Foreign Language: Tips and Tricks

Learning a language takes a lot of time. Months, or even years. But there are certain ways you can streamline your progress. Maybe you have an important test coming up, maybe you booked a fight to a foreign country, or maybe you are simply up for a challenge, either way, you need a strategy. Rapid foreign language learning is possible, but only if you take the necessary steps before and during your language program. By following these steps, you’ll learn the quickest way to learn a language and achieve fluency in enough time.

Right from the beginning, you need to prepare your mind for the task of achieving fluency. Understand that becoming fluent in a foreign language takes work. And it can be challenging. You also need to have the right motivations. The more concrete your goal is, the more you’ll need to push towards fluency. But rest assured, anyone can learn a language.

If you have a trip coming up and want to be fluent in your target language by the time you arrive in the country, then try setting your desktop and phone backgrounds to pictures of where you want to visit. These constant reminders will help push away frustration while inspiring you to continue your studies until you achieve your goal.

If your brain is stressed, frustrated, or tired, it will interfere with your learning. Sleep regularly, eat a variety of healthy foods and stay positive about the learning experience. You’re also going to want to change any negative thoughts you have about studying. Instead of using phrases like, “I have to study” say, “I want to study.”

There are a lot of resources available to help you learn a foreign language. You want to pick the ones that work best for you. If you hate grammar books and classrooms, then find a different program that focuses on the content you enjoy so that you maintain interest. FreeLanguage has some great language learning kits to get you started if you’re looking for a way to jumpstart your resource collection.

Don’t force yourself to do something you don’t like with the hopes that it’ll get better. Learning a language can be stressful, and if you add that to a program you don’t enjoy, you’re more likely to quit before you begin to see signs of success.

You need a clear plan in place for success. Even the quickest way or trick to help you reach fluency can’t work without a strategy. Look at your schedule and see where you can fit in regular practice. If you want to be fluent, you’ll need consistency and exposure. Set your schedule to provide time for daily immersion into your target language. Even if you can only study for 20-30 minutes a day, you can achieve great results.

It’s a significant advantage if you already live in the country of your target language, but be careful, that doesn’t guarantee success. Often, people move to a new area with the hopes of learning a new language, but quickly surround themselves with a language bubble that prevents them from becoming fluent.

If you are living in a foreign country with a language you want to learn, then here’s a pro-tip: ditch the native language. Forcing yourself to rely on your target language is the quickest way to learn a language and reach fluency. Even if locals attempt to speak English with you, try to continue using their native language to help build up your skills.

You can still immerse yourself even if you don’t live in a foreign country. To do this, take steps to use the target language in your everyday life. Change the settings on your phone, computer, and social media to your target language. Try labeling items around your house in the target language. And when you watch YouTube videos, movies, or listen to music, do so in the target language.

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Changing your average day into an immersion experience can build up more and more exposure. The quickest way to learn a language is to reach fluency through immersion.

Seek out opportunities to speak in your target language. This is particularly easy if you’re living in your target language, but it can be more difficult if you’re living here at home. Try to find areas in your city that speak the target language and immerse yourself in them. Whether it’s ordering at a restaurant and picking up your dry cleaning, there are plenty of places where you can practice.

And if you’re still struggling to find people to interact with, you can always visit a local cafe or hotel and pull out your cell phone and pretend to have a conversation. As strange as it may sound, it is better than not practicing the language at all. Remember your goal is fluency, and to achieve that you need opportunities to speak, so seek them out or create them yourself. This also works well if you’re shy.