YouTube and Netflix have been game-changers for language learners. They grant access to a wealth of content in various foreign languages, both in original and dubbed versions. However, many language students don’t take full advantage of this abundance of video content. Perhaps they regard media consumption in their target language as an activity reserved for after they’ve mastered the language. But what if one could learn a language by immersing themselves in bingeworthy YouTube and Netflix content? This is the foundation of several immersion methods for learning foreign languages, and Refold is one of my favorites.
[Read more…] about Training in Immersion Learning with RefoldThai
Learning Thai: January-April 2023
This is what I wrote here four months ago (December 2022):
In December, I intend to continue working with the Thai Reading Exercises. After finishing the second book of BananaThai I will continue practicing with other similar easy readings for the rest of December. In January, I will start BananaThai’s Intensive Thai Course and after completing that, the Thai Listening Exercises. Then I would have finished all A1 and A2 resources provided by BananaThai (at the moment I’m writing this, December 2022).
What happened with my Thai studies in the firs quarter of 2023? Did I actually follow through as intended? Well… yes and now 🙃. Here’s a short summary of my Thai activities in the past few months:
[Read more…] about Learning Thai: January-April 2023Learning Thai: My Second Attempt
I always prefer to learn skills on the first try. But, sometimes, it doesn’t work like that. I may need a second, third, or even fourth attempt. That was my experience with the Thai language. I tried to learn it in 2020, put it on hold for a year and a half, and got back to it at the end of 2022.
When I tell others I started to learn Thai, one of the first things they ask, is: “Why are you learning Thai?”. A legitimate and important question. My short answer is: because I’m a Buddhist 🙂. Having clarity on your reasons for learning a certain language or skill turns out to be vital. And it’s not about having a good answer when others ask. It’s about you knowing why you’re doing it. What makes you want to do it? If we don’t ask ourselves why we learn what we learn, we may end up picking up languages or skills that are not entirely meaningful to us. Skills that are supposedly useful or good for us.
[Read more…] about Learning Thai: My Second Attempt