History

I've been study foreign languages consistently since I was 13 years old. Technically, the first foreign language I tried to learn was French, as my mom tried to teach me some here and there. But the language never stuck and I wasn't really consistent with it.

The first language that I actually put proper effort in was Japanese. Yes, I did start learning it originally because I wanted to be able to watch anime without subtitles, but once I started, I was stuck on it! It came very naturally to me, not at all like French. And my mom found a free curriculum to include it for my high school lessons, so I think the schedule there helped me stick with it a lot!

When I graduated high school, I did for a while have a hard time sticking with it, especially with college classes getting in the way. Duolingo did help a lot in giving daily practice, simply so that I wouldn't forget what I already learned. Then, when I had more free time to put more effort into the language, I would pull out a workbook I bought or use flashcards or watch a YouTube video or do something else to practice. Duolingo has since fallen severely as a company and, I find, is largely inaccurate with its lessons thanks to it's stupid AI usage, but Busuu has worked as a good replacement and I think is a better app overall!

I focused on Japanese for years, and while I don't consider myself fluent, I do know enough to watch a basic high school anime without subtitles or watch a very basic Japanese vlog. I might not be able to hold a conversation, but I can listen and navigate pretty okay.

I have a hard time sticking with just one language though! Japanese is still my main focus, but I've been dabbling in all sorts of other languages. I took ASL in college, I've been learning German for three years, I'm trying to find more resources for Yoruba, and I regularly switch my Busuu to other languages based on where my BitLife character is that day. I know this isn't really a good way to get fluent, but that's not really my goal anymore. I'm moreso wanting to connect with as many different cultures as I can, so that I can understand other people better. Not necessarily in language, but in understanding. My brain changed a lot when learning Japanese because of how their grammar structure and language culture work, and I think it's important to know how language effects people's brains. It helps with misunderstandings!

I also try to have different things on in the background. I follow multiple foreign language podcasts to put on while I'm walking. Exposure, I think, is more important than study. Study makes you stilted and turns it into a chore. Exposure is natural and you pick things up easier when you hear it in the background multiple times. It helps with pronunciation too!

I don't know if I'll ever be fluent, but I don't think I can be considered monolingual anymore. I'm having fun and when I am able to read German or Chinese in the wild, I get really excited! I'm having fun and can talk to more people and understand more things as a result~

That said, my number one dream goal is being able to read a novel in a foreign language...hopefully I can fulfill that one day....even if it's a kids' novel, anything would be good.

Progress

Japanese

I tentatively put myself as being as "fluent as a toddler" for Japanese. I can ask for my basic needs—food, bed, toilet! If an evil wizard came and teleported me to Japan suddenly, I technically would survive. However, I wouldn't be the best at holding a conversation about fun stuff, haha. Though, when I watched the anime "Given" recently, I was actually able to watch a good chunk of it without subtitles!

I also very much need to study more kanji. I'm definitely not at the stage to read a newspaper—hell, I can barely read a social media post! What tends to get me is how the meanings of words change when kanji is put together with other kanji. I can see that the word has something to do with the original kanji, but my brain can't tell what. I've started using flashcards more often, though, so I'm hoping those help!