It doesn’t matter if you’re preparing for a trip abroad or aiming to boost your career, or simply exploring a new culture that’s entirely different from yours.
Learning a new language doesn’t have to take years. With the right strategy and tools. You can accelerate your learning and also speak with confidence.
Language learning doesn’t have to be hard and boring.
Here are the Nine tips to learn FAST and never forget.
1. Immerse yourself.
Immerse yourself in it as much as possible through voluntary exposure, such as listening to videos, films, TV shows, audiobooks, and podcasts. Summarize what you’ve learned.
By inputting and outputting, you’ll be able to remember more and more each day.
2. Start speaking.
To learn a language quickly and effectively, incorporate speaking practice into your daily routine with native speakers. Use a frequency list to start conversations with your tutor and turn new vocabulary into Anki flashcards.
3. Start reading.
To learn a language quickly and effectively, start reading books in that language.
You don’t have to start with difficult books, but can choose something you enjoy reading. By reading a lot, you’ll learn new words and understand more about the language.
4. Start writing.
Writing helps reactivate neural pathways and identify areas where you need to improve. Get corrections from native speakers, and put your mistakes into flashcards to reinforce your learning.
5. Weak Links
When learning, pay attention to what you find difficult. Maybe it’s a certain tense in language. Maybe it’s a scale on the piano, maybe it’s a formula on Excel. Create ‘drill’ exercises where you focus specifically on these topics for a fixed period.
6. Active Recall
Want to know something interesting?
We don’t learn by cramming information into our brains. We learn by retrieving the information. You need to practice recalling what you’ve learnt. Get people to give you a pop quiz.
7. Feedback
Feedback has countless benefits:
– Mistakes are spotted
– You know what sticks
– You know what to avoid
Get feedback from both above and below.
Ask mentors how to improve.
Ask your audience if they related.
8. Overlearning
The word ‘Why’…
When learning something new, constantly ask ‘Why?’
Dive deep into the reasons we do certain things with certain activities.
It helps you process rationale, instead of just regurgitating what you’ve witnessed.
9. Teach
Pretend to explain the topic to a 5-year-old.
– Simplify words.
– Use shorter sentences.
– Make the concepts easier.
If you can teach a skill to people who are just behind you, it will solidify your knowledge.
Language learning still needs you to adopt the principles of P.A.C.T (patience, action, consistency and time). You need to be patient, take action consistently every day over a period of time.”