In role-playing, you set up scenarios where you pretend to be in a situation where you will use the expressions that you need to internalize.  If you have a list of survival phrases that you need to find your way around in Italy, for instance, then you can set up scenarios where you’re a tourist on the street, seeking out specific places.  Same when you’re attending a conference in Barcelona, trying to put together a stock of material you’re going to arm yourself to effectively hold conversations with other participants.

Obviously, role-playing works best when done with other people.   You can alternate playing different roles.  For instance, you can be a tourist, while your partner is a local cab driver.  Or you can be a shopkeeper, with your partners as the foreign customers.   The potential for role-play is one of the biggest benefits of studying with a group, such as in classroom setting.

If you prefer working with a language learning software, you can use role-playing to your advantage.  Of course, you’ll need to use a bit more imagination, but it’s possible.  Make sure you set up your scenes as realistic as possible, complete with props, to create a conducive setting.

Common Expressions

Throwing in a common expression from the foreign language is employed by many writers. However, much of the luster in this case tends to fade away, especially if it’s such a frequently employed phrase, such as greetings or clichés.

Section Headers

I love using the technique on section headers, especially if the article is related to the foreign language. When I wrote a piece about Italian aperitifs for a food website, for instance, I wrote short two to three word section headers, ran them through a language translation software and used the Italian equivalents on the actual piece.

While English-speaking readers probably didn’t understand what the headers meant, they would have picked up on it eventually based on the context of the section. On the other hand, Italian readers loved it, almost like it paid a genuine homage to them.

Full Foreign Language Sentences

Occasionally, I’ve seen writers use full sentences in the foreign language as part of the piece. Even without explaining what they meant, the pieces flowed smoothly, while lending it a special character. As with headers, let the context fill in the blanks.