Making this topic in hopes Caroline will see this!
I’m really glad these courses have been made, thank you! I just have a request the addition of audio (using something like Forvo perhaps)!
https://app.memrise.com/user/Caroline.Jackson.9659/courses/teaching/
Hi Leoithne27
Wow, I didn’t realise anyone had made a forum topic just about my courses! I don’t look at the forums very often - well hardly ever - so apologies for not seeing this til now, and hope you see my reply.
First, thanks for appreciating my courses. I make them to help myself in my quest to become fluent in reading and speaking Bengali. I try to read some Bengali every day and write down the words I don’t know and put them in a course so I can learn them. There weren’t many courses on Bengali when I started on memrise and even now there aren’t too many with more advanced vocab. I share the courses publicly in the hopes that they might also help others, so it is good to know they are.
On the audio point, I don’t know that many native speakers willing to help me and at least when I started on this project (learning for 6 years now) Forvo didn’t have audio for lots of these words either. If you would like to help me record audio on a particular course, I’d be happy to add you as a contributor!
Do stay in touch - and if anyone else spots errors or has suggestions, just let me know
Caroline
No problem! I actually didn’t think I’d manage to get a hold of you, so I’m glad I took the chance anyway!
I really, really appreciate it for sure! It’s such a shame how little resources there are considering it’s one of the top 10 most spoken languages in the world 
I’d be more than happy to be a contributor! I have a Forvo account and add new words to it a lot already for my other langs, so I wouldn’t mind. I’ll double check with my fiancé’s family if they could help once in awhile as well, but I know they’ve got a lot on their plates right now so no guarantees on that.
Hey Kaylan, sorry for delay replying. (I need to work out how to get a notification when someone posts a reply.) Let me know which course(s) you want to contribute sound to and I will add you. Very exciting to have a co-contributor. Keep going with your Bangla. I use italki to practice with a teacher in Kolkata, where my husband’s family are also from, and we are now reading some short stories and poems. Hope to hear from you soon
Caroline
Click the little bell icon to the right of a posting and select “watching”. Alternatively, you’ll find the same icon at the very bottom of the thread (above the “Suggested Topics” list).
I’m so sorry for such a SUPER delayed response, I guess I didn’t see the email with the notif you replied, and I haven’t logged into the forum in sooo long.
I’m planning on getting my first Bangla tutor on italki soon, very excited!!
Can I start with your pronouns and postpositions course, and then as I finish (or at least as well as I can) I can let you know, and then move on to the next one?
Hi Kaylan
Hope you see this - I have added you as a contributor to the pronouns & postpositions course. That should give you the ability to add sound. Thank you so much for doing it.
(I did get my mother-in-law to record some words for the weather words course, but part way through she became embarrassed and wouldn’t do any more. My husband did the numbers and basic verbs, can’t remember if he did any others, but he also then got fed up of me asking. I managed to get a native speaker to help with the common verbs 2 through a facebook page, but he didn’t seem that keen to do any more either. So it is great to have your help.)
Not sure if you are connected with Bangladesh or West Bengal, but if the latter, then I can recommend Kushumika as a teacher on italki. She is my teacher, from Kolkata. I always enjoy my conversations with her and it has really helped my listening skills.
I have also found the Bengali language news on NHK to be quite helpful. It’s a Japanese news site, so I have also learned a lot about Japan(!), but they produce material in Bengali, and the podcast just reads out the top stories of the day word for word - so I can listen and also read the same news story in Bengali, which really helps. BBC Bangla is another good news site. I am writing all the words down that I don’t know and have massively expanded my Bengali news words course as a result. I also try to read Anandabajar occasionally but I find that quite hard. What other materials are you using to practice?
Let me know how you get on
Caroline
Thank you!
Are you able to just add the audio column? Apparently Memrise doesn’t let me add columns on my own
https://memrise.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015887057-How-can-I-add-a-contributor-to-my-course-
I suppose that’s fair or them! Languages have a lot of vocabulary and I’m sure I’d be embarrassed if I knew lots of people were going to hear me say things, haha. I’ll probably just get the audio from Forvo for now since I’m sure asking my fiancé’s family would have similar results + lots of stuff they’re dealing with lately so I wouldn’t want to ask anything of them right now 
Bangladesh in my case, but I’ll still keep her in mind! Thanks for the recommendation ^-^
I had no idea NHK even had a Bengali section! I’ve definitely listened to the NHK News for Japanese; so that’s another great tip! I’m definitely trying to figure out more stuff to listen/watch to.
I don’t have a lot yet unfortunately - Ling, Memrise, and I got Bengali: A Comprehensive Grammar on sale digitally so that was nice. I’ve used Tandem app a bit but I never seem to get a lasting partner so an italki tutor definitely will have a quite few extra benefits! Also, just really need to push myself in general, since I ended up put it on the backburner for a bit.
Hi Kaylan, audio column hopefully added, hope you can see it.
Yes it 's definitely about getting into learning habits.
Let me know how you get on with the audio, thank you so much for doing it,
Caroline
Yup, it showed up! I added all the audio I could - some of them I had to add to Forvo so just waiting for someone to pronounce those.
I’d like to do Bengali basic verb conjugations next since it seems to have the most people on that course.
I’m having my first tutor lesson today, wish me luck 
Hi Kaylan
Thanks so much, that’s really great.
I’ve added you to the verb conjugation course and added an audio column, so hope that works for you.
Hope the lesson went well!!! Let me know how it goes
Caroline
Hi! Can you double check I was added? I don’t see the edit course button.
I froze up a bit so it wasn’t great, haha. She was very patient and very nice, though, so I’ll definitely be booking with her again.
Hi there Kaylan
Sorry I was sure I had added you but it hadn’t saved so I’ve done it again. Seems to have worked this time. My internet has been a bit flaky before so it maybe didn’t pick up the change before. Anyway, hopefully sorted. I can only encourage you to keep going with the lessons. There are some days it all goes well, and others where I feel like I can’t remember anything, but over time it has really helped.
Good luck with it
Caroline
Well done creating a useful course for use by the community.
BTW, I’ve added a link (on the first post) to your courses. Hope you approve.
Thanks DW7, that’s vey helpful. Glad to have your support, Caroline
