Mark your milestones.
What have you accomplished
so far in your learning? Which situations do you feel confident enough to handle? How good does it feel? Make sure you
track your achievements to use as inspiration for your next goals.
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Have a slang day.
Everyday slang is a magic
key to understanding spoken language. Do a day’s research online and with
specialist slang dictionaries. Get familiar applying expressions by conversing
with native speakers.
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Wardrobe tip.
Pick out all the clothes
in your wardrobe and find a translation of each. Try to recall them when you
next go clothes shopping, preferably with a native speaker or in the country.
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Listen carefully.
There are some great websites
out there to hear podcasts or listen to dialogues in the language. For example,
try www.notesinspanish.com for Spanish. It’s a wonderful and engaging way to learn. It’s even better if you take notes while you listen and review the transcripts.
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Novel speed read tip.
Are you at a good enough
level to tackle a novel in your target language? Take a translation of one you
already know in your mother tongue, preferably one with lots of good dialogue. Being
already familiar with the story will help you. Even just a quick skim will expose
you to a host of useful expressions.
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Slow motion tip.
Listen to a native speaker
voice over and over and then mimic it ultra slowly. Deliberately break it down
to syllables and exaggerate the sounds until you’ve nailed it. You can
revert back to normal speed once you’ve cracked it.
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Go
with the flow.
Some days you’ll
just not be “in the flow” of your new language. Don’t fight
it. Come back the next day recharged and determined. Conversely, on your good days challenge yourself to cover even more ground than you intended.
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Travel dreams.
Why not book a dream trip well in advance to the country whose language you’re learning? This will give
you a clear deadline and goals to act as an incentive for your learning. Think of how much more fun you’ll have
by being able to converse with the locals.
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Pocket formats tip.
Try to buy your language learning materials in handy formats. Who needs to lug
a huge dictionary or phrasebook around when you can slip both quietly into your pocket or bag? Or when
you can store gigabytes of conversations on your mp3 player? You can always use the web for reference/lookups.
By keeping your materials small and snug you’re more likely to use them.
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Regular repeated reviews.
Set dates for review of specific
areas to deepen your knowledge. If you’ve completed the first 10 lessons
in a course then you need to keep going back in iterations to refresh and cement your learning. Consolidate what you already have before tackling new areas. This
builds so much confidence.
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Publicise
it.
If you let your friends, family
and colleagues know that you’re learning a language, peer pressure is more likely to keep you motivated. Nothing gets you going more than proving to others what you can achieve.
Publicise it to make it even more likely that you’ll achieve your goals.
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Puzzle away.
Do you enjoy crosswords or other
types of puzzle? Then download them in a foreign language to add a further level
of challenge!
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Morning linguistic routine.
Try to squeeze in a little language
learning every morning before noon. This could be over breakfast, during your
journey to work or over a coffee break. Making such a strong start, you’ll
feel virtuous and motivated to pick up the pace again later in the day.
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Creative repetition tip.
You obviously need to repeat and
review continuously to get familiar with a foreign language. However, do this
in different ways to test different parts of your brain. So if you’re
working with a useful dialogue then first read, later record it and listen and then finally try to rewrite it in your own
words.
www.getfluentfast.com © Positive Partnerships Ltd 2007
“Literal” translation tip.
When you come across a new phrase
try sometimes to translate it “literally”. For example, “one
more piece please” in German is “Noch ein Stück, bitte” which translates literally to “still a piece,
please”. The literal translation may sound odd but this technique gives
a useful bridge to get a feel for thinking like a native speaker.
www.getfluentfast.com © Positive Partnerships Ltd 2007
Pearls
of wisdom.
Enrich your mind as well as your
language skills by researching uplifting quotations in the language. You can
also translate your favourite quotes from your own tongue and keep them with you.
www.getfluentfast.com © Positive Partnerships Ltd 2007
Phone tennis.
Set up a regular phone call (i.e.
daily or weekly) with a native speaker, even someone based abroad. This could
be a 50-50 language exchange for example. Use a net phone service like skype
to make sure it’s free of charge.
www.getfluentfast.com © Positive Partnerships Ltd 2007
Idioms Blitz.
You can buy superb dictionaries
of idioms for any languages. These are absolutely essential to get you under
the skin of the culture as well as to progress rapidly in the language. You’ll
really fly if you learn at least one idiom every day.
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“Exaggerate” first to pronounce it right.
It sometimes helps to exaggerate
the foreign accent a little initially to get it right (this makes it more fun too!).
This will help imprint the tone, inflection and accent on your memory. Mimic native speakers by repeating songs,
news and recordings in parrot fashion. Keep polishing how you sound.
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Pretend
you speak it already.
