Want to boost your brainpower, expand your cultural horizons and meet a whole group of new people? Learning a foreign language might just be your very best bet. Proven to help improve the health and memory power of your mind, foreign languages can open up the doors to countless opportunities, helping you to realize a new future for yourself. If you’re a newbie to languages, though, getting to grips with the learning process might seem a little difficult and, particularly if you’re learning alone, keeping momentum with the whole thing can be something of a struggle. Luckily, however, there is another way and by tapping into these easy language hacks, you can be on the road to foreign communication in no time at all. It really can be that simple!
- Podcasts
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If you’re looking for a simple way into language learning or even want to improve your listening skills, podcasts are one of the best tools on the market. With many out there offering completely free episodes and learning activities, there is no better way in which to get used to hearing a foreign language being spoken by native speakers and pick up a grammar lesson or two. Downloaded onto your phone or portable device, podcasts can be taken with you wherever you might be, enabling you to brush up on your language skills anywhere in the world. Easy!
- Learning Apps
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When it comes to learning a foreign language, it’s really worth varying the type of lessons and content you are subjected to and to offset your listening exercises, learning apps can help to develop your other skills. Working on things like reading, writing and grammar, apps like Duolingo or Babbel can help you to connect information across a wide variety of topics and get used to using a foreign language in real terms, too.
- Community Websites
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Of course, sometimes there’s nothing better than speaking the language with a native and when you can’t make your way across the globe, you might want to try using the services of a community website. Sites like Busuu or My Language Exchange enable you to interact with other learners and native speakers and gain important insight into speaking the new language. In many cases, you can even video chat with natives, giving you the chance to put your lessons into practice!
- Foreign Films
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While taking the plunge and watching a film entirely in a foreign language might seem like a daunting prospect, you can use the tools to your own benefit, brushing up on your language skills at the same time. Watching a film in the language you’re learning alongside the native subtitles can be a great way of testing your listening and reading skills at the same time and pick up any new content. The more confident you feel in your skills, the less you might have to use the subtitles and over time, they might become completely unnecessary.
