TIPS TO HELP YOU LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Added on: 19th Nov 2015
ONLY 4% OF STUDENTS THAT STUDY A LANGUAGE IN
SCHOOL ACHIEVE FLUENCY AFTER 3 YEARS
MOST OF THE OTHER 96% STOPPED BECAUSE THEY HAD
WRONG EXPECTATIONS AND INEFFECTIVE
LEARNING METHODS
FIRST, LET US ADDRESS THE EXPECTATIONS. MOST
PEOPLE TAKE 600 OR MORE HOURS OF INTENSIVE STUDY
TO REACH FLUENCY IN THE SIMPLEST LANGUAGES
(FRENCH, SPANISH) AND NEARLY 1,200 HOURS FOR MORE
DIFFICULT LANGUAGES (MANDARIN, RUSSIAN).
EVEN IF YOU ARE LEARNING A SIMPLE LANGUAGE, AND
YOU STUDY ONE HOUR PER WEEK, IT WILL TAKE OVER
10 YEARS TO REACH FLUENCY (600 WEEKS).
AND THAT IS WHY PEOPLE GET FRUSTRATED. ANYONE CAN
LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE (YOU ALREADY LEARNED ONE!),
IT’S JUST THAT WE FORGET HOW LONG IT TOOK TO
LEARN OUR MOTHER TONGUE.
WHICH BRINGS US TO THE MAIN POINT OF THIS LIST.
TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE IT REQUIRES ONE THING,
IMMERSION. WHEN YOU LEARNED YOUR MOTHER TONGUE
AS A CHILD YOU WERE BASICALLY “STUDYING” NON-STOP
FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
SO WHAT DOES IMMERSION MEAN? IMMERSION MEANS
THAT YOU ARE CONSTANTLY LEARNING AND USING YOUR
LANGUAGE. BY IMMERSING YOURSELF IN THE LANGUAGE
YOU CAN EASILY CRAM 40 HOURS INTO 1 WEEK
INSTEAD OF ONLY 1 HOUR.
AND AT THAT RATE YOU CAN CUT 10 YEARS DOWN
TO 4 MONTHS.
THAT’S WHAT THE 4% DID TO ACHIEVE FLUENCY. BUT NOW
THE QUESTION IS HOW? AND NO, YOU DON’T NEED TO
MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY.
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