Learning Hacks
an exploration of accelerated learning strategies and systems

How to Learn a Foreign Language

There is no language that is so hard that it is impossible to learn. All it would take for you to learn a foreign language is the right learning material and the desire and dedication to learn the language. There are those who manage to learn more than two foreign languages easily. There are those who spent years in school studying a foreign language without learning and retaining what has been taught. The reason behind is not because you are not “gifted” to learn any foreign language but it is because you did not have the proper material and the motivation to learn a foreign language.

Why learn a foreign language?

Why not? In this day and age, knowing how to speak another language is a great advantage. If your work entails dealing with foreigners it is to your advantage (and your business) to be able to speak albeit haltingly the language of your business associates. Knowing a foreign language also increases your chance of getting a job abroad.

If you are about to migrate to another country, it would be to your advantage to learn the language of that country. It would make your transition and immersion to the country a lot easier. You might be an avid traveler that knowing some basics on other foreign languages would definitely prove useful.

If you are going to study abroad, you need to get a good grasp of the new language. It may be that you are studying a foreign language because it is required in your school or university. You don’t really need to have a valid reason for studying a foreign language. Your reason might be personal as your interest in linguistics pushed you on quest or your interest in a certain culture or society prompted you to study its mother tongue. Whatever your motivation in studying a foreign language the end result is self-improvement.

How do you choose what new language to learn?

Choose the language that you deem is most needed in your present and future associations. If you confer with Japanese businessmen, then learn Niponggo. If you are about to embark on your two-year study grant in France, then French it is. If you will travel somewhere in Scandinavia, choose to learn some basics on the different languages of the region. However if your motivation is just to learn a new language for the sake of “learning” , choose a language that is nearest to your mother tongue. For example French is similar to Italian because the two languages share some 50% common words. German and Dutch share about 80% common words. Italian, Spanish and Portuguese share about 80% common words too. If you choose wisely, you’d be able to speak a related language to your mother tongue in no time at all.

How do you learn a foreign language?

The best way to learn a new language is to live in a country where they speak it and immerse yourself in learning and experiencing the new language. The only hitch is, not all can afford to take a “sabbatical” leave to do just that. However, there are still great options out there for you. More often, it is best to combine different approaches or methods in learning a language. Some of the more popular and effective ways to learn a language are by means of an audio course, a software, a textbook, flashcards and a reader or a book written in the desired new language.

Audio course. No matter how comprehensive your textbook is, there’s just no way would you be able to pronounce a word you have no idea how it sounds. There are plenty of audio courses out in the market and they are mostly interactive, comprehensive and made in such a way to maximize your time. A word or a phrase is repeated for a number of times to make you remember it. The program progress and when you are about to forget how to say a word, the speaker on the tape would suddenly ask you to remember the first word. It is best to do a lesson everyday to keep your motivation up. Make it a part of your daily routine. If a CD is too cumbersome for you, make a copy and transfer it to your MP3 for more portability.

Software. Learning new language by using software is highly interactive and would not bore you. With a software learning package you can basically go on your own pace. A leading software teaches language using text, audio and pictures. It introduces a foreign word with a concept and then gradually adds on new words and ideas based on the ones that you previously know. For example you start off with “boy”, “girl”, “woman”, “and man” and words are built up from there. “A girl and a boy”, “A girl and a chair”, “A girls sits on a chair” and so on.

Textbook. A good book about the language with some lessons about grammar would do you good in your quest to study a foreign language. Studying the language and studying its grammar are two different entities but you should remember that grammar is an integral part of learning a new language.

Flashcards. The use of flashcards is a great way to build up your vocabulary when learning a new language. You have the options to buy different sets of cards or even make your own so you can carry them around for you to peruse during free-time.

Reader. A reader is a book in the language that you are learning. The book should be at its most basic level. It should start out really easy but should gradually progress. Reading a book in the language that you are learning will definitely boost your learning experience.

Combine all these materials and methods together and you would be on your way to speaking, reading and writing in the foreign language of your choice.