Learning a second language isn’t easy. It’s a process that takes patience, grit, and hard work. That said, if you’re lucky enough to spend time in a country with a foreign local language, you are at a sizeable advantage. Full language immersion is the best and quickest way to pick up another language, as it forces your brain to work harder to make new language connections, leading to better cognitive development, and you start to recognize common, everyday words used in the environment for practical experience.
Here are some useful tips on how to take advantage of the opportunity for language learning next time you’re abroad:
1. Prepare yourself as much as possible before you even get on the plane
The more grammar and vocabulary you know before you arrive in a foreign country, the more specifics of the language you’ll be able to pick up during your time abroad. Since you already have the structure of the language down, it will be easier to adjust to the accent and learn how the locals really speak. It won’t sound like what you learned in school, so be prepared to learn and experience language away from a controlled environment with plenty of individual characteristics and nuances.
2. Write down words that you don’t understand
Bring a pocket notebook wherever you go and keep track of all the new words, especially slang, you hear during your day. If you’re among helpful, friendly people, you could even ask locals to help you spell and pronounce the words. Seeing new words written down after hearing them will help the language to stick in your brain. Plus, it will be a helpful tool to refer back to if you're jotting down words and their meanings - it's a practical, hands-on form of study that doesn't feel like traditional studying!
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3. Read words out loud when you can
Run the risk of people thinking you’re a crazy, muttering foreigner – it’s worth it. Make an effort to read words out loud in the local language to practice pronunciation. Whisper if you need to. Getting into the habit of reading and speaking a new language will help both your verbal and reading skills. Practicing reading foreign words aloud will be especially helpful when conversing with shop assistants and workers as your pronunciation won't sound clumsy and will be a lot clearer and more confident, so there will be less of a barrier for each of you to overcome.
4. Listen to local music
Download the best local music in your favorite genre and start listening. Try to pick out the different words and phrases when you first listen. After, look at some of the lyrics to fill in the blanks. Learning songs in a different language can really help get your mouth adjusted to a new way of speaking, so you can start ridding yourself of a foreign accent so it sounds more like your native language Bonus: getting familiar with the local music scene is also a great way to meet locals and connect to the culture, especially during the evening. It's a great way to relax after work or in your downtime during an internship.
5. Practice at home
Practice makes perfect, so even if you’re living with native English speakers, try to pick a time every day when you all put in an effort to speak only in the local language. If you’re still learning some of the basics, you might even want to label items in the apartment to increase exposure to vocabulary. It’s also a good idea to turn on a local radio or television station – anything you can do to increase your exposure to the language. Find a popular TV show you already know well, for example, on local television to help you make new language connections, or watch streaming services like Netflix in the language you're learning, with or without subtitles.
6. Start conversations with locals whenever you can
Whether it’s a waiter, someone living in your apartment building, or a colleague, try to practice the local language with anyone willing. They may try to speak English, so it’s important to explain that you would like to talk in a foreign language to practice. Don’t worry about making mistakes. Concentrate on what you need to say, listen as well as you can, and use context clues to fill in the blanks if you don’t understand everything. Plus, communicating with locals in their language makes them more inclined to help you and give you tips to improve, as they can see you're willing to make an effort and ingratiate yourself in their country and culture.
7. Take some time to study every day
During your downtime at home, take some time to pick up new vocabulary and grammar. Reinforce the immersion learning that you’ve done during the day by reviewing words and phrases you’ve heard. Look up words you weren’t sure of, use foreign language dictionaries or language learning apps to help you brush up on what you've learned, leaving you confident in your skills to show them off again tomorrow!
