A new Anki deck with the capital of every sovereign state in the world https://www.dropbox.com/s/ns2lwh8pbxzg0wp/all%20the%20world%20capitals.anki

Premier League Football

When I was embarking on my language career at college and university i was described as the "model student" and "the first person to write something down". I was accoladed, praised and awarded. I even got offered to do a PhD at SOAS, the best language school in the country. Deep down inside I new that I was a big fish in a small pond. The gap between this and professional competence was huge. I still had a long way to go and this was a big blow to me. I recommend the following steps to get to professional competence as a translator in a foreign language: Mix with serious individuals be it online or in real life - the chess club was a big plus for me. Get a serious grasp on the language of choice. I will write about this in another post. Mix with professional translators. Have high standards of professionalism. These were not drilled into me at university. Hire somebody to get you to a higher level. This was an EXCELLENT move for me and has revolutionized the way I translate!! I can't recommend it enough. Join forums to swim as a smaller fish in a bigger pool. This was a big help to me Don't be put off by spoilt rich kids who have spent ages in their country of choosing. I have only lived in Japan for twenty days and I realistically realise that verbal fluency is a near impossible goal.

Dumbing down

I started playing chess last year and it has given me a chance to take stuff seriously again. At university I was perceived as being an idiot for taking notes and it was the most uninspiring time of my life. Lecturers on mega bucks would not fail incompetent students for fear of losing their jobs and me and a handful of other eager students were left with nothing. In the chess club there is not millions and millions of pounds involved so idiots do not get degrees so to speak. I have regained my work ethic and am reading more than ever. I have even started going to the gym again. Looking back on university I wondered how I could have handled it better: I was a young child with a massive interest on the subject and was being spat at by the academic system. I got a "good" degree but wasted hours of my life and went hours without sleep causing myself mouth ulcers, vomiting, bleeding gums, blackouts and nausea. It obviously wasn't worth it. Playing chess has reminded me just how much nonsense university was Some tips if you are a talented student who wants a degree. 1: Don't go to any lectures and be rude to university staff. When I was at university I wrongly saw my lecturers as friends instead of scum who were stealing off me. They taught me nothing in four years and I should have threatened my lecturers with public exposure on online forums etc. 2: Put in a bare minimum of work, Lazy idiots were getting good degrees and I put in way too much work. I should have studied more in my spare time. 3. Make it blatantly clear that I thought they were robbing me blind. Some of the lecturers were so caught up in the charade they actually thought they were "doing students a favor" despite the astronomical tuition fees. I would have got in their faces more. 4. I would have looked elsewhere for academic inspiration.