The Best Way to Learn a Language 7 Smart Hacks to Soar to Fluency

The Best Way to Learn a Language 7 Smart Hacks to Soar to Fluency The Best Way to Learn a Language: 7 Smart Hacks to Soar  to Fluency Whats faster than a cheetah?Give up?The peregrine falcon.This bird can  reach speeds over 200 miles per hour.  Wowzer!This happens when the falcon is diving to catch its prey.And its  able to get to those speeds thanks to its  stiff feathers, pointed wings, large keel (a special bone) and incredible circulatory and respiratory systems.We can take a lesson from this bird in order to reach our language learning goals at incredible speeds as well.If you want to learn faster, youll have to design a system as efficient as the peregrine falcons body.How you create this  system will depend on  you and your language learning goals, so  the  best way to learn a language will look a bit different for everyoneâ€"just as the cheetah and peregrine falcon have different features that allow them to  travel so fast.Once you have this strategy in place, every minute spent learning will be valuable. Youll discard the tools that dont suit you, increase your efficiency and be left with a method that get s you fast results.Theres nothing like seeing how much progress youre making!  So are you ready to discover the best way for you  to learn a language?Here are seven  smart hacks thatll help you reach record speeds on your way  to fluency. The Best Way to Learn a Language: 7 Smart Hacks to Soar  to Fluency1. Decide What Your Goals AreTo learn a language the best way, youll first need to identify your personal language learning goals. Here are some questions to ask yourself that will help you pinpoint your aims:Why are you studying your target language?  Consider your motivations for wanting to learn  your target language. It may be for a new job, to travel, to understand your favorite K-pop songs or  even to impress  a foreign fella! Knowing your reasons for learning a language will help you  narrow your focus.Which language skills do you need most?  With your goals in mind, make a list of what youll need  to do in your target language. For example, if youll be attending a conferen ce, choose listening as a priority. If you have to network, make speaking your top skill. If youre learning a language  to read or research original texts, youll obviously want to prioritize reading.Is there an exam looming? If there is, thats great because it gives you a concrete goal to work towards. In fact, even if you dont need a test score for any reason, it might be a good idea to sign up for one several months or half a year from now, just to give you a solid goal and motivation. Whether  youre taking  the DALF in French or the  IELTS for English, there is no shortage of practice test materials.How much time do  you have?  Finally, consider your timeline for reaching your goals, as well as how much daily and weekly time youll be able to dedicate to your learning mission. Use this information to make your goals specific. For example: My goal is to be able to order food at restaurants, ask for directions and make small talk when I travel to France five months from now. Ill spe nd 15 minutes a day, Monday through Saturday, learning French. Write  down this commitment  in whatever system  you preferâ€"whether thats a planner or a calendar app.If you have your specific goals and timeline in front of you, youll be one step closer to locating  the best way for you to learn your target language.2. Select the Best Methods and MaterialsChoosing a method and materials which suit you, the most important person in all this, is an important step in designing your falcon-fast system. The first factor  to consider is your learning style.Discover your learning styleCan you understand and remember words better through listening, or do your prefer a visual style? If its the latter, youll thrive on flashcards, lists and other visual content.  If youre a kinesthetic learner, you learn by doing, acting things out and talking.Four main learning styles are visual (seeing), auditory (listening), tactile (touching) and kinesthetic (moving/doing). There are no rigid boundaries he re, as most learners avail of a mix of styles with one predominatingâ€"and some choose from an expanded list of  seven main learning styles.If you have no idea where you might stand, heres a quick online quiz  to help you find  out your learning style.Select  materials and methods  that fit your  learning styleOnce you know your learning style, you can then match it up to the best materials and methods. Here are some ideas to get you started with three big learning styles:Visual: Read newspapers and books  |  watch  movies  |  use  flashcardsAuditory:  Listen to  music, radio and  audiobooks  |  watch  television  |  meet with a  conversation partnerKinesthetic: Take notes | draw diagrams |  play games  |  use interactive software  |  role playDefinitely  mix up materials so that you face a challenge now and again; you shouldnt stay solely in your strongest learning style. One incredibly effective method  thats suitable for most learners is using videos, and you can learn this way w ith FluentU.FluentU is an online immersion platform that takes  real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.  