Learning a language is a wonderful way to expand your mind. Not only does it teach you new ways to communicate, but it also can expand your opportunities in life from travel to relationships. However, no one said it was going to be easy. The older you are, the more challenging it can be to adapt to an entirely new language. Fear not—here are some of the best tips to help you embrace a new language.
Get a Teacher
Learning a language on your own with no assistance is entirely possible. Plenty of people have learned all sorts of things on places like YouTube. Yet, there’s something incomparable to learning from a native speaker. Consider hiring a tutor to help you perfect your pronunciation. A teacher can help guide you and reinforce positive language habits. One of the most important parts of speaking another language well is having a good example of how to speak it. For this reason, a teacher is essential.
Read
Reading is a wonderful thing in any language. However, reading in the language you’re trying to learn can especially encourage progression. Your brain is an impressive tool that can process much more than you realize. Reading helps you start from the most fundamental levels of any language and work your way up. Even though you may think you don’t understand anything that you’re reading, in reality, the words are going directly into your subconscious and giving you the basics of sentence structure.
Watch Films
One of the best parts about Netflix is that it comes with all sorts of different subtitles and audio options! Consider watching films in the language that you’re trying to learn. Listening to the language you’re a student of and reading subtitles in English is a great way to progress quickly. Watching as little as 30 minutes a day of a show or film in a different language is shown to make a significant impact on your progression. While at first, it may feel odd, you’ll find that after a few weeks of watching, you understand considerably more than you did before!
Practice!
Even though you might be shy to speak, there’s no way to progress unless you try. Practice speaking your language whenever you can. Whether it’s in a chat room, with a native speaker that you know, or with your teacher—get talking!
Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes
One of the biggest learning blocks for people trying to learn another language is the fear of making mistakes. However, part of learning a language is learning from your mistakes. Don’t be afraid to sound a little silly or take risks when you speak. Even people who have been speaking a language for a decade tend to make mistakes occasionally. Give yourself the grace to mess up once in a while. It’s okay!
