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October 30, 2010
If you’re studying a foreign language for use in business and professional purposes, then it makes perfect sense to focus strictly on materials that were designed for business learning. Same goes when you want to study a language for academe or when you want to learn one for an upcoming vacation.
Make a list of the specific situations you want to use a language in. Then, try to dig up materials that will help you to be conversant in those.
Primary Learning Material
Whether you’re taking a class or using a language program, make a point of choosing your primary learning material based on the aforementioned goals. Sure, you can use general-purpose language lessons to brush you up for your upcoming business meetings, but wouldn’t ones specifically geared towards corporate and professional uses be more beneficial? There are specialized classes and language software designed to fulfill individual goals, too, so you shouldn’t have too much of a hard time in your search.
Secondary Learning Materials
You should do the same with your secondary learning materials. Want to stock up on language videos you can watch to help make those corporate meetings less of a mind-numbing exercise? Try business presentations in the target language. Same with audio files, documents and other business-related items you can review when trying to grow your language skills.
October 29, 2010
Observing is a big part of the game in language learning. The more you can notice about the language, the more of it you can integrate into your skillset.
What things can you notice about a target language?
- Sounds and intonation
- Pronunciations
- Use of words
- Use of gestures with words
- Timing
- And many more
Basically, noticing helps you pay attention to the way a language is used effectively, allowing you to absorb the nuances that will help you in your attempts to acquire it. Here are some ways to improve in this useful learning skill.
- Repetitive listening. Repetitively listening to a language software lesson, a recorded conversation or any material of interest will help familiarize you with the surface-level components enough that you can begin to notice less-obvious aspects of the language. There are almost always bits and pieces you can understand better during second and third encounters.
- Using the language. When you use the language actively, your sensitivity to it heightens. You notice what you’re doing wrong, what you don’t understand, what else you need to learn and more. It’s easy to sit back and think you understood a lesson. Applying it, though, exposes you to the separate components that you might be missing.
- Taking notes. When you take notes, you engage your brain more actively. There’s something about putting the pressure of writing down what you understand from your language software that helps you be more attentive to what you listen to or read.
October 27, 2010
In language learning, the better you manage your expectations, the less frustrated you will get. This is important, as the less anxieties you have to deal with during your studies, the more success you typically attain.
- Don’t focus on results. If you tried interacting with a native speaker and froze up, don’t dwell on it. Take it as part of your learning process, accept it and move on – that’s the way the game is played. The more attached you are to getting positive results, the more critical you become of your own development. It’s an unproductive way to go about things.
- Expect modest success. Regardless of what the foreign language software you’re using promises, don’t expect to be fluent within a short time. Look forward to modest success every step of the way – true language acquisition takes time.
- Persist when things stall. Most people tend to pick up a lot of language skills during the first month, then it begins to dwindle down, until further improvements start taking just a bit more time. Ebbs and flows are part of all learning activities – stick to your guns and plow through the plateaus. Eventually, you will achieve the gains commensurate to your efforts.
October 26, 2010
Consistency and engagement are two important qualities that can play a big part in how well you’re able to learn a language. While they’re obviously not the “end-all-be-all” of language learning, there is real value in cultivating them to gain better results in your studies.
Consistency
By consistency, we’re referring to keeping up your end by working regularly with the language. That means scheduling your lessons and getting them on time, reviewing your materials, and practicing on a regular basis.
Learning a second language doesn’t happen by accident. You need to put in the work, dedicating ample time to all activities involved. This is one of the reasons why an all-in-one language software works great for majority of people, as it allows them to manage their time much better.
Engagement
Remember back in school, when you can hop to class everyday and pass the exams, yet finish the semester feeling like you never really learned anything? That can happen with language learning, too.
Often, the problem comes down to one of engagement. If you don’t actively participate when you study, it’s hard to commit any of the lessons to memory. This is why you should really take your time when trying to find a language software to work with. You want one that will engage you and play to your strengths, so that you gain the full benefits of all the lessons you take.
October 23, 2010
Language learning is never easy. In fact, the road to acquisition is typically filled with hassles and challenges of varying types. There are some obstacles, however, that a language software can help you avoid when you choose it as your primary medium of study.
- Endless costs. Let’s face it – language learning isn’t cheap. All those classes will cost a lot of money and the deeper you want to go, the more cash you’ll need to dispense with. With a language program, however, you get to limit your costs to the one-time expense of acquiring the software.
- Re-working your schedule. Regardless of how tight your schedule already is with work, family and school, you’ll need to add one more to the rotation: your language classes. This is a hassle you don’t have to put up with on a foreign language program, since you can arrange the sessions according to your available time.
- Commute. Unless you’re able to pay a private tutor to come to your house, you’ll need to deal with the local traffic and transportation hassles in order to attend your language classes. With a learning software, you can do everything right from the bedroom or anywhere else you are.
October 22, 2010
Looking for ways to practice good pronunciation in the foreign language you’re studying? Here are things you can incorporate in your language practice software sessions to accomplish just that.
- Listen to native speaker recordings. Instead of slapping on your headphones and playing music on your iPod, use downtime as an opportunity to passively listen to recordings from native speakers. Regularly listening to proper use of the language is an excellent way to naturally absorb proper diction and pronunciation.
- Watch movies and imitate the dialogue. Put on a movie (there should be plenty) filmed in the target language and imitate the dialogue. Make a point of copying the pacing and gestures, too, as they tend to go hand-in-hand with the words for effective communication.
- Play native speaker recordings faster and slower then imitate both. If you have some time to spare (it is a bit consuming), this is an excellent exercise to learn the different nuances of pronunciation for the foreign language. When you can do it fast and slow, you should be able to do it in a normal pace, too.
- Record yourself speaking. Get a recording software and record yourself speaking into the computer. Afterwards, listen to it, take note of areas that need improvement and focus on them.
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