At some point, I’ll make it nice and add some color, but for now…it’s just changed. It’s definitely easier to read, if anything!

2010 is the year of Web site redesigns for me, I guess. WizOne Solutions got its overhaul a few weeks ago.

Blang will be next! Or next-ish. Maybe. Drop me a note if you are still out there reading! Obviously it’ll encourage me. I’ve picked up some more tips to share for learning languages, but it takes time to write them down. Even a simple hello would do

Take care,
Kevin

I’m just writing to say hi after a period of a silence and give you a bit of an update on things.

I’ve mostly been busy with my business, WizOne Solutions. There’s a lot going on, so I haven’t had much time for side projects. When I do get back to Blang, though, it’s definitely going to get a new look.

As for me and languages, I’ve found myself focusing primarily on French and Spanish lately. Having moved to Los Angeles, Spanish is as relevant as ever…and French just begs to be finished. I actually feel like my French has come a long way from feeling half-done, but it’s still not quite “there” – I need to learn more expressions and practice it more. On the bright side, though, a recent LiveMocha chat revealed that my French spelling is more accurate than that of a 13-year old! Gotta start somewhere, right?

When not studying those two, I try to keep learning more Russian. It is a bumpy and slow road, but fortunately the people from whom I have gotten feedback on LiveMocha have been rather unforgiving.  Hey, it lets me know where I stand and encourages me to watch my spelling and pronunciation, so it’s all good.

That’s about it from me for now – gotta get back to it, but I’ll try to write something every so often. Get in touch with me or leave a comment if you want to hear more; it’s a big encouragement. I know from my stats that a few people are checking out this blog; I want to hear from you!

After all, who wants to talk to nobody?

Take care,
Kevin

An interesting question came to my mind yesterday: “When am I actually done learning French?” I thought about it for a bit; was it when I could understand it fluently? When I could speak it without a problem…as good as Spanish or Norwegian, maybe? How could I even measure how “done” I was?

Before I share what I decided, I want to hear from you! In your opinion, when is the study of a language complete, or at least complete enough?

Looking forward to seeing what you think!

Kevin

I came across an offer to get a 6-day long taste of Rocket French for free recently. This course/software package is pretty cool. The presenters are engaging, and the lessons keep you interested. It also comes with the full shebang – support on forums straight from the course creator (!) and a whole Member’s Area for being able to download the course (assuming you take that option) any time.

If you’ve already been shopping around for language-learning software for French, add this one to your list of potential purchases. It puts a lot of emphasis on speaking, which I think is cool and useful. It aims to be a complete French course.

When I first looked at Rocket French, I thought the whole description was a bit overblown. Upon actually using it, though, I saw I was wrong, and that it really was a viable way to improve my French. I think actually seeing the course author posting in the forums (and recently!) really sold me.  You can see it yourself at the Rocket French Community.

Also, just to disclose: if you do like it, and you buy it, you will be helping support Blang…because I’ll have more time to write (and really want to)! Check it out and see what you think! And again, definitely try out the free 6-day French course first – you need but give your email address, and voilà, Day 1 in your inbox!

As you may have read on Twitter, my blogging frequency is reduced at the moment due to some stuff I need to sort out. But I thought I’d blog when I had moments of inspiration, such as today.

I was listening to Norsk Attrasksjon med Linda Eide on NRK Nett-TV and noticed I understood most (pretty much all) of what was being said. There were still some gaps, however. It hit me at that moment that my goal ought to be to become unable to not understand what was being said – to understand it so well that even all the little words, easily missed or thought to mean nothing, would be clearly understood without an effort.

Sure, I’ve read about learning to understand the language without effort, but you know how those things are – until it really “clicks,” you never really get it. So it was with that wording that it “clicked” for me today…I think.

I’m currently polishing up my Norwegian in preparation for a trip to Norway! Yay!

See you next time,
Kevin

I’m thinking of making some changes to Haiku Tuesday. I think the frequency is too high, and it’s taking some airtime from other, more worthy content I could be writing. This is only emphasized by the fact that nobody gave the foreign-language haikus a shot – so I don’t think it will be missed too greatly if it only happens once a month.

I know that the haikus do have a small fanbase, so sorry guys – I hope you’re still enjoying the Fun Language Learning Tips

So what’ll be happening on Tuesdays? I’m thinking of running a pilot for that Talk to the Fjords (Norwegian course) idea you’ve seen me throwing around. I’ve actually finished a lesson, so I might use that; otherwise, I’ll whip up some bite-sized ones each week so you can learn some Norwegian. It’ll be Norwegian unless I get requests for something else, because I could easily do lessons on some topics for Spanish, French, or Greek as well – I’ve got enough friends to double-check them for me – the Norwegian ones will be checked too.

I leave you with this haiku. The haikus will see you next month!

If you talk to the
fjords on Blang, does the Bling or
the Language echo?

Ponder over that until we meet again on Sunday

Best,
Kevin

OK, OK, you read the title: YOU IMMERSE YOURSELF.

But what is immersion?

