5 Tips to Stay Motivated While Learning a New Language

To stay motivated, we need to realize the importance of why we are doing something but also to find the process engaging and to feel that we progress along the way. Below, we list a few tips to keep your motivation alive while pursuing proficiency in a language.

Recommendations for Motivated Language Learning

1. Immerse yourself in the environment where this language feels at home

The most effective, pleasant, and memorable way of achieving this is to travel to countries that speak these languages. Living in a foreign country comes with complete immersion on all levels – one keeps learning non-stop, even when not intended. But this is obviously not the only way to get “exposed” to native speakers. You could opt for anything from listening to local radio stations broadcasting in the respective language to chatting with people from across the globe. If you have friends that happen to know this language well, ask them to use it when communicating with you. By creating yourself an appropriate environment, you’ll be paving the way towards efficient, multilateral, and regular learning.

2. Bring diversity to your learning process

Boredom is the path to inefficient learning or even a good nap. To avoid it, it is important to introduce diversity in your learning, which could be done by alternating several aspects:

  • Form of learning: formal courses, self-learning, live communication.
  • Sources – use audio, video, or printed materials, specialized software for language learning, memorization apps such as Anki (free) or SuperMemo with ready or newly assembled databases of flashcards, etc.
  • Practiced components of the language – one could learn grammar in certain circumstances (or on certain days), vocabulary – on others, etc.
  • Location – one could learn at home, while driving, while working out.
  • Social aspect – learning alone, with a partner, or in a group.
Stay Motivated While Learning New Language

3. Remind yourself occasionally why you need this language

Remind yourself from time to time why you need to keep learning it and what advantages it comes with. This article lists a few good reasons besides traveling that still make it worth learning a foreign language. This includes being able to form new contacts, developing a unique understanding/ perspective as a multilingual and multicultural person, training your brain and memory, becoming more open to the world, etc.

4. Reflect on the career prospects opened by knowing a language

Knowing a language could lead to a career on its own. Becoming a translator obviously requires language skills comparable to those of a native speaker, but there are many jobs that are less demanding: travel or customer support agent, marketing jobs, etc.

As for the level of remuneration, one way to get insight into this is to find the best translation agencies and to look at the rates they charge for translations. Obviously, this is the final price that includes many other expenses, but it can still be useful in estimating how much a translator is paid. Given that translators can often work as freelancers for foreign markets, such jobs can prove fairly profitable.

5. Contemplate your progress regularly

Looking back at the steps we’ve taken, the things we’ve mastered, and what they enable us to do feeds our requirement to feel competent after having invested time and effort. Feeling competent about something creates a positive feedback loop for motivation – the more competent we feel, the more we praise this quality of ours and the more time and effort we will be ready to invest. We can get this positive confirmation by reviewing our past progress, for instance, some older essays, our pronunciation, sentence structure, vocabulary back then.

New Languages

Conclusion

While we hope that you find our tips useful, learning a language is obviously an individual journey and depends on the learners themselves. Some people learn better with either auditory or visual input, many prefer to be taught by humans, etc. People need to identify and exploit the forms of learning that work best for them.

Bio:

Merissa worked for several content writing platforms and has written both creative essays and documented research for a variety of purposes. Another important domain of her expertise is content marketing. Having written different types of content, Merissa acquired good insight and experience that she now gladly shares with others.

Positive Words Research – 5 Tips to Stay Motivated While Learning a New Language

Interactive Methods and Forms to Teach Foreign Languages

The use of interactive methods and forms when teaching a second language can be quite beneficial. These methods can provide many advantages when it comes to developing cognitive or creative abilities among students and will also help enhance interactions between students and teachers to offer an effective learning experience.

Interactive teaching can be used at all levels and will help to provide an enjoyable way to master new languages. Learning a new language is a challenge in itself, so with forms and methods that promote interactions with peers and teachers, students will have a better learning experience. Studies have shown that interactive teaching is much more effective and successful. With the use of modern technology, there are endless tools and resources available.

