I have been studying the Russian language since the spring of 2004. I was planning to travel to Kazakhstan in August and wanted to prepare for the trip, so I took two classes at The Boston Language Institute. I had seen their “Guaranteed Swahili!” signs in the Boston subway cars since my college days. The classes were good, but you definitely get out what you have time to put into them.
Then I went to Kazakhstan and met some wonderful people. I was able to barely get along when there wasn’t a translator, although very laboriously. I picked up many new words. When I returned, I don’t think I did much studying until six months later when I decided I was going back again. I stumbled on language CDs at the local library, and tried a short Pimsleur course. I had heard from a fellow student from my language classes that they were good, but I didn’t consider myself an aural learner so I hadn’t tried them. I was blown away by the simplicity and power of the program, and quickly found the complete courses.
After completing the first full course and half of the second, I visited Kazakhstan again. I was much more successful in communicating this time and again learned a lot while I was there. I also happened to meet a lovely woman, with whom I began to speak on the telephone when I returned, averaging perhaps an hour a day ever since! Needless to say, since returning I’ve been much more serious about studying Russian.
I immediately completed the second and third complete Pimsleur courses. I started purchasing dictionaries (paper and electronic), textbooks, readers, children’s books, dual-language books, and found websites, IRC channels, cab drivers, and other methods to learn more. It’s hard work discovering for yourself the tools to learn a language, and I’ve decided today that I’d like to share what I’ve found, in the hopes that it can help other people who are doing the same thing. I’m creating a new Russian category for these posts and encourage you to submit comments on them and your own suggestions. I plan to submit individual posts on particular books and techniques, but I’ll also create a summary post next that I will keep updated with a summary of the tools in a ranked order of how useful they are.
I love languages and know a fair amount of German and French, as well as a bit of Japanese, Tamil, Biblical Greek, and Mandarin Chinese. For the most part, finding the good tools for learning each new language is a whole new adventure. But there are of course common techniques and some tools that are available in many languages. Perhaps the most basic requirement is not to give up, and to keep trying different things until you find some sweet spots where you are able to learn quickly. Finding the right thing for where you’re at now can be a challenge, but it’s out there. Later you’ll find some things that didn’t help before start becoming fruitful, because you’ve made progress.