DELF or DALF?

Here's an article about whether ignoring robocalls makes them stop or not. It's relatively short.

I've decided to go for the DELF B2 exam in French. According to a chart on this page, it takes 560-650 hours to reach B2. I took a short test on a random site I found in a web search, and it said I'm already at B2. However, that's a written test. My Achilles heel is listening comprehension. Plus, my accent isn't that great for every word despite how awesome and masterful it sounds in my head when I read. Unfortunately, I can't just go out and take the test. I need to study a lot first. Testing in the nearest location, Atlanta, is postponed until further notice. That's okay. The next test was scheduled for April 2, which is too soon for the amount of time I need to put into it. I was kind of targeting autumn anyway.

What would a B2 get me? It would allow me to enroll in French universities without language testing. Not interested. It would allow me to teach French. That might be interesting. I would be able to be a substitute French teacher for local high schools and colleges/universities, assuming they would accept that alone and not require a teaching certificate. I believe I could teach French in Europe with a B2 alone. I'd have to look that up. I would be qualified to work in French-speaking countries for a job I'd already be qualified to do. I could also do freelance translation work from home. That's the main reason for my motivation. I could do that from anywhere in the world that I could afford a place to live. Another part of my motivation is learning verb forms and grammar I never learned in a class and correcting my "Algerian" pronunciation. My first French teacher was from Algeria, so I have some speech patterns that need fixing in order to get a more authentic Parisian sound. That will also help me understand spoken French better since I won't be listening for accented sounds that never come.

I've started working on it already with daily reading, listening and going through a course in which I have to verbalize the answers. It's already helping my pronunciation. My goal is to put 15 to 20 hours a week into it. Since I probably wouldn't take the exam until autumn, that would give me enough time to learn French from scratch. Hmm. That got me to thinking. According to the chart linked above, C1 takes 810-950 hours to reach. At most that's 300 hours more than the B2. If I'm already testing online at B2, what if I went for the C1 exam instead? Fifteen hours a week minimum gives me 480 hours in 8 months. Twenty hours would put me at 640 hours. And that's on top of all the hundreds of hours I've already done. Could I get to C1 by autumn? I'm not sure, but I think it could be possible. Putting in hours alone isn't good enough. It has to be the right material.

The B2 is about two and a half hours of written testing plus 50 minutes of listening/speaking. The C1 is 4 hours total, 70 minutes of which is listening and verbalizing. The B2 I could do myself with online materials. For the C1 I would probably need to be online doing a language exchange with native speakers. If chatting with pretty French women online is what I have to do to pass the test, that's just what I have to do.

Book Stuff

I've gotten a wee bit done on the book front. 

Have a great weekend.