The Benefits of Interactive Teaching

In the past, traditional forms of teaching in a classroom consisted of lectures, note-taking, memorizing, and testing. With the many advances in technology, teachers are now able to take a different approach and use interactive methods for teaching an engaging and enjoyable lesson. For those studying a foreign language, this form of teaching has been very beneficial.

The methods of teaching when taking an interactive approach are different from traditional methods. With interactive teaching, students will benefit from situational training, role-playing, or other activities that will allow them to communicate in a foreign language.

Interactive Methods Without Technology

Today, innovative technology has allowed interactive teaching to soar to great heights, and it is one of the most popular forms of teaching. Even though technology plays a pivotal role in the world of modern education, there are some ways some super ways one can incorporate interactive teaching without having to rely on technology.

  • Role-playing – It is perhaps the most effective interactive method that can be used when teaching a foreign language. With this, students will interact with each other speaking the language and will have to conduct full conversations and communicate during the activity. This promotes vocabulary retention, use of accents, verb usage, and other aspects that are heavily involved in becoming a fluent speaker.
  • Out of Classroom Activities – While activities that take place in a class setting are very beneficial, a language cannot be mastered in just an hour of classroom time. It is important to encourage the use of a foreign language in outside activities. Teachers can assign students to visit a Chinese restaurant and order in that language. Another way to engage in activities is to visit local areas where locals speak the language being learned. This is quite easy in the US for those learning Spanish since it is spoken in many communities.

Technology Tools for Learning Languages

Technology plays a huge role in an educational experience, and there are many online tools and resources that can help to teach a foreign language. No student can learn a language from a textbook or from single classroom lessons, regardless of how interactive or communicative they are. Technology will come into play at some point during the learning experience, and it can be quite beneficial. Here, we take a look at some of the best tech tools that can be incorporated into lesson plans.

  • Audio – By accessing audio files or even watching videos online, you are able to hear languages being spoken. Just listening can be a great way to learn a foreign language, as you will be able to pick up phrases and grammar patterns. By listening to real-life conversations, students can find new ways to use what they already know and test their grasp of the language.
  • Foreign Language News Sites – Online news sources that are printed in foreign languages are a great way to promote vocabulary retention and to be able to view written words and phrases. New sites also provide video and audio clips that can be used to master a language while gaining information about other cultures at the same time. One great assignment would be to have a student access a news source and verbally explain the news at the next class while speaking the target language.
  • Skype – Skype is a powerful communication tool that can connect people around the world. It can be used for educational purposes, as well. By engaging in Skype conversations with a native speaker from another country, students will have to engage in the language but will have the benefit of interacting with people from other parts of the world.

Conclusion

Each instructor will have a different method of teaching, but when it comes to foreign languages, it is clear that interactive methods are the best approach. While students can learn words and grammar from a textbook, they will not be able to incorporate their learnings into being able to effectively communicate or fluently speak a new language. With great technological tools and classroom exercises, implementing interactive lessons will not only enhance the enjoyment of a class but will lead to better retention and the ability to communicate in written and oral forms.

Autor’s Bio

Annabelle Gratwick is one of the top bloggers on education and has published many online journals and essays. At Edusson, Annabelle continues to contribute publications that are useful for educators looking for the latest trends and ways to incorporate interactive methods into teaching lessons.

Positive Words Research – Interactive Methods and Forms to Teach Foreign Languages

Language Courses Are The Best Option For Your Development

We live in a global village where we can travel to any part of the world in a couple of hours. Being bilingual allows you to break social barriers and makes traveling easy. You can study through a website that provides online language classes. Apart from the obvious value, you get when exploring new destinations, you acquire amazing cognitive abilities and professional advancements. Let us have a look at the advantages of learning a foreign language.

Improves Memory

We all need a good working memory. People who speak more than one language exercise their brains more than monolingual individuals do. To learn something new, you have to practice often to perfect your skill.

