Language Learning: Getting Started

Posted on 21. Jul, 2009 by Emmanuelle Archer in Blog, Expat Life, Relocation, Tools & Resources
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Disclaimer: I am not a language expert, nor am I a teacher. I am, however, an expat with a bad case of wanderlust and this had led me to learn several foreign languages.

What I offer here is based on my personal experience – since I have been at the beginner stage many times in my life, I’ve had the opportunity to test a lot of different methods so you don’t have to!

Study consistently

Ideally, set aside a good chunk of time (45 minutes to 1 hour), and plan on studying every day. If you don’t have that kind of time, don’t let that stop you from getting started! Studying a little every day is tonnes better than not studying at all while waiting for “the right conditions”.

If you do have to take a break from studying, go back until you hit a lesson you master perfectly, then resume studying from there.

Get the right tools

If you are in the market for a language-learning product, your first stop is likely to be the bookstore. Rather than relying on the sales associate’s recommendations, I’d come prepared – you can ask a foreign language forum for recommendations, or you can browse product reviews on sites like Language Learning Advisor or Links 4 Languages.

Make sure that any product you purchase includes a lot of recorded dialogues and plenty of opportunities for you to practice repeating what you hear. Between a thick book with 2 CDs and a shorter book with 8 CDs, I would definitely go for the latter.

This goes for classes as well. Will you get enough practice in the classroom? How much time is devoted to conversation? Some teachers still favour a grammar-heavy, passive learning approach, so it is worth asking a few questions before signing up for classes at your local cultural centre.

What’s your learning style?

Do you learn best through listening? Download some podcasts, or carry your language CDs with you and listen to them whenever you have a few minutes

Are you a visual learner? Make flash cards or track down some language-learning videos on YouTube.

If you’d rather have a combination of text, audio and video, consider online and software-based methods, like About.com and Rosetta Stone software.

If you tend to give up when things get more challenging, why not find yourself a penpal or join a conversation group? Knowing that someone expects you to write back or show up for a group meeting is a good incentive to keep studying consistently.

What are your main challenges as a beginner? If you are more advanced, what helped you get through the beginner stage more easily? Please share your language-learning tips with us!

Do you know that you can get even more expat tips by signing up for the free newsletter? No spam and no hassle, of course (because I’m not that kind of person!), just helpful expat resources sent directly to your inbox.

Emmanuelle

Image by Jasmic, via Flickr Creative Commons