Learning a language has been the bane of existence for a lot of people. It starts when we are in grade school. That dreaded language elective. At that age, it’s hard to see the point of learning a language when you can’t even see yourself using it in the future. Add the fact that people who grow up in English-speaking countries already speak the most powerful language in the world and you have yourself a recipe for languageitis. In fact, the US Census Bureau found that 1 in 3 US high school students take classes in a foreign language but only 1% of them can speak in that language after college. Now, for those of us who have realized the value of learning languages, whether that be for communication or to get better jobs, we want to know how. 

Learning a language can be challenging from the very beginning. There are so many languages in the world. Which language should you choose? The answer to this question can be easy. Maybe there is a language that you already have an interest in. Maybe your significant other speaks a different language and you want to communicate with them better. Whatever the reason, if you already know what language you want to learn, you can skip steps 1 and 2. If you have no idea what language to choose, read on.

1. Make a list of your most highly valued languages

There is no doubt that some languages are more valuable than others. For example, if you want to be able to use a language to further your business career then Latin is likely not going to be the language you want to learn. On the other hand, if you are interested in reading old texts that are written in Latin, Latin would be the perfect choice. If you want to travel around China and be self-sufficient, then you might want to learn Chinese. If you want to get in on that gossip in the Mexican restaurant you always go to then maybe Spanish is for you. Bottom line, make a list of languages that fit your goals.

2. Narrow down your list

One of the easiest ways to narrow down your list is by sampling. Yes, it means exactly what you think it means. Sampling is simply listening to each language to see which ones sound the best to you. Eliminate the languages that don’t sound as good. Once you’ve narrowed the list, try to learn the alphabet. The alphabet is the first thing that you should learn in any language. Whether or not you are going to have a lot of trouble with a language can often be seen in the alphabet. This is because the alphabet contains the core sounds of the language. If you have a really hard time mastering the sounds of the alphabet and find yourself thinking “Why am I doing this to myself?”, it could be an indicator that you might not enjoy learning that particular language. Eliminate any language that gives you that feeling. If you still have multiple languages, it’s time to look at the grammar. Is there a whole host of tenses? Does the word order give you a headache? Eliminate them. Continue sampling until you can narrow down your choice to one language.

3. Congratulations! You have picked a language. Now What do you do?

As mentioned before, learning the alphabet is the most important step to learning any language. It will not only help you to read the target language but it will also help you to master the sounds. Do not, under any circumstances, use English letters to represent the sounds of the target language. There are often sounds in other languages that do not exist or are slightly different than they are in English. If you start off using English letters, you are guaranteed to have poor pronunciation in the target language. This could make communicating with natives hard later on. 

4. Learn basic everyday words

After you have mastered the alphabet, it is time to move on to learning words. Now this is where a lot of people start to go crazy. Some people will focus on learning as many words as possible even when they have no practical use for them. For example, for the majority of the population, it is not likely that they will need to explain the reproductive cycle of chickens in depth in their target language. Nevertheless, there will be people that learn all of the vocabulary involved even though they have no intention of using it. Start small. Start by learning words for things that you say in your everyday life. Foods, places, people, feelings, animals, etc., are all good places to start.

5. Learn basic grammar

The grammar structure of the language you have chosen can be the same or completely different from your native language. It is important to understand the difference so that you can make sentences properly. This is also an area where people tend to make mistakes. Grammar is undoubtedly important. However, it is not necessary to learn all grammar nor is it important to learn complicated grammar right off the bat. You are a baby when it comes to language. It is ok to make 3-4 word sentences. For example, learn how to say “I eat, he eats, she eats, they eat, we eat and you eat.” Combining steps 4 and 5, you should be able to say the following: I eat bananas, he eats bananas, she eats bananas, they eat…..do you see where I’m going with this? So now, not only have you learned how to say “I eat”, but you have also learned how to make a longer sentence using words that are relatable to you. Keep making the same sentences over and over switching out the words until you are comfortable with the grammar. Rinse and repeat using different grammar structures.