Immersion has a particular connotation these days; most people immediately picture themselves traveling to the country to live for a while with the assumption that fluency will somehow follow cuz, you know, you’re like, THERE. And while this certainly does hold some ground, the travel part isn’t necessary.

Think for a moment: what do “native speakers” actually do in their daily lives? They’re not speaking their language for the heck of it; they speak it because everyone else does, and they know how to speak it because of the way everyone else (parents, friends, etc.) speak it. Therefore, you should do this too. It’s easier than ever in the Internet Age.

So! Here’s your Immersification Checklist – built on what I actually do. Replace “French” with “your target language.”

1. If your operating system and household allow it, change the language to French. Windows Vista Ultimate and (probably) most distributions of Linux let you do this. I use both the former and the latter (Ubuntu).
2. Change the language of as many programs and Web sites as possible to French. Use Facebook in French. Cherchez avec Google en français (search with Google in French). Heck, you’d better be using French Firefox. And don’t forget to change your primary browser language to French first. You can still have your native language second, if you want.
3. Actively prefer French in your daily activities. Those books you’re reading – can you get them in French? Can you read the news in French? Those stamps you’re collecting…can you get them in French?
4. Make sure it’s interesting. If it’s boring or frustrating, take a break and try again later. Eventually, it’ll be wicked awesome to be going about your day in another language (and it will confuse and amuse your friends!).
5. Even when the English resource might be a bit better or more up-to-date, if the difference isn’t too great, prefer the French version. If that doesn’t yield many results, though, English is OK; after all, lots of people do look for certain things in English these days. (On a side note, though, sometimes I find better results in French! Depends on the topic.)
6. Use French for communication wherever possible. If contacting technical support, and French is available, use it! Speak it with friends who can. Write notes in it.

OK, the stamps thing may not be so feasible. But the point is to get into the habit of asking yourself that question. You should also note that doing this should follow some language study, preferably using fun methods. I don’t have the time for the trial-and-error using Finnish, for example, but I could get by in German, if I wanted. There are still select items on this list that you’ll be able to try – if not the entire operating systems, certainly changing the language of certain programs will work.

In any case, you’ll benefit immediately – you’ll retain the language better and get more comfortable seeing it on-the-fly. You’ll bring it a little closer to you, and, as a result, stop thinking of it as being so foreign. This is good; getting comfortable and familiar with your target language is one of the most important things to do. You wouldn’t voluntarily hang out with a person you didn’t like, right? You won’t do it with languages, either.

So take a dip!

Please give me some feedback on these tips! And include your thoughts and even your own tips in the comments. Remember, if you send me a tip, and I use it, you can also request that I include a link to wherever you want with whatever text you like (within reason, obviously).

The group is great for discussions, since we don’t have a forum here. You can become a fan of the page and see the latest blog entries right in your News Feed.

Also, don’t forget we’re on Twitter too! Username blangblog.

The rules are the same – translate these haikus into English while maintaining the haiku format. I’ll showcase my favorite next week, and in the future there might be prizes. So don’t hold back – learn with haikus!

Even if you can’t translate the haiku, tell me what it’s about in the comments. Other than the title, I’m not giving any hints.

L’apprentissage de
deux langues entretient la
mémoire. Quoi de trois ?

OK, OK – I can never write just one…here’s another one. Either one is fair game.

DailyFrenchPod, c’était
ça qui m’a dit sur ceci
Bon objet, pas vrai?

There’s sound reason for it; television has both visual AND aural components – pictures and sounds together. This means that it’s possible to understand what’s happening even without knowing the language. As you see the same situations repeated and hear the same sounds used over and over, you are gradually able to piece it together and understand the language. Then, with perhaps just a bit of study or practice, you can speak it as well.

Let the fun begin

Depending on where you live and the language you want to learn, you have several options for putting this tip into practice. Perhaps an example is best.

When I want to watch TV in Norwegian, I don’t have to go any further than NRK Nett-TV. NRK is a major broadcaster in Norway, so they have lots of different programs I can check out. I either watch them or just listen to them while I do other things, depending on how deep I want to go. If I were actively studying Norwegian, I’d always watch, in order to make the most of the “input” (as exposure to a language is commonly called).

If you can find TV online in Norwegian, then it’s undoubtedly available for other languages. Here’s a site that will keep you busy for a while: http://www.worldlanguagestv.co.uk/languages/

You can easily find other resources simply by searching for “Foreign Language TV” – I used Google in this case.

As for frequency, I recommend watching something every day. As a rule, the more exposed you get to the language you want to learn, the better; remember that your goal with this technique is to remove your native language from the equation. Doing this helps you think in the language, essential for being able to express yourself naturally. I’m not saying to never use materials in your own language to learn another or anything – you have to be realistic – but you should minimize it as much as you can, and as soon as possible.

By the way, if you’re learning Norwegian and are America, you should check out Norsk Attraksjon on NRK Nett-TV – the episode is called Førpremiere. You’ll laugh

That’s all for this week.

Please give me some feedback on these tips! And include your thoughts and even your own tips in the comments. Remember, if you send me a tip, and I use it, you can also request that I include a link to wherever you want with whatever text you like (within reason, obviously).