#new target language words in reading and shows in a target language dictionary)

[rigelmejo]

@earlgrey--tea you asked who learned French just by watching TV shows and I'm thrilled you asked.

Here is the paper Peter Llewellyn Foley published: Picking up a second language from television: an autoethnographic L2 simulation of L1 French learning. Looking over the paper again now, he did 1500 hours of audio-visual French material for native speakers. He read toward the end of that period for some hundreds of hours, and he talked to people in French similarly toward the end of that period for some hundreds of hours. I read the whole thing, and I recommend anyone else who's curious reads the whole thing. Because my takeaways may not be the same as another person's. The paper includes what he did, how he studied, how he tracked his study, what study materials worked best (he found children's cartoons with a lot of visuals of what is being talked about were the easiest to learn from in the first few hundred hours - and adult television where they talk about things not directly visually shown as some of the hardest stuff that he used once he had more understanding of the language).

His paper shows at least 1 person could learn French by watching shows (with children's cartoons being best at the beginning stage until you learn more words), and trying to figure out what each thing means as you hear it. He did a lot of puzzling out the sounds he heard, using context and guessing what was being talked about (for curiosity's sake he did the opposite of what ALG Automatic Language Growth articles tend to suggest people do). He did not do any reading later sometime after 1000 hours, and it's fascinating how different he imagined French spelling was based on his guesses from the sound, compared to how it is actually spelled. He did use some graded readers for learners once he was reading.

He did not look any word translations up when watching all those shows. He personally makes the guess that if he HAD looked up words, if he HAD used French subtitles, and if he had focused entirely on children's shows at first, his progress might have taken less time. But his experiment did not do that, so it's only a guess, and actual success of people who've looked up words should be referenced instead for how successful or not it is (people like r/Refold learners look up words while watching shows), and he did not use any video materials made for language learners but my personal thinking is that Comprehensible Input type lessons at the beginning stage may have worked even better than children's cartoons.

To me, his level of understanding and ability to do things lines up fairly well with Dreaming Spanish's roadmap estimated hours to do X things. That makes sense to me as Peter basically studied with stuff made for native speakers, which eventually became more comprehensible. And Dreaming Spanish is designed to be fully comprehensible to a learner, until they can comprehend stuff for native speakers. I imagine Peter had a harder time initially, but as an English speaker learning French, with all the cognates, maybe he didn't have to learn as much to cross the threshold into comprehending children's shows as someone learning a language with no cognates.

I wrote my in depth thoughts about his paper here but it's mostly just rambling.

[bookwyrminspiration]

yo quiero aprender español. ¿tú tienes consejo sobre como aprender un nuevo idioma?

(I speak english natively and I've taken some spanish classes. this is my best attempt at asking the question in spanish. el oh el)

Hola! Te entiendo bien :)

I don't know that there's much I can say you haven't heard before; a lot of advice is similar because at the core, language learning is about repetition, and it's just a matter of how you go about that.

Something I've done is take things I'm familiar with--like my tumblr/phone--and change the language. It's intimidating at first, but I'm so familiar with tumblr that I know what most buttons/notifs say in English, and now I can see how it's translated. I also use it enough that words that were unfamiliar are now second nature--I think and look for "guardar imagen" instead of "save image" regardless of the device's language. it's immersion on a smaller scale, and you can always change it back if you need to

Another I do is imagine myself having a conversation with someone in the language, and using a dictionary whenever I can't think of a word I want. SpanishDict (a website and app) is my favorite for spanish. This way I teach myself the words I actually want to use in conversation, the ones that get overlooked in classes but are relevant to you, and you start to translate your voice across languages. You'll have to look up a lot more at first, but gradually less and less

I'd also encourage trying not to translate directly when encountering the language. By this I mean if you see a sentence, don't go through and translate it to your native language to understand it; try to understand the concepts directly instead of using your language as a middle ground. Nothing translates perfectly, so understanding and thinking about the language on its own will be more efficient and effective in the long run.

The movie tip is an old one, but it's repeated for a reason. Watch Movies/shows/youtube videos with captions in your target language. And if you're up for it, watch it with the audio in Spanish (you'll have to change what you search for, but exposure to native speaking is SO helpful--just audio works too); speaking (or signing) is much more inherent to language than writing and reading, but it always seems to be least focused on when learning a language--at least in my experience. maybe because it feels more difficult, but it's so crucial, so I urge you to face the hurdle

And throughout this, be patient. Language acquisition takes time, and it can feel frustrating when something doesn't seem like it's sticking, but it will. We're building entirely new patterns of communication; we both have to learn the new way and set aside how we tend to think. The more you throw yourself into it, the more mistakes you'll make, but you'll come out better for it in the end. I've learned so much making a fool of myself--and in most spaces, no one cares, because they understand you're learning and just want to help you improve. It's intimidating, but don't compare yourself to native speakers, compare yourself to your old self to see your progress.

I don't know how helpful this is, but it's a little of what i've learned in the 4 foreign languages i've studied--y si quieres, siempre podemos practicar juntos :)

[crying-in-converse]

please tell me all about language learning

its so fun. i love it so much. like learning a language?

they all sound so different and i find it so interesting. all the different grammar structures? yes, please? i bought a bunch of language dictionaries that i have no use for over the weekend. some languages are just so beautiful. i love to learn random ones, i love to learn them all.

there are so many different techniques and tricks you can use. i would recommend trying everything at once. learn grammar and vocabulary, and learn the culture. i love when my instagram reels show up in a different language. and its the best feeling ever when you translate it on your own.

i love language classes and having teachers guiding you, instead of having to make your own study plan. i love finding random resources online to help me.

i love reading books in my target langauge when i get to that level. it makes me feel so accomplished. i love learning new words when i read the books in that langauge.

the two and only things i hate about langauge learning is this:

pronuciation sucks. like actually so bad. i hate it. i love hearing native speakers. every language is so pretty. but i hate that i cant produce the noise right away.

the amount of time it takes. it gets so hard to make sure you are practicing every day. and to study consistantly. and to not give up. its so so hard not to give up.

but ive been doing duolingo every day since december. ive had an interest in this since decemeber. and hey.. thats the longest time ive ever had a hobby like this.

my advice to language learners: dont give up, keep going, keep going and try what is best for you. AND I LOVE TALKING ABT LANGUAGES SO ASK ME STUFF THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING ME DO THIS SHORT LITTLE THING WERE I JUST BLURTED OUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH LANGUAGE. ILY

[tchedu]

Four Practical Principles for Enhancing Vocabulary Instruction 3/20/23

Manyak et al (2014)

Takeaway: Teachers should vary their approach to teaching word meanings. Vocabulary instruction should be multifaceted, teaching individual words, development of word learning strategies, and word consciousness. Vocabulary instruction that focuses on dictionary definitions is not very good, instead provide a variety of contexts, multiple exposures, and promote students' active processing of new meanings.

To enhance vocabulary instruction, establish rich routines for introducing new words, provide review experiences that promote deep processing of target words, respond to student confusion by using anchor experiences, and foster universal participation and accountability.

Nugget: The average high school student's vocabulary consists of about 40,000 different words. That's a lot of words!

Reflection: In my time learning about Dr. Manyak, I was able to learn a lot about him, about his work, and his background. As Manyak is a bilingual teacher with a 30-year focus on the literacy development of Spanish-English emergent bilinguals, it is clear why he would be interested in and knowledgeable about vocabulary instruction. Vocabulary, after all, is the root of language and self-expression through language. It is also one of the most common struggles for multilingual students, English language learners, or anyone learning a second language. Not knowing vocabulary makes it very hard for one to speak the words they want to say or to convey specific feelings or information. It is amazing to see Manyak's continued commitment to vocabulary instruction and staying in touch with the present realities of literacy education. As an emerging educator, reading about Manyak, then reading the work that he has helped produce was an extremely inspiring experience, as it showed that there was a great deal of real impact that we can make as educators, not only in our schools or local communities but also on a much larger scale.

Evidence:

Before you read, learn something about the authors of the assigned course readings and note how what you learned impacts your motivation and/or your purpose for reading

[thebellekeys]

3 tips from an advanced foreign languages student and tutor

Immersion is key - You need to do things like listen to music in your target language, watch shows and movies in it, read books or fanfics in it if you can. And immersion goes beyond just that: try to use apps/social media to connect with natives. A lot of language learners aren't fortunate enough to spend vacation time in a country that speaks their target language, but surrounding yourself with the communication of natives in your TL absolutely helps you learn. In your regular fandoms for example, become mutuals with the fans who are natives in your TL and maybe try bonding over that! The passive learning that comes with just listening and reading, even if you can't translate line for line, absolutely helps with language proficiency.

Don't learn in a bubble - Listen, it's hard to learn new words and phrases if they're just sitting pretty on the page. It doesn't matter how aesthetic your vocab lists are- you need to use the new words and phrases you collect. Write a sentence using that new word you learnt and jotted down, so you have a way to remember the word used in an appropriate context. It becomes much easier to learn and remember vocabulary by by understanding their meaning and relating them to an actual situation. For visual learners, draw a doodle of the word! For aural learners, try saying it out loud on a recording or have a native/online dictionary say the word for you.

Literature/Culture is important - You need to do research and explore the culture/society of the countries/places that use your target language. Like, I don't mean traveling, but just, in English, research the art and writing and philosophy that were born in your target language. Language is inherently tied to culture/specific ethnic groups because they form the basis for how the language has evolved and is used. A decent understanding and big interest in the art and music and philosophy and the politics of persons from your TL's countries/regions goes a long way in your understanding of how to use the language, especially in formal ways.

