I know where you are at, you are currently stuck trying to figure out how you can improve at this new language you decided to learn! First of all kudos to you for stepping outside your comfort zone and deciding to embark on this new journey. I truly believe that by learning a new language, you are opening yourself for new opportunities. Whether it is moving to a new country, applying for a new job, or even travelling, by you having the ability to communicate and relate to your environment, it improves your overall experience.
Learning a new language
My first language is Spanish, but I moved to Canada when I was a teenager, which meant adapting quickly to this new language in order to survive High School. I’m not going to lie, the first couple months were rough. I understood a few words here and there and from context, I was able to piece things together, barely. Then, I would have to formulate a response in Spanish, translate it to English and then attempt to say it in English. This was a very complicated process that left me mentally exhausted each day. But the good news is that it is a temporary process. The more you put yourself in those situations where you are forced to overcome those mental barriers and practice that new language, the faster you will learn.
With that being said, my first tip is to get out there! It is very important for you to start interacting with people who are native speakers. That will provide you with an opportunity to learn new vocabulary and different ways to formulate a sentence or get a point across. One of the things that helped me was volunteering. Volunteering gave the change to give back to the community, but also it is a free way to engage at different events and learn different types of vocabulary. The way I see it, it’s a win-win! So find that charity or a cause you want to support and start volunteering.
The second tip is to check out the resources available to you for free at your local Library or any multicultural group available in your community. Libraries often have many resources for learning new languages, ranging from night classes, books and even online resources.
For the third tip, find a hobby that you completely love and get yourself out there and explore it. Hobbies provide that buffer zone that make you feel a bit more comfortable as you are doing something that you are passionate about. Find something that sparks your interest and take a class. That is a great way to start connecting with other native speakers and getting that practice time in.
Now, this fourth tip might be trivial, but here me out. It is very important to make friends with people who are native speakers. I know that it may be very easy to step into your comfort zone and make friends with people who speak your first language, but trust me on this one, the more exposed you are to that new language you are craving to master, the easier it will be to do so. I can’t think of a better way to learn than making connections with people who share things in common with you.
Last tip is to start watching movies or tv shows with subtitles/audio in that language you are learning. This will help your brain associate words with their pronunciation. I recommend starting out simple, with shows that are slow paced and not so technical. Then, you can move on to more advanced shows. Same goes with music, listen to new songs while following the lyrics along. Please, don’t start with full on rap at the beginning, that will just crush your self-esteem haha, start slow and build those skills up! You got this.
I want to reiterate how amazing it is to learn a new language and to connect with people along the way. This learning a new language thing is a marathon, definitely not a race, so take it day by day. I am sure that in no time, you will be very much fluent.
Hope these tips help you! Feel free to leave a comment letting me know how your new language learning journey is coming along.
Also, you can watch my YouTube video about this topic! I will leave the link below.