My Best Language Learning Methods
Hello everyone!
Over the years, people have asked me how I've been able to speak as many languages as I do, and I wanted to let you in on it. I'm going to discuss my top 5 methods of how I'm able to learn new languages while maintaining the ones I’ve already learned.
Change your language settings
This might be uncomfortable at first, but if you already know how to use your phone with your eyes closed then changing the language setting shouldn’t be too big of a deal. My Google accounts, my phone, my computer settings are all in another language. It takes time to get used to, and it’s a good idea to always have good translation tools in case you come across something you don’t understand. When I graduated high school and was preparing for college, I reflected on how many years I devoted to French, and I didn't want to lose it. I changed the language setting on my phone to French allowing me to maintain my reading comprehension. Also, if I wanted to make commands to Google I had to say them in French because that was the language it recognizes forcing me to speak in French to set my alarms and reminders. The most assuring part is that the symbols and the icons stay the same, but it's just labeled differently. Whenever I have a language that I know I need to focus more attention to, I can change it. Before I went to Mexico last year, I changed my phone to Spanish to get myself used to it.
Listen to music
I think this is the funnest way to learn how to listen and speak in any language. Everyone loves music and if you don't...then you have no soul. I function on music, and it keeps me motivated all the time. Also, it reverts me back to that childlike way of learning. You're enjoying it so much that you just repeat what you hear without thinking about it which helps tremendously if you have problems with pronunciation. On another level, you're learning about what kind of music native speakers are listening to and what's popular across all genres of music depending on what kind of music you like. I would say this has been the most effective for me.
Watch movies
Netflix has been a major tool for my proficiency in several languages. There are so many films and series you can watch where you can change the audio or subtitles if you really want to; not to mention the plethora of foreign films you can watch in your free time. When I was in college, I would put on a movie in the background while doing homework to get used to hearing conversations. I fell in love with the animated series Heidi when I started learning German. When I was learning Spanish I enjoyed the series Ingobernable and La Casa de las Flores and even Elite on Netflix. I watched the entire series of Big Mouth as well, but each time I watched it, I kept changing the audio based on my mood (that's the best thing about knowing more than two languages, you can switch it up whenever you want). Eventually, the subtitles got really distracting, so I started turning them off (this is the goal of where you want to be).
Find native speakers or travel
Traveling to a country that speaks the language you've been studying is the best way to immerse yourself and test what you've learned. However, traveling often comes at an expense so if traveling is difficult for you at the moment, then there are plenty of networking apps or chat rooms for you to meet others around the world. That's the benefit of living in a digital age, you can meet people you never would have met otherwise. Also, if you meet someone who sounds like they have a familiar accent to you, ask where they’re from or if they specifically say they're from a country you know the language of then you should try to speak to them in their language. For the most part, they'll be amazed you took the time to learn their language especially since English can be challenging to learn on their end so it helps them a lot. Building confidence can take time, but you'll never grow if you don't try.
Lessons from teaching platforms
YouTube, SkillShare, and even podcasts are just three different platforms for learning a new language, but there's no limit. There are tons of YouTube channels devoted to teaching languages. These platforms are more for those who have some time on their hands to dive into a lesson or two. SkillShare is free, but there are packages for unlimited access to more lessons. I always recommend podcasts because that gives you the ability to listen and learn no matter where you are. Each time I started a new language, I would have a separate notebook for each one language and I'd take notes for each one because writing things down helps me retain what I've learned. I feel like learning platforms are great when you're first starting out because you're building a foundation. When you've retained a good general grasp of the target language, that's when you move on to try some of the previous methods I've listed so you can start applying what you’ve learned. With language learning, it's important to form habits you can incorporate into your daily routine so you won't have an excuse to say you don't have time for it.