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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| BAnna Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 4620 days ago 409 posts - 616 votes  Speaks: English*, German, Spanish Studies: Russian, Turkish | Message 89 of 236 17 June 2013 at 7:24pm | IP Logged |
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I have been skyping regularly with two people for over a year and that's been great. One of them I will meet in person later this year.
The pen-pal thing is new to me, and it definitely needs to be done with caution because it can be overwhelming. I think having a pre-defined frequency agreement might help, (like let's exchange one mail per week or per month). After an initial flurry of exchanges when I first signed up on the pen-pal site, now I have about 5 people I regularly correspond with, but "regularly" may mean just once or twice a month. Some people you just don't have that much in common with or their expectations are different, so you also let some go (or they let you go). It may sound a bit crazy (ok, probably does sound crazy...) but I actually track dates of our exchanges in Excel so I know how frequently we respond to one another, key info, etc. but I'm just obsessive, so you don't need to do that unless you are wired that way. Sunja's point about correcting each other's stuff is definitely well-taken. Now I have only one person with whom I do that, because it takes way more time than just responding to the person. With a few of my penpas we write to each other almost exclusively in German, and with one she writes to me in English and I write her back in German. You have to experiment to make it work, and I haven't completely figured it out, but I think it would definitely be better than chatting because you do have a history of responses to refer back to in case you forget their cat's name or whatever :) 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| AlOlaf Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5146 days ago 491 posts - 617 votes Speaks: English*, GermanC2 Studies: Danish | Message 90 of 236 18 June 2013 at 12:01am | IP Logged |
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I've had mutual correction email pals off and on for a couple of years now and I must say it's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it's great having a native speaker to correct your mistakes and, especially, to point out stuff that may be technically grammatically correct, but that no native speaker would ever use. On the other hand, this benefit comes with a weighty responsibility: A sincere, motivated learner is counting on you to provide them with accurate information.
I found correcting English much more difficult and time-consuming than I had imagined. I found out, for example, that I couldn't explain the English progressive verb tenses if someone held a gun to my head. I had to consult English reference grammars at the public library to find rules governing aspects of my native language I had never thought about. I had two email pals at the same time and I must admit, fulfilling my obligations sometimes felt like a ball and chain. But it paid off. One of my email pals was a German scientist. We had corresponded sporatically for several months when I mentioned that I was going to Frankfurt to attend the Goethe Institute for two weeks. Even though he only knew me through our email correspondence, this man drove to Frankfurt from his home three hours away for the sole purpose of welcoming me on my arrival and showing me around the city. I was overwhelmed that someone I'd never met could show me such warm and unreserved kindness. So much for Germans being cold and aloof. He made me feel welcome and not so much a foreigner. The tone was set for a wonderful two weeks. I'm not saying that if you get an email pal, this will happen to you. But you never know. Edited by AlOlaf on 18 June 2013 at 12:48am 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| WingSuet Triglot Senior Member Sweden Joined 5349 days ago 169 posts - 211 votes Speaks: Swedish*, English, German Studies: Cantonese | Message 91 of 236 18 June 2013 at 11:17am | IP Logged |
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What you've all said makes sense. If I get a penpal, I will definitely just have one. I'm
not entirerly new to penpals, I helped someone out with his Swedish, so I'm used to correcting mistakes. Just as AlOlaf said, I had to look up a lot of grammar to be able to explain it, and I learned a lot about my native language by doing so. I really like teaching, so I think this kind of exchange would suit me. I think BAnna's idea is good, to make an agreement how often to exchange, so that you don't feel obligated to answer right away, that would definitely burn you out! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| BAnna Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 4620 days ago 409 posts - 616 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish Studies: Russian, Turkish | Message 92 of 236 08 August 2013 at 3:32am | IP Logged |
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Back from my work trip and vacation travel in Switzerland, Netherlands and Germany. I had a wonderful time,
including a visit with one of my long-time skype partners. Didn't do any formal studying, but was able to take care of most things I needed to exclusively in German, including having a few phone conversations, reading newspapers and magazines, watching TV, talking to various people. Met some really nice folks (speakers of various languages). Had some funny experiences: A Dutch person thought I was German, and he wanted to practice his German with me. He thought I was joking when I said I was an American, and he said "Americans can't speak German". LOL. Another time I was speaking exclusively in German to the family of my skype partner for a while and feeling good about ability to communicate, and then her daughter brought me some of her old books to give me, just right for my level (targeted to 5-6 year olds). Haha. Kids are honest :) Most of the time I could understand 99% of everything I heard or read, but my active ability to participate in conversations was of course not at that level. My lame excuse is lots of walking in warm weather. ;) German with a Bavarian or Swiss accent was not easy for me at first, but then I starting getting it... just in time to head North to Hamburg. :) I need to think about what to focus on in my studies now that I'm back. Hope everyone is having a great summer and enjoying life and your language(s) of choice. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |
| Sunja Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 6083 days ago 2020 posts - 2295 votes 1 sounds Speaks: English*, German Studies: French, Mandarin | Message 93 of 236 08 August 2013 at 1:40pm | IP Logged |
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it was really hot here about two weeks ago. After that walking did you sit down and have a Maß (Bier)? Actually one of those would put me under the table^^. What did you eat? Did you get to try some of the local food?
