Mastering Language Proficiency: Essential tools and tips for International Students

Why learn a new language? 

• Gain insights into other cultures
• Improves job prospects
• Befriend people from different backgrounds
• Helps understand different perspectives
• Helps when traveling
• Enhances analytical skills

Mastering Language Proficiency: Essential tools and tips for International Students

When people are asked to learn a new language, especially a foreign tongue, most of them approach the task with nervousness. Yet, in a world that is becoming more global, people need to be at least bilingual, if not master more languages, to communicate with people hailing from different cultures. It is also essential for students who want to study abroad for them to help them interact with locals better.

The clarity in communication is essential when you go abroad to study as you would have to stay there for at least a year in most cases, i.e., a portion of life in a new culture where the habits and customs vary from your native country. You need to adapt to a new culture to stay in a foreign land for a long period of time. You would not be able to adjust at all.

Make the language learning process more fun

If you decide not to learn the main language in the country where you are studying, you also miss out on enjoying life during your stay there. Learning a new language can, in fact, be an enjoyable experience. You will also get to know interesting aspects of the culture of the new environment you are living in.

Furthermore, you will slowly begin to start feeling at home. And who knows, you may be having more fun in a foreign country than you ever did in your homeland.

The fact that you longed to study overseas implies that you were willing to go through the trouble of getting acclimatized to a new culture, meeting people from backgrounds different from your own, and getting used to new cuisine, music, and interests.

Having said that, when you are busy studying abroad, learning a new language simultaneously can be a tough ask. It can be tough to shoulder the workload when you study abroad, particularly when you have to learn a new language. In such a scenario, link language learning to your study environment. Observe how local students discuss your subjects in their language. Remember that there is no rule stating that you have to learn a language in a traditional way.

You can make the language more fun when interacting with your friends at your study place or in the neighborhood where you reside. Use body language, including gestures, to learn new words.

Take the help of a free language-learning app

Various free language-learning apps are available in the market, like Duolingo, buddy.ai, and Elsa, among others, which are resources that help in learning foreign languages. Make use of them in a proper manner. If you do not know how to use them effectively, seek the help of friends.

To a large extent, if you learn about 500 basic words and phrases in a new language, you will be aware of most of the events happening around you. Make use of these apps to learn the most widely-used words and phrases first. These language apps, which can be used both on mobile and laptops, help you learn language even while you are traveling. They contain interactive lessons, classes in grammar, and meanings of words that are used most on a daily basis.

Other important aspects of learning a language are proper pronunciation and using words in a proper context. Apps also help you practice the speech you have grasped from native speakers with voice recording, correction tools, and video. To learn any new language better, you must get to know the local slang.

Use aids to practice language 

Make use of aids or techniques to practice the new word and phrases you have learned. They will help you in recalling them and in which context they need to be used. Start greeting people in the new language and make use of everyday speech when with your friends. Try connecting similar-sounding words in your native tongue to the words in your new language.

Practice the language religiously 

Practice the newly acquired language skills regularly. For instance, use new words or phrases when you are taking a nap, rehearse them before a mirror, or playact as if you are talking to a stranger even when you are alone.

Use sticky notes of words you often have a tough time remembering by attaching them to your bed, dining table, work table, etc. Attach sticky notes to the items you use in the language you are learning.

Though English is the most widely spoken language, such as Spanish, French, and Arabic, among others, are spoken in more than ten countries. If you learn one of these languages, you will have an advantage when you wish to study in any of the countries abroad.

If you are planning to go abroad where you do not know the local language, get in touch with Y-Axis, a premier overseas career consultancy, to get effective training in a foreign language.

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