2024/25 Super Challenge Registration Thread

Ongoing language-learning challenges, and team challenge logs (but not individual logs)
jeffers
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Location: UK
Languages: Speaks: English (N), Hindi (A2-B1)

Learning: The above, plus French (A2-B1), German (A1), Ancient Greek (?), Sanskrit (beginner)
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2024/25 Super Challenge Registration Thread

Postby jeffers » Thu Apr 18, 2024 6:02 am

Welcome to the Super Challenge 2024/2025!!!

The challenge is on between May 1st 2024 and December 31st 2025. It begins and ends at midnight your local time.

As before, the 2024/2025 challenge entails:
- 100 films (90 minutes each)
- 100 books (50 pages each)
- in 20 months

- You can do a half challenge which would entail 50 books, 50 films
- You can sign up with multiple languages (regardless of challenge type). You can also choose to do language families.
- Registering with your native language is not allowed (apart from tracking the items symbolically as "1 page" or "1 minute")
Feel free use a social tracking website or your log. You can also join an external challenge.

To register, you state:
Language:
Challenge: (full, half, double)
Current level:
Comments, links: Any comments you feel like adding as to your reasons for the choice of language, type of challenge or material or your expectations for the outcome.


The template is repeated in this thread's second post.

NB: PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS THE THREAD ONLY FOR REGISTRATION, UPDATING YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS AND FOR GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOUR FELLOW SUPER CHALLENGERS.
For discussions about the rules or the interpretations of them, please go to the Super Challenge discussion thread.



Quick reminders:
- The full challenge goal is to read 100 books and watch 100 films.
- 50 pages of reading totals to 1 book. 90 minutes of watching/listening totals to 1 film.
- If you just have 5 books and 5 films then you read them 20 times. Though my guess is that by the time you have read/seen them 5 times, you WILL get other films or books.
- A film counts even if you see it with subtitles in your native language or vice versa (in your own language but with TL subtitles). If both subtitles and audio is in a non-native language you have to choose which language you want to count. The same goes for the LR method (Listening-Reading).
- If it lasts approximately 45 minutes (a show/series) it counts as half a film. If it lasts more than three hours it counts as two films. The bot counts 90 minutes for a film.
- Any film, TV show, video, or recorded spoken audio can count as a film. Just record the number of minutes.
- You can do fiction or any other material – a documentary on whales, or a book about gardening works just as well as a novel.
- With parallel texts, remember not to count your native language. Usually this means counting 50% of the total text, or a bit less if there are explanations in your L1. If the text is in two non-native languages, you can count it as a half for each.
- If you need to work out the number of pages for something, 250 words per page is a general guide.
- A manga counts as 5 manga pages = 1 book page.
- Poetry/librettos count as 1/3 of a page
- For a children's book with large letters, pictures and few words on every page you count 5 pages as one page. When in doubt, use your best judgement.
- You can be at any level when the challenge starts.
- The material covered for this challenge can be counted and done in parallel with any other challenge.
- If you want to join later than May 1st 2024 you are welcome to do so.
19 x
"Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien" (roughly, the perfect is the enemy of the good)
"Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano."

Nuovissimo progetto italiano 1a: 10 / 100 10/100%
Nuovissimo progetto italiano 1b: 4 / 100 4/100%

jeffers
Brown Belt
Posts: 1033
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Location: UK
Languages: Speaks: English (N), Hindi (A2-B1)

Learning: The above, plus French (A2-B1), German (A1), Ancient Greek (?), Sanskrit (beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=19785
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Re: 2024/25 Super Challenge Registration Thread

Postby jeffers » Thu Apr 18, 2024 6:06 am

To register, you state:
Language:
Challenge: (full, half, double)
Current level:
Comments, links:
5 x
"Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien" (roughly, the perfect is the enemy of the good)
"Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano."

