1. Write things down (by hand)
Despite the fact that constant
progress in technology seems to make handwriting a thing of the past,
do not underestimate the power of writing things down to stimulate your
memory! Whenever I start learning a new language – I'm trying Croatian
at the moment – I keep an old-fashioned notebook where I can write down
all the new words and the main grammar points. The physical effort to
actually write the words down helps me to memorize them better, and
using different colored inks makes it even more eye-catching.
2. Get musical
The
learning potential of songs has been universally recognized, and I can
confirm it from my own experience. My main reason for starting to learn
new languages was indeed the desire to understand what Mariah Carey kept
singing from my stereo. My advice in this case would be to not be
discouraged by complicated lyrics – take small steps, learn the chorus
first and then move to the rest. But also, do not be disappointed when
you find out that a song has a completely different meaning from what
you had imagined – at least, you have learnt enough of the language to
realize it!
3. Watch TV in your new language
These days,
it's extremely easy to access to TV series and movies in the original
language, no matter where you live or what new language you are going to
study. I would recommend to stick to short episodes at first, in order
to be able to watch scenes several times without being discouraged.
First, watch without subtitles (or with English subtitles); then, switch
on the subtitles for your own native language and check your
understanding. Take notes of idiomatic expressions or particular words
that you didn't know in your notebook. Beware: I often hear from
students things like “I should watch a cartoon, it's for children so it
must be easy!”, but keep in mind that cartoons are made for native
speakers, and often use language appropriate for children, which is not
necessarily easy or useful for you to learn!
4. Connect with language learners and teachers online
If
you have access to a good internet connection, you can look for
language classes with native speakers through programs such as Skype or
FaceTime. You can use this not only for conversation classes, but also
grammar and writing classes, since the chat works just like a common
white board! You can also find many online platforms where you can offer
language exchanges with users who are interested in learning your own
language... a great way to make new friends, too.
5. Change the language settings on your social networks
One
of the first things I always recommend to my students is to switch all
their devices and social networks to their target language. It isn't
easy at first, to scroll through posts, read messages or even make a
call when you are not sure about the words you read on screen – I still
open an online translator when I need to download something from my
Croatian-speaking Facebook – but you will see that in no time you will
get used to verbs such as “share”, “like”, “cancel” or “read” that may
be very useful when traveling or reading business emails!
6. Travel
Obviously,
everybody will agree that the single best way to learn a new language
is traveling to the country where the language is spoken. Although this
is certainly true, it is not enough to just book a trip to the
destination if you don't try and get to know the local culture. Moving
further and further away from your comfort zone will allow you to meet
new people and new cultures, discovering the authentic spirit of the
language you are learning.
7. Open your mouth and have a go
Speaking
of comfort zones, you should never be afraid of speaking the target
language. First of all, native speakers are usually flattered to see
that somebody is making an effort to make themselves understood.
Secondly, as someone said: “never make fun of someone who speaks a
broken English. It just means that they speak at least another language”
and this is true for any language. Finally, when you can't get your
message through or cannot understand, it just means that the
communication goal has not been reached; you should still give yourself
another chance, and just relax. Remember it is not necessarily due to
your language level, so breathe, try again and it will definitely work
out alright!
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