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December 30, 2010
You can spend as much time with your language software as you want. If none of the information sticks around, though, you’ll just be taking yourself around in circles, getting no results.
Here are some ideas to help you remember more of what you study:
- Do it in the morning. Your mind is fresh early in the morning. As such, new information tend to stick better. While this probably won’t be applicable to everyone, do it if your schedule allows.
- Do the practice exercises. Almost every language training software I’ve seen incorporates practice after every chunk of lesson. The bad news is, many students skip the practice part. If you want to commit something to memory, the exercises are a required activity.
- Keep notes. Notes give you a handy reference that you can quickly check when you need to review any items you’ve gone over. The more detailed the notes, the more you can benefit from it, so put some effort on this end.
- Repeat lessons. If you’re having a hard time with a particular lesson, then do it over. Unlike classroom instruction, you can get a “replay” of your language software sessions and it’s a perk you should be taking full advantage of.
December 29, 2010
For many adult language learners, time is an issue. With work, family and other responsibilities, it becomes difficult to devote as much time as you want to studying a new language.
As such, it’s important to use whatever time you have efficiently. Even if all you have to spare is half an hour each day, you can spend it such that you maximize the value you derive from your efforts.
To ensure the best use of my study time, I always work with a clock that counts down from 30 minutes. That’s, basically, the time I devote to my lessons every time I sit down with my language software (or with a secondary language material for practice). It doesn’t just count down, too — I set it up so that it creates a quick beep every three minutes to keep me on point.
See, when I sit down for my language software lessons in front of a computer, I find it hard to keep distractions at bay. It’s so easy to put the lesson on pause, launch Facebook and waste the 30 minutes I’m supposed to be studying. With the timer, however, I’m able to avoid it. The sound of that beep is like a kick in the noggin, telling me to get back to what I’m supposed to be doing.
If you find yourself in need of a way to keep from being distracted, I highly recommend trying to use a timer to stay on schedule. It just might work as well for you as it does for me.
December 28, 2010
One of the most exciting areas in language learning software for me is the arrival of smartphone apps. You probably know them — those small pieces of software that run on a device in your pocket, easily accessible throughout the day.
While apps are limited by their platform (you can’t have anything half as robust as even beginner language software for the PC), well-designed ones can prove very useful as secondary learning tools. Already, I’ve been using a couple of them to aid in my off-the-computer language practice, such as a flash card app, a translation dictionary and a web-based notebook for my notes.
Just this week, I found a fascinating translator app that’s well beyond what I ever imagined I can find in a smartphone. While it’s not all that useful to me (it only has Spanish and English right now), it could very well be down the line, once they’re able to expand their language packs to the languages I frequently need to use.
Why is it so fascinating? The app works this way:
- You launch it on your phone, where it accesses your phone’s camera.
- You point the camera to a signboard with a sign written in Spanish.
- The app will automatically translate it to English and overlay the translation in the original image.
Not only does it translate from one language to another, it also reads the sign all on its own, as well as recreate the whole scene with the new sign in English. It’s ridiculous and leaves me inspired at the amazing things we will probably see from our language software of the future.
December 27, 2010
Just like any form of learning, you can improve your language studies using software tools. We’re not just talking about a language learning software either — we mean other programs designed for eithe r productivity or educational purposes.
While I can’t speak for everyone, several programs (aside from my beginner and intermediate language software) have been a regular part of my language learning efforts:
- Notebook software. I use Evernote to compile all of my notes on my language lessons instead of traditional notebooks. Going digital has numerous advantages, including easier organization, search indexing and access from multiple devices. When I want a hard copy of specific set of notes, I just collate them and print them out.
- Visual flash cards. Using a free program I downloaded from the web, I regularly make visual flash cards for short review sessions on my PC. Recently, I got an iPhone and have been using a similar software there as well. To those less inclined towards staring at computer screens, you can also draw them up on small index cards.
- Multimedia library manager. I download plenty of audio and video files from the web that relate to language learning. Mostly, they consist of snippets of interactions or speeches in the language. Without software like this, there’s probably no way I can keep track of all of them.
December 25, 2010
One of the first things you’ll need to come to terms with when learning a foreign language is that you’ll fail many times along the way. That’s just the nature of the beast — you’ll run into bumps on the road as you work your way towards acquiring a new language.
We’re not suggesting you invite failure into your studies. Far from it. Instead, we’re trying to encourage a different perspective — one that puts failure as a necessary component to achieving success. There’s just no way to meet the final goal if you don’t encounter small skids along the way.
Look at how a one-year old boy first learns his native language. He will say words like “mooma” and “blankie.” Those utterances are, technically, failures, since the right words are “mama” and “blanket.” Yet, they are actually a part of the child’s road to language acquisition.
The same thing happens when you study a new language. You’ll probably try to use words you picked up from a language software in actual interactions and have it bomb in your face. Instead of letting those experiences embarrass you into trying again, recognize them as the part of the path to success that they actually are.
December 23, 2010
One question many language learners eventually come across after a couple months of study is whether they should stick to their primary course or use other learning materials as supplement. Unfortunately, the answer isn’t quite cut-and-dry.
Personally, I love to use just one material for learning. Too many ingredients tend to spoil the pot for me. Plus, the amount of choices just leaves me unnecessarily confused. Sticking to one material gives you none of those headaches.
Of course, that solution is only feasible if your language learning software is good enough to support your continued growth. Assuming it is, I’d definitely consider going that route, as it’s simpler and more focused.
When you seek out secondary materials for learning, you must have good reason to do so. Either it helps reinforce what your primary material teaches or it covers an aspect of the language that the one you usually work with doesn’t. Barring those two reasons, it’s probably best to drop any secondary tools as they can end up being a distraction.
All of this advice, of course, goes out the window when you’re a bit advanced on the language learning scale. The more of the language you acquire, the more necessary it usually becomes to branch out and learn from other sources. If you don’t, it’s hard to be challenged enough to continue growing.
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