Lessons learned from messaging strangers on the internet in a language I did not speak By Leo Melo 🦄 (@leomeloxp)
They did not like it.
No, there's actually a story to this.
Who am I?
- Leo Melo 🦄
- Non-binary
- Born in 🇧🇷
- Lived in Jersey 🇯🇪 (UK 🇬🇧) for 12 years
- Living in Castro Marim 🏰, Portugal 🇵🇹 since October 2021
- Love Typescript and functional programming 🧑💻
- Senior full-stack developer 🤓
How did it start?
- It was June 2020, pandemic and lockdown
- Needed to keep sane
- Decided on learn Spanish instead of baking sourdough
My Plan
- Exchange at least 50 messages a day
- Watch videos in Spanish with Spanish subtitles
- Start listening to music in Spanish
How did it go?
- Knowing Portuguese didn't help as much as I thought it would
- Had to use apps for dictionary and translations all the time
- Had an awful accent
But then
- I started to recall things quicker
- I could understand most native accents
- Verb conjugations became easier
- Still have a weird/mixed accent though 😒
Learning New Things in Technology
Parallels with learning a spoken language:
- Identify goals
- Take small steps
- Practice regularly and immerse yourself in the technology
- Embrace your mistakes
- The importance of focused communities
Identifying goals
- What do you want to do with this new skill?
- How will you know when you've achieved it?
- How strict are you about those answers?
- Will there be a next level after you're done with this one?
Taking Small Steps
- Learn to walk before you run
- Learn the basics of the syntax and/or foundational concepts
- Follow some tutorials without changing much until you feel like experimenting
- Find your pace, learning shouldn't be overwhelming, nor boring
Regular Practice and Immersion
- Make this technology and its learning a part of your life
- Keep your exposure to it high
- Blog posts, podcasts, conference talks... everything counts
- Write about it, talk about it, share your experience so far
- Do it regularly, even if it's just for a few minutes a day
Embracing your mistakes
- Failure is a natural part of the learning process
- It's an opportunity to learn and improve
- Don't be afraid to make mistakes
- Don't be afraid to ask for help
The importance of focused communities
- Learning can be a great social activity
- Join a community of learners
- Attend meet-ups or conferences
- Connect with others
Conclusion
- Set your goals
- Take small steps
- Practice regularly
- Embrace your mistakes
- Join a community
Thank you
Lessons learned from messaging strangers on the internet in a language I did not speak By Leo Melo 🦄 (@leomeloxp)