Mind Your Language

From French to Spanish and Italian to German, everyone is looking to learn a new language. Ditch the expensive tutorials or the finding of a language tuition class, as Trishann Henriques offers a comprehensive list on learning a foreign langauge – by yourself, the easy way

10 CHOOSE A LANGUAGE
First things first, pick a language that you have an inclination towards. It can either be one that you have been looking to learn, a country that you have an affinity for or one depending on the country that you might be visiting in the near future. In short, having a connect with the language is important as, at the end of the day, you have to enjoy learning it.

9 ONLINE TUTORIALS
There are one too many online tutorials and courses that are of great help when learning the nittygritty details of a language. With everything from pronunciations to voice tutorials, vocabulary information and weekly courses, these tutorials are complete packages. Online courses on BBC Languages and Word2Word Language Resources are ideal to test your new-found knowledge in the language that you have just picked up.

8 DOWNLOAD LANGUAGE APPS
With the world of apps just a click away, it is only fair to take rightful advantage of it. Today, apps have become one of the many ways to learn a foreign language. By simply downloading free or paid applications, available on both Android and Apple, a person can learn a language on the go. Language Coach and the A+ ITestYou: Foreign Languages application available on Google’s Play Store are very useful to strengthen your grounding in the language you are learning.

7 USE ONLINE TRANSLATORS
Probably the quickest and the easiest way to figure what a certain something means in the new language you are learning, translation software like Google  Translate and Free Translation Online are deemed to be very useful for  transliteration. Simply feed in text and choose the language you want it to be translated to and your work will be done instantaneously.

6 WATCH MOVIES
One of the ways to learn how a language sounds in all its fluency is to hear people talk in it. If you do not live in the country whose language you are learning, the closest you can get to hearing it is through the medium of film. Rent a movie, download one or visit a public library to get your hands on a couple of foreign flicks.

5 LISTEN TO MUSIC
How often have you played your favourite song on loop only to have its lyrics memorised after a day of repeated hearing? Very often, we are sure. Apply the same logic when aiming at learning a new language. Chances are, you will rote learn a good amount of words. Simply select a genre of music that you like, list artists or bands in the category, and go on the internet to listen to them using services like YouTube.

4 EAT THE FOOD
The advantages of this step are dual. First, you will learn more about the food, the names of the dishes and how they are pronounced. And second, you get to devour the food prepared. Who wouldn’t enjoy that?

3 BUY A DICTIONARY
A dictionary — like for all languages — helps in the learning of new words. So, ideally, a dictionary will answer all your vocabulary needs. The good thing with dictionaries are that they are available in user-friendly formats, elaborating on words — first in English and then in the desired language.

 

2 JOIN A LANGUAGE COMMUNITY
If a trip overseas is not on the cards, joining an online community is a temporary yet favourable option. In a language community, you can join forces with people who speak the language fluently. Along with learning the language, you might also end up making new friends that might extend to occasional meet-ups to discuss learning methods, the culture of the region and also a good amount of information on its diverse and unique culture.

1 PRACTICE!
Put your newly learnt language to use by indulging in a sweet sojourn in the country it is proficiently spoken in. Nothing feels better than communicating with the locals in their language. In fact, a crucial step when learning an alien language is conversing in it.

 

Volume 3 Issue 7