The Super Challenge - discussion thread 2016/2017

Ongoing language-learning challenges, and team challenge logs (but not individual logs)
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Re: The Super Challenge - discussion thread

Postby kanewai » Thu Apr 28, 2016 7:08 pm

rdearman wrote:Am I the only one scrambling to read a load of native language books before the 1st of May? :lol:
I've been binge watching tv shows, but it's the same idea.
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Re: The Super Challenge - discussion thread

Postby greenbottle » Thu Apr 28, 2016 7:09 pm

I'd like to sign up for Korean:

Language: Korean
Challenge: Full
Current Level: Intermediate

I hope Korean dramas count as movies?
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Re: The Super Challenge - discussion thread

Postby rdearman » Thu Apr 28, 2016 7:21 pm

greenbottle wrote:I'd like to sign up for Korean:

Language: Korean
Challenge: Full
Current Level: Intermediate

I hope Korean dramas count as movies?

Yes. There is a graph which shows what does and doesn't count. It is included in this post somewhere. viewtopic.php?f=21&t=2625
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Re: The Super Challenge - discussion thread

Postby Montmorency » Thu Apr 28, 2016 8:00 pm

geoffw wrote:
rdearman wrote:Am I the only one scrambling to read a load of native language books before the 1st of May? :lol:


You mean, in English? I literally can't remember the last time I read a book in English (more than one or two chapters, at least). It's probably been since before the first Super Challenge. I am using the 1st of May as an excuse to spend a few hours listening to an audiobook in English, though, rather than insisting on listening to something in a TL.


What I mostly seem to read in English these days is non-fiction of various types, and I think that will continue. However, related to language-learning, if there is a good translation of a book I want to read in my TL, I will also probably read the English version if it's easily available. I will definitely be doing that for Norwegian in the coming months (and I know that it won't count towards my "pages read" :-) ).
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Re: The Super Challenge - discussion thread

Postby Cavesa » Thu Apr 28, 2016 8:30 pm

geoffw wrote:
rdearman wrote:Am I the only one scrambling to read a load of native language books before the 1st of May? :lol:


You mean, in English? I literally can't remember the last time I read a book in English (more than one or two chapters, at least). It's probably been since before the first Super Challenge. I am using the 1st of May as an excuse to spend a few hours listening to an audiobook in English, though, rather than insisting on listening to something in a TL.


Czech books, I don't know much about them except for medicine textbooks, I don't even check those bookshelves in stores anymore. Last time in a bookshop, I realized I know much more about french fantasy than the czech one. From certain point of view, it is a reason to feel embarassed as our fantasy autors are actually one of the very few things we can be proud of these days. But I've seen a Czech miniseries recently. That Dan Brownish genre. A trilogy. Or rather the middle trilogy of a trilogy of trilogies. It was really good. But yeah, I try to read in my non SC languages now (Fr, En), as I don't wanna fall behind my SC reading plan. :-)
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Re: The Super Challenge - discussion thread

Postby geoffw » Fri Apr 29, 2016 12:21 am

So we're still calling "full" and "half" challenges? I guess I'll say halfsies again, then, since that worked well for me in the first SC.

Language: Irish
Challenge: Half
Current Level: Intermediate

I've read a bit including Harry Potter (twice), finished the Duolingo course, done most of the famous "Learning Irish" course, etc., but I still have a long road ahead of me before I can read novels or watch TV without great difficulty.

Langauge: Swedish
Challenge: Half
Current Level: Beginner

I just started learning the language, but I've already read a whole book and a half in Swedish. Knowing German, Dutch, and Yiddish, and having briefly studied Norwegian many years ago mean that I can understand a ton without actually knowing the language yet.

Note: I also signed up for a North Germanic Challenge, for logging Norwegian and Danish (and who knows, maybe Icelandic or Old Icelandic). Unless people threaten to put me in cherem over it, I'm planning to log all of my Swedish against BOTH challenges.
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Re: The Super Challenge - discussion thread

Postby Serpent » Fri Apr 29, 2016 12:35 am

If you just want to keep track, you can tweet it as 1 page and 1 minute every time :) Otherwise it does kinda seem unfair :roll:
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Re: The Super Challenge - discussion thread

Postby geoffw » Fri Apr 29, 2016 12:42 am

Serpent wrote:If you just want to keep track, you can tweet it as 1 page and 1 minute every time :) Otherwise it does kinda seem unfair :roll:


I assume that was a response to me. My thinking is that I'm viewing the family and the language as a single challenge, but I wanted to track total time and pages across both metrics, since Swedish is the main emphasis. I'm fine with being declared ineligible for the prize money for the winner of the North Germanic Family Super Challenge...
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Re: The Super Challenge - discussion thread

Postby sfuqua » Fri Apr 29, 2016 3:21 pm

I'm probably not going to win the big cash prize either. I wish Tagalog and Spanish were a language family, but I guess doing half challenges is the same thing.

I'm really looking forward to getting started on the challenge; I keep planning and re planning what I'm going to do.

The more I think about it, the more I think that I should shift from translated books to books originally published in Spanish.

Then I'll think, gee, I haven't finished James Bond or that Follett trilogy yet.

Spanish is easy compared to Tagalog; there isn't really anything I'm that interested in reading. I guess if there is nothing I really want to read in Tagalog, it is the same as saying I don't want to read Tagalog. I have found some "romance" ebooks, that are very short; there is the Bible, and there are some old books. There are copies of Jose Rizal's books, and well, I hope I find something more fun when I go to the Philippines in a couple of months.
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Re: The Super Challenge - discussion thread

Postby LunaMoonsilver » Fri Apr 29, 2016 4:32 pm

I've signed up on the bot, but I thought I'd add my info here too; I'm so excited about this challenge :D

Languages: Spanish, Mandarin, German
Challenge: Full (gotta find some German films but I'm sure I'll manage... I still have four seasons of GoT to catch up on)
Levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced (in that order)

I'm starting a master's in audiovisual/literary translation in September so reading/watching a lot in German is going to be super helpful and is probably going to mostly happen over the summer. Means I have to read a lot in English too, but hey ho, I'd probably be doing that anyway.

rdearman wrote:Am I the only one scrambling to read a load of native language books before the 1st of May? :lol:


No, I feel you, I read the first Outlander book last week and I've been trying to work out what I want to do with the other six... I know I'm going to give in and read them (of course) but the question is simply when.
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