Don’t like to memorize? Me neither. Reading off a list and committing them to memory is one of the most boring activities I can imagine. Fortunately for language learners, there’s a whole world of alternatives to straight up memorizing when it comes to acquiring a new vernacular.
Want to internalize survival phrases for your trip to a new country in two weeks? My personal choice for getting it done is by repeatedly exposing myself to the specific expressions. You can do it too – it’s easy.
Get a tape recorder and begin recording yourself reciting those phrases, each one followed by its equivalent in your language (which, I assume, would be English). Make sure you check your professional language software to ensure correctness of both the expressions and their pronunciations. Turn the recording into an MP3, load it into your iPod and use it to replace your Lady Gaga downloads as your official listening for the next two weeks. Offended about my insinuation that you listen to Lady Gaga? Whatever, Michael Bolton.
The more you listen to the expressions, the more meaningful the language will become. Over the amount of time you devote to it, you will likely develop the connections in your head that allow you to understand those words when hear it. Later, it will also be easier to remember each one when reciting them.
Most of the time, you’ll begin by recalling bits and pieces of each phrases. When you use them, you may end up missing a word or two. As your mind forms its own identification patterns, though, you’ll be able to employ them without much conscious thought.