Learning a new language is a journey of highs and lows but when you’re out in local territory and you finally make heads and tails of a fast paced sentence, it can feel like everything you’ve worked for has finally paid off. How do you go about getting to this magical moment, though? Burying yourself in textbooks is one way to go about it but after an hour or so, you’re probably going to want to change it up just a little bit. These language learning tools will put you through your paces in some of the most creative ways and before you know it, you might have picked up a whole new set of expressions!
- Language Immersion
If you’re going to do it, do it right. There is no better place in which to learn a language than in its native country and if you can, signing up for an immersion program can help you come on leaps and bounds. Not only will you have the opportunity to speak the language with natives on a daily basis but also, you can receive daily intensive training on a variety of topics. If you can afford this kind of program and you’re serious about taking your language to the next level, you could just come out the other side with a whole new understanding of the language.
- Language Meetups
If, however, journeying across the world is not really an option, there are a load of other ways you can get a language under your belt. Language meetups give you the opportunity to try out your skills in real life conversations, helping you to pick up new phrases at the same time. While these kinds of meetups are often more social than anything else, they do give you the chance to talk to others as you would in real life, making it easier for you to practice the skills you know. You could even meet people with whom you can practice in the future, helping you to progress even faster.
- Home Immersion
Want to really tackle your new language? Try bringing it into your home! Adapting your living space to reflect the language you’re learning can help to cement basic vocabulary and make it become second nature. Try labeling your foods and home items with their foreign language name and referring to them using it when you can. You can even try taking on recipes in the foreign language, using the labeled food to guide you along the way!