Hi, everyone! It’s going to be a massive undertaking, but I’ve decided to tell you all about my idea in further detail.
So what’s the idea? The idea is Langtalia, a Discord server designed to supplement the efforts of language students across the Hetalia fandom in learning their target language! This server will have, among other things:
Different language categories for people to discuss their target language in.
Native speakers who can point you in the right direction in correcting your grammar or vocabulary.
Bimonthly writing assignments (max. 200 words) related to Hetalia, as a way of incentivising you to P R A C T I S E
Voice chat. Naturally!
Why should this exist? For a multitude of reasons!
Most of the world is bilingual or multilingual, and most of us (whether we like it or not) have had language requirements in either secondary or postsecondary school.
Most Hetalia fans in particular — inspired by their favourite characters and already interested in history and culture — want to pick up new languages, whether that language is offered by their school curriculum or not. However, the lack of structured learning means they struggle.
Things are really scary and precarious right now, and this is a low-pressure way of doing something productive whenever you have the time or energy. All assignments are optional, and you don’t even have to tune in every week. Write what you can, whenever you feel like it!
To my knowledge, something like this doesn’t exist yet, which kind of boggles my mind. It feels intuitive that it should — aren’t we all about breaking barriers and promoting cultural understanding? well, these days at least — but it didn’t. So I’m doing this, as a sort of experiment!
Interested? Great! Here’s what I’ll need from you to make it as great an experience as can be (the server is still a work in progress):
First: Either reblog this post with the languages you have native proficiency in and the language(s) you want to learn, or do the same thing in the replies! There are thousands upon thousands of languages in the world, and unfortunately, we can’t accommodate all of them, especially if there’s no one to teach or learn them. For the initial launch of Langtalia, we want a workable set of languages, and if things go smoothly, we can branch out.
Second: Mods and helpers! Obviously, I don’t know every language. I’m a native English speaker with a B2 proficiency in German on my best days. I am absolutely going to need help in making sure people aren’t flying under the radar and breaking rules in languages I don’t understand. Helpers, on the other hand, are people who are familiar with the grammar of their language and who can provide assistance in a way other native speakers might not be able to. (Let’s face it, how many times have you asked for help from a native speaker only for them to have no idea how to actually explain why the answer they’re giving is right?) If either of these sounds like you, also leave a tag saying you’d like to be a helper or mod, or add it to your comment on this post! I’ll contact you with further details once a reasonable amount of input has been received.
Whew, okay. I think that covers the basics for now, but yes. Thanks for reading through this post, and I hope, with your help, this server will become a reality. ‘ ∀ ` )