Do you plan to visit a country
where your language is spoken? Jump into the deep end and you’ll have no
choice but to swim. Of course you need a few basics, but it’s amazing how
far you can progress by simply “acting as if you do”. Use body language,
hand gestures and improvise. Smile and communicate.
Language learning flexes your brain, whatever your age.
A study by New York University showed bilingual older
people to have faster reaction times and greater mental agility than those who only speak one language. Another study found that kids who were encouraged to study a language were several times more likely to
achieve top grades in all subjects.
Read a story/article
out loud to a native speaker.
Speak out loud to perfect your
pronunciation and make it meaningful. Find a native speaker and read them an article (something they’re genuinely
interested in) in their own language. Ask them to correct you. Record it as a video podcast or audio to review.
Just 5 words a day.
Even learning only 5 new words
a day will help you to master day to day communication in a short time. Be as consistent as possible and creative in
your use of memory techniques, as highlighted in our publications. Use our free vocab. building tool of common words.
Find email pals to
practice your languages.
Writing emails
in another language is great fun, especially with people you genuinely connect with. Find native speakers with similar
interests to yours. When you go on holiday in the country make sure you catch as many people’s email addresses
as possible. There are specialist websites around for finding language pals including http://www.mylanguageexchange.com.
Your “key phrases” notepad
Every language has certain idioms
and expressions used all the time. Get familiar by writing them down in a single
jotter/pad. Keep it with you at all times.
Avoid writing down the translation and instead leave yourself a clue or picture to trigger your recall.
Strangers in a café or on the train
Take a foreign language newspaper
or novel to a busy café in a cosmopolitan area (or on a train) and you’ll be surprised how likely you are to meet
native speaker strangers to converse with. Seize the opportunity and repeat back
any new phrases they use to ensure your memory stores them for your own use.
Mealtime vocabulary.
Think of the word in your target
language for every item you consume at mealtimes. You might need a handy dictionary to get you going. You’ll quickly master this fundamentally useful vocab. Practice further in restaurants of that
country’s cuisine.
Twice the benefit.
Get fit while you learn your target
language. Convert your materials to mp3 (especially if you’re an auditory learner) and get double benefit from
those extra hours on the treadmill, walking in the park or whatever activity you enjoy most.
Try comics and cartoons.
Unleash your inner child and get
a pile of comics (or cartoon dvds) in the language. The vocab. is usually simpler and the images help you to guess and
remember words without continually checking the dictionary.
Bath time/garden ritual.
Take boring but necessary tasks
(e.g. grammar rules) to the bath or outdoors to a green space. It makes them ten times more fun.
Practice poetry.
It’s
a bit offbeat, but why not create your own short poems in the language? This will help make you conscious of sounds
and expand your vocab. as you search for rhymes. It’s a fascinating experience and also gets you further into
the culture. Look for poetry anthologies in the language to get started.
Find study partners.
A study partner or two can make
a big difference. It could be down to competitive instinct, family love or simply because you have planned a trip. Share
the challenge of a new language to make it interactive, fun and easy. Pick positive, energetic people who’ll egg
you on!
Books, glorious books.
If you enjoy reading then devour
foreign language books (not only textbooks). This is “fuel” to build
your vocabulary, grammar and confidence in the language. Find books to reflect your interests. Don’t
look up every unfamiliar word as a certain amount of “guessing” actually helps you remember. Link to our
Guest Article by “The Language Of” on this topic.
Notice the beauty.
Notice the elegance of words and
phrases in your target language. Feel the power they give you to express yourself precisely. See the depth of meaning. Your mother tongue is bound to be
equally intricate in its own way. The more you appreciate the power of languages generally the more effectively you’ll
learn and use them.
Handy housemates.
Why not share a house or apartment
with people who speak your target language? Or invite a lodger or nanny from that country to stay in your home?
Find the right person and it’s likely to make a world of difference to both your confidence and speed of progress.
No upper limit.
Languages are not finite and the
learning never ends. Going for perfection is frustrating and pointless. Nurture the plant of your knowledge and
let it grow naturally each day. Feel energised by all you have learnt so far. The journey never ends, so you might
as well enjoy the ride!
Mobile learning tip.
Pocket translators/dictionaries
are a convenient way to build your competence in the language. Load up software
on your mobile device. Send short sms messages to your friends in the language.
Get the mobile habit today.
PC
desktop tip.
Change your
computer desktop to your target language. It may seem awkward at first but is really worth the effort.
Your secret diary.
Keep a little
diary to jot down your private thoughts in the target language. Take note
of your progress and as your milestones are passed. You’ll find it becomes
an inspiring guide that motivates you.
Rapid
dictionary scan technique.
