In this article, I will give you ten pieces of advice for how to learn a foreign language effectively. This advice applies to learners at all stages of the language learning journey – from absolute beginners right through to advanced learners. But I do have a disclaimer. I am interested here in foreign (rather than second) language learning. A foreign language is not spoken around us in the ambient environment, whereas a second language is. In other words, this article is aimed at learners who do not have the luxury of living in a setting where the target language is spoken.
Read more: How to learn a foreign language1. Find your motivation
There are many reasons you could learn a foreign language. First, it may improve your job prospects. It will certainly help you to break into a variety of careers – such as tourism, or international business. Moreover, employers are likely to value the commitment and cross-cultural communication skills that go along with proficiency in a foreign language. Second, learning a foreign language will allow you to enjoy a greater range of cultural offerings and travel destinations. Third, it may improve your social life, as it will help you to forge deeper connections with friends and family who do not have English as a first language.
There are two important points to make here. First, you must choose the right reason for you. Friends and family may tell you why you should or should not learn such-and-such a language, but it is a personal decision after all. Second, I think you must have a robust reason. If you are learning a foreign language as a way to pass the time, or as a way to show off on YouTube, I would question your staying power. Learning a foreign language is not a sprint, but a marathon. Despite what you may have read elsewhere online, there are no real shortcuts. It takes a lot of hard work and motivation.
2. Set goals
You may lose interest – or fail to progress beyond an intermediate level – if you do not set meaningful goals for your language learning journey. Many language learners set vague goals, like ‘I want to become fluent in French’ or ‘I want to improve my German’. Many more probably just skip the goal-setting part altogether and head straight to the books. But an effective goal will help you to track your progress and will hold you accountable. An ineffective goal, however, will often lead to frustration and inertia. In short, an effective goal is a SMART one.
S stands for specific. Be specific about (i) the variety of the language you wish to learn, and (ii) the individual skill(s) you wish to focus on. M stands for measurable. Find a way to track your own progress (objectively, if possible, using a framework like CEFR). A stands for achievable. You must consider if your goal is realistic, especially if you have work or care commitments. R stands for relevant. In other words, you must have a valid reason for aspiring to reach a certain level in a certain language (see Find your reason above). T stands for time-bound. If your goal does not include a time-limit, you will be likely to procrastinate.
3. Forget about the age factor
Perhaps the biggest hurdle when learning a foreign language as an adult is a psychological one. Many of us assume that infants and young children make the best language learners. We are told that the infant brain is like a sponge and that old dogs can’t learn new tricks. In short, we set ourselves up to fail before we even begin. There is no reason for this defeatist attitude. Contrary to popular belief, the evidence does not indicate that infants and young children always make the best foreign language learners. While they do excel in some areas, older learners enjoy clear advantages in other areas.
It is true that the infant brain is predisposed to acquire a first language (even in the womb, the foetus is sensitive to the rhythm and intonation of speech). It is also true that younger is better when it comes to developing a native-like accent. But these gains rely on being exposed to massive amounts of input. In the context of casual foreign language learning, the balance tips in favour of teenagers and adults. As an older learner, you will have intrinsic motivation (which children do not). You will understand subtle grammatical distinctions (which children will not) and – most importantly) – you will have developed mature learning strategies (unlike children and younger learners).
4. Find conversation partners (not just native speakers)
Of course you should find somebody to speak the target language with. But many older language learning books will urge you to seek out native-speakers in particular for this purpose – which is another language learning myth. You may believe that only a native-speaker can give you cultural insights, or model authentic pronunciation. The truth is that you will improve your productive language skills no matter whom you talk to (in fact, you will even improve by talking to yourself). For instance, it is a great idea to converse with fellow learners, even if they are at a similar level to you. You need not worry about forming bad habits or repeating your own errors.
Conversing with native-speakers and fluent non-native speakers alike will help you to maintain your level of motivation. They will also help you with aspects of language learning that are difficult to learn from books, such as pronunciation and intonation. And it is now easier than ever to connect with fluent language users. If you are a student, your university may offer study abroad options. If you are not a student, there are a number of social networking sites that are marketed exclusively at language learners. Simply state your native language along with the language you wish to learn, and the website will suggest suitable language buddies for you.
5. Don’t rely solely on books
A good language learning book is a valuable asset. It organizes a lot of relevant information into manageable chunks; it suggests which language points you should tackle and when. This does not mean, however, that you should rely solely on books. The problem with (at least some) language books is that they contain too much information and the jump between the chapters is too great. By the end of the book, you may be able to read all of the dialogues in the target language, but you may be surprised at how little you can actually say.
You should use books, but only alongside other resources. Start with short YouTube videos that have bursts of subtitled dialogue. And remember: there is no reason why you should not have fun while learning a language. Learn the lyrics to your favourite foreign language songs. Or re-watch all your favourite films with the foreign language subtitles turned on. These fun methods of language learning will take more time (the amount of new language per song may be low). But the positive associations you will be building with the foreign language will set you up for future success.