[myhoneststudyblr]

my masterpost | my studygram | ask me anything

[click images for high quality]

[transcript under the cut]

Other advice posts that may be of interest:

How To Study When You Really Don’t Want To

How To Do Uni Readings

Active Revision Tips

don't neglect any of the key skills

We all have our strengths and there will definitely be a skill that you find easier. It is really tempting to therefore do more of that skill because it is not as difficult or to only focus on your weaker skills. But you should try to develop all of them simultaneously because they will only enhance one another. Each of the skills will teach you vocab, structures and grammar that will be transferable.

read children's books

Reading is a great way to learn new vocabulary and challenge yourself. However, often in your enthusiasm in learning a language, you choose a book that is way too complex. In doing this, you’re not giving yourself the chance to develop good reading habits because if you are constantly stopping to look up new words you won't get into the flow of a native text. You also won’t be able to pick up words via context if most of the language is way above your head. Therefore, it is best to read children's books at first so you can develop your reading and language skills so that when you are at the level to begin reading books you actually want to read you can tackle them effectively and successfully.  

strive to understand grammar

Regardless of the language, grammar is always tricky for non-native speakers. Even in your own language, grammar is often difficult and needs to be practised. Because we know this when learning a language, we often fall into the trap of just doing exercises and drills to simply memorise grammar. But this is incredibly unhelpful because in normal situations and conversations you won't know when to use it. Therefore, try to understand WHY the grammar works that way and how it impacts a sentence and the words within it.

use different sources

Read articles and check dictionaries - this method improves your vocabulary and learn how a word is used in a sentence. Listen to the radio or watch TV shows - it's best to listen to dialogues than songs, unless you want to learn to sing because this will help you get used to the rhythm of the language and how it normally sounds. Talk to anyone in any possible opportunity even if you are worried about sounding weird because speaking to natives if one of the best ways to learn and you get to communicate with new people! Using visual elements is also one of the best methods to learn new words, as they cause associations in our head, making it easier to remember permanently, not just learn by rote.

don't try to understand everything

When you learn a foreign language, it’s needless and virtually impossible to remember ALL the words - even native speakers don’t use them all. As you become more equated with the language you will quickly learn the most frequently used words. Verbs are often very useful to learn because you can't have a proper sentence if you don't have a verb. Furthermore, while for nouns it is relatively easy to describe or use synonyms, if you don't have verbs, it often stops you in your tracks. So google the most common verbs in your target language and spend some time getting familiar with them. Also, practice techniques for dealing with words you don't know by trying to figure out the meaning from context or examining the word's prefix, roots and suffix for clues to the meaning.

don't just learn common phrases

If you take a look at all language learning books, you will find many similar stock phrases. However, do you really use those phrases in your real life? Not really. And just learning these phrases limits you because you are just parroting rather than understanding. Therefore, it is important to learn the basic building blocks of sentences - the kind of words you will actually use - so that you can start to have a conversation at the very early stage of your learning journey.

Learn the following:

Question words/structure

Basic tenses (past, present, future)

Numbers

Day and time

Frequently-used verbs

Pronouns 

try to use the language in your everyday life

Have imaginary conversations in your head using the vocabulary you are learning. Narrate your day. On the way to work or school, in the car, whenever! It'll get you used to using the language for real, and you'll get familiar with the syntax. It will also help you practice finding a way to reword things if you don't know the word and find out what words you want to use often so that you can look them up.

don't just learn the language 

When you learn a language, you also need to learn about the culture or you won't get very far. Language is rooted in culture and vice versa so you can't really learn one without the other. Take some time to get to know the culture, history and people of the country (or countries) that speak your target language. This is one of the great joys of language learning because it gives you a passport to another world of understanding.

[chouhatsumimi]

Hi! I am trying to become a japanese to English (& vice versa) translator. I can't find any sources to check the English to Japanese translation. It is difficult to get which grammar must be used since I am not a japanese native and don't know any natives to ask either. I have studied till N2 level but have no experience and must start freelancing to get experience so I need to figure out how to translate on my own. I can only use free translation software but I am not sure about it's reliability. I have seen questionable translations when it's for Japanese to English. Do think you can give any suggestions or anything that might be helpful?

Hi! I did put in a little time searching for the kind of tools you might have had in mind.

It seems that there are many that function in the exact same way but have different interfaces. Here are two of them. Many others can be found by searching "日本語文章校正ツール" or similar keywords. https://dw230.jp/kousei/

https://so-zou.jp/web-app/text/proofreading/

While they can point out some things to look out for, from the testing I did with them, they overlooked some pretty obvious errors, while also catching some things that I couldn't figure out why it thought it was wrong/sounded bad, or how to fix it.

There was one more I found that I didn't try, because it involves downloading software. This page explains the software, and another page on the site offers the download. The webpage is sponsored by a university, so I think it's safe to assume its trustworthy, but it might be a hassle and I can't say for sure if it works.

https://www.pawel.jp/outline_of_tools/tomarigi/

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That said, it's most common for translators to work from one language INTO their native language. While interpreters often have to go both directions (J <--> E), translators typically work either (J -> E) [English native speakers] OR (E -> J) [Japanese native speakers]. If you grew up bilingual, maybe you can translate both ways. But if English is your native language and you learned Japanese as a second language (which is true of my situation), it's pretty much not going to be worth bothering to do E->J translation, unless there are extenuating circumstances. The reasons for this are 1) You can't be sure that the translation you produce reads smoothly or is error-free 2) While you might think, but yes, if I do a really thorough check and compare it against native Japanese examples, I can be pretty darn sure it's perfect, the amount of time it takes you to do that is not going to be cost-effective. Like anything else, people purchasing translation as a service usually want the end result to be done well, in a timely manner, and as cheaply as possible, so it doesn't make sense to hire you for E -> J when they could hire a native Japanese speaking translator, or send their work to an agency to find that translator for them.

If you ARE translating into Japanese and are not a native speaker of Japanese, it is a good idea to have a fellow translator who has the opposite native language you do (in this case Japanese & English), and ask them to check it over for you (which, considering that's part of their job, you'd probably pay a small fee for). They could do the same to have you proofread their translations into English. Some translators consult friends/spouses, etc., but I think this can get old for them sometimes, so it's advisable not to rely on them for your job. You mentioned not having any native speakers to ask right now, but this is still an idea you can file away for in the future when you meet more people and get to know other translators.

In short, if you're aiming to become a translator working with Japanese but are not a native Japanese speaker, don't worry about translating into Japanese. Just focus on translating from Japanese into your native language.

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Translation software: let me make a distinction here between "machine translation" and "CAT [computer aided translation] tools".

Machine translation is Google Translate, DeepL, anything like that. There are times when they work well, but particularly with a language like Japanese that likes to imply a lot of information instead of stating it directly (such as who is doing the action described in the sentence), they're pretty much always going to miss something. In any situation that someone is looking to pay a translator to do work, it's because they already know machine translation won't cut it. One thing that's becoming more common is MTPE (machine translation post editing), where a translator "fixes" what's wrong with a machine translation (or more often than not, just re-translates it from scratch because what the machine came up with is mostly useless).

CAT tools, on the other hand, are widely used by translators. Paid CAT tools such as Trados, MemoQ, Memsource, etc. can be very expensive, and are often provided by a translation agency to their translators. (Also, most of them require a PC operating system.) There's more I could say, but since I haven't been in any situations that require them, I don't have any personal experience. I do have experience using OmegaT (free, works on Mac) and Felix (free, I use it on Windows). They both take a little tinkering to figure out how to use effectively, but basically what they do is, once you've translated a segment of text, they store the original segment and the translated segment, and for each new segment you go to translate, the CAT tool compares it to segments that you've previously translated to see if you can re-use any of what you came up with before. They can also have a built-in dictionary function, but that's basically just having your typical web-based dictionary but more automatically and in a more convenient location.

--------------------

For going into freelancing, I have a few recommendations.

Apart from CAT tools, some resources that I refer to frequently are http://nihongo.monash.edu/cgi-bin/wwwjdic?9T (basically looks up all the words in a sentence at once), http://thejadednetwork.com/sfx/ (if you're doing anything with sound effects, like manga), https://tsukubawebcorpus.jp//search/ (this is a corpus, I have another post on how to use it -here-, it's probably going to be your best bet when it comes to checking grammar), https://books.google.com/ngrams (for when it comes to figuring out what turns of phrase are commonly used in English), and https://yomikatawa.com/ (for figuring out the readings of names in Japanese, though there are other sites that work similarly).

When it comes to practicing, contests are a good place to start. The two I know of now are run by JAT in October (https://jat.org/events/contests) and JLPP deadline of 7/31 (and they're long, so it's probably too late for this year unless you're free between now and then: https://www.jlpp.go.jp/en/competition6/competition6en.html ) You can also practicing doing translations for fun. Any kind of media you enjoy (manga, video games, variety shows, newspaper articles) is a good target for doing a practice translation. Just be wary that it's not a good idea to post your translation in a public location on the internet, because it could be infringing copyright/licensing agreements, etc. Finally, there are websites like Gengo, Conyac, Fiverr and others where you can do gig translation work. They can be useful for practice, but also have the pitfall of paying, like, 5% of the rate you should be getting. This is an ongoing debate because on one hand, you can get practice while still getting a little money for it, but on the other hand, if customers can get people to do that work for 5% of a livable wage, that makes it harder for aspiring and working translators to find enough work that pays well enough to support themselves doing only translation for a living. Entertainment (primarily manga) scanlation groups also a significant enough force to merit a mention here- many aspiring entertainment translators find themselves a part of such a group. Practice is practice and developing your skills is important, but they also have many many of the same problems associated with them as I mentioned above, namely infringing on copyright and contributing to the inability of anyone to turn entertainment translation into a livable full-time job.

Another recommendation I have is to join some J/E translation-focused groups. This page lists a number of them: https://shinpaideshou.com/translation/ I can personally vouch for JAT as I am a member and I got my current job by being part of their directory. They run an online training program (eJuku) once a year around April, and applications only stay open for a few days, so if you're interested make sure you keep your eye out. Another one not listed on that page is https://swet.jp/ which is not entirely about translation, but it is heavily related and they host some good events. Twitter is also a very good place to be if you're getting into J/E translation. I prefer to keep my tumblr and twitter separate but if you DM me, I can give you my handle so you can see who I follow and who among that seems worth following to you.

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In closing, I see you say "I have studied till N2 level but have no experience and must start freelancing to get experience so I need to figure out how to translate on my own." I'd say, give yourself some time. Even at N1 there's still going to be a lot you don't understand (or at least there was for me, that's why I started this langblr). I'm sure there are differences in our situations, but it was about five years ago for me that I started diving into translation- I think I was between N2 and N1 then. I've done a lot of translating and gotten a lot of experience since then, but I also have and am experiencing a lot of burnout. (In fact, I'm procrastinating right now by answering this....) Many translators have a job and translate on the side, and it's also common to gain experience with a company or agency before diving into supporting yourself on freelance work. I'd encourage you to take a breath, get experience when and where you can, and remember that if you keep at it long enough, you're sure to get there- just don't wear yourself out or worry to death in the meantime!

OH and definitely keep track of what projects you do, how long they are, and how long it takes you to do them! Knowing your speed is important when it comes to setting your working rates. I am always doubting these, and they differ from person to person, but my current estimates are that I can do 600 moji (Japanese characters) per hour, ~10 min. of audio per hour, and I try to aim for $45~$60 per hour. Generally the lowest acceptable standard rates are $0.05-$0.06 per moji and ~$5 per page of manga. You'll definitely get requests lower than that, so remember your sanity and don't be afraid to say no, there are plenty of opportunities out there!

[beardedmrbean]

The Justice Department charged a California man of hurling threats of violence against the Massachusetts-based Merriam-Webster Inc., while he allegedly accused the dictionary of promoting "lies and anti-science propaganda" regarding its gender definition entries for the words "woman" and "girl."

Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, California, was charged in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts, by criminal complaint with one count of interstate communication of threats to commit violence. He was arrested and made an initial federal court appearance in the Central District of California on Wednesday. 

Court minutes show Magistrate Judge John Early ordered Hanson to be released into the custody of his mother, with whom he was already living. He was also ordered to submit to a mental health evaluation, wear a location monitoring bracelet, make no threatening communications, and to have no access to any device that can access the internet. 

NC POLICE NOT INVESTIGATING WAKE FOREST MED STUDENT WHO IMPLIED SHE BOTCHED BLOOD DRAW AFTER PRONOUN PIN DISS 

The Boston Herald reported that Hanson’s mother told the court that her son is autistic, suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression, is prone to "verbal hyperbole," and his medications had recently been changed. Hanson’s next federal court appearance is scheduled before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Katherine A. Robertson in Springfield on April 29. 

Federal prosecutors accused Hanson of allegedly targeting the Springfield-based Merriam-Webster Inc. and other institutions and individuals "with threats to commit anti-LGBTQ violence." 

The criminal complaint says the threats spanned from Oct. 2 to 8, 2021, and prompted Merriam-Webster to close its offices in Springfield and New York City for approximately five business days. 

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, a user, later identified by authorities as Hanson, wrote comments "demonstrating bias against specific gender identities" submitted through the dictionary website’s "Contact Us" page and in the comments section on Merriam-Webster’s webpages that corresponded to the word entries for "girl" and "woman." 

"It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda," Hanson, using the handle "@anonYmous," allegedly commented on Oct. 2,2021, on the dictionary’s website definition of "female." "There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot."

As of Monday, Merriam-Webster’s first online entry for the word "female" reads "of, relating to, or being the sex that typically has the capacity to bear young or produce eggs," but a second entry defines female as "having a gender identity that is the opposite of male." The first entry for the word "girl" says "a female child from birth to adulthood," while the secondary entry says, "a person whose gender identity is female." A woman is defined as "an adult female person," according to the dictionary's website. 

The criminal complaint says Hanson also posted a threat via the website’s "Contact Us" page. 

"You [sic] headquarters should be shot up and bombed. It is sickening that you have caved to the cultural Marxist, anti-science tranny [sic] agenda and altered the definition of ‘female’ as part of the Left’s efforts to corrupt and degrade the English language and deny reality," Hanson allegedly wrote. "You evil Marxists should all be killed. It would be poetic justice to have someone storm your offices and shoot up the place, leaving none of you commies alive."

On Oct. 8, 2021, prosecutors allege Hanson posted another threatening comment on the dictionary’s website and via the "Contact Us" page threatening to "bomb your offices for lying and creating fake…". 

"Hate-filled threats and intimidations have no place in our society," U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins said in a statement released on Friday. "We believe Hanson sent a multitude of anonymous threatening and despicable messages related to the LGBTQ community that were intended to evoke fear and division." 

"My office and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate threats against members of our communities, no matter what corner of the internet they’re sent from," she added. "Perpetrators will be identified, arrested and held accountable in federal court."

"Jeremy Hanson is accused of making hate-fueled threats of violence that crossed a line," Joseph R. Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, said in a statement of his own. 

"Everyone has a right to express their opinion, but repeatedly threatening to kill people, as has been alleged, takes it to a new level," he continued. "We are always going to pursue individuals who try to intimidate and isolate members of our community by inciting violent, hateful acts. Threats to life are most certainly not protected speech and they cause real fear in victims. Rest assured, the FBI will do everything we can to bring to justice anyone who commits these criminal acts."

FBI investigators said they identified numerous related threats, including to the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O’ Lakes, Hasbro Inc., IGN Entertainment, the president of the University of North Texas, two professors at Loyola Marymount University, and a New York City rabbi. Prosecutors said the charge of interstate transmission of communications to injure the person of another provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

The Justice Department encourages individuals or entities who believe they may be victims of this crime to contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts at 888-221-6023.

[meimae]

Language Learning Through Immersion: One Year Japanese Update

11/03/2021

I did it, you guys! I’ve successfully reached my very first year of Japanese language immersion! I honestly thought that I would have given up by now, but this really has been a fun and ultimately rewarding endeavor.

Studying the language has been at the back of my mind for years since elementary school, I just never really knew how to go about it before, and I always thought that I could learn it in a classroom setting someday. That someday for me was in two elective courses in university, and while those were fun as well, it did not give me the same gains that I have achieved in this past year.

It’s probably easier to quantify learning a language in a classroom setting, especially when going through a program to earn a language degree. Learning through immersion, however, I had to really consider what my goals should be on my own. Eventually, I stumbled upon an article saying that for an English speaker, Japanese was exceptionally difficult to learn and that at least 2,200 hours must be spent with the language to reach a certain level of proficiency. So I said to myself, “well okay internet, if you say so!”, and set that as my long term goal going forward.

Spoiler Alert: I did not hit that goal in my first year. I am not crazy and will never listen to Japanese in my sleep regardless of what Khatzumoto (the creator of All Japanese All the Time) says. 

I did, however, hit a total 1,226.65 active immersion hours in my first year, so I guess I’m still a bit nuts. That is 874.96 hours of active listening and 351.69 reading hours. I also did 270.59 hours of passive listening, also known as the time in the very beginning of my immersion where I was using Japanese subtitles (therefore not really concentrating on listening alone). That’s a cumulative 1,497.24 hours spent with Japanese. That’s more than halfway towards my goal! 

To further break that down for curious animanga fans out there, that’s 973 episodes from 109 anime, 765 episodes from 33 dramas, 7 movies, and 967 chapters from 107 volumes of manga (21 series). Here’s my anilist and mydramalist to see what I’ve read/watched.

During all this, I was also doing my daily Anki reps and now I have a 530 day SRS streak (includes the time prior starting immersion and only doing RTK and some vocabulary cards) and a total 8,857 sentence cards. I’ve been averaging 406 cards daily (because I’m trying to cure my leeches) and I spend about an hour per day doing reps and learning new cards. I don’t really track my time on Anki, but I do have a set timer that goes off after 1-1:30 hours.

What I haven’t touched upon at all is output. I have not gone out of my way to find a tutor or a language partner. There’s still plenty of input out there to immerse in before I even consider outputting.

Graphs, stats, and more thoughts:

Here's my current card count in my main deck (minus the cards in my new/learning queue and leeches I've been relearning which are in separate decks):

That one day in 2019 where I did not do my cards because I was seriously doubting whether I can actually stick with language learning this time around will forever haunt and inspire me to keep going everyday.

Workflow and Tips

You might be wondering, how do I have a lot of time? I started this whole endeavor in the middle of a pandemic, which eliminated the option of me going to a language school, and a slew of other things I were considering doing last year became impossible (and if anything, very scary to do in a pandemic). All I can say is that, things work out eventually if it is His will, and if I can learn a skill before everything properly settles back down again, then why not? 

I wake up at 5 in the morning everyday to either do my Anki reps or read until the time when I need to get up and I listen to compressed audio throughout the day. The biggest tip is to switch the time you spend watching/reading in your native language to your target language instead. Listen to a podcast during your commute, watch an episode during lunch break, read before going to bed, do your Anki reps in the bathroom if you have to. 

But, if you’re feeling burnt out, there is no reason for you to not take a break! I have been watching a lot of Among Us streams before bed, and I chat with my friends from time to time. Language learning is not a race.

More Stats

Here are a couple of grids of the kanji characters that I have encountered at least once in my immersion and how well I have answered them in my vocabulary/sentence cards.

It's interesting that after almost 9000 words, I have yet to encounter every single character from the Remembering the Kanji 1 (RTK 1) book by James Heisig, which teaches you the most common use characters that are part of the 常用漢字. Which brings me to the question, was writing down every single character being taught in RTK worth it every time it came up in my reviews for the first 3-ish months I was reviewing them? Maybe, maybe not. It certainly removed my anxiety whenever looking at blocks of text in Japanese, but the longer I think about it, the more I feel I should have switched to Recognition RTK earlier. Still, being able to write in proper stroke order is cool I guess, and it also helps me when looking things up in the dictionary.

Here’s the same grid but in JLPT order:

I clearly need to grind those N2 and N1 level cards! Speaking of which, I have apparently almost covered every single character that could possibly appear in the JLPT (except for the N1 which I have only covered half of) in just a year's time. If the JLPT word frequency lists I’m using are accurate, I have about 2,000 words more to go to to cover most vocabulary that could appear in the test. This makes the "10,000 sentences/words to fluency" argument a reasonable milestone to aim for for Japanese learners if said aim is only to pass the test. That said, 10,000 words is just that, a milestone. It's more akin to a comfortable level of comprehension, but not my own concept of fluency which is being able to read with ease, speak articulately, and write comfortably.

READING IMMERSION GRAPHS

My biggest motivation for tracking my stats is for the purpose of seeing whether my reading speed is improving over time. Reading speed is also easier to measure than listening comprehension which is kind of subjective, so I had a lot of fun making these. What I found is that for the first volume or chapter of whatever it is I’m reading, I always take the time to get used to the writing style of the author. My speed really improves whenever I keep reading the same topic over and over again. On the other hand and quite obviously, looking up many new words in a row and trying to parse sentences slows me down.

Manga: Reading Speed Progression per Volume

I clearly love ちはやふる and I am not ashamed to admit it.

I need to start reading longer manga. When I do, I’ll probably split this graph into less than and greater than 20 volumes. Imagine if I start reading something ridiculously long as 名探偵コナン or ワンピース, these graphs will start breaching the bounds of time and space.

Novels: Time Spent Reading per Chapter

#neverforget the time I read chapter six of Norwegian Wood for 9 hours when it took me less than half that time in English RIP. Also, my interest in Kitchen plummeted LOL. Still planning to finish it don’t worry. 

I also need to start branching away from manga and start reading more novels and light novels, too just so I can make more pretty graphs.

Visual Novels: Time Spent Reading and Daily Word Count

Also known as images that clearly show that I’ve already spent several days only reading the prologue of Island. I’m not sweating. 切那 needs to stop using words I don’t know in succession. More thoughts on this VN far into the future.

Thoughts on Immersion

I can’t really say anything else other that that it works for me, and needless to say if you’re considering this method, remember that the SRS is your friend but immersion should be your one true love.

Prior to all this, I couldn’t even read a sample paragraph from Genki without being confused to my very soul. Yes, I know, it’s embarrassing, but that’s the truth. I was way more scared of failing my Japanese classes than my actual thesis for my bachelors degree, I kid you not. I would quite literally spend all my free time in university trying to understand grammar, memorize vocabulary, and answer my workbook exercises with little to no success. 

I tried so hard to get all the grammar “formulas” into my head for 1.5 years and it only brought me more confusion. I’m never going back to traditional classroom study for language learning, but I will still refer to grammar books when I need to, and not because I feel like I need to answer 4783342 different workbook exercises like my life depended on it.

