By this point, everyone has been affected by current events in some form or another. Feeling restricted to staying inside, apart from necessary trips to work and trips to the grocery store, has lead to a very different lifestyle. In my observation this has proved difficult for many people, and I admit, not being able to travel as I enjoy is a disappointment. However, that is not to say that my extended time at home has been met with a life of non-productivity. I do have a bit more time for my hobbies, and in particular, my language learning.

I have, as I have stated to people many times before, a love for language learning. To me, learning a language is a bit like putting together a complex puzzle. In the beginning, you can see the pieces, you know that they are there, and have been told what it is, but you can’t see the whole picture, and maybe only understand one or two small fragments. As you spend more time with it, beginning to see where pieces might fit together, you can see some areas coming together, revealing more of the whole. The more time spent with it, the clearer it becomes, and eventually you reach a point where even if there are still pieces missing, you can understand a far greater amount than what you could before. Some aspire to complete the puzzle, others are content with simply filling in their favorite parts. There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong, but if there is no motivation to work on the puzzle, results will not be satisfactory.

At this time, I am focusing most of my efforts on improving my Japanese, since it not only has practical applications (living in Japan), but I have found myself enjoying studying their writing system quite a lot (though I am better at recognizing characters than writing them). Everyone has their own method for learning, and I truly believe everyone should do what is right for them. For myself, I find that using multiple resources has provided the most favorable results, especially resources that focus on different areas of learning.

Vocabulary

In the beginning, flashcards are usually my go to. Words are the building blocks for language, and without at least a basic vocabulary, focus in other areas is difficult, if not impossible. I generally utilize an app called Memrise, which is free to use, although they do have other features for a paid subscription (I have never felt the need to pay for it). Not only does Memrise offer a wide variety of languages to learn, but it also provides flashcards for other subjects such as history and music theory, for those who wish to learn other things.

Listening

Along with building a vocabulary, training your ear to listen to the sounds of the language is also important, and this should start as early as possible. The material, again, depends on the learning, but for me it mostly takes the form of listening to music. Take a look on YouTube, see what you like, it doesn’t even matter if you understand anything at first, just that you enjoy it and are motivated to understand it. This can even be combined with learning vocabulary, as I have often looked up the lyrics for a song I enjoy and using a dictionary, learned what the song meant. Upon listening to the song again, I begin to understand it a bit better, linking the melody to the words, and the words to their meanings.

Reading

When my comprehension has reached a level where I can understand simple interactions (Greetings, likes and dislikes, foods, etc), I try to do simple readings to further my learning. Words are the building blocks, but seeing them in real context allows us to observe how they interact with each other, and we have a better understanding of their usage, memorizing them better. There are a number of resources for reading authentic content. For Japanese, I started by reading manga (Japanese comics) and of course song lyrics. News sites are also useful, but they can sometimes use more formal vocabulary, which may be difficult depending on your level. Children’s books are generally a good place to start, or even finding one of your favorite books translated into your target language. Even if you get through it slowly, feeling like you’re looking at your dictionary more than the context, you are spending time with the language, and over time, you will notice yourself needing that dictionary less and less.

One website that combines reading and dictionary together is Lingq. I adore this website, as not only does it provide tons reading content for several languages, but most of them come with audio for you to listen along with. Using its simple interface, you can select a word you don’t know and instantly see the definition in your native language. Words that you don’t know are highlighted in yellow, and over time as you see them again and again, you become more familiar with them, until you decide you understand it enough to remove the highlight. In addition to having a great amount of content, if you have a website that you like using for reading practice, you can import the text into Lingq to use with the interface. The website offers a free membership, though it is a bit limited. If you are serious about language learning and want to use this resource, I would recommend the membership (I have one myself). If you are not interested in paying for a service, which I completely understand, there are plenty of other free resources out there and while they don’t have the same interface, can prove to be useful for someone with the right motivation.

