I was thinking to myself, learning shorthand is like learning Spanish. Theoretically, if you take a Spanish book and just study it long enough, you can learn the language. But there are efficient ways to learn and inefficient ways.
I took four years of French in high school and still wasn't fluent. I studied "Spanish for Gringos" for months and still didn't learn much. But then I started working at Burger King and it was that experience of using it in practical, everyday work that taught me a lot of Spanish.
Isn't immersion the most efficient way to learn a new language? I wonder if there is a way to apply that to shorthand. Unfortunately, I am unable to visit the Greggan Republic, where shorthand is the official language of road signs, currency, court documents, etc. and most of the computers use Windows GE.
However, could there be the next best thing? What if I started reading fiction in Gregg (with the English version nearby, for when I get stuck)? What if I started writing everything in Gregg, using a dictionary? Perhaps it is time I begin the long task of translating the King James Version into Anniversary Edition.
Labels: general