I still can’t believe it, but with immersion this statement is actually true to a point, don’t try shadowing anime/or calling your boss anime language slurs, use your common sense:

study anime to understand Japanese > study Japanese to understand anime 

Future Goals/Plans

2,200 immersion hours was my initial goal, but honestly I feel like that number could be much higher. There’s still a lot of stuff I don’t understand (news, politics, sciences, etc.), so I’ll make attempts to cover more of those things in my immersion. 

I’ll continue reading more, because that’s a natural SRS in itself. Try to read longer manga, more novels, visual novels, and light novels, and maybe news articles. 

I’ll try to mine as much “JLPT vocab” as I can before making any attempts at taking the JLPT. I noticed that a lot of the words I know don’t appear in the JLPT word lists as much, even though they appear a lot in media/daily conversation. 

Continue mining all words I don’t know because all words are useful anyway. There is no such thing as useless words. I never really understood mining only “interesting words” or words that “pop up” in your immersion. As I said in my previous blog post, 美人局 is an interesting word and I certainly caught it being said in my immersion, but in the three languages I know, I wouldn’t know when I would be able to use such a word, as compared to something like ジャガイモ which is a significantly less interesting word, but is certainly useful to know. 

_

I have managed to talk up a storm, but if you have any questions regarding my process or recommendations for new immersion material, please feel free to send an ask/reply to this post. I love hearing about other people’s language learning/immersion journeys. 

See you on my next post!

[keenmarvellover]

POSTS FOR YOU - 1

Some links to posts with valuable content you want in one place.(BASICALLY EVERYTHING IS THERE)

Suggestions and Recommendations are appreciated and accepted.

Last Updated : 16/10/2020

NOTE: Some of these post are written in a crude and unruly fashion. But they contain valuable tips, guidance and information. If you can't/don't want to read such posts, then don't read.

Mental Health

Do you need a Hug?

Maybe you’re having a stressful day. Maybe you just need a deep breath. Maybe you just didn’t realize how stressed you are. You can get your comfort here.

Some stuff to help you sleep

This is definitely not a google drive full of the sleep stuff from the Headspace app, including sleepcasts, music, and wind down meditation, that normally costs 17.99 a month, no siree and you definitely shouldnt share this with people

Anti-Anxiety Tools

Some tools to help you before, during or after an anxiety attack

100 Reasons NOT To Kill Yourself

READ IT. SHARE IT. REBLOG IT. Save a Life.

HOBBIES MASTERPOST!!!!!!!!

A really excellent way to reduce anxiety is to pick up a new hobby. Find something you’re interested in, learn it, then use it as a healthy and productive way to cope.

Health

Some very Important Lists for Rating PAIN, FATIQUE AND MENTAL HEALTH

It is MUST share

PSA Rregarding Hospital bills

Also how to pay hospital bills when you are broke.

How to differentiate between COVID-19, FLU AND COMMON COLD

Anyway, as we enter cold & flu season in the YEAR of corona, this will come in very handy.

Treatment for HIV

VERY IMPORTANT. Please Read and Share.

What does the Color of your Period mean?

A must read for individuals who get periods.

How to differentiate between Period Cramps and Appendicitis

A MUST READ

From a Person who is Hard of Hearing

Types and levels of deafness

General Tips for Vagina Health

Some stuff they don't teach in sex-ed.

Undo the damage of Sitting

Are you always sitting down? Then these are some exercise you should probably try out for better health.

Guide to Proper Bra Fitting

Guide to Proper Bra Fit and Measuring. Please Read and Share.

Washable, Reusable Menstrual Pads

(Part II)

Reusable menstrual hygiene product, and are an alternative to disposable sanitary napkins or to menstrual cups.

Artists

Art Masterpost

How to draw *insert whatever you want, its there in the list*?

Book Binding

Some video links to different types of DIY Bookbinding

For Artists who Need Photoshop

If youre an artist who cant afford photoshop, definitely DO NOT go to this google drive to pirate the program, that would be so bad!!!

Do’s and Don'ts of Designing for Accessibility

Please consider this when designing for ANYTHING. For BUSINESSES and ARTISTS.

Writers

Color Synonyms

For both ARTISTS and WRITERS

How to make a Masterlist

Simple but efficient instructions to make a masterlist

ULTIMATE NOVEL WRITING RESOURCE MASTERLIST

This is an ultimate masterlist of many resources that could be helpful for writers.

List of AUs and Ship Tropes

For when you run out of ideas.

AUs

Ship Tropes

Legal sites to get some much needed Info

If there was only a way to find out all of this rather edgy information without getting yourself in trouble…

Resources for Describing Characters

For writing about physical appearances, character traits, talents,and skills and other related stuff of your characters, here is a comprehensive list.

Resources for Describing Emotions

Having trouble writing jealousy, happiness, motivation. Here you go!!

Some Resources for your Writing

Body Language

Reverse Dictionary

Character Traits

Things to Keep in mind when naming Characters

Valuable advice. Trust me

Words to Use when Writing Smut/Romance

This is for smut/romance writers. Kinda like a thesaurus.

Tips to write Pain

How are you supposed to write about pain you’ve never experienced before?

References for Greek Mythology Characters

Link to an extensive site every single detail of Greek Mythology from Gods to Family Trees.

Tips to write Blind Characters

Some tips that might be invaluable when writing character that are near-blind or blind

Things to Remember when writing a Highly Emotional Scene

Just small things that could make a great difference

How to write with Multiple POVs

Tips on how to write multiple POVs with diverse characters

Synonyms and Antonyms

The person who made this list is a blessing to writers. Just saying.

Good Qualities for Female Characters

Females don't always need to be protected and be weak. Make them more realistic.

Words to Use instead of ‘Said’

Every single situation is listed. Check it out.

Limits of the Human Body

All extremities listed

Readers

Legal Sites to Download Literature

From children’s books to rare books, from philosophy and religion to nonfiction. I guess you can find anything here.

The Rights of the Reader

And some (lots of) bashing of Helicopter Parents.(You want to read only the rights. Here it is)

Wet Book Rescue : Steps to save a Wet Book

Valuable information if some of your prized books were affected by recent flooding. The video even shows you what to do if you can’t dry the book out right away.

Cheatsheet to Navigate AO3

Makes your time on AO3 a little more easier and interesting

How to trick Writers into giving you More Fanfic to read

Works for Comics and Art as well.

Get a Book Suggestion

This book website gives you the first page of a random book without the title or author so that you can read it with no preconceptions

Books written by POC Writers

Only POC authors included in the list.

Students

Basic ASL (American Sign Language) Movements

ASL Hand Movements for beginners.

Tips for studying with ADHD/a>

Made by a person with ADHD themself.

Resources to Learn New Languages

Ten fairly useful general language resources

How to properly take notes

It helps. It really helps.

FREE ONLINE LANGUAGE COURSES

Here is a masterpost of MOOCs (massive open online courses) that are available, archived, or starting soon. I think they will help those that like to learn with a teacher or with videos.

A Thread of Tips

A thread of tips to help High School and College students academically

LEARN THINGS FOR FREE

FREE ONLINE COURSES (here are listed websites that provide huge variety of courses)

Google like a BOSS

Some life hacks which make student's lives easier.

625 words to know in your Target Language

If your learning a new language, these words will help you build a strong foundation.(Some tips and sites are include too)

Miscellaneous/Life Hacks

How to add music to your Blog

How to add your very own, custom homemade playlist to your blog?

How to Walk with Purpose?

Some tips on how to hold yourself in public and why.

Cheatsheet for Laundry Rooms

Saves a lot of money in the Laundry Room

How to Gird up your Loins?

A lesson in how to gird your loins.

How to Disappear Online

Please read and spread for the sake of abuse victims or stalker victims.

What to do during a Nuclear Attack

I hope you never have to use it but here are some guidelines to follow in the event of a nuclear attack

How to pull an All-Nighter.

A to-do list

Write a Thank You letter after your Interview

It leaves a good impression on your interviewer and increase your chances of passing the interview.

Laundry Tags: Meanings

A life hack that you’ll definitely need at some point.

Where to find free Movies and Series Online

Lots of sites. Lots and Lots of sites. I am not Kidding. Now go and chill without netflix. (Part II)

How to get a Refund?

Get your stuff or a refund.

HOW TO DO EVERYTHING FROM SCRATCH

This starts at the most absolute basics of gardening and planting, provides definitions, and hopefully is easily understandable. This is a MUST-READ. (Farming)

Discuss your wages

It’s your right to share your salary, not doing so could be holding you back.

Youtube Tutorials for Basically EVERYTHING

This is a big, giant list of Youtube tutorials that will teach you all the basic life skills you need to know in order to be a functional adult.

Safety

Emergency Evacuation - Items to Gather

A text list of suggested items to acquire in the event of an emergency.

If someone you know is in an abusive relationship

AN ABBREVIATED GUIDE TO ‘Holy shit!!! My friend is in an abusive relationship what do I do’ and what not to do.

Defense Tips for Women

Defense and Safety tips a woman MUST know. (Part II)

An app that informs your Emergency contacts if you are inactive in a set period of time.(Could prevent rape attempts if used correctly)

If a Man gets Physical

How to check if a mirror is one way or two-way

If you are trapped in a smoke-filled apartment: What to Do

How to get out of Hand-binds

How to get out of the bunker of a Car

How to track Anonymous asks.

