With countries becoming more multicultural, the desire and need to speak a second language has never been greater. However, while many people want to speak a new language, traditional teaching methods put people off and the majority give up early on as the process becomes long, boring and arduous. It doesn’t have to be that way!
Traditional teaching methods can exhaust your patience, especially when it comes to learning languages. As free online learning pioneers, the team at Alison is continually coming up with new ways to make learning fun and easy.
Alison’s suite of language courses includes over 1,000 hours of free online interactive language training in English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, Irish and Arabic. Each language course is presented in a high quality online interactive format, with video instruction as well as interactive multimedia, such as audio, text and animation, to assist various learning styles. Language standards range from lower to intermediate and business standards.
To help you master your chosen second language, we have also developed 6 simple tips that will have you speaking your new language with confidence in the shortest possible time!
1. Carry a dictionary
If you are serious about learning a second language, you need to encounter it every day. Try to think in your new language. Carry a dictionary with you and look up the words to describe various items or events you come across.
2. Talk the talk
When we start learning a new language, we often get hung up on proper pronunciation or learning the alphabet. Focus on trying to build your basic conversation skills. Try conversing in the language out loud, even if you have no one else to talk to but yourself!
3. Master the basics
Start with the basics first – How to say Hello, Goodbye, How are you? Your focus should be on building your conversation skills, so try to learn as many useful everyday phrases as possible.
4. Stick to it
Visualising the words and phrases can be very useful. Write them down on Post-its and stick them around the house. These will serve as a constant visual reminder of the language. Your brain will be absorbing the visual information without you really knowing.
5. Watch, read, listen
Reading books and newspapers, watching a film or a TV programme, and listening to a podcast or radio programme in your new language will really help you absorb the language more quickly.
6. Sing it!
Reading and listening to the lyrics from music videos is a fun and interactive way to learn your new language.
Inspired to learn a new language? Check out Alison’s complete language course list and start learning a new language today!