You can browse videos  by difficulty (beginner to native), topic (arts and entertainment, health and lifestyle, etc.) and  format (video blog, news,  shows, etc.).FluentU is  much more than  just watching videosâ€"its about learning and actively practicing the language you hear in videos. Use the interactive subtitles, multimedia flashcards, downloadable transcripts and vocabulary lists to learn your target language  better than ever!Find a teacherIf you need a bit more direction or prefer to supplement your self-study with an experienced teacher, look for a private tutor or course. italki  is a fantastic place to find language teachers  for online lessons, whereas  your local university job board or even Craigslist might be a better place to start looking for an in-person tutor. For  sit-in courses, availability varies greatly depending on your location and target language, so use Google to see whats available near you. For more flexibility, you might prefer  one of these online language courses.3. Go for Vocabulary Instead of GrammarTo make the most progress in the least amount of  time, don’t worry too much about mastering difficult grammatical concepts. Instead, focus on  acquiring vocabularyâ€"the heart of a language.Learn common vocabMake sure youre aiming for the most commonly used words that fit in with your immediate goals.  Again, a quick Google search here can get you vocab lists of the most common words in your target language.This  will be the foundation for any meaningful interaction, the foundation for all language acquisition as Dr. Stephen Krashen points out here:Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target languageâ€"natural communicationâ€"in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the mes sages they are conveying and understanding.In other words, grammar isnt so importantâ€"getting your message across is.But  you will need grammar, of course! There are shades of meaning that can only be expressed through grammatical knowledge.  For example, making use of tenses to say when you did something. Thats pretty important when youre telling a story!Learn like children doKids are great at acquiring words for objects, and they can do it without any grammatical knowledge whatsoever! Reading is a fabulous way of acquiring new vocabulary, and if you can guess the meaning of unfamiliar words from the context, youre on a winning streak.4. Immerse Yourself in the LanguageIt doesnt matter whether or not you live in the country where your target language is spoken, there are lots of ways you can surround yourself in it. It really is just a matter of getting as much exposure as you can.  Here are some ideas:Listen to podcasts. Get your listening device  loaded up. If youre more advance d and want native podcasts, change your location in iTunes and browse local podcasts from your country of choice.Watch videos. Head back to FluentU  or over to YouTube and watch clips in your target language. Experiment with subtitles and see how it goes. As you become more adventurous, you can try to understand videos without them.Read widely. I always tell my students that there should be no books on their bedside table which are in their native language. Find something youd likely read in your native language, and which suits  your level. Dont forget about the wide variety of reading materials available: magazines, blogs, childrens books, romance novels, tabloids, graded readers, manuals, short stories, biographies, etc.Talk to native speakers.  This tip is going to catapult you towards fluency, no matter how many mistakes youre making  (there will be lots!) or how nervous you might feel. The sooner you start, the sooner youll become comfortable talking with natives.  The Mixerr  is a great resource where you can find a language partner and start talking to them via Skype.Write emails, stories and letters. Once youve switched your daily writing (to-do lists, shopping lists, calendar) into your target language, take it a step further. You can find international penpals or email language partners here, and native speakers will correct your writing here.Make  recipes. Cooking is a great passion, and is a marvelous way to discover the gastronomic culture. Search for recipes in your target language and try them out. In the comfort of your home, host  your very own cooking show  in your target language!5. Enjoy Yourself and ExperimentYoull definitely reach your goals faster if you enjoy the time spent learning your target language. So lighten up, let loose, play around and have fun!  Here are some things you can do: Watch cartoons.  