How to pick a Lock

Traits and Warning signs of an Abuser

What to do if a bigot pulls your Hijab (from behind)

What to do if someone pulls of a Muslim Woman's Hijab? (To do List for both Men and Women)

[nihongo-lessons]

CENTRALIZER (aka MASTERLIST)

 What can go on behind the process of learning your target language

VOCABULARY

Basic vocab: Verbs, Nouns, Adverbs, Adjectives

Basic vocab: KANJI numbers, HIRAGANA, KATAKANA, Adjectives, Animals

VOCABULARY CHEAT SHEETS (Days of the week, Months, colours, animals, all counters, numbers)

FLASHCARDS (numbers, counters, amount)

Vocab builder

Daily adjectives 

Adjectives 

Greetings

Directions

Electronic devices

Japanese money and shopping

Fire vocabulary

Math in Japanese

Math vocabulary

Numbers: How to count in Japanese

Numbers: How to count in Japanese (II)

How to count in Japanese: The ‘not-so-easy’ system

Home vocabulary

Christmas vocabulary and phrases

Valentine’s Day vocabulary and phrases

How people snore in different languages

Minna no Nihongo LESSON 1 - Vocabulary

Minna no Nihongo LESSON 2 - Vocabulary

Parts of the body

Parts of the body (II)

Parts of the body (III)

Parts of the body (IV)

The family (Jap + Kor)

The colours

The colours (II)

The colours (III)

The seasons

The seasons (II) 

Spring vocabulary

Months of the year

Months of the year (II)

Days of the week

Days, months, years

Days, weeks, months, years (II)

The time

Verbs

Verbs (II)

School Subjects

Prepositions of place (Positions)

Most common nouns in Japanese

GRAMMAR

BASIC JAPANESE CHEAT SHEET

BASIC JAPANESE CHEAT SHEET (II)

How to study when you don’t want to

Subject and Object pronouns; Posessive pronouns and adjectives

Sentence Structure and particles

Time expressions CHEAT SHEET

Basic Japanese Grammar: PARTICLES

Basic Japanese Grammar: PARTICLES (II)

Basic Japanese Grammar: PARTICLES (III) The difference between ha/wa and ka

Basic Japanese Grammar: QUESTION WORDS

Basic Japanese Grammar: COUNTERS

Basic Japanese Grammar: COUNTERS (II)

N5 GRAMMAR SHEET

N5 COMPLETE GRAMMAR LIST

WRITING

KANA charts

HIRAGANA Vowels

KATAKANA The difference between SHI and TSU

KATAKANA The difference between SHI, N, TSU, SO

KATAKANA: Differences

KANJI: Difference between  名 and 名前

KANJI: Pronunciation

N5 KANJI 

N5 KANJI (II)

N5 KANJI (III)

N5 KANJI (IV)

N5 KANJI (V)

N5 KANJI (VI)

N5 KANJI (VII)

N5 KANJI (VIII)

N5 KANJI (IX)

N5 KANJI (X)

N5 KANJI (XI)

KANJI Conundrums

VOCABULARY

Expressions:

It started to get dark. (Dark)

Welcome home.

I’m home!

Gratitude before meals: itadakimasu

It has been a long time!

Japanese Phrases: Explained 

Japanese Phrases: Explained (II)

Japanese Phrases: Expressing Desires

Japanese Phrases: Greetings, Worries and Love

Japanese Phrases: Useful materials for a presentation

Individual words and KANJI:

Types of coffee

Work/Job/Occupation

Wind/Breeze 

Paper

Behind/Rear/After/Later

Bad/Poor/Inferior/Evil

Anger/Rage/Fury/Hatred

Time/Hour

Laughter

Wall 

Menu

Maybe

Foreigner/Foreign citizen

Friend/Companion

To arrive/To reach

To die/ To pass away

To sleep/To go to bed

To be placed on/To appear

To walk

To remember/To memorize

To say/To tell/To utter

To show/To display

To teach/To inform/To instruct

To get up/To rise/To wake up

To sit

To push/To press

To rest/To have a break

To take (a photo)

To go out/To vanish/To disappear

To swim

To wait/To anticipate

To cross over/To go across

To get in/To go in

To read

To write

To close/To shut

To cut/ To chop/ To slice

To make/ To produce

To work/ To labour

To eat

To wear (from shoulders down)

To go/ To move

To see/ To look/ To watch

To borrow/ To have a loan

To take off (clothes, shoes)

To stick/ To paste/ To affix

Chair

Salt

Sugar

Book

Library

Bank

Envelope

Spectacles/Glasses

Coincidence/ Agreement/ Match

English (Language)

Morning a.m.

Afternoon p.m.

Black

Green

Tree

Student (overseas)

Postcard

Saturday

Movie theater/Cinema

Cat

Fish

Unappetizing

Refrigerator

Last year

Every day

Monday

Light (not heavy)

Stamp (postage)

Lecture/Address/Speech

Safe/All right/Okay

Hand

Garden/Yard

Weather/Element

Sea/Ocean/Waters

Mouth/Opening/Hole

Man/Male/Fellow/Guy

Younger brother/Little brother

Siblings/Brothers and Sisters

Far/Distant

Scientist 

Pain

For the first time

Meaning/Significance

Talk/Speech/Story

New/Fresh/Recent/Latest

Cold/Chilly

Myself/Yourself/Oneself

In/Inside/Among

Below/Down/Under

Pretty/Lovely/Beautiful

Question/Problem/Issue

Name/Fullname/Given name

Young/Youthful/Immature

Hot/Warm

Weak/Frail/Delicate

Famous/Fame

Fast/Quick/Hasty

Outside/Exterior

Mountain/Heap/Pile

RESOURCES

Have a laugh

Learning tips

Learning tips (II)

Taking BREAKS from learning: 5-minute breaks and 15-minute breaks (and what to do in the meantime)

Japanese Resources (Writing: Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji; Dictionaries; Grammar; Vocabulary; Tools & Apps; Reading; Listening)

Textbooks, Online and phone dictionaries, ONline reading, Imrpoving your speaking, Listening, Reading and writing practice, News, Podcasts and radio, YT, TV, Tumblr, Blogs, Websites for Learning Japanese

Ultimate Japanese Language Learning Resource List

Japanese Listening Practice for Beginners

YouTube channels for learning languages

Books to learn Japanese (online, free)

Printable KANJI worksheet

A guide to speaking Colloquial Japanese

Art

Manga for beginners in Japanese

Watching and Listening in Japanese

Japanese study apps

[etherrealoblivion]

Chapter Seventeen: The Ones We Win

The Final Chapter.

Table of Contents

Fic summary: Owning a bookstore in downtown D.C. came with its fair share of downsides. You never thought that being the target of a serial killer would be one of them. Luckily, a nice FBI agent by the name of Spencer Reid is assigned to watch over you. What's the worst that could happen?

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader

Words: 2,700

enjoy!

MASTERLIST

~

You woke in the hospital, unsure of how much time had passed, this time much more drugged up judging by the strangely good mood you were in.

Or perhaps your mood had something to do with the sight of Spencer slumped in the chair next to your bed, a yellow cardigan draped over him, snoring softly.

“Merry Christmas,” although it came out raspy and barely audible, he still snapped awake, rushing to your side and holding your hand like it was made of glass.

“Hey,” his eyes were full of fear and worry but also relief and care. “You’re safe, it’s okay.”

You smiled softly at him.

“No, it’s not.”

His expression shifted, not sadder but more earnest. He knew you were right.

Smiling, he whispered, “No. No, it’s not. But it will be.”

For a while the two of you sat there, holding hands, enjoying each other’s company without having to worry about imminent danger for the first time ever.

You cleared your throat, memories coming back as the morphine wore off.

“Is . . . is Steve . . . ?”

Spencer frowned, looking down at the ground.

“Steve. . . the bullet entered right in his neck …  they-they operated for hours but … he-he slipped into a coma. I’m sorry.”

You nodded seriously, forcing back the tears that threatened to escape. Somehow, after all you’d been through, you’d become numb to such awful news. Although, it could be the morphine.  

“And J.J.?”

“She’s fine. Well, she’ll be okay.”

You nodded again, glancing down at where your hands were joined.

“What now?”

“Well, um there are some things the FBI has to go over with you, so once you’ve recovered a bit more, they’re gonna have to ask you a few questions.”

“Can’t you do it?”

His cheeks went pink and he cleared his throat awkwardly, hand shifting in yours.

“I, um, I’ve been unassigned from the case.”

“Why?!”

“C-conflict of interest.”

“Oh, right.”

Although you weren’t sure exactly which conflict of interest he was referring to. It was either the fact he’d been kidnapped along with you, or it had to with how much he’d told them about what happened at the cabin.

You must have been blushing because he removed his hand from yours and stood, starting to pace, frantically wringing his hands.

“Look, about what I . . . I only . . .” he sighed. 

“You know, for someone who’s constantly talking, you sure do have trouble finding your words,” you smiled at him.

He chuckled, running a hand through his fluffy hair that had gotten much messier since you’d last seen it. There was also a hint of a five o’clock shadow on his jaw. How long had he been sitting with you?

“Y/N, I . . . I meant everything I said.”

You swallowed, feeling the weight of that sentence implied on you.

“That you . . . you—“

“I love you,” the words practically spilled out of his mouth, as if he couldn’t have possibly held them back any longer. 

You beamed, astonished by the admittance. You assumed he would have assured you that any feelings between the two of you couldn’t continue because the lines of your relationship were far too blurred and complicated. Plus, you’d been put in a situation that neither of you would ever forget.

“I want to be with you, Spencer. Before you say anything,” you said quickly as he opened his mouth, “let me just say, I know that this is a really fucked up situation. I know that this probably violates every single FBI code and regulation. I know we’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks. I know that to the outside world, this looks like a classic case of transference or whatever. But really, the only thing I know for sure . . . the only thing I really care about, is that I love you, too. I love you for you.”

His face was impossible to read.

Feeling a surge of disappointment, you glanced away, deciding to give him an out.

“But I know you feel differently. I just needed you to hear that. I won’t be hurt if you decide to leave and never see me aga—“

But you were interrupted by a passionate kiss, his hands gripping your jaw, pulling you into him, holding you as close as he could without hurting you.

You gasped into the kiss, reciprocating the enthusiasm, delving deep into his mouth, tongues meeting in a wonderful blaze of lust and fire.

An eternity passed as you basked in the feeling of kissing someone who you knew you loved, and who you now knew loved you back.

No words could ever possibly describe what you were feeling.

You were brought out of the episode by the quiet clearing of a throat from the doorway.

Spencer snapped away from you, glancing at the door and going bright red. His coworker, Morgan, was standing there, awkwardly looking away with a mischievous smile on his face.

Reluctantly, Spencer looked back at you, attempting to smile.

“Listen, um … would you want to … to go….”

He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to.

“I’d love to, Spencer.”

His face lit up and he pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead.

“I’ll, uh, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay,” you smiled, squeezing his hand before he walked out the doorway, glancing back at you before the door shut.

Once he left, you watched him and Morgan exchange a few words, Spencer growing redder and Morgan laughing. Their conversation ended with Morgan fake punching Spencer in the arm and the latter man shuffling off, attempting to hide the smile forcing its way onto his face.

Morgan waved a hand at him, then turned and entered the room.

“Ready?”

You smiled.

“As I’ll ever be.”

~

Four days later

The doorbell rang, drawing your attention away from the pile of messy clothes you’d been attempting to put away.

He was early, of course. After all, it was your first ‘official’ date. It followed that Spencer Reid was punctual.

Kicking the dirty laundry under your bed, you opened the door, greeted by a huge bouquet of flowers over which Spencer’s head popped up beaming at you.

“I didn’t know your favorite flower, so I had them put all of them. I’m, um, I’m just now realizing how ugly it looks.”

You laughed, taking the bouquet and welcoming him in.

“It’s beautiful, Spencer. Thank you,” and you placed a quick kiss on his cheek, a soft blush forming there.

“So,” you called from the bedroom, slipping on some comfortable shoes, “where are you taking me?”

You saw him bounce on the balls of his feet, hands in his pockets.

