Learn How to Quickly and Easily Master a New Language
Mastering additional languages is crucial for enhancing your career prospects, opening up new travel opportunities, and securing scholarships.
Here, we provide you with effective strategies to learn a new language from the comfort of your home.
Many people face challenges in acquiring a new language due to a lack of structured approaches and consistent commitment.
To overcome these obstacles, we at Alemni Shokran present you with a set of effective steps to make learning your new language easier.
Benefits of Learning a New Language
1- Stimulates Your Brain
– Learning a new language helps grow the gray matter in your brain. Acquiring a new language means you’ll learn a whole new set of grammar rules and vocabulary.
As your brain tries to keep up with the complexities of the new language and absorb the new patterns, new developments occur in the brain.
Like muscles, the brain becomes stronger and more robust the more you use it.
– Nothing challenges the brain like learning a new language. Scientists have proven that we use the left side of the brain when speaking our native language, while using a second language involves both hemispheres of the brain, leading to an increase in the brain’s white and gray matter.
2- Improves Your Attention Span
– With the human attention span shrinking daily, according to many studies, deciding to learn a new language may be the antidote to this problem.
Recent studies show that the average person’s attention span has dropped from twelve seconds to eight seconds.
Researchers affirm that learning a new language helps the brain maintain focus and avoid distractions due to regular switching between languages.
3- Expands Your Job Opportunities
– Many companies are opening offices abroad to expand their markets, making the demand for bilingual candidates higher than ever.
By acquiring a foreign language, you will double the number of job opportunities available to you and climb the career ladder faster.
4- Enhances Your Creativity
– Knowing a foreign language not only benefits the brain but also affects your level of creativity. When you start learning a new language, you become familiar with the culture of the place where that language is spoken.
The more you learn about new cultures, the more you will view the world from different perspectives, making you more original and flexible—qualities of a creative person.
5- Improves Your First Language
– People learn their native language intuitively without formal education. However, learning another language is entirely different.
From the beginning, you will be exposed to grammar rules, vocabulary, idioms, and sentence structure.
As you learn more about the second language, you will become more aware of what you know in your first language.
– Moreover, you will recognize the differences in structure, vocabulary, grammar, idioms, and sentence formation between the two languages.
All these factors work to enhance comprehension and conversation and can make you better at your first language.
6- Boosts Your Memory
– The brain is often compared to muscles for one reason: the more physical exercise you do, the stronger and bigger your muscles become.
This aspect applies to the brain as well. The more challenges it faces, the more it expands and performs better.
– You can think of learning a language as an exercise for the brain. First understanding and then remembering multiple grammar rules and vocabulary strengthens the memory muscle.
This is why people who know more than one language are better at retaining information.
What is the Right Way to Learn a New Language?
1- Specialized Courses: Intensive courses offer the opportunity to learn a new language through specialized agencies or local
training centers that provide instruction in multiple languages.
2- Academic Education: Some choose to study languages at the university level by enrolling in faculties of languages, translation, or language departments in arts faculties after completing secondary school.
3- Language Learning Apps: Recently, smartphone apps for learning languages have become widespread, allowing users to follow the app’s steps to acquire a new language.
4- Self-Learning: Experiences have shown that it is possible to learn a new language independently at home by setting a learning plan and daily schedule that includes watching videos, speaking with others, and daily writing in the target language.
The correct way to learn a new language is the method that suits you best and leads to better learning outcomes.
Key Steps to Learning a New Language Easily and Quickly
1- Set Language Learning Goals
– The first step in learning a new language quickly is to set the goals you want to achieve. Use these guidelines to make the most of your goals:
– Set short-term goals.
– Challenge yourself; if the goals are too daunting, they might demotivate you.
– Focus on specific, tangible results.
– Write down your goals; writing them down helps you stay committed.
2- Use Flashcards
– When learning the words of your new language, you’ll learn faster by using the best study techniques, such as a spaced repetition system (SRS).
One of the best ways to do this is by using flashcards, which help you focus on learning individual words and testing yourself. When learning with flashcards, follow these tips to learn quickly:
– Try digital flashcards.
– Make sure to guess the meaning of the word before flipping the card.
– Learn translations first, then learn how to produce the new words.
3- Start Using the Language All Day, Every Day
– It may seem overwhelming for beginners to try using the language all day, but it’s not as difficult as it seems. There are many
easy and even fun ways to make the language a part of your daily life:
– You can use your daily activities as part of the language-learning process.
– Utilize every moment to learn new words.
– Carry flashcards with you, and study them while commuting.
– Change your mobile phone’s language to the one you’re learning.
4- Watch Movies with Subtitles
– This is the right time to incorporate movies and video content into your language learning program.
There are several stages to watching foreign films if you want to maximize their potential for language learning:
– First, watch the movie or a scene while reading the subtitles. If there’s a word you don’t understand, write it down in your personal dictionary and define it.
– Pronounce these words and try to say them correctly.
– Now, watch the movie or scene again without subtitles. It’s important to understand as much of the dialogue as possible. This way, you can elevate your listening comprehension and fluency to the next level.
5- Listen to Music and Learn Song Lyrics
– If you enjoy listening to music, why not listen to it in the language you’re learning? Music is a direct line to the culture you’re learning about.
There’s nothing smoother than how words flow together in a song, making it easier for you to learn the new language.
6- Practice the Language in Real-Life Situations
– Start speaking immediately, from the early stages of your language-learning journey! Some of the best learning happens in everyday life situations, especially when you have no choice but to use a foreign language.
This practice gives you plenty of language training. Try the following options:
– Find a language learning buddy.
– Meet with a language partner weekly or bi-weekly, exchanging half an hour in the language you want to learn for half an hour of
speaking in English or another language you’re proficient in.
– Use a language practice website, where sites like Speaky or HelloTalk can introduce you to people who speak the language you want to practice.
7- Travel and Immerse Yourself
– If possible, traveling to a country where your target language is spoken remains one of the best options for practicing and
improving your language skills.
You’ll meet many native speakers who will be happy to help you learn the language better.
Essentials of Learning a New Language from Home
Self-learning a new language requires strong commitment and continuous self-motivation.
The process requires patience and daily follow-up to achieve a sense of accomplishment.
It is recommended to set a fixed daily schedule for learning a new language and adhere to it strictly.
The strategy for learning a new language from home relies on:
– Allocating a fixed daily study time.
– Setting specific daily goals to enhance the sense of progress.
– Using tools like apps and YouTube videos.
– Applying new vocabulary in sentences and practicing them with friends.
– Communicating with native speakers online.
Best Apps for Learning a New Language
– Memrise: Offers books, courses, and educational games.
– LinguaLift: An educational app supervised by teachers, available for assistance when facing difficulties.
– Rosetta Stone: Provides simple and professional language learning, especially for children, and is one of the most famous educational apps.
– Duolingo: Offers programs, games, and basics for language learning.
– HelloTalk: Facilitates communication with native speakers through voice and text messages.
– Mindsnacks: Uses games to teach vocabulary and grammar and improve listening skills.
– Busuu: Offers comprehensive courses in about 12 languages, though it is not free.
– Babbel: Provides over 13 languages and is available in free and paid versions.
– TripLingo: Designed for travelers to improve their language skills.
– MosaLingua: Contains educational resources for several languages.
To learn a new language, especially if you are an international student studying abroad, we offer you a set of effective and proven tips and guidelines at Alemni Shokran to ensure that you learn the host country’s language faster, making your study abroad experience as smooth as possible. Contact us and register your documents now.