While of course there is no substitute for studying a foreign language in a country where it is spoken, sometimes the only option at your disposal is to study it online – but this doesn’t have to mean that your language skills are destined to always be subpar. With the many possibilities that advances in technology offer today, online language study is now easier than ever. Read on for some tips on getting the most out of your online language study.
Watch Video Clips
Scour the web for commercials, short videos, and news clips featuring the language to get a feel for what it sounds like when spoken with a native tongue. Which sounds do you notice sound different in that language? Are there any particular sounds that you are hearing more frequently? Less frequently? Not at all? Where do they tend to stress syllables? These are all the kinds of questions you should be asking when listening to a native speaker so that you can train your own mouth to speak similarly.
Speak Out Loud
It can be tempting when sitting behind a computer to do your work in complete silence – but that is not how foreign language study works. When learning a foreign language, it’s necessary to train your mouth to speak in such a way that it isn’t used to, requiring you to use different muscles and make new articulations. So while it may feel silly, spend time at home practicing the new accent and making these new articulations as you’re reading. Listen to native speakers and repeat them word for word. Doing this will greatly increase the ease with with you speak your new language.
Use Language-Teaching Apps
There are myriads of apps out there today geared toward helping foreign language learners do language study on the go. Browse through which apps are available on your mobile device and find what works for you. Some apps will help you construct sentences or match vocabulary in a game-like format, while others offer a more textbook-like approach and have you type sentences that you hear.
Video Chat with a Pen Pal, or Find a Group to Practice With
If you happen to already have a pen pal who is fluent in the language you are studying, online video chat might be a perfect option for you. This will give you the interactive practice that you have been craving. For college-level students, there even exist websites and apps dedicated to matching students to pen pals across the world. And if having an online pen pal isn’t an option for you, try finding a practice group in your area. These groups are dedicated to giving people foreign language practice in a social setting and will often also give you exposure to the culture related to the language you are studying with fun cultural events.