How U.S. diplomats learn languages | FSI language courses review - Steve Kaufmann

I often get asked how long it really takes to learn a language. In this video I discuss the FSI language difficulty ranking and whether it’s really possible to achieve a high level of fluency within the timelines they provide.
Thumbanil

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Fascinating! Thanks for sharing. Those time estimates can make a person feel bad about their own progress, like they’re doing something wrong or being a total slacker or something. (Less than 2 years, no matter which language? Really???)

“Languages percolate.” Why, yes, I think they do.

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Olly Richards has some videos on this on his youtube channel where he interviews some of the folks in these. I think not just FSI, but there’s another one. It sounds extremely intense and not for the faint of heart.

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Look at the hours, though. It’s 25 hrs/week of classroom time + 15-20 hrs/week of homework,

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