Author Topic: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet  (Read 17026 times)

FrenchyMustache

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #50 on: April 08, 2014, 05:09:45 AM »
Hello folks, just passing by.
I'm just willing to say that if anyone need help with French, i'll trade against hours with english.

HattyT

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #51 on: June 25, 2014, 11:41:18 AM »
How is the language challenge coming along? 

I have stealthily joined your DuoLingo challenge.  I love the game like interface. I love having it in my smartphone (The MMM approved Republic Wireless Moto X). I’m liking being able to do a unit over and over until I feel confident with the material. 

However, my goal for now is to be able to make small talk with strangers. I want lingo that is nice, easy, repeatable in many situations.  So far, the listen and repeat format of the Mango Listening systems is working better for that.  It’s a paid system, unless you are badass enough to get it through your library.  You can use this link to see if your library has it: http://www.findmango.com/ 

I am also finding language hackers fascinating. 
Like Tim Ferris: How to Learn Any Language in 3 Months
http://fourhourworkweek.com/2009/01/20/learning-language/#more-1077
Tipsy Pilgrim: Get Fluent in Any Language in Just 20 Minutes!
http://tipsypilgrim.com/blog/get-fluent-in-any-language-in-just-20-minutes.html
And Ted Talks:
How to learn any language in six months: Chris Lonsdale at TED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0yGdNEWdn0

I’ve also found information (YouTube clips) on how to teach English as a foreign language helpful.  Both for in case I have the opportunity to trade teaching English for learning my target language, and also for help cutting through unnecessary ‘noise’ as I’m learning.

Does anyone else have language hacking links they’ve found helpful?
Anyone found any helpful teaching English links?
Is anyone else trying to learn Portuguese?

rubybeth

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #52 on: June 27, 2014, 08:34:48 AM »
I am definitely failing this one. I am still on like level 8 of French and we leave for Europe in about a week. Yikes! Oh, well, at least I know how to say hello and thank you. Bonjour et merci!

Firefly

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #53 on: July 04, 2014, 09:27:08 AM »
Count me in - Italian. Thanks to you all, learned about DuoLingo so I started using that this week and also some CDs I listen to in the car.

amyable

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #54 on: July 04, 2014, 11:03:48 AM »
I'll do Spanish, 50 XP a day on Duolingo + 1 Skype tutoring session a week.

JFC

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #55 on: October 30, 2014, 12:02:52 PM »
I'm happy to announce that I have finished the German tree in Duolingo! After a few false starts this is a great feeling. The thread has been inactive for quite a few months, but I hope some others are still quietly participating in the challenge and are making progress toward their language goals.

Jon_Snow

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #56 on: October 30, 2014, 12:20:12 PM »
While I watch what my wife refers to disdainfully as "your sports" on TV, she sits on the couch doing her Spanish stuff on Duolingo. She says it actually might be better than Rosetta Stone, which cost us around $150 I think.

We leave for Mexico for our yearly visit in a couple of weeks, so we will see how her new skills are developing!

fireferrets

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #57 on: October 30, 2014, 07:41:44 PM »
This is really neat! I am doing a lesson a day on DuoLingo for: Danish, Dutch, French, German, Irish, Italian and Portuguese.
I don't have any deadline for learning, so I'm okay with taking it slowly and building the language-learning habit. If I have extra time at the end of a day, I do review mode or practice translating materials in Spanish or French.

Don't worry, I have a mind for languages, so I do not confuse similar ones. : )

Al1961

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #58 on: October 30, 2014, 09:48:07 PM »
Thanks for bumping this!

I've been wanting to learn Spanish, but have always gotten frustrated with verb conjugations and given up without making much progress. I think I can persevere with Duolingo.

Al

neophyte

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #59 on: October 30, 2014, 10:15:04 PM »
Does anyone have recommendations for good audio resources for more advanced learners?  I'm thinking like audio books, news, or podcasts intended for native speakers.  I personally am most interested in Spanish, so I can find that if I look, but if there is a site that catalogs these things for multiple languages, that could be of general interest.


