Jim's log

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Jim
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Jim's log

Postby Jim » Wed Jan 01, 2020 3:35 pm

I thought today would be a good day to review last year’s goals and set some goals for the year ahead. What I hadn’t realised was that I didn’t post anything here at all in 2019 and I didn’t set any goals for it either. Just as well. 2019 was a busy year with my eldest starting school and the arrival of my son in May. Work was hectic and whilst I did find time to do a lot of French, it was sporadic and I struggled to maintain any kind of routine.

So, what will 2020 hold? Well we’re aiming to move house in the next month or so, but if that goes to plan I will have my own study and I hope to then resume morning study sessions (although this does depend on the baby sleeping better). The main objectives for the year are not actually language goals, but since this is a language log I’ll limit them to:
  • French: continue progress towards C1, focussing on listening comprehension, vocabulary and writing.
  • Spanish: get a solid B1 to B2 level. My previous B1-ish level is coming back to me quite quickly, but I need conversation practice.
  • Russian: I’m a faux débutant, but it would be nice to work through the Penguin course and perhaps have some iTalki sessions.
No huge commitments: family and work need to come first at the moment, but in 366 days time it will at least be nice to reflect on these objectives and hopefully I will have something positive to report. If I hit any milestones along the way I might well check in here sooner.

Best wishes to all on the forum for a fantastic 2020.
4 x
La hora más oscura es la que viene antes del nacimiento del sol

Merci de corriger mes erreurs !

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PeterMollenburg
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Re: Jim's log

Postby PeterMollenburg » Sat Jan 04, 2020 3:43 am

Hi Jim,

Long time, no post! Thanks for the update. All the best for 2020! That's for languages, family and anything else!
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Jim
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La Casa de Papel

Postby Jim » Thu Apr 23, 2020 9:12 pm

So here’s a question. I’ve watched all 4 seasons of La Casa de Papel in Spanish with subtitles. I’m now watching it again in French, largely without subtitles, but occasionally I like to check. Now, subtitles on Netflix generally annoy me because of how much they depart from what is actually said, but in translation they’re even worse. I’m watching series 1 episode 11 in an exchange between Racquel Murillo and Aníbal Cortés (Rio). Audio is: “... et combien d’otages vous retenez?”; Subtitles have: “... et le nombre exact de braqueurs”. Apart from the audio making no sense in the context of the storyline, why on earth did they translate it like that? The answers to the question posed by Inspector Murillo: in audio 233 hostages, in subtitles 33 robbers. Any idea what is going on?!
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La hora más oscura es la que viene antes del nacimiento del sol

Merci de corriger mes erreurs !

golyplot
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Re: Jim's log

Postby golyplot » Thu Apr 23, 2020 9:27 pm

Probably just an ordinary mistake, though I would have thought they'd have put more effort into their marquee shows.
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Jim
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Re: Jim's log

Postby Jim » Thu Apr 23, 2020 9:50 pm

golyplot wrote:Probably just an ordinary mistake, though I would have thought they'd have put more effort into their marquee shows.

Well it could be a mistake, but it seems unlikely. The answer to the inspector’s question has been mistranslated to correspond with the mistranslated question. Is there something in the way that translators work that makes such a mistake more likely?
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La hora más oscura es la que viene antes del nacimiento del sol

Merci de corriger mes erreurs !

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Jim
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Arnold Bennett

Postby Jim » Mon Jun 29, 2020 8:49 pm

I’ve mentioned before Arnold Bennett’s 1908 “How to Live on 24 Hours a Day”. It is the original guide to getting the most out of your day and is well worth a read. Anyway, today I found it in Spanish: Cómo Vivir con Veinticuatro Horas al Día. I’ve not tried reading the Spanish version yet, I suspect it will be somewhat beyond my current level, but thought it was worth a mention.
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La hora más oscura es la que viene antes del nacimiento del sol

Merci de corriger mes erreurs !

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Jim
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Re: Jim's log

Postby Jim » Mon Jun 29, 2020 9:02 pm

PeterMollenburg wrote:Hi Jim,

Long time, no post! Thanks for the update. All the best for 2020! That's for languages, family and anything else!

Somehow completely missed this. Thanks PM! You too (or at least what’s left of it!)
1 x
La hora más oscura es la que viene antes del nacimiento del sol

Merci de corriger mes erreurs !

