How to master a foreign language

https://medium.com/@lokio9/how-to-master-a-foreign-language-f80208888f5

by lokio9 • 11 years ago

6 1 11 years ago

vonnik• 11 years ago

I'd like to offer a couple more in-depth approaches:

* Use Pimsleur tapes, if you can, to master the basic conversational phrases. Downloadable all over the place.

* Apps like Memrise use a similar delayed repetition method. Read up on how to improve your memory, which a memory palace and vivid associations, and use those techniques.

* Read children's books. Start at an early-grade school level and work your way up. Find and use bilingual editions with matching page translations to make it easy in the beginning. Work your way toward Harry Potter level (it's been translated into many, many languages, including Latin.) Finally go for the simpler of its great authors. In English, that would be Hemingway.

* Learn old children's songs. Putting a foreign language to music makes the phrases more memorable, and will also take you one step closer to getting a feel for the new culture and people, who have those songs rattling around in their memories... Then start listening to the ballads of the language. In French it might be Jacques Brel.

* The key is to maintain a feeling of mastery and progress while challenging yourself enough to improve. Don't fall into the trap of dry grammars.

* Seek out immersion. Talk radio stations in the language you want to learn are probably online. Listen to them while you walk around or are falling asleep. Some languages like Swedish have online radio specifically produced for foreigners. https://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=493

* Find multiple text books or primers that teach the language you're learning. Each one will have different strengths and weaknesses. When you bog down with one, switch to another.

* Remember that progress learning a language isn't always linear. It spikes and plateaus. Don't get frustrated, just keep exposing yourself to the parts of the language and culture you're interested in.

How to master a foreign language

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