HattyT

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #60 on: November 02, 2014, 08:33:46 AM »
1)     For audio resources, I'd say, YouTube is king. 
2)     Specifically my best luck so far has been Facebook.  I raid the likes of my Brazilian FB friends; their favorite music, tv shows, blogs. 
3)     Soap operas, tele-novellas are a resource.
4)     This article (good in general for free language learning resources) has a section on how to find Native Content in the Language
http://www.fluentin3months.com/free-links/

NinetyFour

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #61 on: November 02, 2014, 09:16:31 AM »
Following.

rubybeth

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #62 on: November 05, 2014, 10:12:19 AM »
I'm taking up Dutch! So I'm back on the DuoLingo gauntlet. So far, I like it a lot.

fireferrets

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #63 on: November 06, 2014, 05:33:13 PM »
Check out this chart to see about how long it might take you to become proficient in a given language: http://www.effectivelanguagelearning.com/language-guide/language-difficulty

Looks like currently, most languages offered on DuoLingo would take 575-600 hours (except German [750hrs] and Irish [1100 hrs]).

The FSI is basing their estimates off 3-4 hour study per day for the # of week estimates.

rubybeth

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #64 on: November 07, 2014, 08:19:28 AM »
Check out this chart to see about how long it might take you to become proficient in a given language: http://www.effectivelanguagelearning.com/language-guide/language-difficulty

Looks like currently, most languages offered on DuoLingo would take 575-600 hours (except German [750hrs] and Irish [1100 hrs]).

The FSI is basing their estimates off 3-4 hour study per day for the # of week estimates.

I basically just don't want to sound like a stupid American when visiting Europe. My experience in France and Germany a few months ago was that the locals were very kind and friendly if we attempted to use a few courtesy words, and then politely ask if they spoke English, and they'd be happy to switch (if they could). I already know I'll never become a proficient speaker of Dutch, but I at least want to be able to pronounce street names and not totally butcher them, as well as learning polite greetings and how to order food or ask for directions, just in case. I'm the tourist, so I feel it's my duty to be prepared to communicate in the language of the country I'm visiting.

fireferrets

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #65 on: November 07, 2014, 05:16:19 PM »
Check out this chart to see about how long it might take you to become proficient in a given language: http://www.effectivelanguagelearning.com/language-guide/language-difficulty

Looks like currently, most languages offered on DuoLingo would take 575-600 hours (except German [750hrs] and Irish [1100 hrs]).

The FSI is basing their estimates off 3-4 hour study per day for the # of week estimates.

I basically just don't want to sound like a stupid American when visiting Europe. My experience in France and Germany a few months ago was that the locals were very kind and friendly if we attempted to use a few courtesy words, and then politely ask if they spoke English, and they'd be happy to switch (if they could). I already know I'll never become a proficient speaker of Dutch, but I at least want to be able to pronounce street names and not totally butcher them, as well as learning polite greetings and how to order food or ask for directions, just in case. I'm the tourist, so I feel it's my duty to be prepared to communicate in the language of the country I'm visiting.

In that case, it might be beneficial to do a bit of research on Dutch (Holland) culture, to see what politeness means to them. For example, from what I understand, the Danish (Denmark) don't use "please" but have other ways of being polite.

train_writer

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Re: Time to improve your language skills - DuoLingo Gauntlet
« Reply #66 on: November 08, 2014, 07:23:15 AM »
While my goal for this year was picking up Russian and begin to learn Japanese, it turned out to be learning advanced French and more advanced Ukrainian.

Now that both my work assignments concerning those countries are finished, I would like to focus on Japanese, as that is where I'll spend 6 weeks travelling next May-June. I am very excited but realise i'll probably only grasp the very basics before May..
Any recommendations on websites or youtube tutorials or other?

My thought on the methods I tried: Always use a mix of methods and set small goals!
I have also good experiences with Pimsleur for several languages. I bought 2nd hand books/cd's and they can also be found easily in the library. While it looks outdated, it is a very thorough method imho if you truly want to be prepared to indulge in the language for work or life.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!