“It’s a surprise,” he chimed, “Well, it was supposed to be a while ago, actually.”

You practically ran out of your room, securing your earring.

“A while ago? Wait,” you gasped. “Is this the surprise you were going to show me after the restaurant?”

He nodded. 

It felt like so long ago the two of you had been in that alley, pressed up against each other. That was the first time you’d ever fired a gun. Turns out it had been good practice.

Shaking that memory out of your head, you followed Spencer out the door down the stairs and out into the cold December night.

Christmas felt like it hadn’t really happened. In fact, according to your doctor, you had been unconscious all Christmas day, finally waking up on the 27th. You and Spencer had decided to meet as soon as possible, not wanting to be apart for longer than necessary. It just happened that that meant New Year’s eve.

You walked for a while, chatting about all sorts of nonsense until finally, you realized where he was taking you.

“Wait, are we—“

“Ah! Don’t spoil the surprise.”

But within a few minutes, your suspicions were confirmed as you arrived outside of the downtown library, which, thankfully, stayed open pretty late.

He led you in, heading immediately for the language section.

“You remembered?” it was a stupid question and he cocked an eyebrow at you. You laughed, “Okay, fair enough.”

Still, you were touched that he had remembered a detail as small as a section of the library that you wanted to visit but was never able to because of stupid security reasons.

He withdrew the little golden key from your first restaurant date and unlocked the restricted section, leading you into the plethora of dictionaries and research books there.

“Being an FBI agent does have its upsides,” he joked, slipping his hand into yours and letting you lead the way through the stacks.

“This is amazing, Spencer! I've always wanted to come in here but they’d never let me. Some stupid regulations about student access.” You turned to face him, dragging him into a tight embrace. “Thank you.”

You could feel him shiver as your breath hit his neck.

And so you walked through the shelves, stopping when a book piqued your interest and explaining all sorts of rules of language to Spencer who picked it up pretty quickly. It was wonderful the way he watched you ramble, as though he truly wanted to hear more, to understand what you were saying.

It shocked you when the voice on the speaker announced that the library would be closing in ten minutes.

“Is it eleven already?” you asked, glancing around for a clock. Neither you nor Spencer wore watches. 

“Well, I hope you enjoyed the restricted section. Too bad we didn’t learn anything about Nicholas Flamel,” he side-eyed you, tongue in cheek and you beamed at him.

“You read Harry Potter?”

He took a sip of an imaginary cup, smiling and pulling you closer as you walked towards the exit, “While you were asleep at the hospital. It actually took me a couple of days to finish if you can believe it. I just got so invested in the story, I had to slow down to truly appreciate it. Make the experience last longer.”

Pleased, you reached up and gave him a kiss, now just outside the library, all alone.

His eyes sparkled in the streetlight. You could so easily get lost in them. He looked at you in a way no one ever had before. He looked at you like you were something worth looking at.

“Follow me,” you said mysteriously, taking his hand and leading him down the empty street, a wicked smile on your face.

He laughed nervously, long legs able to keep up easily, “Where are we going?”

“You got to surprise me. It’s my turn.”

You halted in the street, the words unconsciously taking you back to the dark metal room. Tom’s voice rang through your ears, “I think it’s Y/N’s turn, don’t you?”

Spencer must have noticed your pause because he was suddenly in front of you, tilting your face up to meet his.

“Hey,” he was so gentle, so sweet, pulling you out of your flashback with his voice. “Let’s go.”

So you led him to your destination: a small park with a little white arch which you stood under, whipping out your phone and tapping rapidly. In the center of the park was a little clock tower, it was almost midnight.

“I used to come here when I needed to clear my head.”

“What are we doing?” he asked, standing across from you, peeking down at your phone, hands in his pockets.

“You went to college at fourteen, right?”

His eyes narrowed, unsure of where this was going.

“Yes. . . ?”

You put your phone on a little bench, music starting to play from it.

“So I’m guessing you never really went to prom?”

His face went blank, realizing what you planned as you slipped your hands up to his shoulders. Rather than reciprocating, he stood awkwardly, clearing his throat.

“While I have been told I tend to sway on my feet when I get nervous, I, um, I can’t dance, Y/N.”

“So don’t dance,” you stared into his eyes, as dark as black holes, “just sway.” And you moved his arms to your waist where they rested lightly, applying just the right amount of pressure.

And, as instructed, he swayed softly with you as the gentle slow song played in the background, barely audible from where you were snuggled into his chest, his chin resting gently on your head.

In that moment, you could see your entire future laid out in front of you. You and Spencer going on scores of dates, getting closer and more comfortable with each other. Your first fight that ended with plenty of “I love you”s. Your first time being with each other, getting to explore one another's bodies in a whole new light. Everything the future held for you, Spencer was there, standing by your side.

The song was over before you knew it. Pulling back, you wondered how long you’d been swaying in silence.

“Hey, Spencer?”

He stared at you harder than ever before, eyes analyzing every part of you.

“Yeah?”

It was barely a whisper as he said it, tilting your face up to his with a finger.

“I asked you how cases like this end. You said of the ones you win, the killer goes to prison and eventually everyone moves on. You never said what happens to the ones you lose.”

He realized what you were asking.

“The ones we lose.... The ones we lose serve as a reminder of how important it is not to fail.”

You nodded softly. Then—

“Which is this?”

Everything depended on his answer. Your future was utterly and completely in his hands. He could say they’d won, signifying that the two of you would move on, forget about each other, or he could say they’d lost, signifying that no matter what happened, neither of you would move on from the kidnapping, making it impossible to maintain a healthy relationship. Either way, you were going to lose him.

But Spencer Reid was a genius. A fact that seemed to keep slipping your mind. 

“There’s a third possibility,” he whispered, surprising you. When you met his eyes, you could see the desperation in them, the fear of saying the wrong thing.

“A possibility where the outcome of the case doesn’t define how we feel about each other.”

You could hear cheers from uptown, the sound of people celebrating and fireworks going off.

The clock tower began to chime, twelve painfully slow strikes signifying that the new year had come as you held each other in your arms.

On the last chime, you practically jumped into his arms, kissing for what felt like the first time, every single emotion behind it conveyed in the way you pulled his hair and yanked him closer until there was no part of you not touching. His arms snaked around your waist, pulling you close to him and deepening the kiss until you were both out of breath.

This felt like love. But how could you be sure?

You pulled back and stared at him.

“Maybe whatever happens to the killer isn’t what determines if you win or lose.”

He waited for you to go on.

“If none of this happened, I never would have done so many things. Shot a gun, been to that library, played strip poker. . . I never would have met you. To me, that sure sounds like one of the ones we win.”

He smiled so sweetly, the light of a thousand suns washing over you.

After sitting in the moment with him a little while longer, you picked up your phone and began the walk back to your apartment.

“You didn’t read The Cursed Child, did you?”

“I read the first two chapters but I stopped because I thought it was a Harry Potter fan fiction,” he said, blushing.

You laughed, clutching his arm.

This was love. And you both knew it.

“That’s probably for the best,” you smiled at him, knowing that although the future was blurry, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was now, you and him walking through the street, arms entwined, utterly in love, the sounds of people celebrating the new year lighting up the path behind you. “I never liked fan fiction anyway. . . .”

 ~

The End.

~

A/N: thank you everyone for reading. it’s been a wild ride. i love you all and there is certainly more to come! <3

~

Taglist: @aperrywilliams​ @mjloveskids666​ @dolanfivsosxox​ @criesinreid​ @fanficsrmylife @racerparker​ @sammypotato67​ @lukeskisses​ @reidcrimes​ @you-had-me-at-hello-dear​ @l0ve-0f-my-life​ @thatsonezesty13​​ @yourmisosoup​ @queenofthebees003​ @pinkdiamond1016​ @eu-solidao @perverted-guardian-angel​ @boiled-onionrings​ @lesbian-emilyprentiss​ @andiebeaword​ @itsmoony​ @cielo1984​ @baby-i-am-fireproof​ @mendesminimuffin​ @fukyouthink​ @addie5264 @gretaamyk​ @sercyan​ @expressiodeppresio @matthewreid​ @rainsong01 @gublergirls

[russianwave]

Resource Recommendation: ReadLang

ReadLang is a browser extension that allows you to helpfully engage with any web content in your target language. The nice thing about ReadLang is that you have a lot of control over the content you work with. You’re not limited to some boring texts, and you can really focus in on topics of interest. 

You can translate phrases (Note that the free version has a limit of 10 phrases / 6 word long phrases per day and unlimited single word translations) and individual words. I personally find it quite jarring having to go from one tab to the next in order to translate the words I don’t know. This allows you to see it in context and it’s just a quick click to find the translation.

While this doesn’t really set ReadLang apart from other web extensions that offer the same thing, there are some nice features of ReadLang that stand out to me:

Asides from the in-text translator, there is a default dictionary with the option to change it to one you like - I personally changed it to Yandex because I like how their translations are. With the Dictionary Mode you can set the default dictionary to be either bilingual (target language + your native language)  or monolingual depending on how advanced in your studies you are. 

It offers suggested websites that other learners of your target language like to use. This can be good in a lot of ways: sometimes it can be hard to find websites in our target language if we’re not sure what to search for. It can also be nice to know that we’re reading articles other learners are reading, and can be a point of discussion.

When you look up a word or phrase using ReadLang’s extension it saves it into a word bank. This features a contextual snippet, the translation, and a link to the source. It can be a nice way of reflecting on past readings and seeing how much easier previous articles are to follow.

The words and phrases from your word bank then get made into flashcards. Again, the word is put into context and the original article is linked. This can be a good way of training yourself to understand words through context. 

Users can share content to ReadLang that other users can then learn from. You can customise the kind of content you engage with, the difficulty, the word count, and so on. This can be a really good way of finding new content, you also have the ability to upload your own resources that you’ve found so other users can learn from it.

With videos, there is a highlighter that shows what word they’re saying. You have the option to look up translations while the content is playing and make useful flashcards from them. The same is true for the articles / books on there too. You can make useful flashcards from content that interests you.

I’ve personally been getting a lot of use out of the free version, and it’s definitely been better than some resources that heavily limit the content you can engage with or the number of free translations open.

[sunscreenstudies]

How to Start a New Language

1. Research: Be sure to look up the basics about any language before starting, such as the amount of speakers, countries, alphabet, origins, family, etc. This will give you a basic overall grasp of the history of your language and will help you know what to expect. It’s also super helpful if you happen to be stuck between two languages but can only learn one!

2. Duolingo: Goes without saying; this is a free and interactive app/website that gives you upper beginner/lower intermediate language skills (A2/B1 CEFR). It also allows you to fully suss out your language and if you end up hating it, then at least you haven’t spent a fortune on books yet!

