Most people want to learn new languages fast, but they do not know how to do it. Here are secrets that you need to start using to achieve this goal.
When undertaking a project, individuals and businesses usually set goals and then plan on how to achieve them. To learn a new language, you may need to follow the same process as that of managing any other project.
However, you need to know that people are different. For example, some may learn fast by reading books, while others have to attend classes. No matter what kind of student you are, if you follow these seven steps, you may be able to learn a new language faster than you ever thought.
Start by Setting Achievable Goals
The first thing you need to do is to determine the reasons why you want to learn the new language. For example, if you have been using an website to translate English to French, you may have developed an interest in understanding French.
If you are working in a multinational corporation where you are assigned tasks in foreign countries, this may be a reason to take a language course. You may need to familiarize yourself with the local language so that it may be easy to interact with individuals in the region.
If you are a student, the goal of learning the new language may be to pass the final exam. Understand the objective that has made you take this course and list down what you want to achieve. Do you want to be able to read? Do you want to be able to speak? These are some of the things that you need to list in your traveling objectives.
Take time when creating the goals so that you may fulfill them before you take the next trip to some destinations. If you like to travel a lot, learning new languages may help you fit into any culture. You may go for a long trip visiting many countries and enjoy it a lot because you can easily communicate and interact with the locals.
Choose Techniques and Resources Based on Your Learning Style
As we have said above, people learn differently. Therefore, you need to know what kind of learner you are so that you may find materials to help you through the course.
How to Find Out the Learning Style That Suits You
There are four major learning styles, and they include visual, tactile, auditory, and kinesthetic. Visual and auditory involve seeing and listening, respectively. Tactile and kinesthetic, on the other hand, involve touching and taking action.
Choose Materials and Look for a Tutor
If you learn better using visual content, you may need materials such as videos and published materials such as books. If you are a kinesthetic learner, find a study buddy and engage in role-playing. You may also take notes as you watch a video or listen to an audiotape. If you still need some guidance, hire a private tutor to guide you in the learning process.
Pay Attention to Vocabulary More Than Grammar
Grammar and vocabulary are essential when learning any language. However, if you want to learn fast, pay close attention to vocabularies at first. Once you master the common words, you may then indulge in learning how to construct grammatically correct sentences.
Increase Your Exposure to the Language
You need to take an active role in exposing yourself to the lexicon. No matter the location you are in, you can find many ways of ensuring that you are actively engaged in the language. Some of them include:
Find educative videos on YouTube channels and watch them at times you have set. You may first choose the ones with subtitles to help you grasp concepts fast.
There are very many podcasts online. Select the ones that you prefer and find time to listen to them every day.
- Reading different kinds of materials
Choose the resources that you prefer to read and make them your companions, for example, novels, magazines, and newspapers.
- Listening and talking to native speakers of the language
The internet has become very helpful because you do not have to meet with a person physically to speak to that individual. You can find an individual to speak to online via video chat.
Play Around with the Language
Learning a language does not have to involve doing serious things only. You can find enjoyable activities that can help you to grasp the language. For example, you may incorporate the learning process in the activities below:
Watch Cartoons and Play Video Games
These two are fun activities to take part in during free time. Search online for games and cartoons that are in the language that you want to learn.
Read Children Books
Find kids books online and read them. These books may help you to grasp simple vocabularies faster than any other materials.
Evaluate Your Achievements
As you learn a new language, you need to know whether you are making progress. Therefore, you should conduct regular evaluations to measure the achievements you have made. One of the techniques of doing this may be taking online tests. Find sites that give free or paid exams and take them even if you are not a student. The scores you get each time may enable you to determine whether you are making positive steps.
Engaging in conversations with native speakers of the language may also help you to evaluate your skills. The other person may be in a position to inform you whether you can speak naturally. If not, ask the individual to point out areas of improvement so that you may take the right action.
Do not be discouraged by the outcomes of the evaluations. Instead, you should motivate yourself by setting higher goals for the next period.
Increase Your Confidence by Undertaking Challenges
You need to go a step further out of your comfort zone if you want to learn at a fast pace. This is by challenging yourself to do things that are out of the ordinary. For example:
- Talk to strangers who speak the language
- Give a speech using your newly learned vocabulary and grammar
- Take part in writing competitions that use the language
The idea is to gain confidence in speaking, writing, or listening to the language. However, you should take care not to offend people by taking challenges that are unrealistic or offensive to others.
The Bottomline
The speed with which you learn a new language depends on your motivation. If you set targets and work towards achieving them, the learning may be seamless compared to when you start learning without any objectives in mind. For example, if you plan to travel to a place like China, you need to know if your goal is to only speak the Chinese language without being able to write; or if you need to learn both. You should make a list of all the places you would like to visit so that it may be easy to determine if you want to learn the local dialects of these regions. Such early preparations will make traveling enjoyable, whatever place you are going to visit.