zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

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zenmonkey
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2528
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:21 pm
Location: California, Germany and France
Languages: Spanish, English, French trilingual - German (B2/C1) on/off study: Persian, Hebrew, Tibetan, Setswana.
Some knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, Ladino, Yiddish ...
Want to tackle Tzotzil, Nahuatl
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=859
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Where the monkey scrapes by the skin of his teeth

Postby zenmonkey » Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:27 pm

I've been waiting for the results of my B2 test for a few weeks - and was dreading the response - so I didn't call the center to ask them about the delay and the results. But they called and asked me to come and pick up my 'Zertifikat B2'.

Well, that sounds like good news, right?

I dropped by after work and received the news. I PASSED THE B2. I scraped by with a 'pass' score and certainly nothing that allows me to say I have a strong basis for the C1 but I got it. Woo!

And now with that period of limbo over, I have to start towards my new goals - taking the C1 by July 2018. (I gave myself 12 months.) Clearly my weakest point continues to be writing. Not surprising when 95% of my learning fun and energy is around listening and speaking. Time to focus!
18 x
I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar

DaveBee
Blue Belt
Posts: 952
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2016 8:49 pm
Location: UK
Languages: English (native). French (studying).
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... =15&t=7466
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Re: Where the monkey scrapes by the skin of his teeth

Postby DaveBee » Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:30 pm

zenmonkey wrote:I've been waiting for the results of my B2 test for a few weeks - and was dreading the response - so I didn't call the center to ask them about the delay and the results. But they called and asked me to come and pick up my 'Zertifikat B2'.

Well, that sounds like good news, right?

I dropped by after work and received the news. I PASSED THE B2. I scraped by with a 'pass' score and certainly nothing that allows me to say I have a strong basis for the C1 but I got it. Woo!

And now with that period of limbo over, I have to start towards my new goals - taking the C1 by July 2018. (I gave myself 12 months.) Clearly my weakest point continues to be writing. Not surprising when 95% of my learning fun and energy is around listening and speaking. Time to focus!
Congratulations! :-)
1 x

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Brun Ugle
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2273
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 12:48 pm
Location: Steinkjer, Norway
Languages: English (N), Norwegian (~C1/C2), Spanish (B1/B2), German (A2/B1?), Japanese (very rusty)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=11484
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby Brun Ugle » Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:22 pm

Good job!!!
1 x

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neofight78
Blue Belt
Posts: 539
Joined: Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:02 pm
Location: Novosibirsk, Russia
Languages: English (N), Russian (B2+), Spanish (A0)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=833
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby neofight78 » Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:50 pm

Nice one! Reaching B2 and proving it by passing the exam is no mean feat. Wishing you the best of luck in your quest for C1 :D
1 x

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zenmonkey
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2528
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:21 pm
Location: California, Germany and France
Languages: Spanish, English, French trilingual - German (B2/C1) on/off study: Persian, Hebrew, Tibetan, Setswana.
Some knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, Ladino, Yiddish ...
Want to tackle Tzotzil, Nahuatl
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=859
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Contact:

Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby zenmonkey » Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:56 pm

Thanks you all!
I have to not beat myself from the results, when I was expecting worse.
I've been putting off serious 'this is the way to C1' study for the last month, now I have no excuses. :lol:
1 x
I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar

gsbod
Blue Belt
Posts: 839
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 3:22 pm
Location: UK
Languages: English (native)
German (advanced)
French (intermediate)
Japanese (intermediate)
Spanish (learning)
Language Log: viewtopic.php?t=1152
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby gsbod » Thu Jun 29, 2017 5:33 pm

Congratulations!

I look forward to following you up that hill to C1!
1 x

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jeff_lindqvist
Black Belt - 3rd Dan
Posts: 3135
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:52 pm
Languages: sv, en
de, es
ga, eo
---
fi, yue, ro, tp, cy, kw, pt, sk
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2773
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby jeff_lindqvist » Thu Jun 29, 2017 5:38 pm

Wow, impressive!
1 x
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Ar an seastán oíche: Oileán an Órchiste
Duolingo - finished trees: sp/ga/de/fr/pt/it
Finnish with extra pain : 100 / 100

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zenmonkey
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2528
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:21 pm
Location: California, Germany and France
Languages: Spanish, English, French trilingual - German (B2/C1) on/off study: Persian, Hebrew, Tibetan, Setswana.
Some knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, Ladino, Yiddish ...
Want to tackle Tzotzil, Nahuatl
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=859
x 7030
Contact:

5S

Postby zenmonkey » Fri Jun 30, 2017 12:23 pm

Packing my bags for this weekend in France and I'm probably taking too much learning material - but I like to keep my material at hand. I guess I need to make a packing list because I'm always hunting for stuff. Maybe I should keep a front page of my writing journal with my material list.