Setting Goals

Along with effective learning methods, setting a goal is also beneficial to your studies. This can take many forms, such as “I want to communicate with people at a restaurant” or “I want to be able to read books in this language”. No goal is too small, but I also find that the more specific the goal, the better. For myself, my goals can be a bit broad, wanting to simply learn the language better. In my case, I use proficiency tests to focus my efforts. Last year, I studied for the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), and found that while I was studying for it, I locked into a more regular study routine, and of course my skills in the language improved. My goal wasn’t necessarily to pass the test, but rather to use the test and its deadline as motivation to focus my efforts in a more structured way. Having passed the third level, I am now focusing on studying for the second level test (level one being the highest level).

Goals don’t always have to take the form of tests, however. It can also be represented in how much time is spent on a language. 15 minutes a day? 30 minutes? an hour? the amount of time depends on the learner and their goals, but I find that no mater the amount of time chosen, consistency is key. If you choose 30 minutes a day, do 30 minutes a day. If you happen to miss a day due to busy schedules or other circumstances, start up again as soon as you can. Spending time with and having exposure to the language frequently will help lead to favorable results.

Many learners, including myself, have found that while studying a language can be enjoyable and rewarding, keeping consistent with it can be a challenge. As the language becomes more familiar, it can lose some of the mystique that it originally held, and I have on occasion found myself zoning out of my study sessions. In these cases, I sometimes choose to focus on a different language for a short time. In this way, I am still learning a different language, but switching up the language helps to keep things feeling new, and I feel like it keeps my mind on its toes, switching between the two languages. At this time, My main target language is Japanese, but my secondary target language is Spanish. When I feel drained and need a break from my Japanese studies, I change to Spanish. For myself, I still study Japanese everyday, but the time spent on it is not always the same. I always study for at least 20 minutes, but sessions can last as long as 2 hours. On the days I study less, I can focus on Spanish more, and I actually find that when I study Spanish for a while and come back to Japanese, my understanding of Japanese has improved. It’s as if focusing on another language allowed my brain to process the Japanese it had learned in the background, so that it was better realized when I returned to it. At least, this has been my experience.

Speaking

Finally, no mater the language, many people want to be able to speak the language to at least some extent. There are differing opinions on when to start speaking a language, of course you can start speaking immediately with basic greetings and questions, but I find at least a few months of earnest studying with listening and reading before putting your speaking skills to the test yields better results in the end. I do not mean that this leads to less mistakes, mistakes will be made. Lots of mistakes will be made. However, with more vocabulary and better listening skills, you will have more tools to work with, and will benefit more from your interactions than if you only had a small set of words and phrases to work with. Of course, how one goes about practicing speaking depends on the environment as well. If you live in a country where the target language is spoken, it’s easier to practice everyday. If you don’t, other resources need to be utilized. If you have a friend that speaks it, it’s possible to speak with them. Like other skills, the internet is full of websites that fills this need. I have tried a few of them to varying success (there are always people out there who will try to turn them into dating sites..).

One site that I am intrigued by is Tandem. I haven’t really used it yet, but the idea is that you set up your profile, add what language(s) you’re learning, topics you like to talk about, and your language learning goals. You can find other people to help you, as well as people who want to learn your native language. Using the interface, you can set up times to chat (text voice, or video I think), and go from there. What I am most interested in is the option to post a topic (“I want to learn Japanese idioms”, “I want to practice pronunciation”), and wait for other people to join the conversation to help out. Again, I haven’t really used the website yet, but it does seem promising, I am interested in using it eventually (Also, it’s free!).

So, that’s a little look into one of the things I’m passionate about. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting this post to be this long, or to focus solely on this topic. But as I began writing, I realized I had a lot to say about it, and I sort of just let the words flow out of me. As I mentioned, this is an area I love greatly, so if anyone wants to ask about something related to it, or maybe practice a little language learning, I am always happy to answer the call! 🙂