However, if you’re looking to speak a language as quickly as possible, you may want to make additional arrangements.  If you’re in the foreign country now and will need some of the language to use when you go out to eat tomorrow, then foregoing the lesson plan to do your own vocabulary training might prove necessary.

In such instances, the best thing to do is narrow down your vocabulary learning.  If you need the language so you don’t end up ordering mashed crickets and fried alligator tail, then turn to your vocabulary reference material’s section on food and start practicing the dishes you’ll want to have instead.  Same goes when you need the language for any purpose: shopping, commuting or finding your way around the city.

Along with that, try learning the kinds of filler language people use to string words together.   If a foreigner went to an English restaurant and said, “Good afternoon…hamburger,”  the waiter might be confounded by what he’s saying.  If the same guy learned some filler words like “well,” “ummm” and “and,” he could have said “Good morning…well… hamburger” and it would have made just a little more sense.  Not so much, but just a tad more understandable than the first one.

By the way, that foreigner in an English restaurant, well, that will be you tomorrow in the restaurant in the foreign country.  Just so you know.

Here are some ways to learn bits and pieces of the language while you’re on the road:

1. Read the signs.  Provided the country doesn’t use its own alphabet system (e.g. Japan), you can read what those signs say.  Right from the airport, you can probably figure out the local translations for male, female and restroom.  Do this every place you visit.
2. Learn the food.  Food is a common denominator across every culture.  When you hit a grocery or a market, point at stuff, trying to get vendors and staff to tell you the word for each.  Keep them in mind – they’ll be useful the next time you enter a restaurant.
3. Play with children.  Little tykes love teaching foreigners what they know of a language.  They won’t treat you like an idiot either (they’ll just assume you are – just kidding).
4. Haggle.  Don’t buy stuff at the first price you’re told.  Always haggle.  It opens up the interaction and you’ll learn plenty of words in the process (such as numbers, amounts and, if you’re lucky, numerous cuss words).
5. Be open to foreigners who want to learn English.  A lot of people the world over want to learn English.  Chances are, you’ll meet some of them during your trips.  Arranging for a “language exchange meeting” is common practice among English speakers traveling abroad.

Packaged Phrasebooks

We have nothing against buying a phrasebook off the shelf.  In fact, we’ve all done it many times.  However, phrasebooks can be very limiting, as they’re rarely personalized to your own needs and requirements for the language.

A Personalized Phrasebook

Making your own phrasebook means creating a personalized reference that’s specifically tailored to your own needs.  Are you learning a language for business use?  Fill it with phrases and terms that will serve you for that end.  Do you enjoy dining in fine restaurants or bargain shopping when you go abroad?   Yes, you can customize your phrasebook to focus on those activities.

Beyond having a phrasebook that’s been suited to your needs, the very act of writing down useful phrases (whether you hear them from a native speaker at a bar or from your favorite foreign language software) also helps you train your writing and listening skills.  Plus, writing things down tend to make them more difficult to forget – a fact that will benefit your language training immensely.

I’ve known people who’ve managed to make serious advancements in their language acquisition, even while studying under one teacher the whole time.  Similarly, the first time I learned a foreign language was through six months of work with the same language training program, so I’m not knocking on the single-instructor model.

During a student’s advancement from an absolute beginner to intermediate learner, in fact, we recommend sticking with one teacher.  That’s because the focus such a setup promotes will play a big part in your overall success.

Once you’re looking to really get good at a language, though, incorporating multiple sources will probably be your best recourse.  Why?

1. It helps you experience learning from different perspectives, something you don’t enjoy when sticking with one language program.
2. Every language has many subtleties.  You learn these subtle differences through learning from different resources, not staying with one throughout the course of your acquisition.
3. It exposes you to a wider variety of vocabulary and pronunciation.  Not all native speakers use the same language alike.  If you don’t seek out other teachers, you’ll be stuck absorbing the default ones you’ve been learning since you started.

Branching out your learning has less to do with the quality of your primary language materials and more to do with experiencing the language in a fuller way.   If you’ve gone past beyond the basics of a language, embracing this next step might be very beneficial for your overall development.

1. Understanding local dialects.  In many countries, specific areas will have their own way of using the language.  Being aware of the differences between local dialects can help you understand people better.
2. Addressing generation gaps.  Language addresses generation gaps.  The words a local will use when talking to senior citizens for instance, will tend to differ with the ones they employ when chatting with children.  Same goes when you’re interacting with teenagers and authority figures.  This is the type of thing you pick up from observation and experience.
3. Learning the gestures.  Some languages rely more heavily on gestures than others.  Picking up on these gestures and being able to use them should help when interacting with locals in a more complete capacity.
4. Picking up slang.  Colloquial usage of the language tend to be very important in casual conversations, as it helps give it color and vibrancy.    Fact is, there’s little chance you can pick up such informal parlance unless you’ve spent time among locals.

