7 Bullet Points About Languages - Week 27
Hi everybody,
I hope your week was marvelous!
I spent half the week still at the beach and the other half struggling to get back into a routine. It's been hard but it's coming back to me. I'm also currently rethinking what I could offer you with this newsletter. After 6 months following this structure, I want to change it for the better. I'll start a survey from next week to let you tell me what you'd like most so stay tuned! Of course, don't hesitate to reach out now if you have some ideas too,
Also, if you still haven't gotten it yet, you can download my 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 Language Learning Saved My Mental Health Through The Toughest Times — By Robin MacPherson
I wish there were more people sharing as much as Robin about their life struggles and how learning languages helped them. Once again, Robin shares his journey in all his common vulnerability. I loved it.
One article I read: I left high school with no foreign language skills. Now I’m fluent in five — here’s how I did it — By Andrew Gold
I've seen tons of such articles but never get tired of hearing inspiring stories of simple people overcoming their false beliefs that they "couldn't" learn a language. This one is another such story. Andrew's story is motivating for all learners.
One article I wrote: 5 Systems to Practice Speaking While Avoiding Talking to Natives
I'm always afraid of speaking a language I haven't mastered. But I know talking to natives part of the gig of learning a new language. At one point or another, it’ll happen. That's why I've found ways to practice on my own to raise my confidence and not rely only on practice with native speakers. Hope these serve you as well!
One podcast episode: Ep. 107: How Do I Stay Motivated on Long-Term Projects? ― Deep Questions with Cal Newport
If you've never heard of Cal Newport, you're in for a treat. His books on focus and what he calls "deep work" are some of my favorite ones. In this podcast episode, he went over a few questions he received. These aren't about language learning but the first few ones can definitely help you with languages, such as his point about developing a sense of urgency. Check it out and let me know what you thought!
One tool to try: Rofocus (Extension for Chromium navigators only)
This simple free extension has a few nature sounds you can couple with a timer. It's easy to use and can be great in the background while you study your language. I particularly like what they call the "binaural birds" to increase focus even more.
One quote to ponder: “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows” ― Sydney J. Harris
One biweekly challenge for the weeks ahead: Record yourself 1 minute a day
For this new biweekly challenge, let's practice speaking a bit. It's an amazing way to push yourself to start saying words in your language. As for topics, anything can be good but I'll be sticking to Fingtam Language's 30-day challenge, although only for the first half. If one minute is too long for you, try 30 seconds. Anything is better than nothing.
As for the second week of the previous challenge, reading 15 minutes a day, I have to admit I struggled with trying to do both Chinese and Korean. As a result, I spent more time reading Korean than Chinese. The good news is that it's becoming easier each day. The bad news is that I know I should focus on Chinese since I plan on moving to Taiwan soon. But, hey, sometimes it's better to follow your heart!
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.