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Advancing Korean, Year 5/6: TAC15 東亞 | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Language Learning Log |  | |
| druckfehler Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4860 days ago 1181 posts - 1912 votes  Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Korean Studies: Persian | Message 321 of 344 27 April 2015 at 8:47am | IP Logged | ||
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It would be great if Naver and Daum had offline versions, but unfortunately it doesn't look like it. I've been using the app Offline Dictionaries for a while now and the Korean dictionary is very good. I can look up almost any word I come across, even more obscure or specialised terms.
Being without internet at home does get inconvenient sometimes. I can't just decide to watch a new episode of something or start watching a new drama spontaneously. I need to plan ahead and download them. Actually, planning ahead really describes all the challenges of living without 24/7 internet access. But then, if I really need to look something up I just have to walk a few meters to one of the neighborhood cafes and use their wifi. It makes me evaluate whether I really need to google something right now and most of the time it can wait. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| tarvos Super Polyglot Winner TAC 2012 Senior Member China likeapolyglot.wordpr Joined 4699 days ago 5310 posts - 9399 votes Speaks: Dutch*, English, Swedish, French, Russian, German, Italian, Norwegian, Mandarin, Romanian, Afrikaans Studies: Greek, Modern Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Korean, Esperanto, Finnish | Message 322 of 344 27 April 2015 at 9:31am | IP Logged | ||
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I would do this... if I didn't have a job dependent on my internet connection :p
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| druckfehler Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4860 days ago 1181 posts - 1912 votes Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Korean Studies: Persian | Message 323 of 344 06 May 2015 at 1:58pm | IP Logged | ||
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2015년 5월 6일. Week 19.
Textbook Lessons: 3 GLOSS Lessons: 1 1/2 TV News Items: 10 Written Bits and Pieces: 4 TOPIK (practice) tests: 3 Current Super Challenge Count Books: 46 Movies: 56 It's high time for an update. I sat TOPIK on April 25, the first time the new format was used in Germany. Overall it went surprisingly well. The reading time was just enough for me to read through everything. The test overseer was a bit irritating, first repeating for 3 minutes that people who wanted to leave the room should do so quietly, not rustle any papers, etc. and then counting down the final time in 10-second-steps. And that when every second counts... seriously, 센스 없는 아저씨... But most of the reading questions went quite well and I expect to get a score in the 80s or - with luck - even in the 90s. Listening was good. I got lost somewhere in the middle for a few questions, because on this new test the "easier" questions are only repeated once. Really, that makes them harder than the hardest questions... I don't envy intermediates sitting that test. There's hardly enough time to read all the answers and mark your answer sheet. But later I caught up again and felt like I really was at my listening best (maybe my listening skills were better in Korea, but I was immersed for 6 weeks, so that doesn't really count). Probably also 70-90 range, depending on some luck. Writing was the big surprise. It was not that difficult, although I lacked time to finish the big, long question. The short fill-in-the-gaps questions went well. One of them was a letter to a radio program. You would've liked this one, Evita :) I had to fill in something like 사연을 보내는 것이 오늘 처음입니다. The short essay was very easy to write. It was about things needed for a successful job interview. As they give you the points you have to mention it's not that challenging. In the end, what I wrote hardly fit into the space provided. The long essay was something like "As it is inevitable that it happens sometimes, what do you do if your values collude with the values of the group? Elaborate with Examples." I started writing, but time ran out when I wrote my first example. I wrote about Germany in WW2 as an examples how sometimes standing up for your values against the group is important. Luckily, I learned the words 가치관 and 집단 shortly before the test :) So, after 5 years of learning Korean I feel like I've accomplished a lot. I feel like level 6 was within my reach, but I probably still won't get enough points for it. If only I had practiced more for the long essay (to be a bit faster/know how much time to spend on what)... I still remember looking at an advanced TOPIK when I sat the beginner one and being pretty sure I'd never ever arrive at that point. But then I just resolved to keep learning 'a little bit' of Korean. But then again, there's still a lot left to learn. For the rest of the year, my plan is to finish the Super Language Challenge. Right now my numbers don't look that good, but I've been reading a lot, I just didn't finish any of the books yet (and I only log them once finished). 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Evita Tetraglot Senior Member Latvia learnlatvian.info Joined 6544 days ago 734 posts - 1036 votes Speaks: Latvian*, English, German, Russian Studies: Korean, Finnish | Message 324 of 344 06 May 2015 at 3:07pm | IP Logged | ||