You have to speak more and be observant to cues and body language. This eventually enhances your memory. If you are a student, you will be able to perform better in school. For employed individuals, say goodbye to being forgetful at work.

Enhances Creativity

How beautiful would it be to say something in different ways? Everyone regardless of their profession can get a benefit from being able to present their ideas in different languages.

You may try out new phrases, words and expressions. By doing this, you get to improve your problem solving and divergent thinking skills.

Appreciation For Different Cultures

Do you find it hard to interact with people from other cultures? Either you are afraid you might say something offensive or find it hard to communicate. Whatever it is, you can fix it by being bilingual.

Being aware of the practices and customs of other cultures makes interaction easy. It brings about cultural appreciation.

Improve Multitasking

The ability to switch from one tongue to another is one of the reasons why you should learn a second language. It takes practice to be able to speak more than one language with a high level of fluency.

If you are bilingual, then multitasking comes easy for you. You have a better working memory, which directly influences your attention span. In this case, you get to handle multiple tasks at once without losing your focus.

Advance Your Mother Tongue

Everyone has a mother tongue. It can be Spanish, French, English, etc. An interesting fact is that the more you improve your fluency in a new language you boost your mother tongue.

It takes time and practice to perfect your dialect. Set aside time to read and practice with your friends. For your assignment, you can delegate someone to help you. For a legit resource, try write my essay online. While you get assistance, use that time to work on how to write new phrases.

In the end, you have become articulate in multiple in different dialects without neglecting your own.

Expands Career Opportunities

To get a competitive job, it is important to have qualities or skills that make you stand out from the rest. Having a degree or a diploma is great, but you require something extra.

Being multilingual presents new, interesting opportunities. Having the ability to speak different dialects is an expression of your intelligence and communication skills.

You Become Interesting

No one wants to interact with a boring individual. By virtue of being bilingual, you have a huge list of topics to discuss with other people.

It can be something you learn in college or the beauty of other cultures. Whatever it may be, you cannot run out of engaging ideas to share with other people.

Boost your self-confidence

If you have a problem with self-assurance, it is time you register for a language class. You will learn that there is nothing like a “stupid” question. This slowly helps conquer your fear of what other people might think about you.

The more you ask questions, your fear of communication slowly disappears. With time, you will notice how easy it is to do tasks you thought were complicated or difficult. You can get rid of your inhibitions and enjoy taking that essay writing class or poetry.

Enjoy Art

Words get lost in translation. Not only writing material but also any form of art is not the same once it revised for a global market. The beauty of art is enjoying it in its original form.

If you love art, then this is one of the benefits of learning a new dialect. Watching foreign media is enjoyable when you do not have to use subtitles. Some of those subtitles are awful and can make content dull. A wrong translation can make you have a low opinion of a film when in actual sense it is utter brilliance.

Spend Money Wisely

Most tourist sites you visit will require you to pay as local or foreigner. This can be anywhere like Australia or South Africa. If you know how to speak a foreign dialect, you can negotiate for a cheaper rate or service.

You do not have to be a target everywhere you travel be it during the day or at night. If you can speak their local language, you will find it easy to blend in and enjoy your visit. Scammers usually target tourists. By communicating in their dialect, you can avoid such con artists and stay safe.

Conclusion

If you were trying to figure out the advantages of being bilingual, there you have it. Great reasons why you should start dusting off your Spanish or French book right now. 

You can learn any dialect you want. It all starts with believing in yourself. The rest will work out as long as you have the desire and are committed to seeing it through.

Positive Words Research – That’s Why Language Courses Are The Best Option For Your Development

Language Courses

4 Digital Skills to Learn for Free Online And Be Successful

What are those 4 digital skills to learn for free online which will make you have the perfect digital skills to thrive on the internet?