Here are few small things that, if you stick to, can really boost up your language learning without adding any additional stress in your life.

1. Be willing to make mistakes.    You’re allowed to make mistakes, you know.  Most people end up stuck in many of their activities just from the fear of making mistakes.  The sooner you embrace this, the faster you can get on with actually learning, so fail those tests, mess up those exercises and falter trying to use the language.  It’s all part of the process.
2. Embrace your language material.  Hopefully, you took the time studying the various offerings out there before settling on a class or a language training software.    If you did, then you probably made a good choice, so trust that it can help you get where you want to go.
3. Don’t limit yourself to one source.  Regardless of how good your primary material is, it doesn’t make sense to limit yourself to just one.  Most classes and programs are based around one approach.  While effective, integrating others can really work in your favor, especially as you progress towards the intermediate and advanced stages of language acquisition.

Word-By-Word Translations. The most ancient of the bunch, this involves literally translating words from your native tongue to the target language, usually by using a dictionary.  It’s not the most efficient, but it’s one people have used with mixed success (which means there were positive results) for decades.

Vocabulary-Based Language Learning. Here, language is learned by associating words with pictures and objects they represent.  Some people claim this is how natural learning occurs, making it a much-employed approach in many popular language software.

Grammar-Based Language Learning. Like the previous one, this is heavily-used among language learning programs.   It generally uses a vocabulary-based strategy at the start, followed by in-depth study of the target language’s grammar.

Communicative Approach. Used by most modern language schools and some advanced language software, this involves communication drills that focus on specific aspects of a language, paired with tightly-focused grammar and vocabulary lessons.

Immersion. The method of choice for free spirits, this involves jumping into the deep end with native speakers and just winging it.  It’s incredibly scary and awkward, but if you stick to it, you can develop a thick face quickly.  Oh yeah, and some language abilities too.

Different software titles will have different approaches to vocabulary-building, so it’s best to expose yourself to what’s out there before settling on a choice.  Make sure you read about the different options on offer, learning as much as you can about each one.

Personally, I recommend looking for a vocabulary software that has these features, at a minimum:

1. It should have a structured method.  If there’s no structure or algorithm to the way words it helps you pick up words, you might as well just grab a dictionary and start memorizing it alphabetically.  Good vocabulary software will use methods and strategies that can improve and accelerate learning.
2. It should track your progress.  One of the more significant reasons to use software-based learning is the easier progress-tracking it allows.  This is a feature that should be on any type of learning program.
3. It should integrate pronunciation practice.  What good is memorizing a word if you can’t rehearse it spouting off your mouth?
4. It should offer multiple test modes to ensure retention.  Tons of vocabulary tests have been devised over the years and the software you use should come with several of them.  It’s usually easier to gauge actual retention if you can keep it through varying types of tests.

Those four comprise the bare-basics of what we believe a good vocabulary software should have.  Do note that many of the all-around language learning programs come with built-in vocabulary modules, so you may also want to explore that option.  At the least, it will save you from buying another piece of software when you decide the embrace language instruction in a fuller capacity.

1. Shop around.  Don’t buy the first foreign language training software you see.  If you do and it turns out to be a dud, you’ll just end up spending more money on a new one.  Instead, gather your options and evaluate them individually.  Not all language materials are created equal – the more you shop around, the better fit you can find.
2. Don’t be swayed by shiny things.  All products promise something, some more outlandish than others.  Don’t let the lofty claims fool you.  Research the product to find out as much as you can about them, then compare whether the feedback matches up with the claims.
3. Try before you buy.  Plenty of language materials offer free trials.  Some online membership sites, for instance, let you be a member for a day for $1 so you can get a taste of what they offer, while most language software comes with trial periods.
4. Find a product as closely-suited to your needs as possible.  The more suited a language product is to your specific requirements, the less you will need to use secondary sources as supplementary materials.  That means, no added costs beyond what you already spent on your primary reference.

Courses that allow you to set your own pace are available both online and offline in varying forms.  For online, there are dedicated websites, slideshows and video lessons that you can visit according to your schedule; offline, you’ve got audio courses, language training programs and books that serve the same purpose.

Some people understandably deride self-paced programs.  After all, traditional models of language learning are all based upon having an instructor guiding students through every lesson, answering their questions and quizzing them about what they’ve learned.  Until you’ve worked with one for an extended period, it’s difficult to appreciate the actual benefits it can deliver.

Truth is, good self-paced programs, such as some of the more effective language software out there, can often rival the results of more familiar learning methods, such as classroom training and private tutoring.  Even better, the fact that you can set your own schedule means you’ll have an easier time integrating it in your own life.

If you want language learning to suit you, instead of the other way around, it’s really hard to argue for anything other than self-paced learning modules.  And based on our experience, a good language software is the most effective of the available options.