| Most people don’t like to hear this, but consistent, hard work is one of the biggest factors in your language learning success. |
| The course or method you choose makes a difference too, but at the end of the day you ride or die by the work you put in. However the quantity of time spent studying language doesn't necessarily determine the quality of your study. |
| Spending three hours a day watching movies doesn’t help you learn much if you’re not actively engaging with the language. In this article we’ll talk about 3 ways to actively engage your mind while studying a new language. |
| Number 1, Think of your brain as a muscle |
| You’re probably familiar with the phrase “feel the burn”, or maybe “no pain no gain”. If you’ve been to your local gym recently, there’s a chance you might have heard one of these phrases, or seen them plastered on a wall. There’s an idea in the world of sports and workouts, that the discomfort you feel when running, pumping iron, or doing some other physical activity, is what brings results. We learn that during a healthy workout the muscles of the body are affected at a microscopic level. The discomfort you feel is your muscles being pushed to their limit. It’s the limit pushing that strengthens your muscles so that over time your performance increases. |
| In the context of language learning it’s helpful to think of your brain as a muscle. |
| Just as we need to push against our physical limits when exercising, we also need to push our mental ones when learning a foreign language. Have you ever studied or practiced your target language in a way that left you tired or even exhausted? If so, you’ve experienced what it’s like to push your brain out of its linguistic comfort zone. |
| Number 2, Practice Active Listening |
| One of the easiest ways to push your language skills is to practice active listening. |
| Active listening is when you listen to someone speaking your target language and do your best to understand what you hear. The best way to accomplish this is by using audio that you can’t completely understand on the first listen. |
| Preferably you want to use audio that has subtitles or transcripts for you to double check your understanding after you listen to it. |
| You can use movies, youtube clips, or even our language program, which has very useful transcripts for each lesson. During a practice session you should listen to the audio several times. The first time around it’s okay if little to no words stick out to you. Simply make a mental note of any words or sounds you recognize. The second time you listen you’re likely to recognize a little more than you did the previous time. |
| Expect similar results with your third or even fourth time listening. |
| After you’ve hit the ceiling of words you can decipher, go ahead and look at the language subtitles or transcripts. Listen to the audio again while reading along with the text. Odds are that you will see words in the text you know but didn’t hear correctly. You’re also likely to encounter words that are new to you completely. As you play back the audio and read along, try to guess what these words mean from the context of the words around them. |
| After you’ve read along a couple times feel free to look up the remaining unfamiliar words in a dictionary or translator app. |
| This active listening exercise routine is a great way to increase your listening and comprehension skills, while picking up some new vocabulary along the way. It also allows you to learn new words in context, which itself is a powerful method to help you retain what you study. |
| Number 3, Practicing with Native Speakers |
| Practicing with native speakers is the epitome of pushing your language skills. Using what you know to communicate in real time is where the rubber really meets the road. |
| Try to connect with a native speaker on a weekly basis. Regularity is what makes the difference when you’re learning a foreign language. If you live in a large metropolitan area, then there’s a significant chance that there are some local native speakers nearby. Try hitting up a local language exchange or meetup group to make the necessary connections. |
| If you’re unable to find a practice partner locally then you can take your search online. |
| There are a number of sites out there that help you find and connect with other language learners from around the world. There are tons of language learners around the world who have learned or are learning a second language. You’re likely to find someone who knows your target language and is looking to improve their own language skills as well. |
| Learning a new language isn’t always easy, but it’s the discomfort that comes with pushing your ability in the language that produces results in your studies. Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. The further away you get from your native language, the closer you’ll be to attaining fluency. |
| Also remember that language learning is in every way, a lot like an adventure. There will be fun times, and times when it feels like you’re swimming up the proverbial stream. It’s by keeping your head up long enough through these ups and downs, that you will experience the priceless satisfaction that comes with learning a foreign language. |
| Just keep moving forward! |
| For more help to engage your mind while learning a new language check out our complete language learning program. Sign up for your free lifetime account by clicking on the link in the description. Get tons of resources to stay engaged with your target language. And if you enjoyed these tips, hit the "like" button, share the video with anyone who's trying to learn a new language, and subscribe to our channel. We release new videos every week! I'll see you next time. Bye! |
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