Learning A New Language is an enriching endeavor, opening doors to new cultures, perspectives, and opportunities. However, the path to fluency can often seem daunting. Instead of fixating on distant fluency, which can feel overwhelming, focus on setting achievable and measurable short-term goals. This approach will provide a sense of accomplishment and keep you motivated throughout your language learning journey.
Setting Achievable Goals: Your Roadmap to Language Success
Imagine training for a marathon; you wouldn’t start with a full marathon on your first run. Similarly, when learning a new language, setting realistic short-term goals is crucial for sustained progress. At the outset, these goals could be as simple as mastering a new alphabet, learning a specific number of characters, or acquiring basic phrases for introductions. As you progress and reach these initial milestones, you can set new, more ambitious goals, such as holding a basic conversation with a native speaker or reading a news article in your target language.
It’s important to personalize your goals to align with your needs and interests, rather than strictly adhering to a textbook’s curriculum. For example, if your immediate need is to communicate in everyday situations, prioritize learning essential verbs and linking words (and, but, because) over topics like colors or professions that might be less immediately relevant. By actively defining your objectives, you’ll become adept at analyzing your language needs at each stage and identifying the most pertinent areas to focus on next.
Deciding on your language learning goals also naturally leads to considering how you will achieve them. Many aspiring language learners spend considerable time choosing which language to learn, but often overlook the importance of methodology. If your previous language learning experience was limited to structured school settings, the process and techniques might have been predetermined by your teacher. However, as an independent learner, you have the opportunity to strategically choose methods that best suit your learning style and objectives. Reflect on your motivations for learning the language. Do you aim to converse with locals during travels, or do you aspire to read literature in its original language? Clarity on your goals will guide you in selecting the most effective learning methods. This principle resonates with the established field of ‘language for specific purposes,’ which assists learners in focusing on relevant material for work or study. Even for general language learners, being specific about desired outcomes at the beginning is key to efficient learning.
Diverse Methods for Diverse Learners
There’s no single, universally effective approach to language learning. What resonates with one learner might not work for another. If traditional textbook exercises feel tedious, don’t let that hinder your progress. If you are more comfortable with auditory and verbal learning, explore audio-based methods like the Michel Thomas or Pimsleur courses. Language Transfer, pioneered by Mihalis Eleftheriou, offers free audio courses for some languages and is another excellent resource. While some of these methods may have a cost associated, libraries often carry them, making them accessible. The Michel Thomas method, with its emphasis on listening, thinking, and speaking, significantly improved my understanding of Italian verbs and grammar, feeling surprisingly intuitive compared to traditional methods.
While independent learning offers flexibility, the value of expert-led language courses should not be overlooked. Although in-person language schools might be less accessible currently, many institutions provide online alternatives, often more affordable and adaptable to busy schedules. Online platforms like Natakallam and Chatterbox offer language programs with experienced tutors, often refugees, providing both language education and valuable social impact.
For finding language tutors in today’s digital age, Italki stands out as a revolutionary platform. Italki allows you to connect with professional teachers and conversation partners for online lessons. Its strengths lie in the ability to sample different teachers to find the best fit for your learning style and the availability of discounted trial sessions. This enables learners to ‘speed-date’ teachers and choose to stick with one or work with multiple tutors for diverse skill development. A significant advantage of Italki is learner empowerment; you can set the lesson agenda, focusing on your specific goals, whether it’s conversational practice or tackling complex grammar. This personalized, one-on-one attention, scheduled at your convenience, is invaluable. Being online, Italki often provides more competitive pricing than in-person lessons. For those seeking free options, Italki also offers language exchange partnerships, as do apps like Tandem and HelloTalk, where you can converse with native speakers in your target language in exchange for helping them with your native language. The diversity of Italki’s tutor community is also noteworthy, encompassing a wide range of languages like Spanish, Arabic, and French.
Leveraging Apps and Online Resources
The rise of language learning apps has been a game-changer. Often free or affordable, these apps offer surprisingly sophisticated learning tools on your phone, tablet, or computer. Duolingo is widely recognized, but explore other popular apps like Memrise and Babbel. For vocabulary building, Drops is a great option. Advanced learners often recommend Anki, a flashcard app using spaced repetition for effective memorization across various subjects, including languages. You can use pre-made flashcard decks or create your own. Certain languages also have specialized apps, such as Chineasy for Mandarin Chinese and Keefak for Lebanese Arabic. For Arabic, Spanish, and Russian, Lingualism provides impressive resources developed with native speakers, reflecting authentic, everyday language use and relevant situational content.