Nuovissimo progetto italiano 1a: 10 / 100 10/100%
Nuovissimo progetto italiano 1b: 4 / 100 4/100%

Nicola
White Belt
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 5:43 am
Location: Germany
Languages: English (N), German (C2) Danish (intermediate)
x 51

Re: 2024/25 Super Challenge Registration Thread

Postby Nicola » Thu Apr 18, 2024 6:14 am

I'm planning to do the same challenge as last time before the bot went down:

Language: Danish
Challenge: Double
Current level: B2
Comments: I've taken part in several super challenges in the past and have seen my level increase considerably

Language: German
Challenge: Full
Current level: C2
Comments: Although I live in Germany, my German tends to be neglected
17 x
Danish Films: 6281 / 18000
Danish Books: 4016 / 10000
German Films: 3043 / 9000
German Books: 3823 / 5000

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emk
Black Belt - 1st Dan
Posts: 1744
Joined: Sat Jul 18, 2015 12:07 pm
Location: Vermont, USA
Languages: English (N), French (B2+)
Badly neglected "just for fun" languages: Middle Egyptian, Spanish.
Language Log: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=723
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Re: 2024/25 Super Challenge Registration Thread

Postby emk » Thu Apr 18, 2024 6:28 am

I've pinned the thread!

Language: Spanish
Challenge: half
Current level: :? Extremely hard to judge. I've been basically learning just the very narrow reading and listening abilities I needed to start the Challenge, while ignoring literally everything else. See my log for an explanation of this mess.
Comments, links: My Spanish log, with lots of Anki audio cards and experimental software tools.

(This is my second challenge—I did the original 10,000 page / 150 hour challenge in 2012 for French, and it was a resounding success. See my French log for a brief mention.)
13 x

jeffers
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Posts: 1033
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Location: UK
Languages: Speaks: English (N), Hindi (A2-B1)

Learning: The above, plus French (A2-B1), German (A1), Ancient Greek (?), Sanskrit (beginner)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=19785
x 3482
Contact:

Re: 2024/25 Super Challenge Registration Thread

Postby jeffers » Thu Apr 18, 2024 8:21 am

Language: French
Challenge: half
Current level: Probably a weak B1. I passed an A2 exam with high marks around 6 months ago, but I would have sat the B1 exam if I had been free when it was running. I expect I would have scraped a pass on the B1, but who knows?
Comments, links: I have done a full challenge for French every time the Super Challenge has taken place, but last SC was the first time I completed both halves of the challenge. When I was at a lower level I watched a lot of French with English subtitles, and now I regret that choice. That time spent was better than not watching, but I would have been better served by watching easier stuff with French subtitles (e.g. Peppa Pig!). This time, unless I watch something with my wife, I will try to stick to no subtitles or French subtitles, depending on the difficulty.

Language: Hindi
Challenge: half
Current level: A2 I guess.
Comments, links: I have dabbled with Hindi for an awfully long time, but I haven't done enough reading and listening to get past the basics. I started and gave up on Hindi half challenges several times, but this time I am determined to finish at least a half challenge.

Language: German
Challenge: half
Current level: A1/A2
Comments, links: Like with Hindi, I have started and given up on German half challenges several times, but this time I am determined to complete it!


Previously, I have always signed up for a full challenge in French, and half challenges in a couple other languages which then fell by the wayside because I was falling behind in French. This time I am signing up for half challenges for three languages to give me a better chance to succeed in all three. I'm looking forward to this!
17 x
"Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien" (roughly, the perfect is the enemy of the good)
"Chi va piano, va sano e va lontano."

Nuovissimo progetto italiano 1a: 10 / 100 10/100%
Nuovissimo progetto italiano 1b: 4 / 100 4/100%

Cavesa
Black Belt - 5th Dan
Posts: 5143
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2015 9:46 am
Languages: Czech (N), French (C2) English (C1), Italian (C1), Spanish, German (C1)
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Re: 2024/25 Super Challenge Registration Thread

Postby Cavesa » Thu Apr 18, 2024 9:17 am

Language: German
Challenge: double
Current level: C1
Comments, links: type of material: mainly dubbings, translations. expectations: more solid German and more comfort in using it.