German - just a Deustch Perfekt magazines and the C1 workbook. Movies, cards are all virtual. Leaving the Fremdsprache and ASSIMIL book behind.
Portuguese - ASSIMIL and everything else (TV series) is virtual. Leaving behind the Agatha Christie books.
Hebrew - ASSIMIL & Hebrew from Scratch. Leaving Living Language behind.

This reminds me of the 5S methodology for the work area: SORT, SET, SHINE, STANDARDIZE, SUSTAIN.
5S stands for two sets of words: one in Japanese and one in English. They are:

Seiri – Sort
Seiton – Set in Order
Seiso – Shine
Seiketsu – Standardize
Shitsuke – Sustain

I do spend time sorting my material, making sure it is in place and accessible, I'm less than perfect to the 'shine' part, my work area is 'a little' messy :shock: but a lot of the tools are absolutely standardised - mostly use the same methods across languages. Sustain? Well, on and off.

I should look into being more aggressive on the 5S method and do things like 'red tagging' where things absolutely not needed for learning (the task at hand) are pushed away.

Portuguese
● Assimil
● 1001 phrases
● Daredevil
: 7 / 100
: 1 / 1001
: 17 / 26
● Writing
● tandem sessions
● duolingo
: 0 / 100
: 0 / 50
: 3 / 15
Hebrew
● from Scratch
● Assimil
● Living Language
: 55 / 480
: 17 / 85
: 2 / 8
● Podcast 101
● FSI
● duolingo
: 8 / 200
: 4 / 530
: 2 / 15
German
● Lingvist
● Podcast hours
● Books
: 755 / 3000
: 3 / 100
: 2 / 50
● Writing
● tandem sessions
● duolingo
: 5 / 100
: 1 / 50
: 14 / 15
2 x
I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar

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Jar-Ptitsa
Brown Belt
Posts: 1000
Joined: Sun Jul 19, 2015 1:13 pm
Location: London
Languages: Belgian French (N)

I can speak: Dutch, German, English, Spanish and understand Italian, Portuguese, Wallonian, Afrikaans, but not always correctly.
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Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby Jar-Ptitsa » Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:53 pm

Hola eugenio : ¿qué tal?

hace muy buen tiempo aquí - estoy sentada en el jardín. quizás haga el mismo en Francia. el agosto o setiembre que viene vamos a Belgica una semana. viajamos siempre con el coche y son unos quinientos kilómetros.
1 x
-w- I am Jar-ptitsa and my Hawaiian name is ʻā ʻaia. Please correct my mistakes in all the languages. Thank you very much.
: 1 / 50 Spanish grammar
: 5 / 50 Spanish vocabulary

User avatar
zenmonkey
Black Belt - 2nd Dan
Posts: 2528
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:21 pm
Location: California, Germany and France
Languages: Spanish, English, French trilingual - German (B2/C1) on/off study: Persian, Hebrew, Tibetan, Setswana.
Some knowledge of Italian, Portuguese, Ladino, Yiddish ...
Want to tackle Tzotzil, Nahuatl
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=859
x 7030
Contact:

Re: zenmonkey's multilingual adventures of a traveller

Postby zenmonkey » Mon Jul 03, 2017 9:25 am

vogeltje wrote:Hola eugenio : ¿qué tal?

hace muy buen tiempo aquí - estoy sentada en el jardín. quizás haga el mismo en Francia. el agosto o setiembre que viene vamos a Belgica una semana. viajamos siempre con el coche y son unos quinientos kilómetros.


HOLA!! El tiempo estuvo casi perfecto este fin de semana - bueno menos los momentos de lluvia :lol: Disfruta de tu semana de vacaciones!




It's maybe post polyglot conference effect, it's maybe summer, it's maybe I've lost a screw, or fell for the marketing trap, but for the italki diversity challenge (https://www.italki.com/languagechallenge) I'm adding a language (or getting back to a language - can I say that if I've never actually studied it?). The challenge has a few languages I'm interested in and for the next month, I plan to to take 8-12 lessons in Tibetan - a close cousin to my target Ladakhi. I found a teacher that actually knows about the relationship and may be able to help on the approach.

So July expectations - German continues with the start of C1 study (and the closure of so open stuff there), Portuguese which is just a joy to learn, Hebrew as my opaque conquest and the Tibetan intro.

For the next four weeks - I want to start using my log to write more in target languages, something I do too little. But a few concrete goals:

German close off the duolingo tree - almost there, should be possible to finish it and put it to gold. Get Lingvist to 1500 words (double the current level). Finish off my Sprachlernen book. Finish off Assimil. Closing all those open items will let me focus mentally.

Hebrew just keep chugging along with my lessons and complete 8 this month. Stay on top of Anki, practice reading.

Portuguese I'll certainly finish the Daredevil series. I'll start something else and shoot for 20+ hrs this month. I should be able to complete 24 lessons in ASSIMIL. Duolingo daily.

Tibetan Let's shoot for those 8-12 lessons - learn the alphabet. See what comes...

It's a lot. But it is the summer, where I usually have some sort of project anyway. Let's see how realistic this is!
5 x
I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar


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