Thinking of doing some jet-setting over the summer? Don’t want to be That Tourist who hasn’t got a clue about the language? Never fear – Manning’s has put together a foolproof guide to learning a new language.

Set achievable goals 

When learning a language, people often aspire to be “fluent” without asking themselves what that really means. Fluency is a very vague concept, and as such is not necessarily helpful as a goal. No-one ever really stops learning a language, not even their native one: how many times have you come across a word in you first language that you were unfamiliar with or had to look up in a dictionary?

As a result, it is easier to start with smaller, practical goals that can build on each other. It’s also worth remembering that learning any language requires three separate skills: reading, writing, and speaking/listening. Therefore, it can be helpful to set a goal for each of these skill sets:

For example, you might start with something like:

“I want to ask directions and understand the answer in my target language.”
“I want to read the menu at a restaurant in my target language.”
“I want to write a postcard about my trip in my target language.”

Then move on to something like:

“I want to ask directions and understand the answer in my target language.”
“I want to read a magazine article in my target language.”
“I want to write a book review in my target language.”

Once you have achieved your goal, you can tick it off and move on to the next one. Do bear in mind that you will learn at different rates for speaking, reading, and writing, so don’t be discouraged if some goals are being achieved at a slower rate than others.

Learn vocabulary in-context 

I can still remember those long vocabulary lists and tests from my school days, but studies suggest that simply memorising lists of words isn’t the best way to learn in the long term. Words should be linked to situations or memories, which helps you to embed the word in your brain, rather than having to pluck it out of the air when you need to use it.

Something as simple as labelling household objects with their names in your target language will help solidify that vocab. Similarly, changing the language setting on your phone will help too.

Once you’re a little more confident with the language, it might be worth watching a film in a foreign language with English subtitles and making a note of the new vocabulary words you pick up. This immediately gives the new word a context and will you memorise it.

Translation, translation, translation

When we begin to learn a language, progress is made pretty swiftly: we learn our vocabulary, some simple grammar rules, and before long we’ve got quite a few skills under our belts. This is when we reach the plateau.

According to language scholars, translation is a key skill that can help an intermediate learner get past that tricky stage in the learning process. Translation exercises require you to be specific with your language, and will of course turn up new vocabulary along the way. The sense of accomplishment having finished a translation task will also stop you feeling as though your rate of learning has slowed down.

Do some reading in your target language.

Got a favourite book? If you can, grab yourself a copy in your target language (Harry Potter, for example, has been translated into over 75 languages, including Welsh and Latin). If you want to push yourself, try a book you haven’t read, but always make sure it’s something you’re interested in. If you’re bored by the content of the book you won’t be as keen to read it, and you may not absorb as much information.

Immerse yourself – don’t think of the holiday as a goal, think of it as a further learning experience. 

We mentioned at the beginning of this blog that you never really stop learning a language, so don’t think of your trip as a goal, think of it as a further learning experience. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes: people will often revert to English abroad because they’re afraid of misusing the native language, but locals appreciate your efforts, and will be happy to help you out if you need it. Even a week or two of being immersed in the culture of your target language will see huge improvements in your language skills.

Now off you go, and don’t forget to send us a postcard!

For more info:

https://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/oct/30/learning-another-language-ten-tips

https://www.tutorhunt.com/resource/17440/

https://blog.ted.com/how-to-learn-a-new-language-7-secrets-from-ted-translators/