Learning Foreign Languages

Hello my friends,

During the first four months of 2010 I had the time to prepare myself for one test called the DELF that demonstrates how much the aspirant domains French. The place I selected for my preparation was the library of the British Council in Caracas because it has a great atmosphere. The place was built to encourage the lecture and learning of a foreign language specially English but a lot of people go there to study Japanese and in my case French.

During one of my French study sessions at the BC I took a break of 15 minutes approximately and I took one of the books of the library. I found an article very interesting because it concerns the learning of English as foreign language and I did the relation with French. I identify myself with one of the paragraph of the text because right now I’m in a period of frustration: I feel I cannot express myself properly or I cannot express myself the way I want to do it.

There are other aspects reflected in the article. Maybe another person can identify itself with one or several of them. Maybe this person is having a tough period in this thing of learning a foreign language and can find a way out of this dark period thanks to this article. For that reason I took the decision to publish it on my blog. I hope it can be useful for you.

What’s the secret of successful language learning? We asked two expatriate teachers of English for their opinion.

Alastair Barton is a teacher at a private language school in the UK. He has also taught English in Japan.

1. I think the most important thing is that you really have to want to learn the language – without that, you won’t get very far. You also have to believe that you will do it… Imagine yourself using the language confidently, and think, ‘Yes, I can do that’.

2. Then there are other things: Of course you need to work hard, but at the same time you need to enjoy it and not get frustrated when you feel you’re not making much progress. And you have to be realistic – learning a language takes time, and you can’t expect to know and understand everything in a few weeks!

3. Also, you should try to ‘develop an ear’ for the language – not only to recognize the sounds of the language and to understand what people are saying, but also notice the exact words and phrases that people use… And then try to use them yourself. Some people can do this naturally, but others have to learn how to do it – that’s where having a good teacher is important!

Teresa Polac is a teacher of English in Poland. She has taught English in a secondary school for a number of years.

4. For me, motivation is the most important thing. You have to be ready to study grammar, read a lot, listen to English songs, radio and TV, and what’s more you have to do these things systematically.

5. It is so easy to forget what you have just learnt… That’s why I need a teacher to force me to study. Even the most motivated students need that extra push sometimes. I believe that only a very few people can learn a language on their own.

6. Learning a language can be quite stressful, especially for adults… Suddenly, we speak like children and make fools of ourselves! But if you’re motivated, you learn to overcome this. It all sounds like very hard work – and it is. It is also very enjoyable – I praise my students for every thing they do well, however small it is. Many of them are very successful and speak English better than me, and some of them have even become English teachers themselves!

Published on “Cutting Edge – Pre-intermediate level” by MOOR, Peter and COMYNS, Jane. Pearson Education. Spain. 2004. 9^th impression. Page 25.

Gus.