Do a Google search for  â€œwatch cartoons in [your target language].” As always, youll want cartoons  that are fit for your level and your learning objectives.Do quizzes and competitions. The European Day of Languages site  has some great ideas for this.Play computer games. Get your competitive edge going by playing some computer games in your target language. If youre just starting out, play an online game in English for language learners,  like Free Riceâ€"which currently has German, French, Spanish, Italian and Latin in their foreign language category.Read kids books. Stock up with childrens  books in the language of your choice. See what your local library has available, or buy  kids stories for your Kindle or e-reader on Amazon.  Relive fond childhood memories, and discover new favorites!Watch TED talks. These short instructive videos are really entertaining and inspirational, plus they come with subtitles and interactive transcripts. TED has over 100 languages availableâ€"just use the language pull-down to search by language.6. Measure Your Progress and Increase Your MotivationThe peregrine falcon gets t o eat dinner when it succeeds. Talk about instant feedback!  Youll also want a way to measure your progress, so you can evaluate  whether or not its in line with your expectations and tweak your system accordingly. Being able to view the progress youve made can also do wonders for your  motivation.Here are some practical ways you can do this:Chains. Language learning is the result of good habits, rather than being very talented and having an ear for languages. Chains is a great site/app to help you keep track of your new language learning habits and goals. Dont break the chain!Test yourself. There are lots of ways you could  test yourself, and this is a great way to measure progress. If youre aiming for vocab, for example, use FluentU to track  how many words you have learned. If you want to improve your reading speed,  time yourself and see how long it takes you to read one page of a novel. Repeat the same test weekly, biweekly or monthly and write down  your results in the same pl ace.Track your conversations on Skype. Look at how many conversations youve had with your language exchange partner and add up the total time. Do a weekly check to see if its  increasing, and set a goal for next month.Check  off specific things you can do.  The Common European Framework established by the Council of Europe is full of can do statements which are the basis for measuring progress in languages. You can follow these or make your own list. Theres nothing more satisfying than being able to cross off things on your can do list. For example, youll be able to order a simple meal, ask for directions, introduce a speaker or write a report.Pace yourself. You do not want to risk burnout by doing mega sessions. Aim for short and intensive learning bouts for actively practicing the language.Keep positive. Having a positive mindset is crucial. Whenever you need a lift, read a blog post from Marc and Angel or these tips on Life Hack  to stay optimistic and hopeful.Persistence pays of f. Yes, there will be difficulties, frustration and setbacks, but never quit. Small, repeated, consistent efforts will get you farther than you ever imagined.  7. Reach out and Gain ConfidenceThe key here is to continually step outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself. Choose growth over comfort, and youll see your  confidence grow along with your language abilities. Here are some ideas:Pick up the telephone.  Call a museum or major company in Madrid, Beijing or Tokyo, for example. Ask for basic or more detailed information, and then check if you have understood correctly by looking at their site online.Talk to tourists.  If you live in a large city, you have a golden opportunity. Go out of your way to help tourists with directions and guiding whenever possible (in your target language).Set yourself new challenges. No sitting back on your laurels,  think up new challenges to test yourself. For example, if youre just starting out, you might challenge yourself to have a 15-min ute conversation with a native speaker two or three months from now. If youre more advanced, challenge yourself to  give a speech in your target language (set it up and schedule it). For the best results, keep your challenges  realistic and attainable, and then announce your challenge to others for added incentive to follow through.Dont aim for perfection. Get used to making mistakes, and dont view people correcting you as a criticism. Its a learning opportunity!Follow these seven smart hacks and youll  create the most efficient language learning system for you. Spread your wings and soar! And One More ThingWeve already mentioned FluentU a few times, but theres a lot more to see, so we thought wed offer you a more detailed look.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos, including movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions th at let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover over or tap on the subtitles to instantly view definitions.FluentU Interactive Transcripts You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs quiz mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.