Learning a language

Sometimes travelling the globe for work will force you to come up with ways to master
conversation in many languages. Benny Lewis, an engineer, learned enough of seven
languages — including Spanish, French and German — to work easily and attained
near fluency in several others, including Mandarin.

Learning Spanish, Lewis’s first non-native language, took over a year but subsequent
languages, even the basics of conversational Mandarin, were quicker. His secret: when
he first needs to learn a language, Lewis compiles a script of sorts for himself so that he
can respond to simple queries from strangers. As Lewis mastered new languages, he
was even able to do work as a translator of technical engineering texts.

Phrasebooks and online tutorials can prove useful in this early stage, experts say, as
they can give you the vocabulary and the confidence to have basic conversations with
native speakers, the crucial first step in learning a language.

“The biggest barrier in the beginning is the lack of confidence,” said Lewis. “That got
better and better for me [as I spoke].”

Indeed, simply having the courage to speak is necessary if you are going to make
progress in a foreign language, language experts said.

“A lot of people don't make progress if they don't open their mouths,” said Michael
Geisler, the vice president for language schools at Middlebury College in Vermont in the
US. “If you are not willing to put your identity on the line, progress will be slower.”

This means not being afraid to take risks or make mistakes. When he started learning
Spanish, Lewis said he spoke a lot like Tarzan, the fictional man of the jungle.

“I would say 'me want go supermarket'. But I reached the advanced stage by starting as
a beginner. My 'light bulb' moment was when —two weeks into learning Spanish — my
toothbrush broke and I was able to ask for a replacement at the supermarket,” he said.
“Wherever you go, people are very patient.”

Immerse yourself

Geisler believes that total immersion is key to mastering a foreign language quickly. The
more you immerse yourself in the foreign language — such as reading, listening to the
radio or speaking to people — the more rapid your progress will be.

Students at Middlebury College are required to conduct all extra-curricular activities,

from sport to theatre, in the language they are learning. Middlebury, which also runs
graduate programs, runs courses in 10 languages including French, German, Chinese
and Hebrew.
Such immersion is also actively encouraged at the Foreign Service Institute in
Washington, DC, which trains US diplomats and US foreign affairs personnel in foreign
languages. With teaching expertise in more than 70 foreign languages, courses last up
to 44 weeks, with the aim of taking students to 'level 3' in a language — essentially this
means they can read and understand the equivalent of a magazine like Time and hold
in-depth conversations.

Getting to basic conversational proficiency can be achieved in much less time, just
several weeks according to experts, particularly if you can speak regularly. James
North, associate director for instruction at the Foreign Service Institute, said students
are encouraged to get to know native speakers.

“You need to invest not just the head but also the heart,” North said. You can, for
instance, do volunteer work or engage with the local community at restaurants and
neighbourhood functions. 

More broadly, in major cities there are often regular — several times weekly —
language-immersion Meet-Up groups that join together people practicing a language.
There are also online alternatives. Lewis recommends italki.com, a language social
network that connects native speakers and teachers with students. Others include lang-
8.com and voxswap.com.

By conversing regularly with language experts or native speakers you also have
someone to check – and correct — your progress.

“Practice makes perfect,” said North. “But practice without feedback just makes perfect
whatever you are practicing. The naïve learner does not have a perspective on what
they are doing. It is really vital to have someone saying yes you are on track.”

You’ll need to ask those you speak with for feedback and make sure they know it’s OK
to correct your pronunciations and grammar, although experts say you need not worry
too much about grammar in the early stages.

Use the language first and focus on the grammar later, Lewis said. When you are ready
to pick up the grammar, he recommended using podcasts at sites such as
radiolingua.com or languagepod101.com as particularly useful in picking up grammar
and dissecting the language.

“By then you have so much context. I would see a rule and I would say, 'That's why they
say it that way',” he said.

As you learn, be sure to consume media in the foreign language. If you are starting out,
read illustrated children's books or watch familiar films in a foreign language, experts
advise.

If you have specific goals to achieve, such as conversing with a partner or using a
foreign language at work, that motivation can be all you need to begin to master
conversations. But beware lofty ambitions. If you say you want to be fluent in two
months, you will likely be disappointed. But if your goal is to reach some level of
conversational proficiency, especially for a work assignment, that’s entirely possible.