6. Avoid translation
You probably struggled to learn a foreign language successfully at School. You may have blamed yourself for this and stayed clear of languages in later life as a result. This is a shame, especially since School does not provide a good environment for foreign language learning. There are many reasons for this. One such reason is the over-reliance on translation as a teaching method. There are several drawbacks to relying too heavily on translation.
First, there is a large disparity between active vocabulary (i.e. words that you come out with spontaneously) and passive vocabulary (i.e. words you understand but do not tend to produce yourself). Translation tends to bolster your passive vocabulary but not your active one. Second, you won’t find translation equivalents for every word you need. In other words, there are certain words that cannot be translated in a like-for-like manner (the German word Schadenfreude is a common example). Third (and most importantly) becoming proficient in a foreign language means eventually being able to think and live in that language. Translation encourages the very opposite of this.
7. Engage the senses
A student of mine remembered the Mandarin word hong2 (= red) by imagining a red goose, since hong2 sounds like honk – the noise a goose makes. This kind of memory association is particularly effective because it covers multiple senses. In this case, my student evoked a striking and surprising image (there are clearly no bright red geese) as well as a distinctive sound.
This point is a continuation of the previous one. You are likely to pick up some language passively from your reading practice or from translation drills. But we learn best from multi-sensory experiences. In other words, we are able to form stronger, longer-lasting memory links when we engage all five senses. So, anchor the new foreign language word in your memory by associating it with a colour, a smell, a place, and so on. Often, the most durable memory associations are also the silliest, or the crudest. For instance, you can embed foreign-language vocabulary effectively by creating vocabulary cards and by placing them on objects around the house. Each time you see a vocabulary card, the memory association will grow stronger.
8. Read as much as you can (but choose your reading material carefully)
Should you start speaking the target language from the outset? Or should you wait until you have processed a large amount of input and are more confident as a result? You will encounter advocates of both these positions. I favour the second option. More specifically, I would urge you to maximise the exposure you have to the target language without worrying too much at first about producing it yourself. You should seek out reading material as early as you can. Reader courses are available for various ability levels. From there, you can progress to bilingual storybooks.
There is an important caveat here. Reading is vital, but you need to choose material which is pitched at the right level. If, as a learner, you find your reading material too easy, it means you are no longer progressing. However, if you find your reading material too challenging, it may demotivate you. There is a balance to be reached. I have two pieces of advice. First, ensure that you understand over 90% of whatever you read. Second, ensure that your reading material is pitched just above your current level. Following this advice will help you to improve at a fast rate while maintaining a high level of motivation.
9. Create an immersive language learning environment
An immersive language learning environment is one where you are surrounded by the target language. You see and hear the target language all around you and so you benefit from receiving lots of naturalistic input. It is best to learn a foreign language in this way, because it is just how infants acquire their native language(s). Infants receive a great deal of input by listening to their care givers (even from inside the womb). This occurs before they even attempt to put sounds together into words. Some language learners will tell you to start speaking straightaway (see point 6), but I would prefer to wait until you have soaked up plenty of input.
It is easy to create an immersive language learning environment by leaving foreign-language radio playing in the background, or by changing the language settings on your electronic devices. But you can surround yourself with foreign language words and not just with foreign language sounds. Think of all the small notes, to-do lists and diary entries that you write. Could you write these in your foreign language? At first, this may take a little longer than usual, but it should quickly become a habit. It’s a great way of working language practice into your daily routine (so you practice but do not use up your free time doing so).
10. Be a language producer and not just a language consumer
It is difficult to learn a foreign language successfully at School; it is even more difficult to retain what you learn after leaving School. The fault lies not with the language learner, but rather with the mode of instruction. Classroom-based language learning often puts too much emphasis on input at the expense of output. Input refers to language that we respond to; output refers to the language we produce. It is very important when learning a foreign language to balance input and output.
This means that, when you respond to input, you should seize every opportunity to turn that input into output. In other words, understanding language (spoken or written) is only the first step. Your practice session is only complete once you have produced your own language. Don’t just read a language book; write out example sentences based on the dialogues. Don’t just watch a YouTube clip; record yourself speaking the dialogue. And don’t just watch a subtitled film; repeat the lines until you get the pronunciation and intonation just right.
Conclusion
In this article, I have given you ten pieces of advice for learning a foreign language: (i) find your motivation, (ii) set goals, (iii) forget about the age factor, (iv) find conversation partners, (v) don’t rely solely on books, (vi) avoid translation, (vii) engage the senses, (viii) read as much as you can, (ix) create an immersive language learning environment, and (x) be a language producer and not just a language consumer. This advice applies – to a greater or lesser extent – to learners of all levels. Even advanced learners will benefit from reviewing their motivation or goals from time to time.