Job Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language

Professionals who know other languages are called on to travel and exchange information with people in the United States and other countries throughout their careers. Knowing more than one language enhances opportunities in government, business, law, medicine and health care, teaching, technology, the military, communications, industry, social service, and marketing. An employer will see you as a bridge to new clients or customers if you know a second language. You are also more likely to win the trust and friendship of people whose languages you know -- even if you know just a little of their language. Even something as seemingly minor as being able to correctly pronounce the name of a foreign client can be a positive business advantage.

Foreign Films

Watching foreign films is not just a great way to get practice listening to your new language. They are also a wonderful window into the larger cultures you will encounter via your new language. Learning a new language is just part of the picture. If you not only know the language but can discuss what are considered the cinematic masterpieces of a particular country or culture, you are more likely to impress people “over there”. Today there are many, many opportunities for viewing foreign films. Most college campuses have some kind of foreign film program that is open to the public. Some larger metropolitan areas even have movie houses that show foreign films. Even subscriber movie services like Netflix offer hundreds of titles. If you need some advice in selecting a film, try Tom Wiener's "The Off-Hollywood Film Guide: The Definitive Guide to Independent and Foreign Films on Video and DVD".

Helping Your Kids Learn a Foreign Language

If you want to teach your kids a foreign language, the last thing you want to do is try to get them to sit down with a grammar and a dictionary (especially if they are younger). As adults we develop different strategies for learning and assimilating knowledge, but most of them aren't suitable for learning to speak a foreign language. If you want your kids to speak a foreign language, the best way to start is to get them into an environment where they hear that language spoken on a regular basis. Their natural language learning ability is geared to learning by listening and responding. If your kids are the right age, try getting children's books in that language. There are also lots of fun illustrated books that teach kids vocabulary words in different languages. Try to avoid an approach that requires them to grapple with grammatical concepts and rote memorization as much as possible. Later you can add that sort of thing, but your main goal is to get them started by helping them develop a feel for the language and become comfortable with hearing it, even if their understanding is spotty at first.

How to Choose a Good Program

The options you have for learning a language via self-study will vary depending on they language you want to learn. If you're interested in French of Spanish you have lots of options. If you are going to visit Africa and need to learn Twi, the choices are a bit more restricted. But if you have a choice, look for the following features in any program you consider: first, audio tapes or CDs. Humans are programmed to learn languages by listening, so audio recordings are a must, especially if they feature native speakers. If you are using a book, make sure there are a lot of drills and exercises that will give you plenty of practice. Finally, look carefully at the vocabulary words in each lesson and decide if these are words you are going to actually use. There's little point in learning words that don't have anything to do with what you'd want to talk about.

Foreign Language Search Engines

Google offers search engines for web sites in multiple languages. Go to http://www.google.com/language_tools (see screen shot below) and you can look up foreign language web pages in everything from Catalan to Turkish. Google also offers computer translation on the same page, where you can translate pieces of text into and out of several languages. You can even enter a web page and see the whole thing in a new language. While I wouldn't want you to use these as a crutch, just paying around with these tools and seeing how the system renders phrases can be an easy way to pick up new words. Try it!

Do-It-Yourself Study Abroad

If you think study abroad is for high school or college students, think again. One woman decided that after her retirement she wanted to study painting… in France! She didn't want to take a one- or two-week tour, she wanted to enjoy a more extended stay, and so she arranged a three month trip to France. Thanks to the Internet, she was able to make the necessary arrangements; it turned out that inexpensive hotels and apartment rentals were plentiful. She found an apartment with her own entrance, washing machine, and cooking facilities for a 3-week stay in the home of a retired art teacher from England who had recently moved to St. Chinian, France, another small village. There is no reason why anyone could not develop their own program of learning or study in a foreign land in a similar do-it-yourself fashion.

How Much Vocabulary Do I Need?

There are several ways to try and answer this question, but most studies seem to indicate that if you know between 2,000 and 3,000 word in a given language you can function in most any environment. Some of the better studies conducted by teachers of ESL (English as a Second Language) show that foreign students who acquire a vocabulary of the 2,500 most commonly used words in English can handle any university-level academic text. The percentage of technical terms they encounter is less than 1% of the total vocabulary, and even their native English-speaking classmates will probably need to look up many of those words. Once your vocabulary reaches a certain size, you can pick up words by context, or if someone tells you the definition, you'll know enough to understand it. The goal is to acquire a big enough vocabulary that it can build itself.

Start a Conversation Group

If you decide to start a conversation group, use an ad in the paper, an internet bulletin board, a poster at the local library… whatever will get the word out. As you proceed, here are some things to keep in mind. First, keep the group small if you can. Too many and it becomes difficult for people to get in enough “talk time”. Second, try to have it at the same place. Someone's home will work, or perhaps you can find a room at a local club or church that you can use. Third, have something to eat and/or drink. One way to do this is to have the group meet at a local bar or other public establishment where food and drinks are served. Finally, remember to keep it fun. If it isn't fun, people will stop coming.

Ethnic Festivals

If there are any sizable ethnic groups in your area, find out if they have any public celebrations. Practice speaking German at Oktoberfest, or Spanish on cinco de mayo. Some ethnic groups tend to base their activities around a particular church, such as a Greek or Russian Orthodox church. Festivals like these will give you a lot of opportunities to explore the flavor and texture of a culture, and best of all, it's an excellent way to find native speakers with whom you can practice. Consider that if they are participating in a festival that celebrates their ethnic heritage, they will probably be delighted to meet someone who is learning their language.