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March 30, 2011
Want to make fast gains in your language studies? Most people will recommend you put in more hours, use more material and do more exercises. Sometimes, however, the answer is not to do more, but to actually start doing less.
If you’re not getting the kind of results you’re hoping for, try taking a stock of your language learning activities. What things do you do for it within the course of a day? A week? A month? Many times, you will notice you’ve been doing so many things within a short of span of time that you’re not giving any one of them enough attention.
One language student I know focused on a strict diet of memorizing just ten phrases a week. All of her language learning activities were geared towards supporting that goal.
- She selected ten related phrases from her foreign language software and wrote them down on her journal.
- All week, she restricted herself to studying just those ten. She didn’t open any other module in her language software other than those that taught those phrases.
- She made flashcards that had those ten phrases in and periodically pulled them out for a quick refresher.
- She practiced the pronunciation for those ten phrases during her scheduled language study time, doing nothing else but them.
Ten phrases a week for someone who visited their language efforts daily will seem like too low a target for some people. But it worked for her. The focus allowed her to really master them. As a result, her retention of those phrases remain at a high level even after months have passed by.
March 29, 2011
Everyone’s aware of the primary benefits of acquiring a new language. Almost every offer for a language class or a foreign language software makes note of these things, such as the ability to communicate with people from a foreign country and the potential job opportunities it opens up. For many people, these are usually good enough reasons to encourage them in their language efforts, too.
Looking deeper, however, you will find other benefits to learning a new language that most people take for granted.
- Intellectual challenge. If you want to give your brain a workout, you can spend the day solving Sudoku puzzles or do something useful like learning a new language. Your choice.
- Handling uncertainty. Learning a new language is great practice for managing uncertainty. That’s what you do, by the way, every time you step out into a group of people and begin using a language you’ve only begun studying six weeks ago. It’s a useful experience — one that can serve you well in other areas of your life.
- Listening skills. Learning a new language helps sharpen your listening skills, as you tend to pay closer attention during conversations for fear of missing certain cues. If you’ve been frequently tuning out in conversations, it will hardly be the case when you’re using a foreign language to interact.
March 26, 2011
Looking for a way to vary your language learning activities? Try helping someone else with their language learning efforts.
Whether you’re teaching a complete novice everything you’ve learned so far or assisting a friend practice their conversational skills, helping fellow language learners allow you to take on a different role — one that’s very different from what you’re used to. When you do that, you not only access the skills you’ve built up, you can also gain new insights about the target language and the process of learning.
Just the mere act of interacting with other learners is beneficial in itself. You get to learn the different ways people study the language and the variety in results they get from each one. Almost every time I took on a helper role, assisting someone with their own language efforts, I learned something new. This has held true with learners of all levels — even those who are complete beginners to the target language.
For instance, it’s usually hard to see the mistakes you make when speaking and using the language. Doing that is an acquired skill that regular lessons with even the best language software might not really prepare you for. When someone else slips up the same way, though, the error becomes easy to notice. You can then make note of such faults and avoid them in your own use of the vernacular for later.
March 25, 2011
Do you enjoy your language learning or is it a chore you merely trudge through? Your answer to that can define a lot about the kinds of results you gain from the activity.
You can learn a language from doing any activity. Whether sitting through an interactive language software, going to a language class or reading a book, it’s possible to sufficiently acquire a facility for a new language. The crucial variable for many language learners isn’t what medium they’re using to get their lessons. Instead, it’s whether that medium is best suited to them.
From what I’ve seen, the best way to learn a language is to find things that you can enjoy doing as you learn it. Do you like solving word puzzles and hate sitting in classrooms? Then there’s little doubt that a language software that incorporates word puzzles will probably be a much better learning material for you than an entire semester inside a classroom. If you like practicing on your own, do it; if you’d rather go out and practice speaking with people, then do that. When there’s an activity you’d rather do without, then skip it.
When your language learning activities give you pleasure, it’s easier to make time for them. Instead of dreading the time you will spend doing your lessons, it becomes something to look forward to.
March 24, 2011
Sitting through a lesson and absorbing it are two different things. You can sit through a five-hour lecture and not learn anything at all — it’s not impossible. If you want to make sure you pick up on your language lessons better, here are a few things you can do:
- Enter your language session with a positive attitude. Starting a lesson on a sour mood won’t do you any favors. Amp yourself up into a positive state for your lessons and you’ll reap the rewards.
- Make a conscious effort to pay attention. It’s easy for your attention to drift while sitting in front of the computer. As such, the ball’s on your court to make the effort to stay attentive throughout the course of your lessons.
- Pause and repeat when necessary. One of the biggest advantages of language software is that you can get the lessons at any pace you enjoy. You can pause when you need a break or repeat any part that you feel requires a second (or third or fourth) pass.
- Adapt to whatever direction the lesson takes. When lessons end up in areas they’re not really that interested in, many people tend to zone out. Proactively watch out for this and go along with wherever the lesson go.
- Take detailed notes. When you write things down, you remember it better. Plus, you get a handy, custom, personalized reference to check when you need to brush up on previous lessons.
March 23, 2011
Having worked for a French-owned multinational in the past, I always knew that learning the language would benefit my standing in the organization. Problem is, though, my awareness of language learning principles back then isn’t what is now.
After several years of periodic lessons, multiple books and several CD programs, I didn’t have much to show for the effort. While I did know French better than the average guy (who, by the way, didn’t study it), my skills were far too lacking for someone who put in so much time.
I’ve since left the company and ended up working to learn a different language. This time, my results went much better. What changed?
- I found a compelling reason to learn. For most people, a casual reason for learning a language isn’t enough to truly give it their best effort. Find a reason that will keep you focused and motivated — it’s key to mastering any new skill.
- I sought out personal contacts that could act as language resources. Having people around who know the language better than you is a crucial point. While you can learn a language without it, having someone to bounce around ideas and critique your current abilities is very rewarding. The web makes finding such a person a whole lot easier than before.
- I immersed myself into the endeavor. I jumped at every opportunity to use whatever new piece of the language I learned. Sure, I failed a lot and, sometimes, I was too embarrassed to look people in the eye, but I persevered and it made a huge difference.
- I found a superb learning material that fits me. After trying several materials out, I was fortunate enough to come across a language learning software that I found particularly useful and helpful for my personal learning needs. A willingness to test what’s available could get you there, as well.
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