7 Bullet Points About Languages - Week 26
Hi everybody,
I hope your week was marvelous!
I spent half of this week on holiday in Brittany with my family and an old friend I hadn't seen in 4 years. I've still got another few days here to enjoy but now that my friend is gone, I'll be able to relax by the sea a bit more. If all goes well, I might even be able to read more.
It's the first time in years that I haven't written any article for a week so my fingers are starting to itch. I might write a small one on the beach if I can today. That'd be an amazing feeling!
Also, if you still haven't gotten it yet, you can download my new ebook about highly efficient learning methods for free by clicking on this link!
Alright, let's dive right in!
Each week, I share 7 things that could be useful to your learning odyssey. I hope they can help you improve your journey, tickle your curiosity, and inspire you to keep exploring.
One video: How to learn a language from beginner to advanced — By Mari Polyglot
I loved this video from Mari. In it, she explained the different stages and her method to improve through each. It doesn't go into tiny details but it's a good roadmap to have a look at, no matter your current level!
One article I read: The Thorny Issue of Grammar In Language Learning — By Claire Handscombe
In this easy-to-read short piece, Claire reminds us of the importance of studying grammar. She also gives a few useful tips to make it easy and fun. If you haven't tried any of them, I advise you do!
One article I wrote: Why Translating the Language in Your Head Isn’t so Bad
I've heard countless times the myth that translating in your head slows down the process of learning a language. It's false. Translating can be very useful on your journey. I've done it for all my languages and you should too. If you don't, you're not using all the tools in your arsenal.
One podcast episode: Elfin Waters on Falling in Lust with Languages ― Language Hacking Podcast
This interview with Elfin was extremely motivating. The energy she brought transpired through her words just as much as her love for languages. She also shared interesting ways to be creative and have fun while learning, such as using TikTok even.
One tool to try: Wattpad (Website)
I fell upon this website when I started writing and then forgot about it until this past week. It's a platform for fiction writers to post short chapters available for everyone to read. It turns out there are stories in dozens of languages so that's a very useful tool for our current biweekly reading challenge!
One quote to ponder: “No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality.” ― Edward Sapir
One biweekly challenge for the weeks ahead: Read for 15 minutes each day in your target language
This first week of the challenge felt amazing. I decided to read for 15 minutes some Chinese and another 15 of Korean each day. Despite forgetting to do one or the other sometimes, I learned a lot overall. Using Wattpad to read Mandarin has allowed me to read in short bursts whenever I could, without feeling tired.
Let me know how it went for you by sending me a mail at barra.mathias@gmail.com!
As always, thanks for reading!
Mathias Barra
For more of my articles, you can find them here.