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Language Coach | Crashed Culture
Today, the platform this community is hosted on announced live streams! This is something I've been really interested in using for a while, and now that we won't have to deal with the back and forth of Zoom, it'll be so much easier.
I'd love to have regular online meetups with y'all so we can get to know each other, talk any and all things language learning, and support each other.
That being said, what would YOU like to see in these kinds of events? Some ideas off the type of my head:
I'd love to have regular online meetups with y'all so we can get to know each other, talk any and all things language learning, and support each other.
That being said, what would YOU like to see in these kinds of events? Some ideas off the type of my head:
- general check-ins
- get your questions answered
- sharing experiences of different apps/approaches
....or anything that you'd want to join!
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Language Coach | Crashed Culture
SO interesting to see how language learning apps modernize...Mondly and Duolingo now offer family plans! Well, at least Duolingo announced it at Duocon, not sure if it's implemented yet. Mondly is, though!
Do you think this option is more likely to motivate you to learn a language?
Do you think this option is more likely to motivate you to learn a language?
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Language Coach | Crashed Culture
I’m starting to notice a really huge difference in language experiences, and I’d love to get your thoughts!
Native English speakers “learn” a foreign language in school, usually high school and/or college. They don’t learn to speak, though. They just learn some simple vocabulary and conjugations…and also tend to forget it all after their exams.
Non-native English speakers (depending on the country) get a decent English education in school. It’s not perfect, but those who are interested in languages have a good enough base to learn independently. They get stuck trying to learn other languages, though, because language classes that aren’t English are those same ones that are getting native English speakers stuck.
I know there are a few of each of these categories in this group so I have a question: what do you wish you had known to help you in your current language learning? What would you tell your past self?
Native English speakers “learn” a foreign language in school, usually high school and/or college. They don’t learn to speak, though. They just learn some simple vocabulary and conjugations…and also tend to forget it all after their exams.
Non-native English speakers (depending on the country) get a decent English education in school. It’s not perfect, but those who are interested in languages have a good enough base to learn independently. They get stuck trying to learn other languages, though, because language classes that aren’t English are those same ones that are getting native English speakers stuck.
I know there are a few of each of these categories in this group so I have a question: what do you wish you had known to help you in your current language learning? What would you tell your past self?
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Language Coach | Crashed Culture
If you haven't heard of Hey! Lingo I have a review here, but it's basically a fun website/app for learning phrases in like a million different languages. Apparently they now offer chats too!
I can't offer an opinion on it just yet (waiting on a replacement for my stolen phone...) but I'm super curious about it!
I can't offer an opinion on it just yet (waiting on a replacement for my stolen phone...) but I'm super curious about it!
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Language Coach | Crashed Culture
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Language Coach | Crashed Culture
First
Linka Ramos M
, now
Cortland Kirkeby ("CK")
...y'all make me so proud! Check out his comment on a blog post (it's long but relatable):
I found this blog just recently (July/Aug 2021). For me, it dovetailed perfectly with the all-Spanish "How I Learned Spanish" video you sent out last week (earlier this week?). Why? You guessed it: I was at a crossroads.
First, a rude surprise arrived in the last week of July. Somehow, after 400-and-something consecutive days, Duolingo (apparently) kicked me out of the program. It wouldn't let me log in with my normal password; it wouldn't let me change my password, I got no response to email or voice-telephone messages. It wouldn't even let me start completely over. poof gone. Was I happy about it? No. Withdrawal from anything is a b****.
Next, I read your "stop using Duolingo" post, it made sense, particularly the feeling that I had carried nothing forward into "real life" Spanish fluency.
After that, I clicked on your "How I Learned Spanish" and had a revelation -- "Hey, I'm really following this!" I started covering up the English subtitles - no problem. Ditto mis-pronunciations and hunting for the "right" word. Unbelievable!. Piece of cake - "Hey, I must be better than I realized."
Then it hit me -- "frame of reference." All of us already struggle understanding one another in our "own" language. A lot of it comes down to "why is this topic/concept/objective/assumption so important to you"? Clearly, you (Jamie) and I are operating from a common "frame of reference" established by your earlier blogs so, even in Spanish, little "aha" moments just kept popping like little fire crackers. "How come I didn't think of this earlier?"
Related concept: "tropes" (metaphors etc.), particularly redundant ones that strangers keep wearing out while I'm stuck wondering "how did this become so important?"
Takeaways: (1) Get more of Jamie in Spanish - either persuading you to put up more spoken Spanish offerings like "How I learned Spanish" or having you direct me/us to earlier Spanish-speaking blogs you have already posted elsewhere (perhaps originally targeted toward Spanish speakers learning English?); and (2) Next time I hit a wall understanding third party spoken Spanish, watch out for "tropes" and "frames of reference" that may be getting in my way.
Anyway, I continue as one of your biggest fans and will try to keep "checking in" as I explore some of these other learning sites.
I LOVE to see this message clicking with so many of you!
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Language Coach | Crashed Culture
I have a Spanish book club more or less every week where we basically just hang out and talk in Spanish. It's just a few friends who like to speak Spanish in a low-key, pretty intimate setting.
Anyways, I was telling them about the video I posted totally in Spanish, and was expressing how hard it was to edit and post because I made SO many mistakes.
Instead, they told me my Spanish has gotten better! When we first starting meeting up I would get easily frustrated and pretty much just give up. Now I might take a second to come up with my words but I'm more confident and, because of that, more fluent!
Anyways, I was telling them about the video I posted totally in Spanish, and was expressing how hard it was to edit and post because I made SO many mistakes.
Instead, they told me my Spanish has gotten better! When we first starting meeting up I would get easily frustrated and pretty much just give up. Now I might take a second to come up with my words but I'm more confident and, because of that, more fluent!
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Language Coach | Crashed Culture
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Language Coach | Crashed Culture
I don't pretend to know much about stocks and all that, but I found a helpful article (you can read it here).
Basically:
- 💲"publicly traded" means shareholders, which means Duolingo has to make people happy that are just in it for the money, not just language learners
- 💲only 3% of users pay for Duolingo Plus, which is unsustainable; in fact, the business is losing tens of millions a year
Not to say that this is a bad move for us - having more financial support does mean that the courses could get better! Duolingo only recently shifted from unpaid volunteers creating their trees to paid employees. Good for the quality of courses, but not great for keeping language learning accessible.
❤️With the hearts system, lots of users have been complaining for a while now that it's too difficult to use for free, so they've left.
I also just realized that they changed their motto! It used to be "Learn a language for free. Forever", but now it's "The free, fun, and effective way to learn a language!". Not a huge change, but it's very telling 🤔
Regardless, it's pretty close to impossible to make a quality language learning resource with literally zero income (especially with millions of users).
What do you think?