We are fortunate to live in an era of abundant free language learning resources. Lexilogos is an invaluable website linking to courses, dictionaries, and resources for over 100 languages. From free MP3 courses in modern Icelandic to Gujarati learning materials from the University of Pennsylvania and Yoruba courses from the University of Georgia, Lexilogos is a treasure trove. My own Norwegian learning began with the free Norwegian on the Web course from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. For structured guidance, the Open University offers a free course full of expert language learning advice, perfect for beginners.
Beyond structured platforms, YouTube and podcasts are goldmines for goal-oriented learning. When you identify specific areas for improvement, YouTube creators often offer targeted videos. If grammar rules are challenging, YouTube can be as helpful as a reference grammar book. Many educators and language schools now create video content addressing common learner questions and difficulties. When I started learning Arabic, YouTube videos from ArabicPod101 helped me with the script, and Maha from LearnArabicwithMaha provided basic vocabulary and conversational phrases in both Modern Standard Arabic and Palestinian dialect.
Podcasts are excellent for listening practice at all levels. News in Slow German (and similar series in other languages) aids listening comprehension without overwhelming speed, while advanced learners can use target language podcasts and radio for skill refinement. While it’s wise to approach polyglot advice with a critical eye, language learning podcasts and YouTube channels can offer valuable strategies and insights.
Maintaining Momentum and Embracing Comprehensible Input
As you achieve initial goals and expand your language knowledge, seek out content that fosters further improvement. Language learning experts emphasize ‘comprehensible input’ – consistently exposing yourself to language slightly above your current level. This allows your brain to bridge the gap between known and unknown, boosting your language proficiency. LingQ and similar services offer graded reading materials tailored to your level. Once you have a solid foundation, authentic online content, such as simple news articles (like those from Al Jazeera Learning), or books in your target language become accessible. Learning from familiar content is often easier, so consider history books or documentaries on topics you enjoy. The Penguin Parallel Text series offers short stories in multiple languages with facing-page translations, and Olly Richards’ short story series for beginners in languages like Turkish and Korean are excellent resources.
While passive viewing of foreign films isn’t a magic bullet, you can optimize learning from foreign-language TV and movies. Netflix offers a wide selection of foreign content, though finding it can be tricky. Reality TV shows in your target language can be surprisingly helpful due to their predictable structures and heightened emotions. Even without Swedish proficiency, I found the Swedish version of Come Dine With Me engaging. Using subtitles in the target language helps break down the sound stream into recognizable words and phrases. The key is to choose compelling content at a level that challenges you but remains comprehensible. This also offers cultural insights. Without language learning, I might have missed out on Dutch TV shows like Hier Zijn de Van Rossems or Norwegian programs like 71 Grader Nord: Norges Tøffeste Kjendis.
Motivation is crucial as you progress. Intermediate learners often encounter a plateau, where initial rapid progress slows, and gains become less obvious. Reviewing your progress and methods regularly helps maintain focus and motivation. This is where setting targeted and achievable goals proves invaluable; frequent goal attainment provides a sense of forward movement. While plateaus can be challenging for independent learners, by this stage, you’ve developed the skill to analyze your abilities and identify knowledge gaps, enabling you to pinpoint areas for focused improvement. If you’re still struggling, a session with a teacher can provide an expert assessment and guidance on your next steps. Unlike rigid curriculums, independent learning, combined with available resources and tutor support, allows for efficient progress in specific areas needing development.
Integrating Language into Your Life
To truly advance, integrate your new language into your daily life. Personal techniques vary, but one effective method is self-talk. Speaking to yourself in your target language about your daily activities, as if narrating your life, keeps your language skills active and highlights vocabulary gaps or areas needing further study. Journaling or keeping a notebook in your new language, documenting daily events, provides practice with verb tenses and tracks your progress over time. If you are more extroverted, recording yourself speaking the language, as demonstrated by this Levantine Arabic learner, can promote accountability and elicit helpful feedback from other speakers.
Language learning is a continuous journey. Embrace it as a lifelong pursuit. Beyond grammar drills and vocabulary lists, it evolves into exploring literature and ideas in your new language, enjoying travel, conversations, and friendships across languages. With well-defined goals and sustained motivation, the initial effort of language learning transforms into the joy of living in another language.
