As a language learner, there are various equipment you can arm yourself with in order to help make your studies easier. While none of them will be mandatory, they can play varying importance in your overall development.
The Usual Stuff. First, there’s the usual set of study tools, such as phrasebooks, audio courses and language learning software. You probably know about them pretty well already – we’ve discussed them in great detail here.
A Voice Recorder. I highly recommend all language learning students to use a voice recorder to aid in their language learning. You can buy a dedicated gadget for this or use the built-in facilities in your existing gadgets (many cell phones and music players already have them). With one, you can record yourself speaking in the language, play it back for review and find areas in which you can improve.
Language-Learning Journal. Keeping a diary of your progress is one of the most useful things you can do for your your overall training. It’s possibly the single best way to keep a recorded account of your overall development, offering something you can easily look back on to review later.
A Pocket Dictionary Or, Better Yet, A Mobile Software Alternative. When you’re still in the process of learning a language, it pays to have a dictionary that you can look up every now and then. We highly recommend getting a pocket dictionary, preferably the dual language type, so you can look up words that suddenly come to mind or for simply refreshing your vocabulary study on the spot.