Learn Indonesian through Video: News in Bahasa Indonesia from VOA Indonesia

I really think that video is one of the best ways to harness the power of the Internet and learn a language with first-hand resources.

I am always on the lookout for interesting content on YouTube and elsewhere on the web and one source of language video that I often watch is through VOA, which stands for Voice of America.

Voice of America is sort of a collection of news broadcasters who create content about American and world news in a variety of languages (over 40 to be precise!). Many of the languages have video content available for free to view on YouTube.

The channel in Bahasa Indonesia is here: youtube.com/voaindonesia



Here are a couple videos on different topics that are in fluent yet manageable Indonesian and are great for learning through listening:

Video 1: about an expo, from the Dunia Kita (Our World) series



Video 2: a feature on a graphic design company



Video 3: a political clip about the Occupy movement



So there we have it for a start. Check out VOA Indonesia today, there's over 3500 videos there for your viewing and learning. Enjoy!

Selamat belajar,
Bahasa Brian

Self-Teaching Indonesian: My Book Resource Collection So Far

I love languages, and when I first start digging into a new language that I really like, one of the first things I do is look up some of the coursebooks and other resources that are out there for that specific language.

Over the years I've amassed a pretty good collection of language textbooks as well as grammars, phrasebooks, dictionaries, and other manuals that I enjoy reading as if they were fiction books.

For Indonesian, I was really happy to find a variety of helpful (and luckily, affordable) books for self-instruction. I'm sure I'll be picking up more as I make my way through these, but here is what I have ordered so far and am enjoying:



1. How to Master the Indonesian Language by A.M. Almatsier
Available at Amazon here

This is a small, portable paperback manual with 28 lessons for learning basic Indonesian. I'm working through a lesson series at this blog using this book and am really enjoying it. Very cheap and to be recommended.



2. Speak Standard Indonesian by Liaw Yock Fang
Available at Amazon here

This book features authentic, easy-to-read dialogue that is great practice for learning spoken Indonesian. There are helpful notes and translations and dialogues that cover everyday topics. Very enjoyable and interesting to peruse.



3. Everyday Indonesian by Thomas Oey
Available at Amazon here

This book includes both cultural and language information and is great with vocab and dialogue as well. I ordered the older version which seems to be a little less graphics-heavy, which I kind of like in a language book. Another great title to pick up.

4. Simple Indonesian by Asim Gunarwan
Available at Amazon here

This book is published by Europhone, a great company which created many manuals and dictionaries for rarer Asian languages such as Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Tamil, and so on. Sad to see they're no longer really in print, but you can locate these books online and they're simply as they say, yet useful nonetheless.

So there we have it with my Indonesian book collection so far. If you're interested in any of these, I appreciate you purchasing from the link at this blog post as I receive a small amount of commission for the referral. If you're gonna buy one, may as well from here. :-)

Anyway, thanks and stay tuned for more lessons!

Selamat belajar,
Bahasa Brian

Learn Indonesian through Video: Sumatran Orangutan Series

Brian here coming to you with an interesting couple of videos for your learning in Indonesian about one of Indonesia's most boasted assets ... the orangutan!

These two videos feature the Sumatran orangutan which we meet along with ambassador and former Miss Indonesia herself, Angelina Sondakh. There are also interviews with orangutan experts and conservationists, some of whose English speech is subtitled (perfect for learning English to Indonesian).

But first, I can't resist. Here are some adorable pictures of this special species, the Sumatran orangutan:





As a fellow fruit-lover, I can definitely relate to these:







So cute! Now for the videos...

What is great about these below is that you not only get to hear spoken Bahasa Indonesia, but also you can take a look at some authentic Indonesian wildlife and culture. Enjoy! Here they are:

Part 1



Part 2



So there we have it. Check out Orangutan Republik's YouTube channel for more video content, and stay tuned for more!

Also, feel free to follow me on Twitter @BahasaBrian, comment, email me or subscribe here to stay in the know with future updates.

Selamat belajar,
Bahasa Brian