In 2021 I took four language exams, worked with a local client, got into the final pool of 3000 candidates for the European Commission’s Blue Book Traineeship, translated this blog into Czech, took up French and (quite unexpectedly) Python.
Major achievements
- Czech: I’ve translated over 220 000 characters.
- English: I have no trouble reading books on programming. It’s definitely not my language skills that cause problems.
- Spanish: I’ve got my C1certificate.
- French: I’ve read my very first book in French.
Failures of the year
- Czech: I am living in an authentic language environment, but opportunities to practise are ridiculously rare.
- English: taking IELTS for the first time with little preparation, opting for the computer version which one has never tried before, with a total of 20 hours of speaking accumulated over two years, and still aiming for all nines… well, let’s say it is a bit presumptuous.
- Spanish: I have tried to become a study buddy, but I failed.
- French: I realized that I am unable to study with a teacher regularly and consistently.
Goals 2022
- Czech (passive mode): two books a month.
- English (active mode): grammar, vocabulary, active skills; translate this blog into English, interpret on a regular basis, dust off my rusty note-taking skills.
- Spanish (passive mode): 30 minutes a day. Even reading will do.
- French (active mode): B1 by the end of the year.
This huge disproportion in favor of passive activities (which are easier for me) hasn’t gone anywhere. Don’t know if I am just lazy or it’s my own learning style.
Czech (2021): 791 hours
- Grammar – 7% of the total time
- Active skills (writing + speaking) – 8%
- Translation – 20%
- Vocabulary – 6%
- Passive skills (reading + listening + CCE preparation) – 59%
- Language level, beginning of the year: C1
- Language level, end of the year: С1 (language exam CCE B2, language exam CCE C1)
English (2021): 469 hours
- Grammar – 1%
- Active skills (writing + speaking) – 6%
- Translation – 13%
- Vocabulary – 7%
- Passive skills (reading + listening + IELTS preparation) – 73%
- Language level, beginning of the year: С2
- Language level, end of the year: С2(-)
Spanish (2021): 286 hours
- Grammar – 37%
- Active skills (writing + speaking) – 8%
- Translation – 2%
- Vocabulary – 18%
- Passive skills (reading + listening + DELE preparation) – 35%
- Language level, beginning of the year: С1(-)
- Language level, end of the year: С1 (language exam DELE C1)
French (2021): 92 hours
- Grammar – 20%
- Duolingo – 41%
- Listening – 6%
- Reading / Phonetics / Vocabulary – 33%