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Language Learning: My New Reading Process Works So Well, It’s Scary
My elusive quest for custom dual-language subtitled books
I’m so excited about this process, that I’m probably not going to sleep tonight.
Well, I ended up sleeping for 4 hours.
At my architecture job the next day, I drew up a town firehouse for a surprise client meeting. The meeting was at 4:30 PM, and I got the plans done at 3:58 PM. Life is weird. I always feel the best coming home after these more intense days.
Now I get to relax and write about language learning. And then engage in this hyper-efficient process before bed.
My new reading process isn’t your typical once in a few months discovery.
No, this is a once in an entire language journey discovery.
I can see the writing on the wall already. B1 Finnish is incoming. A2 Finnish has been the biggest slog and tease on my language journey.
The surprising hard truth of CEFR levels
My CEFR levels in Finnish are self-assessed and not based on any particular certifications or exams. To me, self-assessing vs formal examination is not a controversial matter because any experienced language teacher will know instinctively what CEFR level their student is speaking at.
In every industry, I have seen some level of insecurity with “outsiders” taking a less formalized pathway. For example, licensed architects vs design-builders (both have their own merits). Or traditional artists vs digital artists (art is in the eye of the beholder). And finally learning a language through formalized courses vs self-study.
It’s healthier to see the nuances of each pathway rather than seeing one as absolutely better than the other. Alternative pathways create a healthier ecosystem for everyone.
My Finnish teachers have generally agreed with my CEFR level assessments, except for one time I got 2 hours of sleep, and my teacher had this look…
