Recently, we asked Middlebury College language professors to offer advice for language students. Are there any resounding themes or suggestions in these posts? We reviewed the blog and selected six points emphasized by these professors.
6. Bypass your English reference. For example, rather than imagining a sentence in English then translating that sentence to German, try to go straight to the German, even though it will feel mentally awkward. As Professor Matthias put it, say what you are able to say, not what you specifically want to say. This will help you temporarily “give up the linguistic universe” of English.
5. Tap into online media. Check out the web applications, podcasts, radio stations, music videos, and news sources that populate the internet in foreign languages. You can tune into real world language radio and music streams to practice listening or peruse stories and news to practice reading. As Professor Saldarriaga andProfessor Crouzières mentioned, modern gadgets have made language learning accessible everywhere.
4. Personalize language learning. Find ways that language is meaningful to you. For instance, if you love sports, learn about your favorite sport or athlete in your target language. Watch a soccer game in Spanish or keep your exercise log in French.
3. Be resilient about your mistakes. Either shake the fear of making a grammatical error (which happens to native speakers all the time) or stay “thick-skinned” when being corrected or learning new vocabulary. As Professor Soltan points out, getting something grammatically right after you have learned by trial and error feels good.
2. Study with your method. Plenty of helpful study techniques and systems will become available to you as you progress, some of which are probably discussed in your school. But no single study method has proved better than the rest. Flashcards, re-reading, re-writing, making posters– these are all valid systems; the important step is organizing a system that works best for you.
1. (Drum roll, please) Maintain consistency. In the short term, as Professor Moran put it, each day you practice language you improve, each day you do not practice you lose a little fluency. In the long term, as Professor Saldarriaga put it, avoid completing an academic year without studying your language. Each of the five professors emphasized consistent practice.