Given, the internet does indeed possess a very dark side and is culpable for a wide variety of social ills. Yet there are also some general exceptions to this detrimental trend. To begin with, the internet is in an excellent position of equipping you with useful real-world skills. Even better, there are some that you can be able to master without spending a dime. As such, there is no shortage of valuable knowledge online, which you can capitalize on to improve your life and even career. Well, here then are some top 4

Given, the internet does indeed possess a very dark side and is culpable for a wide variety of social ills. Yet there are also some general exceptions to this detrimental trend. To begin with, the internet is in an excellent position of equipping you with useful real-world skills. Even better, there are some that you can be able to master without spending a dime. As such, there is no shortage of valuable knowledge online, which you can capitalize on to improve your life and even career. Well, here then are some top 4 digital skills to learn for free online that you may want to look into.

1. How to successfully launch a startup

If you are burning with an intense entrepreneurship zeal, but are perhaps clueless on what to do next, the internet can effectively sort you out. Now more than ever, there are numerous websites, which offer entrepreneurship courses at no cost at all. Through which you can conveniently learn just what you need to do to build your startup from the ground up.

One of the finest of these courses is labeled ‘how to start a startup.’ These lessons are taught under the auspices of Stanford University working hand at hand with the University of Reddit. The chief instructor of this course is none other than Sam Altman, the founder of Y Combinator. The ‘how to start a startup’ course curriculum includes guest lectures from highly acclaimed speakers from companies like PayPal, LinkedIn, Facebook, and so on.

2. Learn the basics of coding

The internet is crammed to the gills with many free courses on web design, web development, and even programming. By enrolling in the best of these courses, you can be in a position of learning extremely useful and very in-demand high technology skills. Should you wish to build a professional website from scratch or develop the next big mobile app, there are numerous websites that can assist you in your quest. You will be able to understand the basics of HTML, JavaScript, CSS, database manipulation, and a wide range of programming languages. The Code Academy is definitely one of the best websites that offer free tutorials for all the above-listed digital skills. Harvard University also offers an introductory course for computer science online totally for free.

3. Learn a foreign language

Being multilingual is a very marketable skill to possess as a professional. Taking the necessary time to master several foreign languages can expand your career prospects in ways you would never have deemed possible. To this end, there happen to be many websites, which are primarily devoted to teaching foreign languages to their users at no charge at all.

The finest of these online courses are highly acclaimed for being extensive and can cover a plethora of languages. Some of the most notable languages English users can learn are French, German, Italian, Irish, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Greek, Portuguese, Hebrew, Hindu to name but a few. One of the most comprehensive foreign language courses online you could enroll in are those offered by DouLingo. This website makes it a point to update its curriculum on a regular basis to make sure that it can adequately cater to the requirements and preferences of its students.

4. Learn touch typing

Touch typing is yet another invaluable skill you can be able to master for free through the internet. In essence, this skill is designed to assist you in significantly improve typing speed as well as typing accuracy. This is brought about by the learner integrating an ingenious typing method that places reliance on motor reflexes rather than sight. Basically, mastering touch typing lets you place your full concentration on your PC’s screen as opposed to the keyboard while typing. Being a touch typist can greatly improve your overall productivity.

You will be able to type elaborate and in-depth professional reports, internal circulars, and even business proposals in a much quicker time than you formerly did. This, in its turn, will naturally make you more marketable to both your current employer and prospective ones. Finally, the art of touch typing also lets you imbibe typing best practices such as ideal keyboard finger placement and the right posture to integrate when typing. All of which can greatly minimize the risks of sustaining injuries or a lot of fatigue when you engage in typing for protracted periods of time. If you wish to determine just how fast you can type and discover effective methods of improving your average typing speed and accuracy, start with one of the free online courses and be sure it can be fun and easy.

About the Author

My name is Daria Postoyalkina, I’m a development manager at Ratatype. This project helps children and adults to learn touch typing via an online typing test and lessons. I am in charge of developing the proper typing lessons and exercise for typists who want to improve their typing speed.

Positive Words Research – 4 Digital Skills to Learn for Free Online

4 skills learn free online