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I was waiting for your TOPIK post, glad to know it went well. Not that I had any doubts about it :)
I was just writing in my own log how difficult it is to remember Korean words (like 집단 which I have had in my deck for a while) but 사연 is not one of them. I hear it so often on Yoo Inna's show I can't imagine how I listened to it for several months without knowing this word. But as for the stories themselves, more often than not, they still go over my head. I hear a lot of words I know but there are also words I don't recognize especially when I'm not listening carefully. I can't imagine how it will feel when I'll be able to understand everything I hear and read in Korean. I'm sure it will feel awesome and like a great achievement. I'm still far from it but I'm sure I'll get there one day. Maybe in 5 years? Who knows. But when I think back to three years ago when I had just started studying Korean, I think I had this conviction even then that I wouldn't quit. I'm happy to have this community where I can share how it is going and get advice from others. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| druckfehler Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4860 days ago 1181 posts - 1912 votes Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Korean Studies: Persian | Message 325 of 344 11 May 2015 at 11:02am | IP Logged | ||
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It's also difficult for me to follow the stories on Yoo Inna's show when I don't listen closely. It's gotten a bit better after my immersion in Korea, but it has also faded away again a bit. But then again, I also need to focus to follow English or German. Fading out voices is such an important skill, so that's ok :)
I don't think I'd have gotten far without HTLAL. Writing a log really kept me accountable and it was great to be able to share my observations and struggles with others in the same boat. If I had been totally isolated in the tedious lower intermediate stage, when everyone else stopped studying Korean after our language classes ended, I probably would've given up. I read on your log that you're starting to think about sitting TOPIK as well. Great news! :) Do they offer it anywhere near you? 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| druckfehler Triglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4860 days ago 1181 posts - 1912 votes Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, Korean Studies: Persian | Message 326 of 344 11 May 2015 at 11:08am | IP Logged | ||
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[QUOTE=druckfehler] 2015년 5월 11일 Week 20
Textbook Lessons: 3 GLOSS Lessons: 1 1/2 TV News Items: 10 Written Bits and Pieces: 4 TOPIK (practice) tests: 3 Current Super Challenge Count Books: 51 Movies: 56 I've finally oficially crossed the 50% hurdle of the Super Language Challenge. I've completed 2574 pages worth of Korean books. I have to say this has boosted my understanding a lot. Even after my stay in Korea until now, I've noticed marked improvements which can only be attributed to reading. The book I just finished , 참 좋은 당신을 만났습니다 (how fortunate to have met you), was still too challenging to be a fun, easy read on my flight back to Germany last August, but it really was a breeze now. I probably still need to up my amount of reading to finish the challenge, though. Right now it's pretty much restricted to my commute of about 40-60 minutes per day (and I don't even always read there). We'll see. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Evita Tetraglot Senior Member Latvia learnlatvian.info Joined 6544 days ago 734 posts - 1036 votes Speaks: Latvian*, English, German, Russian Studies: Korean, Finnish | Message 327 of 344 11 May 2015 at 4:28pm | IP Logged | ||
I'd probably take the exam if they offered it in Riga but they don't. The closest location would be Germany or the Czech Republic and it's a bit far to go just for this purpose. My vague goal is to take the TOPIK in a few years when I'm pretty sure I'd pass level 6 and to do it in Korea. But learning Korean handwriting is something I should have done a long time ago. I only practiced for a week and it was not difficult at all, and now I can finally read handwritten notes. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| vermillon Triglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 4670 days ago 602 posts - 1042 votes Speaks: French*, EnglishC2, Mandarin Studies: Japanese, German | Message 328 of 344 12 May 2015 at 8:40am | IP Logged | ||
Can you tell me where you learnt it? I'd love it if my handwriting didn't look like a five year old... :) 1 person has voted this message useful |
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