There and Back Again, A Traveling Language Log by Neil

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neilgrey
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Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2018 8:22 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC
Languages: English (N), Deutsch (B1), Français (B1), Español (A2), Svenska (A2), 日本語 (beginner), 한국어 (beginner).
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=8528
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Re: There and Back Again, A Traveling Language Log by Neil

Postby neilgrey » Wed Jul 04, 2018 8:35 pm

re: Pimsleur Korean

I've decided to put the Pimsleur audio program down for now and use Lingodeer to kickstart my Korean learning. I'm already making headway in the app and think it'll be a lot more motivating to go this route.

Once I'm better at hearing the differences in syllables, then I do plan to pick up the Pimsleur course again, but right now it feels like a futile effort, when I can't seem to commit the sound patterns to memory without another point of reference.
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neilgrey
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Location: Vancouver, BC
Languages: English (N), Deutsch (B1), Français (B1), Español (A2), Svenska (A2), 日本語 (beginner), 한국어 (beginner).
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=8528
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Re: There and Back Again, A Traveling Language Log by Neil

Postby neilgrey » Sun Jul 08, 2018 10:17 pm

Sunday Check-in: 08/07/2018

Summary:

It was a crazy week study-wise, clocking in at over 37 hours of study across 7 days! It's not my biggest week ever, but it's certainly up there.

My biggest highlight of the week was getting back into Spanish again, with 10 hours of study in the last 4 days of the week. I had 5 tutorial sessions on Chatterbug, and although they were really difficult for me, by the last one I felt like I was starting to grasp the language again. It's going to take a lot more practice, but I think I'll have my old flow back in the next week or so.

Another highlight was picking up a few books around Strasbourg. As we're heading to Cologne tomorrow, I wanted to ensure I could stock up on the local selection. Of note is the English/French bilingual copy of "The Old Man and the Sea", as well as "Don Quijote de la Mancha" in Spanish/French. Some upcoming reading will also include "Harry Potter et la Chambre des Secrets" and "Le Petit Prince".

lang-books-sm.jpg

In terms of last weeks goals, I did reach level 3 on WaniKani, completed all my allotted live tutor sessions, and came very close to completing the Pimsleur Swedish course. I do still have 2 more Swedish lessons however, as I had to go back and redo a couple.

My latest and greatest language, Korean, really didn't get a lot of attention. I really struggled to get into the Pimsleur course, then opted to switch over to Lingodeer. The app is great, but I still need to properly work it into my day. As well, I shelled out for a physical Korean grammar book as well as one focused on Korean Culture-specific vocabulary.

I'm hoping that next week can be just as successful as this one.

Last Week's Progress:

  • Deutsch [15:32:31]
    • Chatterbug Flash Cards [6:25:18]
    • Chatterbug Lesson Prep [0:05:54]
    • Chatterbug Live Tutor [6:25:18]
  • Español [9:04:38]
    • Chatterbug Flash Cards [3:49:06]
    • Chatterbug Live Tutor [3:46:48]
    • Pimsleur Lessons 1-4 [1:47:00]
    • YouTube: Learn Spanish R's [0:29:59]
  • 日本語 [6:03:06]
    • WaniKani Lessons [2:50:21]
    • WaniKani Review [3:12:45]
  • Svenska [3:19:00]
    • Pimsleur Lessons 23-28 [3:19:00]
  • 한국어 [1:47:00]
    • Pimsleur Lessons 2, 3 [0:59:00]
    • Lingodeer [0:48:00]
  • Français [0:39:15]
    • Read: Georges le Dragon [0:30:00]
    • Read: One Punch Man [ep. 1] [0:09:15]
toggl-report-2018-july-8-sm.jpg

Next Week's Key Goals:
  • Complete Pimsleur Swedish (2 more lessons)
  • Complete Introduction and first 3 Chapters of "Integrated Korean"
  • 12 Chatterbug Live German Tutor Lessons (45 min each)
  • 5 Chatterbug Live Spanish Tutor Lessons (45 min each)
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jeff_lindqvist
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Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:52 pm
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de, es
ga, eo
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fi, yue, ro, tp, cy, kw, pt, sk
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2773
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Re: There and Back Again, A Traveling Language Log by Neil

Postby jeff_lindqvist » Mon Jul 09, 2018 9:20 pm

I like your chart! How did you create that?
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Leabhair/Greannáin léite as Gaeilge: 9 / 18
Ar an seastán oíche: Oileán an Órchiste
Duolingo - finished trees: sp/ga/de/fr/pt/it
Finnish with extra pain : 100 / 100

Llorg Blog - Wiki - Discord

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neilgrey
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Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2018 8:22 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC
Languages: English (N), Deutsch (B1), Français (B1), Español (A2), Svenska (A2), 日本語 (beginner), 한국어 (beginner).
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=8528
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Re: There and Back Again, A Traveling Language Log by Neil

Postby neilgrey » Tue Jul 10, 2018 5:01 am

jeff_lindqvist wrote:I like your chart! How did you create that?

