10 Tips To Learn A New Language
The ability to communicate precisely is why homo sapiens survived for so long against all odds. If you are someone who wishes to understand something about a culture different from yours, learning a language foreign to yours is the easiest thing you could do. You may also have your own reasons to learn a foreign language.
Whatever your reasons are, here are ten nifty tips you can use to learn any foreign language.
1. Stick to a method you are comfortable with.
If you are planning to learn a new language, know what learning technique suits you best. Personally, I prefer to listen, speak, then learn. It’s a technique that works for me.
Make a fixed schedule that you stick with, no matter what. This new language you are planning to learn needs to come to you organically. If you have to force yourself to recall the words, you haven’t learned the language.
2. Have fun while you learn
If you enjoy doing something, it doesn’t feel like work. In fact, you’ll cherish the language learning process if the medium you used to learn is fun. I don’t recommend beginning with the reading. Reading a text in a foreign language is intimidating. If you don’t understand the text, you’ll not enjoy its premise. If you don’t enjoy the reading process, you’ll lose interest quickly.
For me, anime, manga, podcasts, and news made language learning fun. Humming songs in a foreign language is also an easy way to make language lessons fun.
3. Keep your language learning target in mind
People learn foreign languages for many reasons. You should know your reasons, your needs that are compelling you to learn this foreign language. If you want to travel to this foreign region, only focus on the basic traveler’s vocabulary and grammar. If you are planning to be a food blogger, study vocabulary that covers all cuisines in this foreign language.
I wanted to watch anime without subtitles. I focused on learning conversational Japanese instead of academic Japanese. I mastered the language of usage, then I picked up the stuff they tend to ask in exams.
4. Contextualise the language
If flashcards and meticulous notes are your thing, go for it. I don’t recommend investing that much time and effort into learning new words by rote. Instead, try immersing yourself in the language. That way, you’ll also have fun while you learn your new language.
I listened to a lot of Japanese podcasts and watched anime in all my spare time. Then, I started having both sides of a conversation in broken Japanese. Eventually, I found language exchange partners online who helped by being willing conversation participants.
5. Don’t let fear find you
Often, the barrier to language acquisition is emotional rather than intellectual. We fear feeling stupid. We feel as if we aren’t good enough. See, remember that you’re learning a new language from scratch–that’s admirable. Confidently learn your words with no fear of judgment.
I am one of those fearless, impulsive people so I didn’t have to deal with this hurdle.
6. Have a dedicated language learning space
Based on the learning style you have picked, determine a learning zone in your space. If you prefer to work alone, learn at home. If you prefer to learn in a social setting, get an instructor or learn the language with a group that’s also learning your target language. It’s easy to find cyber language companions these days so you might give that option a try.
I learned the language while comfortable lounging on the expanse of my bed.
7. Commit gradually
Heresy!!!
Not really. I am an educator as well. I know that oftentimes, intention doesn’t always match the circumstances. If you financially invest in learning the language initially, you are putting undue psychological pressure on yourself. Instead, what I recommend is learning firstly using freely available YouTube or EdTech videos. You can also use the 30-day free trial option on language learning websites and apps.
My free language lessons came from online chatrooms.
8. Hone your listening skills
New-born infants pick up on their mother’s tongue just by listening to the languages of their surroundings. If babies could do it, so could you.
Additionally, listening to the language will help you with the pronunciations. No matter how well you write the language, if people don’t understand you when you speak, your language learning ordeal won’t bear the delicious fruits you wanted it to.
I recommend using podcasts.
9. Set small milestones and reward yourself frequently
We are human. If you reward yourself frequently, you’ll be compelled to learn more. Set small goals for yourself like mastering the alphabet, learning ten verbs, etc. Once you meet those goals, reward yourself with something you love.
I used to buy myself delicious treats, beautiful stationery, or a brand-new novel each time I met my ‘goals’.
10. Find the connections
Every language that exists has an underlying logic to it. The logic could be structural, analytical, idiographic, symbolic, etc. Figure out what logic your foreign language uses on your own instead of googling it from the get-go. That aha moment will stick with you till the very end, specifically when the language learning blues strike (and strike they will).
I love learning languages. Languages open up my world. Some would call it a passion.
To read my Japanese language learning journey, check this article out:
Such articles are incomplete without some blatant self-promotion so here I go. If you are planning to learn Japanese, I have this free course (in English) on Unacademy where I am teaching the basics, which you can access with just an internet connection and a Google/Facebook login.
I hope you join me on this quest!
The TLDR version of the article:
If you are looking for language partners to improve your foreign language skills you can find it on swaplanguage.com.
