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24 hour Read-a-thon: mini-challenge

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I’m taking part in my second 24 Hour Read-a-thon today. It starts at 1400 GMT / 0000 AEST and is being run by the rather amazing Dewey over at the hidden side of a leaf. Click through for all the details on the who, the what, the where, and of course, the why (assuming it’s not immediately obvious!). For a list of everyone participating, along with their latest updates, have a look at Gargantuan Books.

This will be my Read-a-thon post, which means that rather than bombarding the cyber-wires with lots of new posts, I’ll update this one regularly over the next 24 hours. I’ll post new stuff above old stuff, so people checking back can find it quickly.

UPDATE: I’ve decided to split the mini-challenge and progress reports into two separate posts for ease of reading. Well, for me, at the very least 😉

I’ve registered as a reader but also a cheerleader this year – probably a more realistic option given my dismal reading performance last time around 🙂 I’m not hard-core enough to go for the full 24 hours so this post will contain details of when I’m clocking in and out.

Stay tuned…

***My mini-challenge!***

UPDATE: Well done to all the Read-a-thon Readers who took part in this mini-challenge (and to the passers-by who had a go too!). There was a great response as evidenced by the comments below, and I really enjoyed reading everyone’s updates as they brushed up their language skills! I’ve done a random draw of all Readers participating in this mini-challenge and the winner of a US$20 Amazon voucher is Lynda – Lynda, I’ll email you directly for details of where you’d like me to sent the voucher. Enjoy!

That’s right, I’m hosting a mini-challenge again this year. It’s running from 1400 GMT / 0000 AEST all the way through to 1200 GMT / 2200 AEST so there’s plenty of time to get involved! Here are the details:

The challenge is to spend an hour reading in ‘another’ language – that is, one other than your language of habitual use.

  • Obviously the native language, language of habitual use and ‘other’ language combinations will be different for everyone, as will their degree of proficiency. But it really doesn’t matter how remedial your language skills are, the idea is simply to try!
  • You can choose to read for any one hour period between 1400 GMT / 0000 AEST to 1200 GMT / 2200 AEST, but remember that you may have to allow time in addition to this to search for something to read. (See below for a list of online resources if you don’t have anything suitable to hand.)
  • If you’d like to participate, then post a comment below with your native language/ language of habitual use, the language you plan to read in, the book title, author, and a one hour time frame when you plan to do the challenge. And don’t forget to include a link to your blog too, if you have one! I’ll do my best to drop by while you’re reading, time change permitting…
  • Once the Read-a-thon is over, I’ll draw a random name from the list of participants and send them a US$20 Amazon voucher!
  • Feel free to post any feedback or suggestions for other Readers too!

Remember, it can be very tiring to read in another language so you might want to schedule this for when you’re likely to feel fresh and alert…

Don’t read another language? Well then, now’s your chance to learn.

Don’t have any foreign language books to hand? Then read on for a list of online sources of material to choose from.

Cheerleaders, would you like to help out? I’d really appreciate if you could let any Readers you visit know that this mini-challenge is taking place, should they wish to take a break. Also, as the challenge is open for 22 hours of the Read-a-thon, chances are I’ll miss some Readers’ efforts (zzzzz!) . So if on your travels you notice someone is participating and there’s no sign of me, please do give them an extra encouraging virtual pat on my behalf!! I’ll be along later in the day to see how they’re doing.

Finlly, there are lots of sources of foreign-language books online, but here are a few that look good to me:

  • The electronic text collection here has direct links to collections of poetry, electronic journals, ancient and modern literature (along with several annotated translations from/ into English) for a range of Western European languages (including Irish and Catalan, in addition to the “usual suspects” i.e. French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, etc. etc.)
  • This links to a collection from much wider range of languages again… so there’s something here for you no matter how esoteric your language skills :) If you’ve ever wanted to learn a language or brush up on your rusty Romanian (why not?), now’s your chance – why not start by comparing an English translation with its source?
  • Google book search for French-language books, German-language books and Spanish-language books. Not sure how many more of them there are, but I’m sure you could find some for other languages too by experimenting a bit with the URL. Many of these are in Beta still though, so if you do use them I’d be interested to hear how you get on! Any other suggestions, post to the comments and let me know!
  • Just in case that’s not enough, there’s a range of additional resources here to start you on your search, from Armenian through Chinese and Islandic to Yiddish.
  • Lastly, click here for some inspiration to see what Readers did last year (about one screen down).

