Remembering How to Learn Languages

And Some Language Learning Updates & Milestones

It’s been some time since I had a consistent routine that involved studying rather than just using or maintaining my languages.

As I’m writing this, it’s the 5th anniversary of Minimmersion Weekend, an event that encourages immersion in your target languages. What I love most about language learning events and challenges is knowing that other people are also spending more time on their target languages. There’s also a 40 Hour 7 Day challenge happening next week, starting on Monday, hosted by Jo & Tanya. I was excited at first since it’s been a while since I last participated, but for some reason, 40 hours feels like a lot, despite having completed this challenge before. Almost a year ago, in December, I managed to study for 30 out of the 40 hours. In May 2024, I achieved the 40-hour goal.

I’m still working on my target language TBR, and so the reading I do will count towards those hours, but I know I’m not going to spend 40 hours reading in a week. So I started thinking about what else I could do. I have a few French workbooks I’d like to finish, plus vocabulary decks in Japanese and French on Migaku that I want to get back to.

Seeing the progress bars gives me a lot of motivation to complete these resources!(Notion Template)

The main discomfort I’m feeling is in getting the discipline and routine back after months of taking a more relaxed approach. Unfortunately, when there is a “goal” or “challenge,” I can’t help but go all in.

I’ve gotten used to languages being part of my day without realizing I was studying. Recently, I’ve watched many episodes of Japanese and Chinese shows, played games in French and Japanese, and am currently reading in several languages. I don’t track any of it like I used to, so I often forget that it all still counts as studying and immersion.

So instead of worrying about how I’m going to hit 40 hours, I’m going to use next week as a chance to be more intentional with what I do in my target languages. A little structure might be exactly what I need as the year is ending. And if you’ve also lost some structure lately, this might be a good moment to make a new plan too.

In the grand scheme of things, this is a good problem to have. It means I’m comfortable enough in some languages (French) that I can use them without thinking about what I should be learning. With the ones where I’m still a beginner (Japanese), it means I’m actually having fun exploring them. And with Mandarin, I’m realizing I still feel comfortable, despite having put it on hold for years.

I’m hoping this perspective shift helps me find joy in learning and studying, even if I don’t meet the 40-hour goal. What matters is showing up!

Language Learning Updates

A quick summary of what I’ve been doing in French, Japanese, and Mandarin:

• ⭐French: I reached 3 years in my French journey last week! I have a progress update post coming out soon.

• ⭐Japanese: I’ve been watching anime, shows, and playing video games with Japanese audio. I also completed the Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky First Chapter remake, making that 50+ hours of Japanese listening since September, just with the game alone! It was my first JRPG and I loved it.

• ⭐Mandarin: I’m currently watching The Three-Body Problem in Mandarin. I got halfway through years ago, so hopefully I’ll finish it this time. Next on my list is Mobius, and before the end of the year, I need to finish the Reset (开端) novel.

Thanks for reading! I’ll see you soon in my 3-year French Update and my next TBR Update. Happy language learning!