I track all my time using an app called Toggl. Pro Tip: it looks like you have to pay for it, but if you just sign up from the homepage, you can use the "basic" plan for free "forever".

I'm looking for an alternative one that's open source, but for now this is the most convenient.
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neilgrey
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Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2018 8:22 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC
Languages: English (N), Deutsch (B1), Français (B1), Español (A2), Svenska (A2), 日本語 (beginner), 한국어 (beginner).
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=8528
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Re: There and Back Again, A Traveling Language Log by Neil

Postby neilgrey » Wed Jul 18, 2018 11:13 am

Weekly Check-in: 18/07/2018

Summary:

What a roller coaster last week was. I'm a bit delayed this week getting my Sunday Check-In written, but you can only move forward!

We spent the week in Cologne and I got super bogged down in work & study. We spent the Saturday we were there exploring the city's attractions, but thankfully there wasn't a ton of stuff on our list, as I spent most days in front of my laptop at the kitchen table in our Airbnb.

I really overdid it with the live tutor lessons last week, getting in 12.75 hours, but being totally burnt out / mentally exhausted by about Thursday. Hence, not getting an update out on Sunday night. On Monday, it was our last day in Germany for this trip, so I definitely had a few "why am I studying German again?" moments; fortunately I pulled through and this week is already off on a better foot.

Overall, I didn't get as much studying in as the previous week's 37+ hours, but did get it over 31 which I think is still a very respectable number to hit. Almost 60% of that time was spent on German, 23% went to Spanish, and the others didn't really get much attention, with the remaining 17% split amongst them.

Right now I'm still happily plugging away at WaniKani a few hours a week to get some Japanese hours in, but my Korean and Swedish study are at a total standstill. I really need a simple repeatable plan to get those back into my daily schedule.

One side note, I figured out how to get the answer key for the Integrated Korean textbook. You have to create a "self-study" account on the textbook company's website, then pay them $10USD to get access. That felt like a bit of a cheap-shot to the gut to me.

Last Week's Progress:

  • Deutsch [18:36:36]
    • Chatterbug Flash Cards [9:19:59]
    • Chatterbug Lesson Prep [0:13:16]
    • Chatterbug Live Tutor [9:03:21]
  • Español [7:17:18]
    • Chatterbug Flash Cards [3:09:17]
    • Chatterbug Lesson Prep [0:11:39]
    • Chatterbug Live Tutor [3:48:00]
    • Review Spanish Notebook [0:08:22]
  • Français [0:31:00]
    • Chatterbug Flash Cards [0:31:00]
  • 한국어 [2:15:54]
    • Integrated Korean Textbook [1:44:54]
    • Lingodeer [0:31:00]
  • 日本語 [1:58:40]
    • WaniKani Lessons [0:01:06]
    • WaniKani Review [1:57:34]
  • Svenska [0:24:00]
    • Pimsleur Lesson 29 [0:24:00]
summary-july-15th.jpg

Next Week's Key Goals:
  • Complete Pimsleur Swedish (1 more new lesson, but need to repeat last 3, so 4 total)
  • Reach WaniKani Level 4
  • Complete Introduction and first 3 Chapters of "Integrated Korean"
  • 8 Chatterbug Live German Tutor Lessons (45 min each)
  • 2 Chatterbug Live Spanish Tutor Lessons (45 min each)

Question For Readers:
  • Anyone have a good resource for mastering Korean pronunciation?
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mihaivancea
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Joined: Wed Nov 15, 2017 8:59 pm
Languages: Romanian (N)
English (C2)
French (B2-C1)
German (A2-B1)
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Re: There and Back Again, A Traveling Language Log by Neil

Postby mihaivancea » Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:01 pm

Nice to see another Chatterbug fan. Btw, do you have the unlimited plan? Your weekly number of live lessons is impressive.
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neilgrey
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Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Jun 29, 2018 8:22 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC
Languages: English (N), Deutsch (B1), Français (B1), Español (A2), Svenska (A2), 日本語 (beginner), 한국어 (beginner).
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=8528
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Re: There and Back Again, A Traveling Language Log by Neil

Postby neilgrey » Sun Oct 20, 2019 1:07 am

Well, it's been over a year since my last check-in and since then my progress has been all over the map. I got myself up to a B2 level in German around last December, then put that language down for a while to spend a few months on Spanish, French, and Swedish.

While I have put in almost 700 hours of study this year, I've lacked any real structure or goals, so I don't know that I've felt a real sense of accomplishment.

Starting tomorrow, I'm launching into a 15-week, 600 hour challenge, where I'm looking to get my Swedish up to B2+. I'll be focusing solely on one language and will have specific targets along the way to keep me in check.

I'll be posting a weekly check-in here on this thread and will have daily videos on my Youtube channel, in Swedish, but with English subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTwjJh ... -32740FexQ

Now that I've lined up my resources and have a schedule, it's time to execute. :ugeek:
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