3. Write: Start writing from day one. Yep. Day One. Even if you only know three words, three verbs, and three pronouns, that’s twenty-seven entire sentences that you can now write! Keep a journal, a diary, write your shopping list or about what you had for lunch, a conversation with a friend, your language goals, books you want to read or have read, anything!

4. Goals: Learn one phrase, three grammar points, and five new words every time you study your language. After that, set whatever goals you want! You learn only what you choose to learn. If you want to be fluent/C1 level after three months, then go for it! Equally, if you want to learn just enough to become a beginner/A1 after three years, then that’s okay too!

5. Aural: Don’t underestimate the importance of listening! This is a big one, because it doesn’t matter how quickly you can translate texts, or how easily you keep a diary, if you can’t listen to a slow speaking video in your language without blanking, it’s only going to get worse. Look up videos, podcasts, music, anything that will help you improve your listening and pronunciation skills, as well as get a grasp on how natives speak!

6. MiscHours: Small moments throughout the day when you do nothing mind draining: These are what I like to call Miscellaneous Hours. Brushing your teeth, showering, sitting on the bus, waiting for the elevator, lying in bed at night waiting for Metamorphosis to carry you away... These are moments you can take advantage of, either by running through language rules/vocab in your head, or talking outloud to yourself. if you don’t know a word, make a mental (or physical) note of it and look it up later!

7. Numbers: Learn numbers before you learn how to count and learn how to count before you learn how to tell the time. Most people skip the basic one, two, three, when starting a new language, and honestly I don’t blame them, but numbers come up so so often in everyday life that it’s crucial for you to master them early on!

8. Watch: Find a tv show in your target language and start watching it from day one, using subtitles in both your chosen language and in your native language! Yes, you won’t understand a single damn thing in the beginning, but you’ll be surprised how quickly you start to pick things up just based on context alone. Search for kids youtube videos, change your netflix language settings, or download extensions like this one!

9. Dictionary: Find a good online dictionary before you start anything. Preferably, find one that also gives the grammar behind verbs/nouns. For a lot of languages, the gender of nouns are difficult to remember, so learning whether a word is masc./fem./neu. from day one is important!

10. Read: Find children’s books in your new language, either online or a physical copy, and start reading. At the start, you’ll underline pretty much everything, but soon you’ll start to guess the meaning of words based on context, and as words appear again and again, you’ll subconsciously begin to learn them! It’s an easy way to pick up new vocab and see grammar rules in action!

[thewritershelpers]

Improving Your Writing when English Isn’t Your First Language (mega-ask)

As you can see above, we've gotten more than one question about writing, improving your writing, and even publishing in English when it's not your native language. First off: that's awesome. To anyone writing or even consuming in a language that's not your first, kudos to you.

You can google any variation of this question and get different articles with a ton of the same advice, and some with conflicting advice. Not only have I compiled the most commonly repeated information, but I've also reached out to people on our Discord server and others for their personal experiences.

I'll start off by listing concise versions of the advice and then expound on them further on in the article. Remember that we are not experts on your writing and that everyone learns in different ways and at different paces. These are in no particular order.

-be patient

-practice

-get feedback from native sources

-don't undermine yourself to your audience

-Grammarly

-research

-don't get discouraged

Be patient

That's first because, well, duh. Patience is so important for both yourself and your writing. Writing is hard enough of a passion without the added difficulty of doing it in a language that doesn't come naturally. In the world of literature, writing/publishing in your non-native language isn't just a matter of translating words. It requires translating of ideas, concepts, and even cultural norms, which is why just slapping it into Google translate won't work.

Part of the reason for the advice of having patience, too, is that writing in your native language needs to take time. It doesn't really matter how fast you can whip out 20 pages of a first draft--it'll still be a simple first draft. Writing is a craft that requires not just love and passion but time. So what if you need a little bit of extra time--or a lot of extra time--because you're accomplishing a feat most don't even think about attempting?

Next is to practice.

That goes hand in hand with what I said about being patient. Again, writing in and of itself is all about practice and doing it daily (not that I'm an expert on getting that done, but you know). But when it comes to practice another language, there are different ways you can do that. You can reach out to native speakers (for English, there are going to be so many people willing to help, even just in our community! you just need to ask) and practice having conversations or ask them to look over your work. Practice by turning on your favorite movie or TV show in English with subtitles in your native language. Watch videos on YouTube, find a Spotify playlist/podcast, in your target language. There's also plenty of people who have done what you're trying to do who have shared their experiences and what helped them on those same platforms.

Get feedback from native speakers

This is a bit of an expansion on what I mentioned in the previous paragraph. In my experience, and from what others have shared, writing in a non-native language can be pretty clinical. Writing with figurative language or in metaphors won't be as easy or come as naturally as it does in your own language. Things like idioms and even pop cultures reference aren't always going to translate even if you have the exact words. That's where native speakers come into play. If they're willing to look over your work, whether as a friend or in an editorial position, they can give you advice about whether the wording in one spot sounds clunky or if a phrase doesn't make sense or if there're synonyms for what you already used to help convey your message even stronger.

Don't undermine yourself

This is something that I personally am saying. It's not mentioned on any of the linked sites, and no one I talked to said it. But as someone who is a native English speaker (and even has a degree in it) I think this is super important. This point goes towards native English speakers/writers, too. Don't undersell yourself and undermine your work to the audience before they have even picked it up. Disclaimers are different, and it all comes down to the words you use and how you use them. Let your readers know, whether it's people on AO3 or a literary agent, that English isn't your first language. Let them know concisely that they may find some basic errors--but stop there. Don't grovel. You have nothing to apologize for, especially once you've given that warning (those is it really a warning? what's so dangerous or scary about a few mistakes?). You're writing is not going to be any less of an accomplishment for a few grammatical errors, or mistranslated phrases, or even typos. I've seen so many mistakes in published works that it's kind of ridiculous. But if you put something out there for someone to read and in the same breath say "I don't know that this is worth reading" I'm going to need extra convincing to pick it up. *kicks soapbox away*

Grammarly

*NOT sponsored*

Grammarly is a wonderful tool that you can use, for FREE. It not only (with the free version) helps correct spelling and grammar, but can also help point out the tone you're writing with. For example, right now, Grammarly is telling me that this writing sounds mostly informative--which it's meant to be--and a little appreciative and friendly. When sending emails I've had it tell me that it sounds formal (which I was going for), and I've also had it not say anything because the text was a different kind of writing (like when I'm proof-reading something being posting it on AO3...). I honestly don't know what else it helps with once you've paid because I've been happily using the free version for about 3 years now.

Research

Don't be afraid to pick up a book, or head to the library, or pull up Google. Research is paramount to writing anyway, let alone once you're doing it in another language. Your research options are limitless and can include your mutuals on social media as well as those dictionaries that translate from one language into another. Research can also include (in my humble opinion) binge-watching/reading your favorite things...in English. In four years of university, one of the most frequently said things was to improve your writing 1) write every day and 2) read every day. You're never going to learn from worrying or overthinking, and you're also never going to learn from just doing DuoLingo (that's more conversational than literary anyway).

Something a member of Discord specifically said in relation to research was to look at morphology, at the roots of words (and root words). Morphology is, in linguistics, looking at how words are formed. For example, let's look at "biology". There are parts to this word that each has a different meaning, that formed together created a new/elevated meaning. "ology" means the study of something, and bio means life. So biology is, simply, the study of life. Once you've got those basics of things like "ology" under your belt it'll become easier to not just translate words but the concepts (if this works with your learning style).

Last but not least, don't get discouraged.

Writers of all kinds get discouraged when writing in their native language. Even those of us who speak English as our first language make mistakes worth discouragement (you will never know how many typos were corrected by Grammarly as I wrote this all out the first time). English is not an easy language. It's not the hardest, but it's far from easy (learning another language isn't easy regardless of what languages are involved). This is a post from someone who is a non-native English speaker but you would never know unless they told us.

While researching for this, I found some articles/blog posts that said mostly the same thing, and are where I got some of the information

This one is from a native English speaker giving advice

This one is for writing for non-native English readers, but still has good advice

And finally this one is a blog post (I think) from someone who is a non-native English speaker!

In specific response to some of the asks:

English, like any other language, changes. It's a very dynamic language, actually, and from region to region, there will not only be different accents but different frames of reference. 1950 isn't so far back in time for the English to be drastically different from what is spoken today, but I'm in the USA and you're asking about Oxford. English in England has very different nuances, even more so than you would get between California and Texas and New York. This is a link to the Oxford English Dictionary list of words that became more common in the 50s. However, this is a generalized list, not specific to any English-speaking country let alone region or city. If you're wanting to look at how to convey the accent of people from/in Oxford, there are videos on YouTube of people speaking in different accents so that you can have an idea, a comparison, at least in your own mind. With the 50s it's going to be more just thinking really of what words and lifestyles and things weren't around yet; cell phones didn't exist yet. Here's another link to some stock images of Oxford in the 50s. Remember, this time was very close to WWII so there'll be lingering effects of that, especially in England.

About fight scenes and curses, there's a ton of resources on that. If you just search "fight" on our page, you'll get a ton of posts answering that question. Also, here's a link to a superb and excellent source on writing fight scenes. When it comes to curses...just watch Rage Quit on YouTube, or spend a while on TikTok. If you want to dive right in just Google "English curses" and there'll be YouTube videos, entries on Urban Dictionary, you name it.

When it comes to publishing, once you've gotten your manuscript is a perfect time to have a native-speaking friend look it over. Whether editing is their thing or not, they'll be able to help with the things that are really obvious. I don't have any experience publishing in a different language, though, so there might be other resources along the different stages to help you. Some general publishing advice I've gotten: when wanting to publish fiction, literature, start small. Start with short stories in literary journals, online and in print. You really can't make much headway with large publishing houses without a literary agent and it'll be easier to attract one if you have evidence that you can write, and write well enough people want to read it. When it comes to poetry, just start submitting. Get familiar with the process, and educate yourself on things like simultaneous submissions and a good rejection. Publishing is an ever-changing game that isn't cut and dry in any language or country. We can't tell you what's best, but my advice is to go with your gut and try your best. Don't be afraid to try again, too.

Everyone overthinks their writing. Or at least, everyone I know who writes does. Honestly, in my opinion, if you're not overthinking at least a little bit, you're not worried enough. You will never be able to fully know whether you've explained or described enough. A good chunk of the experience is up to the readers, so you have to leave them some wiggle room for imagination. But that doesn't mean you have to cheapen your story or short-change your characters. You mention specifically that you're POC, which I'm gonna guess also means that your characters will be POC. It's never too much to specify the race/ethnicity of your characters, even in a fantasy work. How you go about writing those descriptions might need to change but it's kind of like chocolate chips, in my mind: you decide those things with your soul.

So, there you have it. A ridiculously long way to say: you're awesome, you do you, practice, love yourself and your writing, and don't be afraid to put yourself out there (in any way).

