How is your foreign language study?  

Jack of all kinds, master of none. It is me! haha
Someone asked me to translate a Japanese instruction book of a sony product that was far too difficutlt for me. However, I didn't want to make a real pig of myself and then I learned to deal with it. Not until I checked almost every word, I gave him the translation version of mine. Shame on so many levels.
Well, What are you doing? How is your foreign language study? Are you still doing just so so after studying a foreign language for many years?
Now I wanna talk a little about language study. It is the ability to speak (and understand) the foreign quickly and easily...without translation, without checking every word just like me. In order to speak and understand instantly,there is only one way to get it,I guess.You must have a lot of understandable repetitive pracitcing. If you don't understand it well, you learn nothing. You will not improve. For example, some people try to listen to the VOA news everyday. Actually, they didn't know what exactly the speaker was talking about. It didn't make so much sense.So to speak, understanding is only half The formula that is far from enough to make it. If you hear a new word only once, you will soon forget it. At least, it happens to me.You must hear new words and new grammar many many times before you will understand them instantly. That's why you must listen to the materials many times. 20 times is just the bottom line. After months, your speaking is faster and better. It happens automatically. There is no doubt about it.
Good luck and take care