There was recently an excellent post of creating language immersion outside the country where that language is spoken. I realize it may be hard to stay motivated to keep up on your language studies in your everyday life. Of course, ideally you should actively pursue your language studies, subscribe to podcasts, listen to music, read books, and practice the language with native speakers. But if you are a busy working adult who never seems to have time to devote to language studies, it doesn’t mean you need to give it up altogether. I would like to share some tips specific to Russian on how you can trick yourself into getting exposed to a little bit of Russian every day.

1. Subscribe to Russian news on social media

Do you follow news outlets on Twitter or Facebook? Add some Russian language news into the mix. Both Russian and international organizations have presence on social media. Since there is a significant overlap between the news stories reported in Russia and around the world, most of the stories will mirror those on international news sites. This way, you will probably be able to understand what’s being discussed even if you don’t understand every word. Plus, it may be interesting to see what angle or spin each organization has on the events it is reporting on.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• RT (Russia Today) in Russian on Twitter and on Facebook – this is a Russian government-created “abroad-facing” news network
• BBC Russian on Facebook and on Twitter – Russian pages of the UK-based BBC; the angle will be quite different from the line above
• Эхо Москвы (Echo of Moscow) –  @EchoMskNews and @EchoMskRu – independent radio station
• The New Times – @the_NewTimes – independent newspaper
• Ведомости (Vedomosti) –  @Vedomosti – Russian business daily
• Дождь (Rain) – @tvrain_live – independent TV channel, known for raising questions off-limits to the “official” channels

2. Subscribe to word of the day

Another low-effort way to bring Russian into your everyday browsing experience is to follow word of the day feeds. It will help you gradually expand your vocabulary. If you are also following the news in Russian, you will start recognizing more and more words in the preview snippets on social media!

• Transparent Language Word of the Day, available via RSS feed, email subscription, or on Twitter and Facebook
• Russian Phrases Widget, which you can embed on your site
• Word of the Day App for iOS and Android

3. Follow causes you care about on social media

Perhaps you feel like the Russian media is too biased, the vocabulary is too complex, or the topics are too outlandish. No worries — it is  possible to follow the things you care about while improving your Russian. A variety of individuals and organizations have an online presence. Just search Twitter, Facebook, or any other channel or network for the causes you care about and add them to your daily newsfeed. Here is a very cursory sampling of two possible areas you may care for. This list is, obviously, incomplete, and you are welcome to explore and find your own favorites!

Political/Human Rights

• Alexey Navalny (Алексей Навальный) on Facebook and Twitter – one of the most famous opposition activists in Russia; hailed by some as a stauch fighter of government corruption and feared by others because of his nationalist rhetoric
• Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (Надежда Толоконникова) on Twitter – a member of the punk group Pussy Riot
• “Memorial” Human Rights Organization
• Human Rights Watch in Russian
• Amnesty International

Environment/Travel

• World Wildlife Fund
• Вокруг света @ru_vokrugsveta – a magazine on nature and ethnography
• National Geographic Russia – @NatGeoRus

4. Set your browser/email client to Russian

This is a quick way to expose yourself to Russian Internet vocabulary. Go to your browser’s or email client’s Settings page and choose Russian from the language list. Since you are already familiar with the interface in your language, you will know what each control does — but you will learn the Russian for it along the way! If you feel extra adventurous, try setting your phone or computer to Russian.

Feel free to share any resources you find useful for keeping us with Russian online.