Language Learning: Be Creative

Hi Everyone,

I have been learning languages, specifically Spanish, for a few years now. While I am not fluent yet *fingers crossed,* I do have some tips and tricks up my sleeve.

My first tip is to get creative with your resources. Depending on your language, you might not have access to as many conventional resources as you would like. While my textbooks and classes have been very useful, I put in effort to find other resources. I will watch Netflix in Spanish, and if I am struggling I will have the subtitles in Spanish so I'm not just reading the subtitles in English. I find conversational groups to join. You can look for penpals to practice with. I look up Wikipedia in Spanish. Wikipedia is a huge resource in many languages, so I will read through articles and find words I do not know. Another nice thing about Wikipedia is that it covers thousands of topics. Do you like Egyptology? Are you a plant parent? What do you know about Catherine the Great of Russia?

If you find yourself with a pretty high command of your language and want some pretty hard materials. I start reading research papers. I have created presentations where the professor said all your resources had to be in Spanish and at least 2 newspaper articles. I wanted to push myself, so I looked up peer-reviewed papers that focused on climate change and tourism in Spain. I used that in my paper and my professor was impressed that I had that level of command in Spanish.

Also, if you ever feel like you are getting behind because you are not taking formal classes, relax. While I found having a formal learning experience early on was beneficial, the more advanced I was, I was able to find my own resources to practice. I had a 1.5 year gap between two sets of Spanish classes. I was nervous that I had fallen behind. I actually impressed some of the professors by how far ahead I was and found I did not really learn anything new until the last few weeks.

So, the key is to think outside the box to implement resources and not feel bad about not having a formal language education all the time. Free resources like Duolingo, Wikipedia, and Youtube channels are also great resources for language learners. If you have that opportunity to save that bank, do it!