Top 5 (REALLY) Fun Ways to Practice Languages

Voxy on 03/22/12

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     We all know that learning a new language is a daunting task. Many people attempt to learn a new language only to give up after a few months because they simply don’t have the time, or don’t see progress. But with today’s technology, we have many more options to expose ourselves to language! Here at Voxy, your success in learning a language is our priority, so we’ve outlined some tips and tricks that we would like to share with you!

1. Use Youtube! Youtube is a great website for watching native speakers of the target language speak, as well as a good way for yourself to broadcast your own language learning journey! When you see native speakers speak on Youtube, you are getting a firsthand experience of how native speakers use the language in specific situations, and broadcasting your attempts to use on youtube can help see if other Youtube viewers can understand and give you tips on improving your skills!

2. Watch your favorite movies, without subtitles. Watch your favorite movies that are in the target language without subtitles. If you’ve seen the movies before, watching it without subtitles in your native language help create coherence even if you don’t completely understand what the actors are saying the entire time. The fact that you’ve seen these movies before and know the plot means you can understand the plot even though you may not fully understand the exact dialogue of the speakers. This helps you connect new vocabulary and phrases from the movie to their meanings.

3. Like sports? Watch your favorite sport and team using commentators from the language you are trying to learn! Don’t watch it in your native language! There are plenty of television channels or websites that show your favorite matches in other languages. This will give you exposure to the specific language of something you love, and soon you will be able to converse to native speakers in your target language about sports at the bar in no time!

4. Current events! Watch the news and read newspapers, or even news websites, in English! You can even read about news in your home country in different languages before you read it in your native language, that way you can compare what you could understand from viewing it in another language before you go back to your hometown news source.

5. The internet is your friend. In today’s interconnected world, you can easily make friends and pen pal’s online from any place in the world. This is a great advantage for language learners that did not exist in the past. All you need is access to a computer and an internet connection and you can have real time conversations with someone that is a native speaker. Have language exchanges and a real life connection to a language besides textbooks and classroom teachers!

That’s all for now, so get cracking on that language exposure!