How to Improve Your Language Skills

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Whether you’re brushing up on your high school Spanish, learning Italian for your upcoming vacation or tackling Japanese for your next business trip, there is always room to improve your foreign language skills. Follow these simple steps to ensure that you are on the path to language fluency.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

How to Improve Your Language Skills

Step1

Enroll in a language class. Many local colleges, community centers, consulates and cultural societies offer affordable classes. Learning from an experienced teacher can help you brush up on your skills, plus you’ll get the benefit of practicing with other students. Many classes also offer field trips to films, restaurants, plays and the like where you can practice your newfound skills.

Step2

Listen to the language as often as you can. Rent foreign movies, download foreign language music and buy foreign language CD’s. Don’t worry if you can’t understand everything you hear. The more you listen to the language, the more it will become familiar to you, and ultimately, improve your ability to comprehend and speak it.

Step3

Read, read and read some more. Read foreign language newspapers and magazines online or buy them at your local newsstand. Buy practice workbooks, dictionaries and books—sometimes children’s books are great for beginners. Read as much as you can to familiarize yourself with the language and improve your comprehension skills.

Step4

Practice speaking your new language. Find someone who speaks the language—whether a friend, a classmate, a tutor or the waitress at your favorite restaurant—and carry on a conversation, not matter how silly it may seem. Practicing conversation is a sure-fire way to improve your skills.

Step5

Consider private tutoring. Your community center, college, consulate or cultural society can pair you with a personal tutor to help you build your conversational language skills. You can meet as frequently or infrequently as you would like, depending on your budget, but again, more is always better.

Step6

Travel. The best way to improve your language skills? Visit a country where your chosen language is the native tongue. Whether your travel with a buddy, stay with friends or participate in a cultural exchange, you’re sure to improve your language skills the more time you spend in the country.

Tips & Warnings

Scour internet classifieds and used bookstores for used language books, CD’s, dictionaries, movies and other materials to improve your language skills at a fraction of the retail cost.