Being able to communicate with people who speak a different language than you is a great skill to have. You won’t always have access to professional translating or an interpreter for workshops or meetings so it can be helpful to know another language yourself. Also, learning a language is fun in and of itself! There are so many great programs available to help you learn a new language. Especially with a lot of work being done remotely, people have found themselves picking up new hobbies or skills, and learning a language is one of them! Here are five of the most fun ways to learn a new language (so that you won’t need an interpreter for meetings, or just for the fun of learning)!
1) Watch a Movie or TV Show in Another Language
This is a super fun way to grow your vocabulary and understanding of a new language once you have a grasp of some of the basics. There are hundreds of shows and movies available on all streaming platforms with the audio in their original language. You can start out with the audio in the language you’re trying to learn and watch with subtitles in your native language. Then, as you get more comfortable hearing the language spoken in a real media context, you can try watching with both the audio and subtitles in the language you hope to learn. This is a really fun and engaging way to help you get better at listening and understanding a new language!
2) Listen to Music in a New Language
On the same note of improving your listening comprehension, you can try listening to music sung in the language you hope to learn. This is another great way to try and improve your listening comprehension. You can try to listen to the song and write down as many words as you can recognize, and then go through again and have the lyrics next to you to see if you can understand more and maybe even learn some new words! Not only are you working on listening comprehension, but you are also gaining exposure to authentic popular, cultural pieces from the regions in which your target language is spoken.
3) Use a Language Learning App
Some apps are top rated for a reason! Using a language learning app or program can be really effective in helping you learn a new language, enough that you won’t need an interpreter for meetings! Some apps have language games built in that can help make the learning process a lot more engaging and less daunting. Additionally, the smaller lessons that apps like Duolingo or Memrise present can make the learning process seem a lot more manageable and adaptable to your schedule. And, these apps can help keep you accountable and on top of your learning as they often allow you to customize the reminders you can set. So, whether you want to work on learning a new language every day or once a week, you can set a reminder for yourself to set aside some time!
4) Talk to a Native Speaker, or Another Language Learner
Talking to someone who speaks the language you are trying to learn is extremely helpful. In this way, you can listen to someone speak naturally in the language and pick up on things that you might not be able to get just from reading materials. Speaking to someone who is also learning the language can be super helpful too! You can talk to the other language learner about your progress in learning the language. You both don’t have to be at the level of a professional translator or a business interpreter to benefit from talking! Either way, you will most definitely be able to have some really interesting conversations!
5) Travel to a Country in Which the Native Language is Your Target Language
Lastly, traveling to another country that speaks the language you are trying to learn is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in a new language and culture. Even if you’re on a business trip and your company has employed a corporate interpreter or an interpreter for meetings, you can still take advantage of talking to locals to improve on your language skills. However, travel is definitely one of the more costly ways to improve your language skills. Luckily, you can still have a lot of fun learning a language right from your home with some of the ideas on this list, and some that you come up with too!
About Language Connections:
Language Connections is one of the top language service companies in the US. Over the last 30 years, we’ve focused on providing the best business translation services, interpreting services, localization services, as well as interpreter training and customized language training programs. In addition to top-tier corporate language training, we offer certified corporate interpreters and professional business translation services in 200+ languages. Our network includes linguists with backgrounds in all major industries. They’re ready to meet your needs, whether they’re for technical translation services, legal translation, government translation services, international development translation services, education translation services, life sciences translation, or something else. Reach out to us today for a free quote on our cost-efficient and timely translation services, interpreters, or other linguistic services.
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