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| BAnna Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 4620 days ago 409 posts - 616 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish Studies: Russian, Turkish | Message 94 of 236 17 August 2013 at 6:45pm | IP Logged |
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@Sunja,
Yes, it was rather warm. We did enjoy eating and drinking on top of the walking: Weißbier, Riesling, Bionade, Currywurst mit Darm, Matjes, roasted fish, Brathändl, Brezn mit Obatzda, strawberries, as well as Vietnamese and Turkish food (I like drinking Ayran). We went to Lübeck and of course had some Marzipan. The bread in Germany is the best anywhere, not to mention the Beer, Wurst and Cheeses. Yum. I was sorry I didn't get any smoked eel, and it was a bit too warm to eat much (a good thing), but we were quite satisfied. I'm back at work and settling down to a routine. No classes until September, but my husband is currently on a trip, so I have time to study/watch films/listen to podcasts or audiobooks. I am reading two books and listening to two other audiobooks. One of each I am doing fast, plowing through the content, and the other one slow, taking time to look up words, expressions, grammar points. I have decided to start reading aloud and to regularly attend the meetup we have here (twice per month). My trip made it clear to me that my speaking ability is where I need the most practice. Maybe I need to start walking around talking to myself ;) Of course I will also continue with my skype partners. The highlight of my trip was definitely to meet my skype-friend and her family. 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Sunja Diglot Senior Member Germany Joined 6083 days ago 2020 posts - 2295 votes 1 sounds Speaks: English*, German Studies: French, Mandarin | Message 95 of 236 17 August 2013 at 7:28pm | IP Logged |
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okay, now I'm really hungry :p
I have to look to see when they have "Bayrische Woche" at the local Aldi. It would be the perfect end to a great (but short) grill season, and the perfect start to the coming Octoberfest season! 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| BAnna Triglot Senior Member United States Joined 4620 days ago 409 posts - 616 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish Studies: Russian, Turkish | Message 96 of 236 02 September 2013 at 8:06am | IP Logged |
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Have been doing a minimum of 20 minutes reading aloud daily. Does this help? Keine Ahnung... My husband is back from his trip, but while he was away, I did an insane amount of studying, reading, etc. It's good I don't live alone or I'd be an obsessed maniac, or at least more of one than I already am.
Ich bin tief in einem Buch: Der Turm. Es geht um die letzten Jahren der DDR-Zeit und findet in Dresden statt. Es ist ein sehr interessantes Buch, aber ein bisschen schwierig für mich zu lesen und es hat ungefähr 1000 Seiten. Manchmal denke ich, bin ich völlig verrückt. Wenn ja, muss ich mich unbedingt in eine deutsche Irrenanstalt einweisen... Was denkt ihr? Lohnt es sich, schwierige Bücher zu lesen oder ist es eine Zeitverschwendung? Wäre es besser etwas leichter zu lesen? Bis zum nächsten Mal Edited by BAnna on 02 September 2013 at 8:17am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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