How to learn a new foreign language?
Learning a new foreign language can be challenging, frustrating or seem impossible. Yet, there are no short cuts or secrets in learning a new language. You have to commit to it in the long-run. From Step 1 to 5, we have some methods here for you to adjust your mentality and useful tips to learn your target language effectively.
1. Know your motivation
Most people may find that language learning after childhood is hard. Though there may be cases of successful, but less motivated language learners, higher-level language achievers are found to be the strongly motivated ones. You can never master a language overnight. It has to be devoted to a lifetime. Motivation, thus, undeniably plays a key role in learning a new foreign language in the long-run. Motivation is the reason why you started learning the language or the goal you are trying to achieve from learning the language. It can be as simple as wanting to watch a foreign drama without subtitles or to fangirl over a foreign celebrity. It can also be as practical as to improve your competitive edge for your career, or to appreciate international literature, music, and film. Whenever apathy spills overnight, think back to the reason that initiated you to learn the language in the first place. Keep going and don’t give up!
2. Study the language every day
If you want to learn a new language efficiently, you should commit to studying the language for a couple of hours per day. Based on repetition, you will hammer vocabs, grammar, pronunciation, etc. into your brain over and over again. Some people may claim to have studied a language long enough but still not being able to be fluent. The reason underlying is that they may only be studying a couple of hours per week. With this learning schedule, you are much more prone to forget what you have learned the previous session and will have to waste time going back to review again. Some may say that they don’t have the energy to study every single day after a day of tedious work. You can choose to watch a drama, a movie or listen to a podcast to target language as an alternative than to study with pen and paper. This allows you to still get used to the language enjoyably without skipping a day. Remember, language learning is a lifelong marathon!
3. Find a conversation buddy
There is no better way to learn to speak a foreign language than to practice with a fluent native speaker. Practice makes improvements. The more you practice speaking the foreign language, the closer you can attain the “native-like fluency”. There are many ways to break into an authentic foreign language. You can either make friends in university or travel to the country for voluntary work, exchange, or sightseeing. Don’t be shy and speak up, there are friends to help you!
4. Watch foreign broadcasts
Sometimes it's difficult for us to adapt to real-world listening because textbook audio courses tend to spoon-feed us with the simplified version of the language. Thus, realistic conversations in soap operas or movies make a good alternative to learn to speak naturally. Other than the pronunciation, natural intonation, and appropriate speed you can learn from, you can also pick up vocabulary and grammar through watching foreign films. With the exaggerated facial expressions, overt emotions, a simple storyline, along with the subtitles, it all works towards helping you understand. The repetitive use of popular vocabs and phrasal expressions also help with your word selection in your day-to-day conversation. Most important of all, foreign dramas and movies are interesting and entertaining to watch. So, why not have fun in learning a second language!
5. Don’t worry about making mistakes
You are not graded with a score at the end of this, and nobody will judge you for any odd mistakes. The fear of making mistakes when conversing a new language is one of the most common barriers of foreign language learners. You may tell a Greek person that you are pregnant when you meant you are embarrassed. But it is always okay to make mistakes during the language learning process. Natives aren’t always perfect on the language too! You can try holding small conversations with younger children and gradually try talking to people of your age once you gain more confidence.