Am I forgetting anything?? Oh yes, have fun everyone!

****

Click here for my progress reports!

Comments

  7. What a great idea! I only speak English but I can read uncomplicated French or German, usually poetry or the Bible. I am going to spend an hour reading some German poetry by Rilke or some Psalms in French. I will let you know when I’m done. Thank you for suggesting this.

  8. Yeah … the readathon started about 2am my time (NZ) and at first I thought I’d be fine to stay up and do some early cheerleading. I was, however, very, very wrong.
    Keep up the great work! 😀

    Maree´s last blog post… Readathon

  9. i am getting ready to start this challenge. had to change my book since i packed up most of my books recently (getting ready to move) and don’t know which box it’s in. i still have my copy le petit prince accessible so i will be reading that.

    native language: english
    foreign language: french
    book: le petit prince
    author: antoine de saint-exupery

    jehara´s last blog post… hours 7 and 8

  11. I’ve never heard of the Readathon. What a fantastic idea. Sarah, can you give us a heads up next time so we can plan accordingly (maybe a week or two)? Or let me know how I can sign up for an e-mail reminder. I just accepted a last-minute concert invitation or else I would jump in halfway through. Twenty four hours of reading sounds like pure bliss and simple pleasures to me. I just finished One for the Money by Janet Evanovich. I decided to reread the series. I could have cranked through all of them today…

    Check out Dewey’s blog at other side of the leaf for details, Jill – she’s the star who started it all! There are definitely worse ways to spend a weekend, and it’s really well run. I had intended on putting up a banner in advance to help get the word out but real life got in the way (love when that happens 🙂 ) Oh well. So consider this your notice for the next one in April! – sarah

    bonnjill´s last blog post… TGIF: Another Berlitz commercial

  13. I was inspired to follow the German google links to look up the book I’m reading ‘Cimarron von Edna Ferber’ but I seem to have hit deadends cuz I don’t remember much of my Deutsch from college. Maybe I’ll try again later? I think I was pointed to how to buy this book in German? I don’t know.

    Care´s last blog post… Top of RAT Hour 8?

  14. Oooh-kay, I’m a reader – I feel obliged to join the challenge! 🙂 Thank you for the push in the right direction.
    Native language: English
    Foreign language: German
    Book: Das Diadem aus Beryll by Arthur Conan Doyle

    I will read from now: 2030GMT to 2130GMT

    I hope I still remember some German!

    Em´s last blog post… Deed done

  15. Native language: English
    Foriegn Language: Spanish
    Book: Aura by Carlos Fuente

    I will read between 2-3 pm Central Time, or 2000-2100 GMT.

    Fun!

    mari´s last blog post… Hour 6

  16. I’m reading only short stories for the read-a-thon this year and several of them are translated from other languages so I went looking for one of the stories or another story by the same author in their native tongue and found Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Ojos de Perro Azul posted online. I’m going to read the English (my native tongue)version first and post my comments about it and then go read the original Spanish. If it doesn’t take me an hour to read the four to five pages, I’ll read them again possibly side by side with the English. If I start the English one now, I should be reading the Spanish one between 11 and 12 NOON PST. So around noon PST I’ll update my read-a-thon post to comment on the experience.

    Joy Renee´s last blog post… My Brain On Books III

  17. Native Language: English
    Language which I read: French
    Book: Harry Potter et le Prisonnier d’Azkaban
    Author: J.K. Rowling
    Translator: Jean-François Ménard
    Time: 13:25 EDT TO 14:25 EDT (8:25-9:25 GMT?)

    Hi Jessi & Irishpolyglot! I too am a fan of translated Potter – although I think I could write a book on some of the translation choices which were made.

    I know, it’s not very high-brow, but this is my leisure reading during the semester. It is my break from a fairly high level Poetry Translation course and my normal reading of Le Comte de Monte Cristo. Monte Cristo is a long, slow read as it was in English but rewarding. If you have the ability, I would highly recommend reading it in French. I was amazed by how much was left out of the English version.

