September 22, 2011
How hard is it to learn a language while on the road? Probably not that easy, considering you don’t get a lot of opportunities to sit down and focus attention on your lessons.
Despite the obvious difficulty, learning a new language while on the road is actually a very common scenario, especially for individuals visiting a foreign land. After all, it’s not half as fun visiting a country when you can’t understand a single thing anybody say.
Here are some tips for language learners on the road:
Pick up a phrasebook. You’ll be on buses, planes, trains and other means of transportation a lot of the time, so might as well spend that time memorizing new vocabulary. A pocket-sized phrasebook will play the part wonderfully for that.
Practice a lot. Being in a foreign country exposes you to a host of people who speak your native language, so take the opportunity to practice what you have learned so far. If you’re scared, just use basic pleasantries like greetings. Doing so will help you gain confidence to use more complicated constructions you pick up.
Keep a journal. Write daily notes about your language learning — new phrases you learned, interactions you’ve had and other relevant activities. Take this opportunity for introspection to ponder about mistakes you’ve made, especially with pronunciation and usage, so that you don’t end up internalizing the mistake.
May 23, 2011
Immersion is one of the fastest ways to acquire language skills. Being thrust in an environment where you’re forced to adapt can lead some people to make great strides in their language efforts.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that immersion is not for everyone. In fact, it brings its own share of problems. Make sure you know them before deciding that traveling to a foreign country and gutting it out with the locals is exactly what you want to do:
- It’s exhausting. Immersion is a lot of work, both physically and mentally. It thrusts you upon a high-pressure scenario where you’ll need to adapt, lest be left standing in a corner with nothing to do.
- It’s terribly frustrating during the first couple of weeks. Imagine being in a place where nobody speaks your language and all you know of theirs are ten survival phrases you memorized during the plane trip. Things as simple as ordering food and finding the nearest bookstore can lead to frustrating experiences.
- You can end up learning bad language habits. Immersion is an unstructured environment for learning — you can pick up just as much wrong things as you can correct ones. Without a teacher to watch over you, misheard phrases you use that go uncorrected are likely to be fossilized into semi-permanent habits. They’ll take a lot of work to undo.
February 3, 2010
How important is developing good memory skills to language learning? It depends on who you ask.
Some people swear on its value. After all, the faster you can take in vocabulary, the sooner you should be able to build up a store of useful words. A lot of traditional language mediums, after all, are based on absorbing plenty of information.
When you start off memorizing basic phrases, you use your memory skills. When you read through phrasebooks and vocabulary lessons, you do it with the intent of remembering as much as possible. Memory skills are an integral part of many forms of language learning – one that you’ll do well to develop.
However, there are new breeds of language learning software that veer away from memory techniques, choosing to focus instead on other areas that promote retention. These materials treat language learning as an immersive process, looking to recreate the experience of being thrust amidst a crowd of native speakers.
So, how important are memory skills in language learning? The answer is, it depends on what kinds of material you are using to develop proficiency. If you try to gain it using more traditional methods, then it’s crucial. If you decide to embrace one of the more modern techniques that promote simulated immersion, though, then it’s likely not necessary. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to develop them, would it?
November 14, 2009
Some people learn a language so they can have an easier time during a trip. Others, on the other hand, take a trip so that they may learn a language.
While it’s not likely to have as many adopters as language training software or second language classes, taking a language learning vacation is increasingly becoming a popular activity for students trying to wrap their heads around a new vernacular. After all, what better way to increase your chances of acquiring a language than immersing yourself in a place where it’s the primary form of communication?
Apart from the language immersion, these trips also put you in the thick of the country’s culture, allowing you to get a feel of the very existence that influenced the development of their language. From their favorite food to their regular habits, there’s no better way to get a first hand taste than a trip to the “motherland.”
There are several companies that specialize in these types of trips, structuring your vacation (visiting places, shopping and other usual activities) so that it’s integrated with language lessons and opportunities for interaction. If you prefer a less-structured form of the same thing, you can also book your own trip, bravely wading through the streets on your own while using your limited skills to help you communicate with locals.
October 5, 2009
Immersing yourself in a language, along with its accompanying culture, is one of the best ways to acquire it. In fact, many contend it’s the only way to complete master it. How you are able to get into a situation where you can immerse yourself is a whole other story entirely.
Naturally, being dropped into a foreign country is an immediate opportunity for immersion. Barring having a UFO kidnap you and throw you in the middle of a strange land (or being sent there through your work), though, you will likely have to approach the whole matter in a more deliberate manner.
If you’re willing to travel, there are many opportunities available. A few ones you can look at include:
- being an exchange student (assuming you’re still young enough to put in that much time in school)
- going on an extended vacation (provided you have to cash to fund it, of course)
- seeking foreign job placements (always a favorite for adventurous types)
Of course, you can also find immersion opportunities locally, which would be a great way to supplement your weekly language classes or language software lessons. You can get a job at a local organization for the source country of your target language (e.g. embassies or a group like the Alliance Francaise). One often overlooked opportunity is playing host to foreign guests (such as transients and backpackers), many of whom will only be too happy to indulge you in your learning activities.
Whichever way you decide to go, there are many option for a language learning immersion both abroad and in your backyard. Make sure to explore these options.
April 8, 2009
The speed and proficiency with which you adopt a new language usually depends on two factors that play a bigger role than the language learning software title that you use: immersion and commitment.
Commitment
Many people intend a variety of things, such as losing weight, writing a novel and learning a new language. Unfortunately, few of them are committed enough to see it through when the going gets even a little tough. As such, your level of commitment to adapting a new way of speaking will dictate a huge portion of whether you are eventually able to succeed in the area or not.
If your mindset going into language learning is just to learn it during convenient breaks in your schedule, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll learn at good pace. Often, commitment depends on an underlying motivation – find that and you’ll see massive improvements in your ability to absorb new material.
Immersion
The more you can surround yourself with the new language, the easier it becomes to integrate it into your daily speech. It is for that reason that people tend to pick up languages very fast when they’re living in an area that speaks the dialect. As such, you’ll need to find a way to invite the language into your life – whether by meeting native speakers to regularly practice with or arranging your free time so that you’re involved in learning for a good part of those.
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