(images read:

Anonymous said: Im writing a book based in Oxford in 1950s. how was the language different from now. I am not from an English speaking country at all. Never been outside my country either. And Im going to write a book based in England in English

Anonymous said: Hi there, I’m a writer for almost 3 years now but since English isn’t my first language I get discouraged easily if things I write come off strange to myself. Do you maybe have any advice for me, on how to motivate myself and not comparing myself with native English speakers? Thank you in advance!

Anonymous said: Hello! I starting to work on this shortfic but it’s been really hard. It’s like I’m trying to building a house alone and with my bare hands. Even though I’m already used to write in mother tongue. Any advice for non-english speaker trying to write their first story in English?

Yaelburstine said: Hi. Do you have any tips about how to write a good fight scene and curses that people speak English get cus’ it’s not my first language

gyger said: I am not a native english speaker, but most of the books I read are in english and I generally prefer writing in english as well. However, I am worried about making mistakes that I can’t recognize myself. I have no idea how good my english is to a native english speaker, plus some things are easier to write in my native tongue (such as dialogue). I’m also worried about publishing, since that definitely would be easier in my country than abroad. How do I decide what language to choose?

Anonymous said: As a POC writer and English as their second language, I overthink all the writing I do. I feel like I don’t describe my ideas thoroughly or my character descriptions are vague or not good enough. I’m currently working on a YA novel but I plan on writing a YA fantasy novel but I feel like my lack of vocabulary and grammar structure makes me give up on finishing my book. Is this normal for native English speaking authors or is this considered a language barrier thing? Thanks! Love your blog!

Thank you for your questions, and for your patience as we do our best to answer them.

-S

[0ffgun]

Alright so!! I got some requests from people for me to make a post with tips on how I self-study my languages, so here we are! It’s not perfect and everyone studies differently, but I hope some of these tips can help you out.

Personally I study Korean & Thai so this list is aimed at those but a lot of the study tips are pretty general and can be applied to whatever language you’re learning. 

I’m an energetic puppy in human form - I simply CANNOT sit still and study for longer than 20 minutes before getting insanely restless and distracted, so I tend to only actually sit down and actively study once a week. If you’re expecting something clever and insightful this is absolutely the opposite of that... I basically trick myself into learning! So here is my silly little guide, let’s go!

General Tips:

★ Get ridiculous with sticky notes. Seriously, do it. If you’re just starting out and don’t know the words for all of those household objects then go ahead and scribble them down on those post its and stick them EVERYWHERE. It might drive your family members/roommates crazy but hey... you’re doing it for a good cause, right?

★ Don’t rely on romanization too much - if your language has its own writing system, focus on that using as much as you can. Romanization seems helpful but in the long run you’ll rely on it too much. It’s better to get familiar with the native writing system asap!

★ Pick out a word/phrase of the day and write it somewhere you’ll see it often. I have a whiteboard in my room that I’ll scribble a few phrases onto and then every time I walk past it, I’ll say them. Or if I’m not gonna be home all day then I write something on my wrist and glance at it throughout the day! This one is the most fun because when people see it they’re like “ooh that looks pretty!” or “ooh does it mean something deep and profound?” when in reality you have the phrase I like cheese written on your arm and it never stops being entertaining. Bonus points if someone native to that language reads it and looks at you like you’re crazy.

★ Say the words in silly voices. It sounds weird but if you’re sitting there repeating words (like the word banana, for example) from an app in a monotone voice you’re definitely less likely to remember it than if you’re yelling out “BANANA!!” in an opera voice or squeaking out “b an a n a” dramatically as you let go of Jack’s hand and let him sink into the ocean. 

★ Don’t isolate vocabulary. Learning new words is great, but it’s useless and you’re more likely to forget it if you don’t learn to use it in a sentence. 

★ Keep a diary! One of the absolute best ways to practice your writing and improve your skills is to just jot down a few things every now and then. It’ll be rusty and you won’t have much to say at first and will definitely keep needing that dictionary every 2 seconds, but after a few weeks you’ll really notice the difference. Buy pretty pens and stickers to motivate yourself to write in it! It’s also fun to do this around people who can’t speak it as they’ll look at it in awe and you can show off when in actual fact your writing is usually a clumsy scribbled “today I snacks eat and go sleep” but hey what they don’t know can’t hurt and it’s always fun to look like a genius.

★ Talk to your pets in that language. They’re not going to judge you, they actually don’t even care what you say as long as you say it in that entertaining pet voice. I don’t have any friends that speak Korean or Thai so the majority of my speaking practice is hurled at my dog. If you don’t have a pet, then plants or stuffed animals work perfectly too!

★ Listen to language podcasts while you do household chores, heck if you’ve gotta do something boring, might as well yell foreign words while you do it!

★ Change your phone settings to your target language. That way you’re literally forcing yourself to use it, and it becomes second nature and you pick up key words so quickly. Only do it if you know how to get back into your settings and change it back if you have to... or else you’re stuck and lost. 

★ Listen to music and sing a lot. Just scream those lyrics! A little off-key screeching never hurt anybody!

★ Get comfortable with numbers. They’re something that is dominant in ALL languages and you’re going to use them on a daily basis. Start with learning how to count to ten and get comfortable with it, and then go higher. Once you’re used to numbers individually, make it harder. I used to get my mum to write out 10 random numbers between 1 to 10,000 in the morning and I would translate them, and then I would do the same for myself in the evening. After a while you get quicker at them and before you know it you don’t have to awkwardly translate them in your head anymore, the numbers are just there ready in your brain.

★ Don’t only watch dramas! Watch more natural stuff too - variety shows, vlogs, instagram lives... anything where people are just chatting like they normally would do. That way you’re subconsciously learning more casual speech patterns and casual language too!

★ Don’t just study at home! Always make sure you have a dictionary handy (like on your phone, for example!) and keep your brain busy while you’re out and about. Buying some groceries? Try to name everything in the fruit and vegetable aisles and if you don’t know the name of something, look it up! You’re more likely to remember vocab this way as your brain has a situation to associate it to.

★ Be mean and make yourself work for things you normally do - check your horoscope on a regular basis? Read it in your new language instead! Want to check out the weather forecast? Do it the hard way.

★ Don’t feel like studying? Not in the mood? Then don’t do it! Instead put on your favourite show in your study language of choice. Not every study session has to be a hard one. Just relax and watch a foreign movie! You have no idea how much your brain picks up without you even noticing, chilling out and watching a drama absolutely counts as studying. Don’t force yourself to study if you’re not feeling it, you’re more likely to learn if you’re having a good time.

Advanced Tips:

★ Get keyboard stickers - if your new language has a different alphabet and you use your laptop to study it a lot then you’re definitely gonna need these! You can buy them SUPER cheap on ebay!

★ Change the language on your Netflix account and get ready to binge watch your faves! If you change your profile language to the one that you’re studying, you’ll notice that a lot of the shows available will now show subtitles in that language too. If you’re pretty advanced then now is probably the time to drop your native subs and start watching with the original subtitles in the original language.. good luck! 

★ Play Pokemon. When the latest Pokemon games started coming out with Korean language options I JUMPED at the chance - what better way to study than to just laze around playing video games? This is great for any other kinds of games you can snatch up in your target language too.

★ Read a favourite book in your new language. A common one is Harry Potter! It’s pretty much available in every language at this point and it’s a story you probably already know, which means you never get too lost because you know the plot already.

Resources:

Here are a bunch of apps and things that I use for studying that I find super helpful (and all of these are free!)

Drops (for Thai and Korean - available in both the apple store and the google play store)  - I use this app every single day without fail. It’s brilliant for expanding your vocabulary (there are TONS of languages available on there too!) HOWEVER: It only lets you study for 5 minutes and then you have to wait around 9-ish hours before you gain another 5 minutes to work with unless you want to pay for more. But honestly? That’s a good thing. You only need 5 minutes of vocab study before your brain wants to dissolve into mush anyway. I get up, do my morning stuff (usually just involves rolling around and blinking in confusion before grabbing a coffee) and then sit and do 5 minutes of drops, and then by the evening my 5 minutes have replenished and I do it again. Rinse and repeat, and you’ll be learning more words in a week than you even realise!

Duolingo (I use this for Korean, there is currently no Thai option) - This app is fantastic. I don’t recommend it for beginners as it should be used as more of an aid alongside your natural studies, rather than as a study resource itself. This app expects you to already know the basics so I’d dig into this one once you’re starting to get a little comfortable with your language!

Naver Dictionary (for Korean) - I use this every single day! Not only does it help me when I need to find a certain word, it also gives me lists of example sentences which is PERFECT and super helpful when I’m trying to memorize words!  And for Thai I use Thai-English Dictionary (I can only find it in the Apple store sadly) and that’s incredibly handy too, I wouldn’t be able to cope without it! I also use this website as a Thai dictionary when I’m not on my iPad!

Talk To Me In Korean (for Korean) - This has been a core element to my Korean studies. They have tons of lessons available on their website, they do regular YouTube videos (usually only 5-10 mins long, perfect for just a mini casual study session!) and they also sell textbooks and do podcasts too. If you learn best from textbooks then these are by far my favourite ones I’ve found, give them a try! They’re not too pricey.

Lingodeer (for Korean) - It’s cute, it’s friendly and it’s helpful!! I learned a bunch of new phrases using this one and it’s perfect for casual study!

Memrise (for Korean) - Fantastic if you’re a beginner! There are tons of languages available on here too. Although, there are only 3 levels in Korean so I got through this one pretty fast. 

Eggbun (for Korean) - An app that encourages you to learn using a texting format! I haven’t really used it much but I have friends that have said it’s really useful!

Ling (for Thai and Korean) - This one was pretty good, once again though I wouldn’t use it if you’re a beginner, it’s probably a lot more helpful if you know the basics before you attempt this one! I’ve only used it for Thai but there’s a Korean option you could try checking it out!

Mondly (for Thai and Korean) - This app is cheeky and it wants your money. You get a bunch of free lessons to start with which are GREAT but that’s it. Then it reduces you to one free lesson a day but honestly? Still useful so go ahead and use it. They also have speaking practice available too!

Thai2English (for Thai) - This website is an absolute LIFESAVER!! If I’m ever browsing and come across a sentence that just throws me, I simply copy and paste and this legend of a website just breaks it down for me word for word.

Extra Korean links:

Children’s books in Korean

Learning Korean through fairytales - a textbook used in Korea for children who are learning to read, it’s helpful as a Korean language learner too! You get a little story and then it’ll ask you questions about what you just read. 

TOPIK previous exams - these are so good for practice and if you want to get a general idea of what academic level your Korean skills are at. 

Learning to type in Hangul - this one was fun and I now type Korean pretty comfortably on my laptop so if you know you’re gonna be typing a lot, I recommend this program!