Part of Tracking Stories is the crossing of international borders and going where you haven't been before (virtually, I mean). If you're reading this, chances are English isn't your first language and you're practicing it right now. Good for you! Learning and practicing other languages means more than being able to communicate with more people. It keeps your brain in shape and opens your mind to new ideas.
So how exactly do you go learning a new language? Here are some tips.
#1. Pick a language. This is my first tip and the hardest for me personally, for I learning about other cultures and I'll find myself floating between languages until I finally pick one and stick to it. Tip: If your English is already at a point that you can make yourself be understood and you can understand people without a problem, you can move on to another language.
#2. If the language you want to learn isn't your second language, make sure you keep in touch with your 2nd language also. This is very important. If your first language is French, your second is English and you want to learn Spanish, go ahead for Spanish- but do not abandon English. Make sure you're still in touch with your 2nd language, even if it's ten minutes a day. Listen to the radio, watch TV, talk to a native speaker if you're lucky (write me a comment on Facebook....lol). You won't forget your second language, but it will get rusty if you don't use it from time to time.
#3. Make this a daily practice. You'll need to be in touch with your language at least once per day for it to get easier. I recommend at least half an hour per day.
#4. Listen to native speakers. If you don't live in a country with native speakers, hello Youtube! Youtube is fantastic, there are great people out there that have recorded free lessons. When you're done listening, give them a big 'like' and leave your thanks in a comment. You'll want people like them to keep up the good work.
#5. Write. Even if you never ever want to write to someone in that language, you need to write in order to exercise your brain. Keep a little notebook with new expressions and vocab. Put sticky notes all over the house (my mom did this to me in German, and odd enough, I'll recognize a word or two in GErman because of it). If you're really into it, keep a diary. Write about your routine until writing becomes a routine.
#6. Speak. Talk to yourself. Talk to that person on youtube. Repeat the same word a hundred times until it sounds right.
#7. Read. Yes, read even if you don't know what two consecutive words mean. Make it a habit. Print out an online newspaper, buy a book in the language. Use online dictionary to translate, Google translator, or a paper dicitonary if you want.
#8. Post an ad saying you want to learn that language, and that you want them in exchange for giving lessons in your native language. So you live in Brazil and you want to learn Russian? Post an ad, offering Portuguese lessons in exchange for Russian. Maybe there are some Russians staying for the summer and they want to learn Portuguese from native speakers. Check out language centers and toursity-spots.
#9. Learn about culture. Make a list of countries that your language is spoken in. Read about cultural traditions, customs, holidays, sayings. This goes a long way to learning a language : you might find out, for example, that the French say 'Bonjour' (Good morning) even when it's 6 PM. Learn about these little differences.
And those are my handy tips! I'll be adding more as I remember them. I just want to make two things clear: first, learning another language does not have to be expensive. With Internet, you can:
Find grammar exercises
Find easy texts to read
Find videos and tutorials
Internet is a huge, immense, tool that can be used for learning purposes. I love it.
And second, it is most definitely possible to learn a language by yourself without classes. All you need is your determination.
And most of all, have fun!! :)
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