12. Learning the Russian language
Russian language proficiency is not a requirement for my job here. English fluency is an official qualification for most positions in international companies, so only select personnel in a few departments don't speak or understand any English. Although my colleagues have been teaching me some basic Russian words and phrases at our daily department meeting or during the lunch break, it's easy enough to get by outside of the office using my current extremely limited Russian vocabulary (perhaps 30 or 40 words and phrases useful in daily life) and a healthy amount of gesturing.
Fortunately, my work assignment comes with a benefit of 80 hours of Russian language instruction. The training will be conducted entirely online (but with a live instructor), and I will more or less stick to a schedule of three or four 90-minute sessions per week for several months. This amount seems to be the equivalent of a year of high school language class or perhaps a semester worth of college-level Russian, although the approach to learning with this particular company (Berlitz) is quite different than I've had with any other formal language classes I've taken in the past (French, Spanish, Latin, & Japanese). They won't be teaching me to read, write, or require me to memorize vocabulary lists. The emphasis will be on speaking, with a focus only on actual situations in which I will find myself. The instructor(s) will not be speaking any English and they don't even want me to to try to translate in my mind between the two languages. The philosophy is to make you learn the language the same way that you learned your native language as a child. I've been told that I should be the one speaking during 50% or more of the time for each session.
I guess that means that this will be my primary leisure-time activity through August. I should still have plenty of time on the weekends to experience the city and enjoy the White Nights (and to practice my language skills). My goal is to be able to handle brief conversations in a variety of contexts - interacting with waiters at restaurants, clerks at stores, and colleagues in the office. I expect to start my first session next Monday after work, so we'll see how fast of a learner I can be.
Fortunately, my work assignment comes with a benefit of 80 hours of Russian language instruction. The training will be conducted entirely online (but with a live instructor), and I will more or less stick to a schedule of three or four 90-minute sessions per week for several months. This amount seems to be the equivalent of a year of high school language class or perhaps a semester worth of college-level Russian, although the approach to learning with this particular company (Berlitz) is quite different than I've had with any other formal language classes I've taken in the past (French, Spanish, Latin, & Japanese). They won't be teaching me to read, write, or require me to memorize vocabulary lists. The emphasis will be on speaking, with a focus only on actual situations in which I will find myself. The instructor(s) will not be speaking any English and they don't even want me to to try to translate in my mind between the two languages. The philosophy is to make you learn the language the same way that you learned your native language as a child. I've been told that I should be the one speaking during 50% or more of the time for each session.
I guess that means that this will be my primary leisure-time activity through August. I should still have plenty of time on the weekends to experience the city and enjoy the White Nights (and to practice my language skills). My goal is to be able to handle brief conversations in a variety of contexts - interacting with waiters at restaurants, clerks at stores, and colleagues in the office. I expect to start my first session next Monday after work, so we'll see how fast of a learner I can be.
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