6 Talk to someone

The basics are out of the way. It doesn’t matter if you have a limited vocabulary or a limited knowledge of grammar. The most important thing about learning a language is actually using it. If you only study grammar, vocabulary, reading, and writing, you will not be able to speak when the time comes. Find someone who speaks the language and just talk to them. Go to authentic restaurants and speak with the staff no matter how little you know of the language. This, at the very least, will help you to get comfortable ordering food. Can’t find any restaurants? Talk to regular people. If you don’t know anyone, find someone. Look for meetups and groups online and offline. See if you can find a service online that allows you to voice chat with natives for free. Are there any stores nearby that cater to people who speak your target language? Go there. Do whatever you can to speak with a native or another learner of your target language and practice with them. You will thank me later.

7. Having one or two conversations is not enough

Now that you’ve found people to talk to, you need to be having as many conversations as possible. Even if you are only able to say one or two words. Speaking to someone regularly will allow you to get comfortable. Take it from me. When I was first learning Korean, I was terrified to make mistakes so I didn’t really speak it for the first year and a half. Total mistake. The sooner you make mistakes the better. Especially if you are talking to a native speaker. They will likely understand what you are trying to say and correct your mistakes for you. Get corrected on the same mistake enough times and you will be able to correct yourself before it even comes out of your mouth. That being said, it’s not enough just to have conversations and that leads us to our next step.

8. Be mindful when having conversations

Have you ever had a full-blown conversation with someone but had no real clue what was said or what the conversation was about? It happens to all of us but conversation to learn a language is not one of those times you should be zoning out. To help you stay focused, look at the person you are talking to and make sure to take notes. There are always going to be words that you don’t know in a conversation. Write them down and ask the other person to explain what it means. At first, they might have to explain in your native language but as you learn more, you can have them explain in the target language. At that point, you should also be writing the definition down in the target language. Another part of being mindful is to listen to the vocabulary and grammar that is being used. Make a mental note of what you already learned. This will help reinforce the vocabulary and grammar that you have studied. 

8. Listen, Listen, Listen!

This step can really be inserted into all steps starting from step 3. If you are learning a new language, chances are that you have not been exposed to the target language very much growing up. This means that your ears are not used to interpreting the sounds of the language. You could learn the alphabet and a bunch of words but if you can’t recognize the sound from outside of your head, you will not understand what people are saying. This can make learning a language very discouraging. You might think “I’ve learned so much vocabulary. I know how to read and write. Why is it that I can’t understand the old lady on the corner when she talks to me?”. Then, you start to think that you just can’t cut it when that’s far from the truth. The best way to fix this is to listen to your target language as much as possible. Spend time listening to only music and podcasts in your target language. Watch movies, TV shows, and youtube videos in the target language. Making sure that anything you listen to is in the target language will train your ear to listen for and understand the sounds of that language.

9. Don’t translate

In the very early stages, it will be a bit difficult to not translate words into your native language. That being said, do your best to resist. Instead, look for pictures that depict the word you are trying to learn. For example, if you see the word “cat” in another language but you don’t know what it means, search for the word on Google and look at images instead of using google translate. “Why shouldn’t I translate?” you might ask. The answer is simple. If you get into the habit of translating everything in your head, you will always need to translate. Translating in your head eats up a lot of time. You have to think of what you want to say in your native language and then work to translate that to your target language before you can even speak. By not translating and, instead, making visual/auditory associations, you will be able to recall a word instantly since you are only thinking in your target language.

 

10. Have fun!

This cannot be stressed enough……have fun. It can be a long, hard road to learning a language. On the other hand, it can be a delightful laughter-filled adventure. The choice is yours. That being said, we tend to learn better and have greater stamina for learning when we have fun. Make language learning a game. Find something that is already fun for you and switch it over to the language you want to learn. If you play video games, switch the language. If you spend a ton of time on your phone, switch the language on the phone. Whatever is fun for you should be incorporated into the language-learning journey.

This has been 10 steps to becoming a freelance writer. Remember, each person’s language journey is different. I hope these steps have helped you to personalize yours. If you want to learn about how to overcome language learning challenges, read about it here.