Language: Italian
Challenge: double
Current level: C1
Comments, links: Type of material: at least 75% originals. Expectations: getting much closer to C2

Language: Spanish
Challenge: half
Current level: ??? used to be passive C1 and active B2, looooong ago. now rusty ruins.
Comments, links: Hoping to relearn this language.
17 x

ThebigAmateur
Posts: 8
Joined: Wed Apr 17, 2024 6:46 pm
Languages: Farsi (N), English (B1), French (A2)
x 24

Re: 2024/25 Super Challenge Registration Thread

Postby ThebigAmateur » Thu Apr 18, 2024 9:34 am

Language: French
Challenge: Full
Current level: Between B1 and B2

Comments, links: I've recently switched to native content and haven't read any proper novels yet.
If I complete the challenge in half the time (which I'm going to do), I'll do the same challenge for English as well.
16 x

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terracotta
White Belt
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2024 12:01 am
Languages: French, Italian
x 97

Re: 2024/25 Super Challenge Registration Thread

Postby terracotta » Thu Apr 18, 2024 9:48 am

Language: French
Challenge: Double
Current level: Somewhere in the B realm of the CEFR scale
Comments, links: I have read nearly 1,500 pages in French, the bulk of this from mid March onwards. This is my priority language so I guess this challenge should be relatively straightforward. The bulk of my “films” will probably be France Culture podcasts.

Language: Portuguese
Challenge: Full
Current level: Beginner
Comments, links: I hope to be able to build up my reading skills so I can read at least one of Eça de Queiroz’s novels during this challenge. For TV, RTP Play!

Language: Swedish
Challenge: Half
Current level: Advanced
Comments, links: I have no issues watching TV shows or listening to audiobooks, so the listening bit of the challenge should be OK. I haven’t bothered reading books in Swedish (beyond occasionally reading a chapter here and there) - time to change that!

Language: Romance family
Challenge: Half
Current level: Basic Romance knowledge + Hebrew
Comments, links: I don’t think I’ll finish this particular challenge but I’m going to use it to explore texts and audio in Ladino, Haketia, and Galician - and potentially Italian (if I can’t find enough material in the other three languages)
16 x

armo.2024
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Mar 20, 2024 5:03 pm
Languages: Mandarin (N), English (B2), French (Beginner), Japanese (Beginner)
x 23

Re: 2024/25 Super Challenge Registration Thread

Postby armo.2024 » Thu Apr 18, 2024 10:41 am

Language: French
Challenge: full
Current level: A1/A2
Comments, links: For reading, I'm planning to do the Agatha Christie Series in French! As I am still at the very beginner stage, it's like spending 3 hours just to read one page haha. But I hope I can speed up as I improve my fundamentals and become more familiar with French materials.

Language: Japanese
Challenge: full
Current level: A1
Comments, links: Similar to French, I might not be able to do much in the first 3 months, as I am still a beginner and require a lot of time and effort to comprehend any content. But after 3 months, I hope I can start to read Japanese novels and adds up from then. For films part, I am still not entirely sure what I will do with it, but I will start with Podcast with transcripts provided.

Language: English
Challenge: full
Current level: B2/C1
Comments, links: I read a lot more than watching films (probably like 40 books vs 1-2 films a year lol), so I add English to this challenge in order to encourage me to watch more good films. For reading, I'm trying to read more classics from The Great Books of the Western World, aiming to prepare myself for understanding more complex texts.

Probably a bit of a stretch to do all 3 at the time, but I'd like to see how far I could go!
Last edited by armo.2024 on Thu Apr 18, 2024 12:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
15 x

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LunaMoonsilver
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Posts: 390
Joined: Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:09 pm
Location: Nottingham, UK
Languages: English (N), German (C1), Spanish (B1), Mandarin (A2), Polish (A1)
Language Log: https://forum.language-learners.org/vie ... 15&t=20225
x 1442

Re: 2024/25 Super Challenge Registration Thread

Postby LunaMoonsilver » Thu Apr 18, 2024 11:45 am

Language: German
Challenge: full
Current level: C1
Comments, links: Should be reading native materials, sure, but I have a bunch of books in translation I want to read first. Same for dubbed shows—though I like the new rules, because I have a few podcasts (Viva la Movielución (it is in German, despite the title); Zwei Freundinnen & in Buch) to listen to.

Language: Spanish
Challenge: half
Current level: B1
Comments, links: Same as above, except an easier to find/better selection of podcasts imo. Excited to get to the point where I can understand El Dollop without relying on knowing the English The Dollop episodes. :lol:

Language: Polish
Challenge: half
Current level: A1
Comments, links: Gotta get starteddddd. Have books in translation (some 'classics', also Twilight, Terry Pratchett, etc.); audio is more difficult but again the new rules mean I can start off slow and build up to full episodes etc.

I've started a Super Challenge every round since 2012 iirc, but hopefully this time will be the one where I finish it! :lol:
17 x
pronouns: she/her


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