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Jim
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Re: Jim's log

Postby Jim » Fri Jan 01, 2021 3:31 pm

What a strange year. But I cannot complain. It’s been devastating for many, but we’ve been extraordinarily lucky. Moving house in May meant that I have a study to work in, and working at home means I save an hour and a half each day. I can take my daughter to school before I start work and when I finish work I’m immediately home with the kids. Whatever happens in the future, my firm have now embraced home working as part of its long term strategy, so these changes are here to stay. This year has also made me reflect on how lucky we are and to be grateful for what we have.

In terms of self development, I’ve read a few interesting books this year, but most notably in the last few days I’ve been looking at Yale’s “The Science of Well-Being” course on Coursera, which is well worth the time and effort. I’ve also been reading Tim Harford’s “How to Make the World Add Up”, which has helped to give context and a small dose of scepticism to the research and numbers cited in the former.

In terms of language learning, let’s review my 2020 objectives:
Jim wrote:French: continue progress towards C1, focussing on listening comprehension, vocabulary and writing.

Good progress was made in listening comprehension. My vocabulary needs to improve as does my writing. Focus for 2021 is writing and CLE advanced courses. DALF C1 seems a stretch this year, but let’s see how we go.
Jim wrote:Spanish: get a solid B1 to B2 level. My previous B1-ish level is coming back to me quite quickly, but I need conversation practice.

I completed Assimil and reviewed quite a bit of vocabulary. Next step is reading (a lot). I’m keen on the idea of extensive reading, so would like to try to put that into practice.
Jim wrote:Russian: I’m a faux débutant, but it would be nice to work through the Penguin course and perhaps have some iTalki sessions.

I did two thirds of the Penguin course and spent quite a lot of time studying cases. I cannot say I’ve really achieved anything, but I’ve maintained my interest. Ideally I’d like to complete Penguin and do a better audio course. I’ve not been impressed with either Pimsleur or Michel Thomas.

2021 will be busy again, but I’ll check in here from time to time with updates.

Best wishes to all on the forum for a great 2021.
4 x
La hora más oscura es la que viene antes del nacimiento del sol

Merci de corriger mes erreurs !

DaveAgain
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Re: Jim's log

Postby DaveAgain » Fri Jan 01, 2021 4:34 pm

Jim wrote:In terms of self development, I’ve read a few interesting books this year, but most notably in the last few days I’ve been looking at Yale’s “The Science of Well-Being” course on Coursera, which is well worth the time and effort. I’ve also been reading Tim Harford’s “How to Make the World Add Up”, which has helped to give context and a small dose of scepticism to the research and numbers cited in the former.

In terms of language learning, let’s review my 2020 objectives:
Jim wrote:French: continue progress towards C1, focussing on listening comprehension, vocabulary and writing.

Good progress was made in listening comprehension. My vocabulary needs to improve as does my writing. Focus for 2021 is writing and CLE advanced courses. DALF C1 seems a stretch this year, but let’s see how we go.
I watched an interview recently where Eva Illouz discussed her book Happycratie.

By the end of the interview I was left with the impression that 'the science of well-being' is 1. based on very thin science, 2. not something you want to see a democratic government using.
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Jim
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Re: Jim's log

Postby Jim » Fri Jan 01, 2021 6:38 pm

DaveAgain wrote:By the end of the interview I was left with the impression that 'the science of well-being' is 1. based on very thin science, 2. not something you want to see a democratic government using.


Thanks Dave, I’ll check that out. I certainly would recommend reading Tim Harford’s book to understand how best as a layman to evaluate the claims in this sort of research. However, in defence of the Yale course, a lot of what is discussed just intuitively makes sense, is widely supported and is not all that surprising. The parts that are surprising perhaps ought to be viewed with some scepticism and they could have presented the research with some measure of how much the effects have been replicated. That all said, bad science or not, if following the suggested practices actually leads to an increase in well-being, even if it is no better than a placebo, that is still worthwhile for the individual.

I don’t remember any part of the course suggesting that governments should use the research, but given one of the main points was “stuff doesn’t make you happy”, it would be a pretty disastrous policy for economies built on consumerism!
1 x
La hora más oscura es la que viene antes del nacimiento del sol

Merci de corriger mes erreurs !


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