How to Learn a Foreign Language

If learning a foreign language leaves you tongue-tied and exhausted, you’re not alone. The United States is a painfully monolingual nation, but you don’t have to be one of the thousands of Americans who speaks English and English alone. Here are some tips for learning a foreign language and being able to communicate clearly and effectively:

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. *Sign up for a class: This may seem obvious, but some people think they can just learn a language through osmosis. While more linguistic people may be able to study a language on their own and learn how to speak and read it just fine, most people should consider enrolling in a class at their community center or local community college.
2. *Find a pen pal: Ask your language teacher if s/he can recommend any schools in foreign countries seeking pen or “e-pals” (e-mail correspondence). If not, there are plenty of e-pal rings online. Type in “e-pals” or “pen pals” and the name of your foreign language into search engines like Google or Yahoo and you should find plenty of results. Just remember to exercise Internet safety if you do meet your pen pal online.
3. *Read the language: Force yourself to read children’s storybooks and comics in the language. If you’re learning French, try reading the Babar or Le Petit Nicolas series. If you’re learning Spanish, reading Manolito Gafotas and Mafalda are great ways to practice your literacy in the language. Try reading newspapers and magazines in the language if you’re at an intermediate level, or even children’s novels. Advanced students should try high school novels in the language.
4. *Watch TV: Watch the news, cartoons, and whatever other programs you can in the language, even if you only understand a word here and there. The more you watch, the more of the language you will absorb. Watching shows in the language is also an excellent way to pick up idiomatic expressions and slang.
5. *Join a conversational group: If you’re studying a more commonly spoken language, like Spanish or Chinese, there are probably conversational groups at your local library or community center in which you can practice speaking the language with native speakers and learners like yourself. This is the perfect way to really apply what you’re learning.
6. *Check out cassettes and CDs: Visit your local library or bookstore and pick up language lessons on cassette or CD that you can listen to in the car or at home while doing chores. Be sure to repeat after the recording so you can strengthen your pronunciation and get your tongue and throat muscles into the proper practice.
7. *Listen to music: Deciphering song lyrics is probably hard enough in English, but if you can learn how to do it in a foreign language, you’re really testing your auditory skills! Check out CDs from your library, search for songs on the Internet, or go to the nearest book or music store.

Tips & Warnings

• Learning a foreign language is difficult for many people, which is why they don’t make the effort to do so. But if you’re dedicated and practice diligently, you can soon be bilingual!