Why transcribe to learn a language?

When we first start learning, typically we start with a class or a course. This is great for introductory phrases and wording, but we soon realize how much there is to learn if we wish to advance.

Ideally, language would be learned in an “immersion environment”, from your parents or grandparents at home, in daily use. For many of us, this has not been the case, and after several classes and courses we’re left looking for more, wondering how to advance in our languages.

What are we looking for?

Beyond the beginner level, we being to look for additional vocabulary, use of grammar, and how to correctly phrase things as we start to build our own narratives.

Wait! What did you say?

For many languages, storytelling and oral knowledge transfer are core activities. But while one of our elders is speaking (or praying!), it would not generally be possible to say, “Pause! Wait! What was that word you said?” 😂

Transcribing gives us the ability to study an individual utterance over and over, to puzzle out each piece, to earn every word. And at the end of a transcription, after every word has been discovered, you are often left with a lot more language than you started with.

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