| COMMON
TIPS-ALL LANGUAGES |
| ASSESS
LANGUAGE SKILL LEVEL REALISTICALLY |
| • Your
language skills are probably not as good as you
think, so be prepared to not understand everything. |
| • PREPARE
ADEQUATELY BEFORE DEPARTING TO STUDY THE TARGET
LANGUAGE |
| SPANISH |
|
• Brush
up on basic Spanish phrases before you arrive. • Take
501 Spanish Verbs with you. • Be
sure to have basic understanding of Spanish to
be able to hold a basic conversation prior to
arriving in Spain. • Be prepared for a
different Spanish and dialect in southern Spain.
• Study as much voacabulary as you can; it really
helps to carry on a conversation.
|
| FRENCH |
|
| • In
France you have to work hard to practice French
outside the classroom. • Pronounce everything
to the best of your knowledge and ask questions.
The French are nicer than Americans portry them
to be. • In Canada (Alberta) had limited opportunity
to speack French outside of class. |
| GERMAN |
|
• ...have
at least 300 level German. If
you don't, many aspects of simply living in Germany
will elude you. • Learn the basics of German before
going .... German courses at Trier divided based
on language ability. If you know the language fairly
well, get into advanced instead of intermediate
courses, since the intermediate have a mix of students
at different levels and harder to make progress.
• Swiss German is different
from standard German. If already fluent in German,
a fascinating country; if learning German, not
a good option. Even Germans don't understand Swiss
German. |
| PORTUGUESE |
|
| • No
tips provide |
| CHINESE |
|
SLCEC
great place to learn Chinese for persons with no
previous Chinese because few English speaking persons
in the area. In places such as Bejing more people
speak English. |
| JAPANESE |
|
| • Take
a class of Japanese before you
leave. • Get
Kana down as fast as you can, you will be surprised
at how much that will help. • At Ritsumeikan,
classes are long and intense, with daily quizzes.
• If you intend to study Japanese at a level
higher than elementary, start learning Kanji
asap. |
| ARABIC |
|
• Learning
Arabic is nothing like learning German, Spanish,
or French. Resources are limited, including
grammar books and dictionaries, for beginning
and low intermediate students. Try to practice
Arabic sounds before going abroad to study
(the sounds are very different). You will be
forced to speak Arabic more if you do not know
French. • Moroccans don't speak standard
Arabic. |
| ALL
LANGUAGES |
| |
FIND
USEFUL RESOURCES TO TAKE ABROAD |
• Bring
a textbook and dictionary. • Children’s
books are great for beginners. • I used
an electronic dictionary that allowed me to save
new words I learned and I would quiz myself on
them so I would retain new vocabulary.
|
| |
AVOID
USING ENGLISH AND PRACTICE A LOT |
• The
people who spoke English did not learn nearly
as much as the students who spoke Spanish.• Practice
all the time until you dream in Spanish. • Don't
speak English to the other students you meet
at school. • This will be quite difficult
at first but as a little time passes, you will
be surprised how much of the Spanish language
you will pick up subconsciously (don't fight
it). Hang out with people
that only speak the language you’re trying
to learn. Don't let French people speak
English to you and if they insist reply in French. • Try
to speak Portuguese as much
as possible and listen to TV and radio, go to
movies. • Be picky about who you spend
time with and avoid other students who speak
English most of the time. Make a commitment to
avoid speaking, reading, or hearing english unless
ABSOLUTELY necessary. • ...speak
even if in broken German, since
they will love it when you try.
|
| |
UTILIZE
THE WHOLE COMMUNITY AS A LEARNING RESOURCE |
• Talk
to the locals in Spanish, not
the host family who knows how to enunciate for
foreigners, since locals use slang and other
idioms you won't learn from teachers and host
families. • Go to markets
and other places where you can practice the language. • Employees
in places of business in Vienna were patient
and many times even willing to help when I wanted
to order something. If I was on a long train
ride, I would try to talk with someone next to
me in German. • I spent
most of my time conversing with people (Ticos)
learning about their culture, politics, educational
system, etc. It really helps to use the language
outside of school. More challenging. • The
most satisfying part was using the language outside
of class. I talked to cab drivers, bus drivers,
people on the bus, in the streets, and in the
businesses. • Read
all signs in Spanish every chance
you get, read books, menues, schedules, calendars,
etc. This helps with understanding their culture
and you be come more attuned to every day language
use.
|
|
DON'T
WORRY ABOUT MISTAKES |
•
Make mistakes loudly. The instructor can't help
correct you if you whisper and speak unclearly. • Don’t
be afraid to speak it. Try to speak as much
as you can even if you think it’s not
correct, you’ll learn more by trying. • Feel
free to make mistakes because this is the only
way to learn the language and speak as much
as you can, and try to avoid to speak Spanish
or English. • It is o.k. to mess
up, people will help you correct it. • I
would advise students to not be afraid to speak Spanish.
I had to tell myself that I wouldn’t
make fun of someone who was trying to speak
English. • People are very helpful and
encouraging, to make you feel comfortable in
using the language around them. • Do
not be afraid to make mistakes, put yourself
out there and talk out loud in Spanish to every
one. It does not matter the level of Spanish
you are in • Don't
try to be perfect at first, start out with
being understood. • Be prepared
to get a little frustrated with yourself. • Be
patient and don’t be afraid to ask questions. • It
doesn't matter how much French you
know, you will get tongue tied. Don't be afraid
to ask people for help or explanation with French.
they may seem somewhat stand-offish at first,
but they will help if you need it. Don't
be afraid of the kanji (Japanese),
lots of them, and not all easy to memorize.
The Japanese know this and are eager to help
you out.
|
| |
BE
ORGANIZED, STUDIOUS, AND KEEP A JOURNAL |
• Have
some idea of the things you would like to know
by the end of your classes and use that to
help set you plan up. I would have done
better with a little ore structure in my lessons
from week to week. • To excel at language
learning try to put time aside every day and
work on verbs and do the homework assigned. • Review
commonly used phrases and words at night before
going to bed. Study outside of class time.• If
you put the effort in you will be surprised
on how much you will learn.
|
| |
DON'T
COMPARE WITH ENGLISH |
| • Don't
think about how Spanish compares with English.
It's much easier to learn when you think about
it as a totally different language. |
| |
UNDERSTAND
THE CULTURAL ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE |
• Live
with Brazilian roommates and hang out with
Brazilians to get a vivid experience and ability
to master Portuguese. • Talk
to a lot of local people, regardless of feeling
self-conscious.
|
| |
UTILIZE
THE HOST FAMILY, LOCAL INSTRUCTORS, OTHER RESOURCES |
• Take
advantage of intercambios and tutoring. An intercambio
is a Spanish speaker trying to learn English,
an in turn they teach you Spanish. • Talk
to your family a lot! It’s good practice
and they are all awesome! • Make sure you
stay with a host family, it improves the whole
experience. • It might be best to live
with a family. In the student apartments you
tend to run into a lot of European students who
want to practice their English just as much as Spanish. • Explain
to the professors if you want more speaking or
more reading/writing so you can focus on your
weaknesses. • Class
time plus speaking with instructors helped in
my speaking ability. • It helps to inform
the instructors what you feel your weak areas
are.
|
| |
BE
PERSISTENT |
| • Don't
give up. Sometimes it is frustrating learning Spanish,
but keep at it and it will come, even if slowly. |
| |
STAY
AS LONG AS POSSIBLE |
• Stay
longer. A month wasn't enough to get the language,
although as far as the cultural aspect goes it
was amazing.
|
