May 31, 2010
Learning a target language by sitting with your foreign language training software is a good start. It’s not enough, though. To really know a language, you must connect with it on a deeper level and you do that by learning about the culture that it came from.
Language ability is a great asset. However, if your facility is strictly a mastery of the words, you won’t much real-world application. You’ve probably heard people say that knowing a foreign language is an advantage in the job market. For the most part, that’s only true if you can adapt it to help act as a bridge between an organization and the people who use it as their native tongue.
How do you connect with a culture?
1. Keep up with current events by reading a foreign language news source. While you can get recaps from world news in English, the treatment is usually very different from how locals would handle the same news item.
2. Attend events in your area for the people whose language you’re learning. We live in a global community now. Everywhere you go, there’s a diverse range of ethnicities. Regardless of where the language you’re learning comes from, there’s likely a group of people from that country somewhere nearby.
3. Get a pen pal or a chat buddy. Meet people who speak the target language from online. There are always a lot of these opportunities. Craigslist is a good, free source, provided you take necessary precautions. Let’s face it, there are plenty of weirdos on that service.
May 27, 2010
Can you learn a language without leaving your room? Honestly, I think you’ll go insane before a year’s worth of lessons are over. However, it is theoretically possible, since you can now get most of the lessons and practice you need even in relative isolation.
1. Use a foreign language learning software as your primary training material.
Contrary to what some people might think, most home-based language software can rival even classroom learning when it comes to quality of instruction. Add in the fact that it lets you tailor lessons to your needs at your own pace, and you’ve got a medium that’s potentially got more upsides then a traditional live teacher.
2. Do the exercises religiously.
Exercises and quizzes are important for truly internalizing lessons. If you do them religiously even if you’re alone, you can gain the same benefits as those who take exams with instructor supervision.
3. Connect with language learners online for practice over IM and chat.
No one to practice the target language with in your room? Not a problem anymore. There are literally thousands of language learners in the web at any one time. All you have to do is seek them out. Leverage the power of new communication technology to practice speaking and interacting with them over the web.
4. Use foreign language books, movies and songs available online to supplement your learning.
Want to supplement your classroom lessons with other materials? The web is a veritable treasure trove of content, both free and commercial. You won’t even be able to exhaust them all within a year, most likely.
May 26, 2010
What’s the single best way to learn a language? If I had to choose, I’d say immersion. While it’s probably not the best “for everyone,” I do believe it’s the best choice for many. After all, picking up your first language naturally actually works a lot like immersion does.
The best situation to be in to learn a language is to:
(1) Be in a country where it is widely spoken as the first language.
(2) While you’re there, go to a school where the primary mode of teaching is the target language.
Sometimes, just being in a country isn’t enough. For many people, they have to be forced to pick up the language in a sort of “learn or perish” situation and being in a school is exactly that. Unless you pick up the language quickly, you won’t only be isolated from your fellow students, you won’t understand lectures, can’t read books and generally can’t function. Do or die tends to bring out the best in most students.
If, in case, that perfect world scenario isn’t available, I sincerely believe you can’t go wrong with a software for language learning. With their combination of conventional and non-traditional lessons, multimedia features, interactive practice and simulated immersion, they offer a language education that’s hard to find among other study-based options.
May 25, 2010
The social components of language learning can be just as important to achieving your overall goals. Sure, most people hardly pay attention to it, but that doesn’t make its impact any less valuable.
1. Sharing with fellow learners. The isolation created by using a home language software can lead to a downward curve in your learning, especially at a certain stage. That’s why it’s still important to try and connect with fellow learners both to seek out encouragement as well as share the skills you’ve managed to integrate. If there’s no local group to serve this purpose, you should try online clubs and forums.
2. Using a yardstick. You can set impossible goals all you want and set out to achieve them. Until you find realistic yardsticks for yourself, however, you’ll continue to face disappointment. Realistic goal setting is often achieved by seeing how others before you did and relating that with your existing situation.
3. Be accountable for your progress. Taking charge of your learning means being accountable for every aspect of it, from being diligent with your lessons to finding people you can practice with. Don’t wait around hoping to chance upon opportunities – make them.
4. Having a feedback system. How do you know you’re improving? How do you know if you’re barely progressing? You need to develop a feedback system. Most of the time, this is best served by either fellow learners or advanced speakers.
May 24, 2010
Have you ever considered one-on-one language learning? Most learners I know have. After all, few learning methods can be more effective than such a guided, personalized type of training.
Many language learning software, in fact, try to simulate one-on-one tutoring as their main thrust. It makes sense too. Since software-based language study fosters a sense of intimacy between teacher and student (despite the fact that “intimate” and “software” aren’t too accurate of a match), it usually represents a good way of mimicking that.
Those who can afford it will probably be best served by a personal language tutor. Note the emphasis on “can afford.” As you may imagine, this type of language training can cost an arm and a leg (and, sometimes, the fingers off the other arm too), so it’s only an option for those with some extra greens to spare. Oh yeah, and make sure you choose a good tutor – that expense, after all, has to pay for itself.
If you still insist on intimate human tutoring but can’t afford the necessary expense, you can look at the option of online tutors. While still costlier than picking up a language software or enrolling in a group class, it is considerably friendlier on the pocket, all while giving you the same personal attention you would get from a live one-on-one.
Our suggestion? Try the language software first. Check out trial versions if you’re really intent on hiring a personal tutor. The value you gain from it might surprise you.
May 21, 2010
If you’ve been studying a language for a few months, you’ve probably developed some learning methods and routines that work well for you. Here are a few things you can add as you proceed on your journey to further your facility in the language.
1. Keep a dictionary around at all times. A pocket dictionary or, even better, an electronic one can be very valuable company for someone at your level. Any time you encounter a word or phrase you don’t understand, having one allows you to quickly look it up.
2. Watch lots of movies in the foreign language. At your level, you should be able to understand conversations already, so watching movies won’t leave you scratching your head. Instead, it should prove a great way to further advance your abilities.
3. Hold lots of conversations. While you’re still far from being a smooth talker at this point, you should be able to hold your own in conversations. Use the language to interact with people any time you get the chance.
4. Challenge yourself on a regular basis. Try tackling some of the more advanced exercises in your language software, pick up a crossword puzzle on the target language and do other things that challenge your ability on a regular basis. You’re now equipped with the basics; doing these things will help you build upon them.
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