The Best Way to Learn a New Language

Columbia, 2020

Learning a new language may seem daunting at first, but it can be very rewarding and fun if you learn it in the most effective way. One of the rules of thumb says - when something is challenging, the best approach is to find a better way to do it. For instance, I really wanted to speak Spanish, but I knew that learning it from New York wouldn’t be very effective, so I searched for another solution. Many people learn a new language in high school, but don’t get far and quickly forget what they learned because the teacher is usually not a native-speaker, which means that he or she teaches slowly, has an accent, knows little about the culture of the language, and does not know as many vocabulary words as a native. Instead of giving up on your language education from school, learn abroad, and immerse yourself in the culture to make the language learning more interesting and engaging. 

Spain, 2020

If you decide to learn a language in a different country, don’t miss the opportunity to live with a host family to get involved in their everyday life and culture. It makes learning easier and more effective because living with locals will help you relate to what you are learning, force you to think and communicate in the new language and make the learning real and necessary for survival. For example, when I studied Spanish in Guatemala, I needed to use the language constantly to communicate with local people, ask for directions, buy food and goods, or just to have a friendly conversation. When I and my parents came to our host family house on the first day, we could not speak a single word in Spanish and had to use Google Translate to communicate. The host family and we took turns speaking into Google Translate so we could understand our questions and answers. As time progressed, we got better and soon were able to understand whole sentences and have full conversations. We had a remarkable experience with our host family - especially, the elderly lady, who made great typical Guatemalan food and took care of our needs, was extremely kind, helpful, and cared for us almost as if we were her grandchildren. Because of our strong bond with her, when we decided to come back the next summer, we pleaded to stay with her again. Another great thing about being with a host family was that we got the opportunity to meet with other language learners in that home. We practiced Spanish with them, gave each other advice, and played Spanish board games together.

Spain and Columbia, 2020

When in a foreign country, try to do something engaging so that you will want to learn or even return. For example, if you are learning Spanish and decide to go to a Central American country, you may want to try making chocolate with local people, buying food from a local market, going zip-lining, seeing ancient ruins, hiking on a volcano, or seeing beautiful exotic plants and animals. Young learners usually have many memorable and fun experiences from studying abroad which enables them to realize that studying a new language is not as difficult as it seems. As with all types of academic pursuits, learning a language is most effective when it is engaging and enjoyable. Studying should not be too intense because this would make the learner dislike the subject. When my family and I traveled to Guatemala and Ecuador to learn, we did four hours of one-to-one tutoring every day and in the afternoons, we explored the town, different tourist attractions, and culture; or just enjoyed talking to the locals. From my experience, I can recommend the small town of Antigua in Guatemala and Ecuador’s capital, Quito, as great places to study Spanish because they are safe and affordable, the people there are very kind and easy-going, and they have many language schools, accommodations, and restaurant options.

Columbia, 2020

The best way to learn a new language is to go abroad, but if you don’t have that option, you can also try to make new friends who speak the language you want to learn, write to a pen pal, read articles or watch movies in that language, go to a restaurant and order in the foreign language, teach yourself, break your learning down and learn a different topic each week, or in other words, immerse yourself in the language. It is important not to be hindered to speak even if you make mistakes and to learn a language “lento pero seguro,” which means slowly but surely. Don't give up learning because you will forget what you have already learned with so much hard work. Take a small step every day, and over time you will learn an amazing amount of vocabulary and grammar. After you return home from your trip, keep practicing the language. You can do this by taking online classes with native speakers, finding people who speak the language, and keeping in contact with friends from the country you visited. Because of my method of learning, I was able to learn Spanish almost effortlessly.

In conclusion, traveling abroad to learn a language has many benefits - it is interesting, cost-effective, and helps the student to become culturally conscious. Most of all, it is very efficient and enjoyable. I had an unforgettable experience of learning abroad and benefited greatly from the many advantages of learning through immersion. Hopefully, if you travel abroad to learn a language, you will also find this an incredible experience.