    Thanks for dropping by and participating in the mini-challenge Jen! Hope you enjoyed it, have you posted an update somewhere? Sorry if I’ve missed it, but I can’t seem to find a blog for you… would seriously love to hear some more on what you think about the translation choices made in Harry Potter!! – sarah

  19. Wow this is a popular post!! I’ve had “Harry Potter agus an Órchloch” (Irish language version of the Philosopher’s Stone) travel over 24,000 km with me and I still haven’t started it :s I’ve never read a book in Irish, so today is as good a day as any to start! I’ll give the first chapter(s) a stab before my siesta 😀
    It’s daylight savings there too then? Go Southern Hemisphere Irish expats!! 😛

    Did you not have to read Peig in school?! Oh you lucky, lucky thing… I think it was taken off the Irish Leaving Cert just after me. It was seriously GRIM. Single handedly responsible for turning entire generations away from Irish, I’m sure. But Harry Potter agus an Órchloch – I can think of worse ways to drop into a siesta! Enjoy! – sarah

    Irishpolyglot´s last blog post… How to take as much as you like in your hand luggage

  22. What an interesting challenge! Great idea! I’m cheerleading this year, but I’ll have to see if I can find something in Spanish (the only other language that I “kind of” know…which isnt much!)

    I hope you get some good rest so you can finish the read-a-thon strong!!

    Sunny´s last blog post… 24 Hour Read-a-Thon is coming!

  23. I’m cheerleading, too, but in honor of the challenge I read a couple of paragraphs of Les Miserables in its original French which gave me a headache because I’m so out of practice – my habitual languages are English and Toddler-ese.

    On a side note, my little brother was an exchange student to Brisbane – we so love Australia. 🙂

    Aerin´s last blog post… Friday Bits

  24. I read during hour 3…at least I tried.

    My native lanuage is English, but I attempted French. After studying if for my fifth year now. my reading skills are seriously lacking. I read from Guy de Maupassant’s Les Meilleurs Contes/Best Short Stories: A Dual language book. I read the story The Piece of String in English mostly, but tried some in French. I’ve read other Maupassant stories in both French and English, but this story used a lot of vocabulary I didn’t know and was a bad story, even in English!

    Sarah´s last blog post… Read a Thon hour 2

  25. Love this challenge!!!
    I’ll be reading in Spanish 🙂 My native language is English and I am currently attempting to polish my Spanish skills by taking a class. So I’ll be reading ‘A Spanish Reader’ which is a collection of simple stories for the beginner by William Tardy.
    If I’m feeling brave I might just wander into Paula by Isabelle Allende for a few chapters, but I don’t think I’m at that level yet!
    I’ll start on that at 1pm EST
    thanks for doing this challenge it’s awesome!

    Steph´s last blog post… Hour 2: Mini Challenge and Sum-up

  26. Woo hoo! This actually works with one of my Readathon goals, which was to plow through some of Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea (in the original French), which I have had accumulating from Daily Lit. I’m heading to France in a few weeks and need to bone up on the language (because while my English may be understood by many French people, it seems so rude not to make every attempt to converse in the language of the land). So your timing and challenge are perfect.

    I’ll be finishing up my current read in the next hour, so I’ll start Le Tour de Monde en Quatre Vingt Jours at noon EDT (aka 66 minutes from now).

    sprite´s last blog post… readathon: hour 2

  28. I love you mini-challenge, I’m a native Spanish speaker but my habitual language is English so I’ll be reading in spanish around 1pm. The book’s name is Juan salvador Gaviota By Richard Bach

    Paola´s last blog post… Read-a-thon kick off

  31. Your mini-challenge fits in with one of my goals, yay! I want to spend an hour reading in Polish, I’ve decided on Rozowe Tabletki na Uspokojenie by Krystyna Janda and I’ll start around 15.00 GMT. Thanks for the opportunity to join! 🙂

    Joanna´s last blog post… Read-A-Thon – Hour 2

  32. Hi, I love your idea for a mini-challenge!

    My native language: Italian
    Language in which I’ll be reading: English
    Book and author: Confessions of a Contractor by Richard Murphy
    Time frame: 5pm-6pm my time (it should be 15 GMT-16 GMT)

    Alessandra´s last blog post… Book Review: Install

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