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10 tips for learning a new language (by Alan Twigg)
I moved from the UK to Germany in 1995 with no previous knowledge of German whatsoever. 12 years later I am now fluent in two languages, have two bilingual children, own my own translation company (www.twigg.de) and teach English to German business professionals. Here are my tips on how to make learning a foreign language a truly rewarding experience and a little bit easier.
- Take your time. Learning a foreign language is a rewarding challenge and not something that can be achieved in a matter of days.
- Get a good audio program and listen to it over and over again (in your car, while doing chores around the house, on holiday and any time you can)
- Seek out other audio content such as radio programs (spoken-word content wherever possible)
- Don’t be afraid of making mistakes! One of the greatest barriers to becoming a fluent speaker is often the fear of embarrassing mistakes. Anyone who has ever tried to learn a language will understand that mistakes are inevitable. I still make countless mistakes everyday when speaking German, but it does not matter. Perfection is impossible anyway. Go on – try to hold a conversation with a native speaker today!
- If you watch TV, why not try to watch in the language you are learning? Rent some foreign-language DVDs – it all helps.
- Enrol for an evening class. I teach English to a group of German business people on Friday afternoons. We do a lot of talking and chatting in English and you would be surprised at just how fast people progress. Once again, the key here is not to be afraid of making mistakes. Just go ahead and have fun speaking in your new language.
- Visit a country where your new language is spoken and actively seek out opportunities to enter into conversation
- Teach what you have learned to someone else. One of the best ways of remembering anything is to explain it to someone else. Pretend that you have to take a class of beginners the next morning and teach them what you have just learned.
- Learn some grammar. I found learning the basics of German grammar a tremendous help in understanding how German works.
- Spend 5 – 10 minutes practicing before you go to sleep. As a father of four, I’m a great believer that children and adults process information while sleeping.
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