How to Learn a Language Fast
1. Put Yourself in a Situation Where Growth Is Inevitable
If you give yourself an option of using your language skills,
chances are you will choose to not use them. Our brain will instinctively
choose the decision that is simple and requires less thought. Like acquiring
any new skill, learning
a new language is going to require strong will. You must
consciously lock yourself outside your comfort zone and not allow yourself to
step back inside it for a while. It’s not an easy decision, and may require
some creative thought, but the results are well worth the effort.
Many people say the best way to learn a new language is by living in the country—this is not
true! More often than not, when you are in that country, the natives will want
to practice their English skills when
they see you. We live in a world where English is a desirable and lucrative
skill to have, so most foreign countries will have an English-speaking
population, especially around the larger cities. In this situation, growth is
not inevitable; it is still optional.
But is it truly possible to keep ourselves in a situation where we have no
choice but to use our language skills? Yes!
When I moved to China, I was assigned to work at a school
in a less industrialized part of the Shenzhen. Although it was a city of over
12 million people, it was rare to find any Chinese people fluent in English. Most of the
time, I was the only foreigner within a given 5-mile radius. This was insanely
frustrating at first, but it forced me to start learning the language. If I
wanted to order food at a restaurant or find my
way around the city, I had to start communicating with the locals. Within a few
weeks, I acquired dozens of new, useful phrases that may have taken me months
to learn otherwise.
Not living abroad? No problem! There
are still plenty of ways to make learning unavoidable.
Some of these might include switching your cell phone or social media to the
language you are studying, committing yourself to a language group
or finding a conversation partner. You can even
try visual cues by taping a list of new words to your bathroom and kitchen
walls.
You might also want to consider checking out Olly
Richard’s Language Learning Foundations video
course, which helps solve the commitment problem by walking you through the
immediate concerns of learning a language to fluency. It’s applicable to any
language, but you’ll receive specific guidance, including “homework” to keep
you on your toes.
By forcing yourself into such situations where you must use your
target language, you’re guaranteed to learn faster.
2. Value Fluency over Accuracy
Another
way to learn at a more rapid pace is to value fluency over accuracy, which is
one of the most difficult, yet powerful concepts to comprehend. First, let’s
clarify what I mean by “fluency” and “accuracy.”
Fluency is the ability to express oneself easily and
articulately. It means using the language smoothly in real time.
Accuracy, on the other hand, is the ability to be correct and
precise. It means communicating without any grammatical,
vocabulary, tonal and other errors.
Yes, these two are distinct entities. You can be fluent in a language without
having 100% accuracy. Alternatively, you can have language accuracy while still
not being anywhere near fluent. The ultimate goal when learning a new language
is to use it fluently, not accurately.
This
does mean we should forget the importance of accuracy. Yes, you may have
slip-ups when using your new language, and that’s okay. Think about times when
you didn’t accurately follow the rules of your native language, but you were
still perfectly understood by others. It happens more than we realize.
When
beginning to learn a new language, resist the urge to start learning as many
words as possible. Resist the urge to say each sentence perfectly. Language
cannot be learned from a textbook alone. Instead, focus on learning practical,
colloquial topics and work your way up from there. You’ll save yourself a lot
of time and stress.
3. Replace Cramming with Spaced Repetition Software
In Mandarin, there’s the saying: 好好学习天天向上 which
means, “Study hard every day and you will improve.” But is it really that
simple?
When
you do study on your own, it can be tempting to try cramming loads of new
vocabulary into our brains and then waiting a while before we study again.
While this may be effective in the short term, it is ultimately not the way to
develop a long-lasting memory.
Treat learning a new language different than you would studying
for an exam. There are more effective
ways to memorize information that improve the likeliness of long-term learning,
such as spaced repetition software
(SRS). SRS are computer programs modeled after a process similar to
using flashcards. These flashcards are generated by
sophisticated algorithms that space out the time intervals indicated when
each card will appear again on the screen.
In
other words, easier cards appear less frequently that harder cards, allowing
users to spend more time studying the cards that are more difficult. The tough
ones continue showing up until they are mastered, giving you the chance to
actively learn them more efficiently than other learning styles.
By
replacing cramming with spaced repetition softwares, you’ll be saving yourself
lots of studying time, and thus learn faster.
Once you start using SRS, finding quality learning examples and sentences are going to
become a chore.
After
all, it’s not enough to just memorize a lot of words.
What
you really need is a nuanced understanding of them, and you can only get that
from actual examples.
If you know what I mean, you’ll want to check out FluentU, the
best way to learn a language with real-world videos. FluentU takes real-world videos
like music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks, and turns them
into language learning experiences. There is a video-based
review “learn mode”, which of course has an SRS feature.
FluentU
has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web
series, as you can see here:
FluentU
has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image,
definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within
reach with interactive transcripts.
Didn’t
catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over
the subtitles to instantly view definitions.
You can learn all the vocabulary in any video
with FluentU’s “learn mode.” Swipe left or right to see more examples for
the word you’re learning.
And
FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that
vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and
examples.
So
with FluentU, you can learn from authentic, real-world content, and still enjoy
SRS. Now you can focus 100% of your time on actually learning.
Start using FluentU on the website with
your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store.
4. Find a Language Partner
There’s
no shame in asking someone else for help. So do it! Asking for help is an
action you should be proud of. It shows you take your learning seriously and
will do whatever it takes to become a master in your desired skill.
With that said, having
the support of another person will accelerate your learning immensely. No
matter what stage you are at in learning your new language, find someone who is
also trying to learn the language. Schedule times to meet up and share any
progress and offer feedback for one another. Exchange resources or tips
that have been helpful to you.
This
can also be a great time to practice your skills with each other. Best of all,
you can set goals and hold each other accountable to completing them by the next
time you meet.
5. Learn from (and Celebrate) Every Mistake
If you are living in an environment that allows you to practice your new language,
congrats! Now
get ready to make a lot of mistakes. It’s best to leave
your ego out of the situation when doing something as difficult as learning a
new language. Leave any desires for perfection and any fears of judgment at the
door.
You can be the smartest person in the world, but if you are
stubborn or defensive, you’ll shield yourself from endless opportunities for
growth. Keep in mind that many natives will be grateful and appreciative of
your attempt to learn such an important part of their culture. Congratulate yourself for even
the smallest mistakes because it means you are trying.
As you go about your day-to-day life and practice using your new
language, resist the urge to judge each conversation as a success or failure.
It’s tempting to be our own worst critic and beat ourselves up for not
remembering a particular word or knowing how to clearly express a thought.
Instead, approach
each interaction as a new opportunity for you to learn something.
Reflect
on each conversation and give yourself constructive feedback. Some things you
might want to think about are:
·
What words/phrase would have served me in that conversation?
·
What new words did I hear/see?
·
How could I more effectively have a similar conversation in the
future?
When
you start embracing the ups and downs of the learning process, you’ll better
enjoy and appreciate the journey, which sets yourself up for more learning
opportunities.
Remember,
the success comes from the simple fact that you are trying. Use these tips and
you’ll be well on your way to learning a new language with grace, speed and
ease. Good luck!
Tomado de: https://www.fluentu.com/blog/how-to-learn-a-new-language-fast/
