPata » Sat Mar 24, 2018 8:00 pm

Zireael wrote:
MamaPata wrote:What sort of Russian sites are you interested in?


Sports (basically anything, football, basketball, ski jumping, F1, whatever) and computer games. I'd like to avoid politics, so current events and any such are out. Maybe there is some 'dummy's guide to Russian' similar to NHK Easy? Or kiddies' stories?


I admit, you have me there. I don't really read anything about sport or computers in any language! Might be worth asking in the Russian Study Group, I know a few other learners are interested and might have suggestions.
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