June 27th is National Multiculturalism Day! The world is filled with people of different cultures, backgrounds, and languages. What better way to recognize the diversity around you than to learn a new language? Learning a new language can be an exciting new challenge! Knowing multiple languages is useful for communicating with others and traveling the world. It’s also been proven to help in preventing certain diseases like Alzheimer’s Disease. We’ve got a list of tips and tricks to help you learn a new language:
- Take advantage of a free service. There are many different options for learning a new language these days. Try using a free service like one of the popular apps. Simply search for “learn a new language app” and you’ll receive multiple results. These apps are easy to use and provide step-by-step learning for numerous languages. Some of them even encourage you to learn every single day by providing small incentives. This can be a great way to stick with it!
- Join a group or a class (either for a fee or free). Do some online research and look up local classes teaching the particular language you’re looking for. These often act the same way as university courses where you go once per week to learn with others. You can also check if your local library provides free language classes. If it doesn’t matter to you whether the class is in-person or not, look for something online! There are tons of options for learning languages on the web with people from around the world.
- Learn a new language with a friend! It can sometimes be intimidating to learn something new alone. But if you have a friend who is also looking to learn a new language, join a class or use a service together. Both of you can encourage the other and hold each other accountable It’s also great to have a friend to practice the oral portion of the language on.
- Do a little each day. Don’t expect to learn an entire new language in a week! Languages can be tricky and vary greatly from each other. Just because the language you’re learning is similar to your native one doesn’t mean it will come naturally. By doing a little each day and sticking with it, you won’t take on too much at a time. This makes it manageable if added into busy schedules as it isn’t a huge time commitment. Giving yourself small bits of learning can also help your brain absorb everything better.
- Make a schedule and set attainable goals. Similar to doing a little each day, create a schedule for yourself of when you’re going to learn and how you’re going to do it. Mark the date, time, and method for study as well as how long. Set attainable goals for your language learning that doesn’t involve too much. A little goes a long way so setting small goals each week can help you stay on track. It holds you accountable to your own learning!
- Incentivise yourself to learn in a way that works best for you! Give yourself a little something every time you complete a new skill in your language learning. These can be as small as an iced coffee out or a lunch with friends. You could even do smaller things, like having your breakfast after learning or going for a walk. Providing rewards can help to motivate you to get the work done!
Learning a new language can be so much fun! By making it pleasurable and learning in a way that works for you, it won’t even feel like studying. By the end of it, you’ll have gained a useful new skill that you can test out on others or on an upcoming trip!
