[ahjushi]

Would you say this course would help learn languages? I'm currently self-studying Japanese, so adding another "class" would be difficult time-wise. But if this Coursera course would help, it might be worth the time for me. Thanks!

[komali2]

100%, YES.

Self-taught Japanese, Chinese, etc. Course changed me. Wouldn't be a programmer without it.

Sidenote, there's no PM function here, but my email's in my profile. Shoot me a note if you want any tips on Japanese etc. Got decks of anki flashcards for daaaays.

[komali2]

Too late to edit, so, summary of what I sent OP in my email:

1. Taking the coursera course probably a valuable use of time, alongside more general "meta-learning" about personal psychology. Books such as "How to Win friends..." "Power of Habit..." "Wherever you go, there you are..." etc

2. Use "anki" or "ankidroid" depending on platform. Get public decks "Hiragana with stroke diagrams and audio," "Kana (katakana)," "Core 2k/6k optimized Japanese vocabulary," and use following youtube video to then create forward/backwards cards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnbKwHEQ1mA

3. Use this resource for japanese grammar and complete exercises: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar

4. Use this to practice listening skills: http://www.nhk.or.jp/radionews/

5. Create and write down a clear reason for learning Japanese, and potentially book a flight (well ahead of time, and if economically viable) to set a concrete timeline for learning.

EDIT: By the way, the "Core 2k..." cards have example phrases for every word. I don't recommend trying to memorize these, but I do recommend reading the sentence out loud for every card. Muscle memory, further familiarity with grammar, helping sort whether a given verb is a ru- or non-ru verb, etc.

[Fnoord]

Anki is a lovely piece of FOSS, but its best to create your own deck(s). The process of making them, allows you to learn the content, and you're immediately familiar with the content as well. Pretty much like reading a book for studies the first time.