Knowing several foreign languages is always a good quality to put on your resume. But what is more important, languages can open new cultural doors for you. What can be better than communicating without a language barrier and translator? English is becoming a lingua franca of all the possible spheres of our life today. But it doesn’t mean that we should only study this language. If you plan a trip to China, for example, be ready that 80% of all people cannot speak proper English at all. Locals call their English «Chinglish», as a mixture of Chinese and English. «Chinglish» is quite hard to understand. So if you are planning to move to China or work there, better study simple Chinese. It also refers to plenty of different countries, where English is not a native or second language and locals don’t speak it very well.
So now let’s talk about how a person can learn several languages without difficulties and with a great pleasure.
Bits of Advice on Diving into Languages
Advice # 1 Language Environment
What can be better than diving into another culture, meeting new people, seeing another lifestyle, traveling around and learning a language at the same time? This can make your studying practice more vivid and unforgettable. If you still have no chance to go overseas, try watching some cultural programs, listen to music or watch films in a language you are learning. You shouldn’t learn it separately; otherwise, you are going to lose interest in learning really fast.
Advice # 2 Native Speakers
Let’s take the Chinese language as an example here, as its pronunciation is hard indeed. Chinese has 4 (sometimes counted as 5) different tones of pronouncing a syllable. Imagine that your teacher is not a native speaker who spent some time in China. Still, his pronunciation won’t be perfect and as a consequence, yours won’t be too. That is why you should make friends with Chinese in your city or use the Internet to find ones.
Advice # 3 Spend 2 Hours per Day Learning
This rule is extremely important for those who only start diving into a foreign language. If you study diligently all the time, the material you have learned at the very beginning will go to long-term memory and you will most likely never forget it again. Regarding memory, it is also necessary to know which types may help you better than others, for example, if you have well-developed auditory or visual memory.
Advice # 4 Find Your Own Motivation
Don’t learn a language for the sake of learning. Think about how you can use it. Maybe, you want to move or study in a foreign country, or to visit a country and be able to speak with locals. Find your own motivation, as without it you will give up on studying.
To sum up, if you really want to learn a language, stick to these simple pieces of advice. Thus, you will be highly-motivated and will surely succeed!