Planning to take a language course? Like everyone, we assume you want to learn as much as you can in as short a time as possible. If that’s the case, then a few training preparations should help put you in a proper state for starting your future language lessons.
- Improve short-term memory. Start by memorizing long sequences of letters that make no sense — that’s how a lot of foreign words will feel like the first time you come across them. Getting used to working that way should really help you throughout the course of your beginner lectures.
- Train yourself to work with a dictionary. You need to get used to seeking out and using the less obvious meaning of words, as it’s a common activity you’ll need to take part in when getting a strong handle on new language elements.
- Practice emulating speaking accents. The best way to get pronunciation right is to copy it right off a native speaker. If you’re planning to study French, rent a French video and just parrot the dialogue — you don’t need to understand the word to copy the way they speak it. Learning to mimic other people’s speaking styles is a helpful component in language acquisition — one you should definitely keep in mind when working with your language training program.