10 Best Tips and Tools for Learning a New Language
Knowing another language is a valuable skill that can boost your paycheck and your brain . While there are many ways to learn a foreign language, here are ten of the most proven ways to become bilingual or even polyglot.
10. Learn by browsing the web
Chances are, you, a Lifehacker reader, use the Internet a lot. If you are trying to learn a new language, turn your web browsing time while learning. The Language Immersion Chrome extension helps you build your vocabulary and language skills by translating parts of the webpage you’re on into your target language . The previously highlighted Readlang is similar, but it also creates flashcards for you and offers other learning tools. Bonus tip: Read newspaper sites written in your target language for even more practice.
9. Hack your house and your gadgets to use a different language.
Aside from your browser, everyday objects you come in contact with can also be a source of learning. You don’t need to label your pets with stickers, but switching to a foreign language on your phone, tablet, computer or game system can write more foreign words into your memory.
8. Use Anki for smart vocabulary training.
Anki is one of the most recommended learning tools in general. Smart flashcards teach through repetition and adapt to your strengths or weaknesses.
7. Use Duolingo for one-to-one language learning
The previously mentioned Duolingo is our favorite language learning tool . Free web and mobile apps help you track your progress, connect you with the community of other language learners, and motivate you to learn more with virtual awards and badges.
6. Sign up for a free online course or download a free language audiobook.
There are free online classes in almost every subject these days, and foreign languages are no exception. The collection of free resources for learning the Open Culture language (audiobooks, websites, textbooks, etc.) is still a treasure trove . It covers four dozen languages, from Amharic to Yiddish.
5. Take the time to study with your phone
Free time on the road, such as when you are in line or on the road, is a good time to brush up on your language skills. In addition to Duolingo and Anki, we have presented many mobile applications that will teach you in a short time, just using your smartphone. There’s a fun CatAcademy and 5-minute drops (for iOS), a Quizlet lock screen (for Facebook mobile and desktop), and Lingua.ly (for Android), just to name a few.
4. Write down everything you hear while learning a foreign language.
We learn more effectively when we write things down. The writing process itself helps to anchor information in our brains. One of the most effective ways to learn a new language – especially when you no longer have anyone to practice with – is simply dictation. As you listen to language lessons, write down what you hear . This will train your ear for accents and the like, but more importantly, force yourself to pay attention.
3. Learn through entertainment
Learning a foreign language can seem boring, especially when you memorize the 1000 most important words of the target language. On the other hand, popular culture – a great way to learn a new language: in music, memes, TV shows and other entertainment is much more interesting to dive than in most textbooks. Spend time watching films in other languages (with subtitles turned on ), listen to podcasts in another language, and / or learn through music videos . Isn’t that how the mermaid in Splash learned to speak English?
2. Speak another language constantly
The app is the key to learning a foreign language as quickly as possible (and not forgetting what you’ve learned). Benny Lewis recommends talking to a native speaker for at least 30 minutes a day whenever possible. If there is no one around to practice with, WeSpeke and Verbling can pair you up with a chat partner.
1. Use spaced repetition, study before bed, and other research-based tips for language learning.
It is not as easy for adults to learn a new language as it is for small children with their spongy brains. But you can still learn a new language and learn effectively if you know how your brain works when faced with this problem. Here’s the science of learning a new language : why spaced repetition is best, you should practice at night, search for content in another language in the subjects you like best, and why you should mix old concepts with new ones as you learn. This language learning plan from Fluent Forever author Gabriel Wiener helps you structure your personal language course.
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