Find Motivation to Learn a Foreign Language: Write to Your Future Fluent/Bilingual Self!

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Most of us need this precious resource that we call "motivation" on a daily basis. I'm sure you sometimes feel like you will never be able to learn another language. That's not true! You can do anything you put your mind to, especially learning a foreign language. But maybe you don't believe in yourself (yet). That's fine. Get a piece of paper and write a letter to your future bilingual self. Write all the things you want to be able to say in the foreign language. Write the number of foreign friends you will have when you're fluent in Chinese/Japanese/Spanish/French. Write how good it feels to finally be able to communicate using another writing system/other sounds/other words. Congratulate yourself on your progress. I know this might sound silly but your brain will slowly get used to the idea of becoming fluent in another language if you give it positive thoughts to feed on. Being positive + studying a foreign language everyday= Guaranteed fluency!
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I'm a Beginner Language Learner: What Should I Watch? Everything Is Too Difficult For Me! Part 1

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What should you watch when you're a beginner language learner? When you're a beginner and you're just starting to immerse yourself in a foreign language, you will soon realize that there's a big difference between watching TV in your native language and in Japanese/French/Italian/Spanish. I'm aware of this because there are still American shows that I don't understand perfectly. That being said, I don't always understand French TV perfectly either! Some TV shows have bad audio, and even if my hearing is good (I got it tested), I just can't stand bad audio quality. Usually, if you don't understand a particular movie or show, it's because of the slang the actors use. Becoming fluent in a language is a great experience and you will be able to understand lots of material very well if you work hard... but slang is really hard to master, even in your native language! I highly recommend you give shows for toddlers a chance, at least for a while. You can learn a lot of things by watching Teletubbies or Dora the Explorer. Even if can only stomach a few hours of shows for kids, you will have learned a lot, trust me.

Are You a Beginner Language Learner? Here's What to Do!

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I try to write comprehensible blog posts but most of my visitors probably have never learned a language before.
Fear not: you've learned and mastered your native language, so you are able to learn a foreign language.

Most of the people who are disabled and thus see the world a bit differently and have some learning difficulties can become bilingual. No matter who you are, you can learn a language to fluency.
Second language acquisition isn't rocket science, thankfully!

I guess language-learning is a bit like playing a sport. If you want to attack the other team, you need a plan. You also have to work on specific elements of your game to get better = you need to set some goals for yourself. If you are good at dribbling (using vocabulary about yourself and your family), try to dribble around some cones without touching them (make some sentences with your newly learned foreign vocabulary).
Try to find some beginner content to start with. I will be suggesting material on this blog at some point.

I hope you like these language-learning tips!
And don't forget: setting your goal is the hardest part. Decide what you want to work on and memorizing vocabulary or finding time to listen to the radio will become easier. Share this page on social networks such as Digg or Stumbleupon if you like it! The social media icons are below "Share this page" on the right-hand side of the blog. It only takes a couple of minutes!

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Don't Put the Cart Before the Horse

It'll take you a lot of time to learn a new language. There, I said it. Following the advice on this blog can expedite the process, but you'll still need to put in the hours.

When I was still in high school, I was forced to write in Italian/ German/ etc when I took exams. Most people would say "This is good practice."

How is this good practice?

How is making a bunch of mistakes in a foreign language beneficial?



Unless you have unlimited access to native speakers who can correct you, I strongly suggest you only practice in controlled settings. Doing exercises in high-quality language learning books is a great way to improve one's grammar without "learning" more mistakes.

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Start Using DVDs to Learn Your Foreign Language: Part 3

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This series on DVDs and foreign languages isn't over yet!
Where can you find DVDs? I suggest you check out your local Amazon website. Amazon is usually really cheap. You should probably buy used DVDs instead of shelling out hundreds of dollars for a new box set.
I recommend picking easy and interesting movies to start with. Movies made by Disney are pretty good, and most of them (though not all of them) are non-violent. Watching Disney movies is a great way to get better at your favorite foreign language!

I recommend Cars, Ice Age, Madagascar, and their sequels. Tarzan is also pretty interesting, but targeted at younger customers.

You should also check out your local library. Some good libraries (not all libraries offer this service) let you borrow DVDs, and even CDs. My local library lets me borrow 2 DVDs and 2 CDs for three weeks. I had to pay a subscription fee to get my library card, but that's to be expected.
Be careful, though. Make sure the DVDs you give back to the library are in perfect condition, or else they'll suspend your subscription!

Happy language learning!