Learning a Different Language
There are many reasons to learn a new language. Whether it’s because you plan on visiting a place or because you’re very into entertainment, you at least have a reason to go out and learn a new language. Therein, you also learn more about the culture. Getting started to learn a language can be a challenge on its own, especially if you’re learning a language by yourself. Finding the necessary tools to help you learn – that you can understand and afford – usually is hard enough. You’ll need to put some practice in and possibly get feedback as well. If you’re learning a new language, blogging is one of the best ways to go about it. And even still, there are many ways to go about that.
First thing’s first, actually getting around to studying. Your easiest way to get the help you need for writing in a new language can be at different online learning websites. There are plenty, and there are quite a few that you don’t have to pay for. Staying diligent with these sites isn’t too hard because they do offer a positive community where feedback is usually abundant and objective. Most of the requirement for you is to get more involved in the community, to talk with other users and to even approach others for one-on-one help. There are different sort of learning sites where you and the community have something of a syllabus or set curriculum you have to follow, and then there’s the “share what you know” method that seems more prevalent when going down the path of looking for something free. That’s a route that works, can present you with a blogging atmosphere, and can get you the help and practice that you’re looking for. This doesn’t always personally work for people for a variety of reasons, but it’s good for getting the more hands on approach.
Another you can do is to keep your progress on your blog. It doesn’t have to be your main blog where you keep your business or your niche, but it can be something completely separate that you make for the purposes of learning. Not just in your studies but for making mistakes as well. Having a blog where you learn or teach a language encourages a new audience. At first, it might be slow: people just finding your blog/studies and seeing your progress, and then other people might start to take an interest in what you do and help you along. It’s a little more indirect, allows you to just copy what you’re learning and repeat, and there’s not actual timetable or guarantee on if and when people will find your blog – let alone help out. It’s flexible and hard to pin point, but you can ease that process if you make it more publically known about your studies. Even if you’re not the most proficient at the language you’re studying, you do want to get yourself into a place where you can get feedback from your work. Even if you practice in private, you do want to know if there are some technical or social errors you’re making and how to improve that.
Something to take note of, and perhaps something that can be quite crucial, is to visit a site in your target language. You might get the full effect from having a loose enough grasp to get an account, but for many websites, you can get a decent enough effect just from browsing around a few of the pages. An example of this is if you’re a blogger who’s learning Japanese, getting an ameblo or a tuna.be account might help you. If you’re an artist or musician learning Korean, getting more acquainted with Naver will benefit you most. Such is the same with other languages. This isn’t just for the people that might use those sites. Yes, it does help, but finding a popular, or at least well-used, site can give you a better understanding of language’s flexibility. Of how it’s used colloquially or how it’s used formally (site rules, prohibitions, and errors are typically written formally or politely).
You, of course, need to know basic things, such as getting around, shopping, food, and other related necessities, but if you want to exercise what you know or retain what you’re learning, why not put it to the test in your fields of interest. You might not be able to use everything at once, but over time, it’ll become more cohesive, especially in languages that have more symbolic characters instead of alphabetical text. Many blogs and sites will use vocabulary that you’ll see in your studies, so you can have some familiar ground. Your studies help you get the formalities down pact, and even if you learn the colloquial walk and talk, you still need to know the foundation. But as the saying goes, you need to know the rules before you can break them.
There are many ways to get around when learning a new language. Speaking and writing are just as important as the other; they go hand in hand together. It doesn’t help if you can read things well; you want your tongue to be able to sculpt the words your mind can see. Your first thought should be to practice with yourself and to learn from audio or videos that teach your pronunciation. They’re clear, concise, and they have repetition. They help you hear the words before you start becoming acquainted with other dialects and other speeds. If you know someone else who is learning the same language as you – or already knows it – then they can help you as well. When you’re with someone you know, you don’t have to use the vocabulary in its purest form. You can apply it in sillier conversation. You can practice your formalities as well as goof off with your colloquialisms as well.
No matter what approach you take, it’s always best to have a goal, first and foremost. You might lose sight of that goal at some point, or it might even change. But you want something that can get you started, that can give you a reason to try for yourself. In this day and age, there are people who are willing to help and critique your language progression. It’s not enough just to learn and write in that language, you have to understand that you are merely a foreigner trying to learn (or review) new material. A culture that surrounds the language might not always be what you think it is from a shallow perspective, and if you know nothing about a place, language is a good way to learn.
So open your blog and your mind. Take chances in learning, and you’ll get better in time. You’ll find new blogs to read; you’ll discover new sites to haunt; and you’ll meet new people – might even forge some bonds. It’s not so bad, but if you set yourself forward and at least get started, you’ll find your way.