Have you heard of All Japanese All the Time? You can just check out the site for the details, but basically it’s one man’s tale of how he learned Japanese to fluency (or so he claims) in 18 months just by immersing himself steadily and constantly in the language. This means listening to only Japanese music, watching only J-shows, reading only J-sites, etc. The idea is sound. It’s like Sink or Swim. If someone dropped you in the middle of Timbuktu one day I bet you’d pick up the lingo in a hurry.
So how does that apply to me? Well I was thinking of applying for a job with a certain Swedish organization. There’s no way I’d learn enough Swedish in time to land the job, but afterwards in the time I’m working there (if I decide to apply and if I get the job) I’d be surrounded by Swedish people and materials. It’s a good chance to pick up a language I’d never actually learn left on my own.
With that in mind, I checked out a few resources for learning Swedish. First need to get some textbooks and materials, and then need to find music, books, radio stations, etc to complete the environment. This was all a few days ago now to be honest my desire is waning, but I think I’ll list them here in case I ever do get round to learning it.
Foreign Service Insitute courses – Haven’t tried them yet, heard good things
U-Z Translations site – Massive number of textbooks and materials but you need to sign up first
How to Learn Any Language search results – it’s a forum for language learners
Learn Swedish with Swedish LingQ – Self explanatory title. It looks like a blog with podcasts and other materials for the intermediate learner.
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