I sincerely believe that there are many benefits to take away from the process of learning the language of another country. First, you expand your boundary of communication beyond the languages you know. Second, you open up your mind to the possibility of alternative perspectives outside of the country you reside in.
Of course, attaining fluency in another language is not an easy task especially if you are not surrounded by it. The multiple difficulties that arise with learning a language through the academic route include boring grammar worksheets, an unlimited number of flashcards, a loss in motivation and more. As with learning any skill, doubts about the practicality and usefulness about what you are trying to achieve during the process, are natural.
While we would all love to become fluent in French in a week, it is impossible. Author Greg Anderson gives an excellent piece of life advice that I believe is equally applicable to the process of learning a language. He says, “Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”
As an amateur Spanish learner, I have found my own methods of making the learning process a bit more entertaining. I list my methods in the hopes of encouraging anyone who is interested in picking up a new language, to go for it. While my methods will specifically be in reference to learning Spanish, methods similar to these can be used for other languages.
1. Read the Spanish edition of The New York Times.
The New York Times offers an online Spanish and English edition of their articles. While you may think that you are not ready to read in Spanish, you may be surprised to find that you understand more than you think you will. I recommend shorter articles in the categories of lifestyle and culture for easier reading as they contain more common vocabulary.
Reading articles in Spanish will help you get a feel for sentence structure. You will be able to identify certain Spanish phrases, conjunctions and prepositions that are commonly used and repeated throughout articles. The same phrases that are repeated in writing are often times commonly used in speech.
The best part about this method is that you choose what you want to read.
2. Select a Telenovela, then Follow
Watching telenovelas is a painless and fun way of practicing your listening skills. If you listen hard enough, you will be able to identify speech patterns in Spanish dialogue – pauses that indicate the subject and verb of a statement, a break in the sentences, or a transition into another topic. Reviewing grammatical forms and structures by book is useful when learning Spanish for the first time, but listening to the spoken language in its everyday form is necessary to familiarize yourself with the nuance and auditory skill required to listen to fast paced conversations.
Even if you don't understand what is going on completely, trust that your ears will slowly come to pick up and recognize certain words out of the conversations.
Recommended Show: "Yo Soy Betty La Fea"
3. Sing Spanish Songs
To keep things interesting, Spanish songs are a great way of connecting to the language. Take an old classic like "Besame Mucho" by Andrea Bocelli to practice your Spanish alongside a slow beat, or an energetic pop song like "Bailando" by Enrique Iglesias to test your pronunciation against a fast rhythm.
4. Learn about the Countries in which the Language is Spoken
Language is only a single piece of the entire puzzle that is a country. If you ever find yourself frustrated over tricky Spanish verb conjugations, take a break. Pull up a map of South America and give yourself time to explore the area. You will find yourself reminded that an entire population of people speak the language you are trying to learn, as their mother tongue. It’s not just you.
Behind a country and language, are centuries worth of history and development. Today, we see such growth and history manifested in the form of unique customs and traditions as seen in style of clothing and celebrations.
5. ...And More
Of course these are not the only activities you can do to brush up your language skills in a fun way. Find yourself a Spanish speaking partner! Change the language settings on your phone to Spanish! Plan a trip to South America! However you go about learning your language, there are ways to enjoy the process and have fun with it.
