Learning languages

More and more people are learning languages all over the world, whether their goal is to master English, become a flirting sensation in French, or follow the footsteps of the ancients with Greek, Latin or Chinese. It's whatever floats your boat really, but languages shape the world and can reshape your brain.

As a student of two languages I know the difficulties of trying to master them. I, by no means am fluent in either of my languages or have finished my language learning.

Currently I am learning Mandarin Chinese and Castillion Spanish. My personal goal is to become fluent in these two languages because along with English, they are the top spoken languages in the world.

Photo crews: https://voxy.com/blog/2012/04/4-language-learning-myths/

So how do we learn languages?

Well, the answer is patience and practice.

I started learning Spanish about 5 years ago when I was in school, I chose it as a GCSE, but at this time I wasn't as interested in languages as I am now and didn't pursue it at A-level. But after working in the Basque country as an Au Pair and being exposed to not only Spanish but also Euskera (Basque language), my interest in languages was perked. I fell in love with the Basque country and wanted to return so I wanted to learn Spanish again. May I point out that I am writing this blog from the plane to Bilbao, meaning I have visited every summer for the last three years!

After A-levels I started a degree in Nottingham doing Contemporary Chinese Studies. A big part of this degree is learning the language, Mandarin Chinese. I've just started my third year and I've definitely come a long way since I first started.

There were times in first year that made me cry, I was so stressed about Mandarin and I found it extremely difficult to get to grips with. I was judging myself against other people in my class and finding myself always near the bottom.

It was tough, and yes Chinese is a very difficult language to learn, but now I am a lot calmer about learning it. Second year didn't have me wanting to cry nearly half as much as first year did. I definitely helped that I was in China for my second year and we had nine hours a week of Mandarin compared to three hours in first year.

When I was in China I also had a lot of opportunities to teach English. I did volunteer day trips which were usually walking English classes and I became a private English tutor to two students. In the summer I also had a job at an English summer camp teaching children aged 6-15 years. This really helped me to appreciate the two sides of language learning: as a student and as a teacher.

Ok, so that's probably enough about me but how does any of this help other people? How does this help you?

So because of all this "experience", I've managed to pick up some tips for effective language learning.

1. Don't be scared

Quite often people don't practice speaking their language with native speakers because they are scared. They think they'll sound stupid or make mistakes. I'm guilty of this but I've learnt to accept that I will make mistakes and it's only natural. Native speakers that you practice with will probably have had the same if they've learned English. There's no other way really than to just get over yourself and try!💪

2. Stop being so self-critical

Again, I'm guilty of this. But it doesn't matter if you don't think you're as good as someone else, what matters is that you'll try hard. Some people are naturally better at things than others, but you can adapt. When I was doing GCSE Spanish I don't think I was naturally good at languages but after spending time learning Chinese and teaching English, my language skills have hugely developed and I have become a better language learner. All you can ever do is try your hardest.

3. Teach

Teaching is a great way to enforce anything you're learning so you can apply this to other subjects like history or maths, or whatever you do. Try teaching the language you are learning to a beginner, or even try teaching your native language to someone else. The skills that you use for this will develop your language skills as a whole and also help with your language skills.

4. Use media

Music, movies, books, radio... Whatever you can find. Any of these in the language you are learning will help. Listening to music or watching a movie enables you to hear how the words sound when spoken by a native. Reading a book will obviously help your reading skills but also expands your vocabulary and enforces spelling or grammar rules. I try and watch one or two movies a week in the two languages I'm learning. If I'm up for a challenge, sometimes I'll use a Chinese website to watch a Spanish film, meaning there is no English for me to fall back on because the subtitles are in Chinese.

5. Use an app

I use Duolingo which I think is great for Spanish. It has so many languages (they're still developing Mandarin), and I have a daily goal of 50xp which is the highest level, meaning I have to do 5 lessons or tests to fulfill my goal. There is an online and mobile app version, the mobile app is slightly better as there is a speaking test, but the online version is still great, it will test your listening, reading and writing skills and help to correct any spelling mistakes. This is especially good for a booster course or refreshing a language you have already started to learn, but it is also perfect for a complete beginner too as it will start from scratch.

These tips are all things that I do which help me to study languages. But I think the most important tip is having a good mindset, accept that you'll make mistakes and learning a language can be hard, so stay positive, patient and keep practising.

Hope this helps. If you have any tips I didn't mention please send them in to me!

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Via email: charlocavlogs@gmail.com