This is a powerful technique based on speed reading and subconscious learning. Your brain can absorb data
faster than you think. Just flick the edges of a dictionary’s pages through randomly and take mental photos as
you scan words applying your full concentration. Do this in idle moments and you’ll be surprised at how fast your
vocab. expands.
Plan your “immersion
visit”.
To make the most of your stay in a country you should prepare for “social immersion” with local native
speakers as well as the course itself. While over there you want to spend 95% of your time communicating in the language.
Prepare for it beforehand by networking online to make sure that your new friends are waiting for you. See our Guest Article by don Quijote for further info in-country language courses to get fluent in Spanish.
Get “in
the flow” of your language.
There are times you feel particularly effective and confident: harness this state of mind in your
language learning. Think of the rhythm of your words and how good it feels when you get it right. Notice the natural
stress and harmony of the language. Keep noting your momentum and progress. Celebrate
all your little accomplishments.
Music videos tip.
Take your target language and look for music videos on websites like youtube and others. There’s a wealth of wonderful music to discover while improving your language skills: what could
be more fun than this? It’s even more enjoyable when you look up your favourite
song lyrics, repeating and learning from them.
Apply the “echo” technique (tv, radio, podcasts).
When listening or watching in the language, quickly repeat what the native speaker says to yourself
as an “echo”. Mimic the “rhythm” of the native speaker as well as their phonetic sounds. Improve your pronunciation by “tuning in” to the native speaker's frequency.
Activate your words by recalling them a few hours later.
One grammar topic
at a time.
You know already that grammar is more easily digested in small “chunks”. Just take a small bite at
a topic and then rest. Keep dipping in often enough and you’ll have cracked it in no time. There’s
no need to put pressure on yourself.
Enjoy the aesthetics
and culture of the language.
Part of the joy of learning languages is how it opens up the world of arts, culture, cinema, food, literature,
design, music etc. in such an enriching way. Be conscious of these benefits all the time. For example,
if you’re learning Italian then why not learn Italian cuisine at the same time using an authentic cookbook written in
Italian? Or if it’s Chinese then why not create art for your bedroom from those beautiful Chinese characters?
Keep it simple.
In some languages as few as 100 words
cover up to 50% of basic communication. We’ve provided a template of common words in English within our FREE Toolkit. Language learning is easier if you focus on the spoken language. Keep
it simple, plain and direct and you’ll be amazed how quickly you’ll be communicating! Dave Fox from www.wordcentre.co.uk has written a great Guest Article for us on exactly this theme.
Foreign language website day.
Set a day, weekend or
week in your schedule when all websites you visit are in the language you’re learning whether it’s for news, sport,
music or whatever interests you. Look out for new websites that attract you and network with native speakers through
forums. Use this cool link to get instant translation of unfamiliar words
while your mouse hovers over the text of another language: http://www.wordchamp.com/lingua2/Reader.do
Linguistic "day out".
Fix a day or weekend trip with a partner somewhere distant. If it involves
4 or more hours journey time then so much the better. Take a pile of learning resources with you (books,
magazines, games, audio, your laptop and whatever else you can squeeze in!). Have a marathon session and ideally make
it interactive with your travel companion. By your return home you'll have made measurable progress,
there's nothing more motivating!
Use "vocab. stickies".
Here's an easy way to build your vocab. in your target language. Put post-it notes on everyday objects
around you with the foreign word for that object placed on them. Colour code for genders. You'll become
more and more familiar with them each day.
Be eclectic in your
language learning.
Are you using a strictly varied approach in your language learning? Are you combining different methods,
sources, formats and approaches to keep your brain fresh and challenged? Rather than passively follow a course,
take control of your learning. Variety is the spice of life and the rocket fuel of language learning. There
is also a guest article on this theme.
It's never "too
hard".
There are certain moments when learning a language seems especially daunting. You may be staring at a
series of complex grammar rules or getting to grips with unfamiliar syntax. Always remember that someone else has done
it before and it's always easier broken into small chunks. Just keep persevering at all costs!
Find a mentor.
Do you know someone who's already fluent in your target language? Ask them to help you (they'll be flattered
and jump at the chance). It's not just about the content of what they can teach you, it's also about motivation, particularly
if they are not a native speaker and had to learn the hard way. If they can do it so can you!
Record your own voice.
It's always more memorable if it's personal. Record yourself speaking the language fluently. Don't
worry about the odd slip-up, keep perfecting and re-recording. Practice your pronunciation and enjoy the words rolling
off your lips. When it's good, listen to it over and over again. Even interview your friends or family in the
language. It doesn't have to be perfect, just focus on being as clear as possible. This tip will fill you with
confidence.
Do
you want to access our foundation tips 1 to 61? You can get these by downloading the "GET FLUENT FAST" booklet on the FREE Publications page.
Please contact us if you have any queries.
