I haven't done an update on my own language learning is going since my review of 2017-18 in late December. It's time to catch up. I also want to flag up what's been going on the site....and what's coming up. Back in Germany I'm writing this from Berlin at the start of a twelve day period in the German "Sprachraum". I'm here to celebrate the joint 50th birthday of three … [Read more...]
How to improve your written Russian: sounds, spelling and word formation
My experience preparing for the writing paper of an advanced Russian exam was a comedy of errors. It threw up a lot of mistakes connected with the differences between how Russian sounds and how it's written. They're the mistakes of somebody who has spoken and listened to vast amounts of the Russian over the years, but hasn't had nearly as much experience writing Russian. You … [Read more...]
How to pass an advanced foreign language writing exam or “writing Russian right” for the Test of Russian as a Foreign Language Third Certificate
Слава Богу! Praise be! I've finally passed my advanced foreign language writing exam in Russian. In this post, I lift the lid on how I did it and how you can too. If you're planning on taking the Test of Russian as a Foreign Language Third Certficiate (that's the TRKI 3 - Тест по русскому языку как иностранному, третий сертификационный уровень) or another of the higher TRKI … [Read more...]
Intermediate/advanced foreign language writing exam preparation: a view from inside Operation Write Russian Right
How do you best undertake intermediate/advanced foreign language writing exam preparation? Here's an update on what I'm doing in Operation Write Russian Right, my retake of the writing paper of the Test of Russian as a Foreign Language Third Certificate (or TRKI - Тест по русскому языку как иностранному третий сертификационный уровень). I have three quick takeaways for you … [Read more...]
Improving intermediate to advanced writing skills in a foreign language: Operation Write Russian Right
This post is about improving your intermediate to advanced writing skills, about how you might use language exams as a constructive learning tool and about being a committed language learner, in for the long haul, through thick and thin. Oh, and I get to launch my next language learning project. Ding, ding, back in the ring! In the middle, brandishing gloves and … [Read more...]
The TRKI 4th certificate: this top Russian exam really does exist and CAN be passed (interview with a successful candidate)
A lot of mystery surrounds the TRKI 4th Certificate, the top exam for Russian as a foreign language within the framework guidelines established by the Russian Ministry of Education (тест по русскому языку как иностранному Четвертый сертификационный уровень (ТРКИ-4)). It's "the ultimate" Russian exam, the equivalent of the C2 level ("Mastery or proficiency") on the scale of … [Read more...]
Intensive study of a language from scratch (“ab initio”) at university. What’s it like?
Are you thinking of going to university or college to study an undergraduate course in a new language from scratch ("ab initio")? Are you soon to start such a course as a freshman and wondering what to expect? I've had a revealing conversation on just this with undergraduate student Harry Ness and the video is at the bottom of this post. Harry started Russian when he arrived … [Read more...]
My Russian TRKI 3rd certificate results: insights for your advanced language exam preparations
And then a great darkness fell across the land. And mighty earthquakes did shake the World. And pestilence and a plague of locusts descended. And there was great wailing and gnashing of teeth. Or, in other words, despite no small amount of sweat and toil, I've failed my Russian exam. But don't worry, this post isn't all about me wailing and wallowing. It's intended to … [Read more...]
Project Advanced Russian or steppe-ing up for the TRKI 3rd Certificate
What we should be doing when trying to "level up" our foreign language abilities effectively at the advanced level? This is topical again for me after I took an advanced German exam a few months ago, because I'm a month into a three-month project: to improve my Russian and take an advanced Russian exam. If you're interested in levelling up your language decisively, at … [Read more...]
Why learn Russian?
When I started learning Russian as a young graduate student of history, achieving fluency seemed an unattainable dream. Now I've been functionally fluent for years but I'm working hard to try to up my game at the advanced level. My flawed, stumbling efforts leave me ever more humbled before this immense language. Challenging though the process often is, learning Russian has … [Read more...]