Hallo Freunde!
I wanted to drop a quick post about a German Language resource I found online called The Slow German Podcast. It is a podcast series (in German of course) read at a slightly slower pace than normal speech. I'm not talking radically slower or anything like that, but slow enough to make out the difference between words.
So, I listened to a few of them and discovered they were a little beyond my abilities but they contained some great information. Of course I contrived a structured plan for tackling these podcasts and wanted to share it with you:
1. I listen to the podcast 3 or 4 times without focusing on it too much. I don't look at the transcripts yet and I don't try to pick out any words.
2. I listen to the same podcast another 2 or 3 times but with focused attention this time. I try to pick out specific words I know and I try to identify what the podcast is generally about. I can usually pick out some main topics through vocab but often I get very little else besides a general idea at this point.
3. I read through the transcript without listening to the podcast. I try to pick out as much vocab as I can. I am usually a little better at picking out vocab I know from written words than from the listening. At this point I have a much better idea of what the podcast is about.
4. I listen to one paragraph at a time while reading along with the transcript. I then copy/paste the paragraph into Google translate to get a more solid grasp on unknown vocab. Google Translate isn't perfect, but it will definitely help you figure out what they are talking about.
5. I jot down the main vocab words that I think will help me understand the podcast. I do not pull every unknown word, just the main vocab.
6. I review the list of words and try to play around with them by making my own sentences and just having fun.
7. I listen to the podcast again while following along with the transcript. At this point I usually have no trouble following along and understanding.
8. Finally, I listen to the podcast again without reading along. I might do this 2 or 3 times (or more) until I feel comfortable that I "get it".
This entire process can take me anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour+ depending on the length of the podcast. I also will review the previous day's podcast along with an older podcast on a rotating schedule to make sure I am keeping my new vocab fresh.
I have done this with about 20 or so podcasts for Slow German and I think it is helping quite a bit. I am surprised at how much easier each subsequent podcast is thanks to the hard work on the previous ones.
I hope this proves helpful!
Tschüss!
My wife and I have set a goal of learning German to fluency in one year and blogging about it. Follow me through the ups and downs of our language learning adventure and join us if you would like.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
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