Learning a foreign language is not difficult if you set the right goal
The task may seem impossible, but according to linguistic experts, basic communication skills can be mastered in a few weeks, and the fundamentals of a foreign language can be learned in a few months. You may not quickly reach a level that allows you to understand the great classics of foreign literature, but you will become adept at quickly forming phrases and using the terminology required for your profession, whether you work in diplomatic service or at a leading multinational company.
Most people will not need much time to start discussing news with a native speaker in Rome or exchanging opinions with colleagues from Paris.
Where to start?
Sometimes traveling the world in search of work forces us to find our own ways to master languages. Engineer Benny Lewis learned seven languages, including Spanish, French, and German, well enough to use them at work, and almost achieved fluency in several other languages, including Northern Chinese, or Mandarin.
Learning Spanish, the first foreign language Lewis took on, took just over a year, but with each subsequent language, including Mandarin, things went much faster. His secret is this: when starting to learn a new language, Lewis creates a kind of script in which he must learn to answer simple questions from strangers. Gradually, Lewis even gained the ability to work as a translator of technical texts in engineering.
Phrase books and online courses, experts say, can be a useful aid at the initial stage, as they provide the necessary vocabulary and a certain confidence to hold a simple dialogue with native speakers. This is a crucial first step in learning a foreign language.
"The biggest obstacle at the initial stage is lack of confidence," says Lewis, "but with each time, speaking became easier and easier for me."
And indeed, as experts confirm, it only takes courage to make yourself speak if you want to succeed in mastering a foreign language.
"Very many people do not make progress if they simply don't open their mouths," said Michael Geisler, vice president of the language school at Middlebury College in Vermont, USA. "If you don't have the willingness to show your individuality, progress will be slow."
This means not being afraid to take risks and make mistakes. Lewis recalls that when he first started learning Spanish, he spoke like Tarzan – a man raised with wild animals.
"I said something like: 'Me want go supermarket.' But I achieved an advanced level starting from a beginner. The moment of insight for me came two weeks after starting Spanish. My toothbrush broke, and I managed to ask for a new one at the supermarket," recalls Lewis. "Wherever you go, people show amazing patience."
Immersion
Geisler believes that full immersion is the key to successful and rapid mastery of a foreign language. The deeper you immerse yourself in the foreign language – reading, listening to the radio, or speaking with people – the faster your success in learning it will come.
Students at Middlebury College in the American state of Vermont are required to participate in extracurricular activities – from sports to theater productions – using the languages they are studying. Middlebury offers courses for students in ten languages, including French, German, Chinese, and Hebrew.
Such immersion is also actively encouraged at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, where American diplomats and employees of U.S. missions abroad study foreign languages. Experts in 70 foreign languages work here. Training courses can last up to 44 weeks. Their goal is to bring students to a "Level 3" language proficiency. This means graduates can read foreign-language magazines like Time and conduct substantive conversations on any topic.
Mastering basic conversational skills is achieved in much less time. According to experts, it takes just a few weeks, especially with regular speaking practice. James North, director of academic programs at the Foreign Service Institute, says students are encouraged to meet native speakers.
"You need to invest not only your mind but also your heart," North believes. You can volunteer or participate in community life – for example, working in restaurants or organizing neighborhood events.
In large cities, "immersion groups" meet regularly (several times a week). They involve people acquiring practical skills in a foreign language.
Going online
But there is an alternative: the internet. Lewis recommends the resource italki.com – a social network that connects native speakers and teachers with people learning a language. There are other similar resources, such as lang-8.com and voxswap.com.
When you regularly communicate with language specialists or native speakers, there is always someone nearby who can check and correct you, and this is very important for your improvement.
"Practice is the best method," says North. "But if your practice lacks feedback, you may think you have perfected what you are practicing. Naive learners lack the opportunity to look from the outside at what they are doing. It is important to have someone nearby who can say: yes, you are on the right track."
Be sure to ask those you speak with to evaluate your speech, and let them not be afraid to offend you by correcting your pronunciation and grammar (although experts say there is no need to worry too much about correct grammar in the initial stages of language learning).
Lewis advises to start using the language and only then focus on grammar. When you feel it's time to brush up on grammar, use podcasts from resources such as radiolingua.com or languagepod101.com. According to Lewis, these are very useful tools for mastering grammar and systematizing your knowledge.
“By this time you already have enough baggage. And when I come across a rule, I can already say: so that's why they say it that way,” Lewis shares his experience.
As you learn a foreign language, pay as much attention as possible to media in that language. If you are a beginner, read children's picture books, experts advise, or watch films you know well in a foreign language.
If you set yourself specific goals, such as being able to communicate with a partner in a foreign language or using it at work, this can become the necessary and sufficient motivation for mastering speaking skills.
But do not set unattainable goals. If you say you will speak a foreign language fluently in a few months, you will most likely be disappointed. But if your goal is to learn to hold a conversation, especially when it is required for a work task, that is more than possible.
Rob BUDDEN.
Translated by inoСМИ.Ru