The 3 Myths About Learning a Foreign Language: Learn German the Best Way

Having studied langugages for nearly 20 years, I’ve learned a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t.  Here are 5 common myths:

Myth 1: It’s impossible to learn a language fast.

Not true at all.  I know many people in adulthood who have picked up a language in amazingly fast time.  And no, they don’t all have IQs of 180!  In fact, most just have a valid reason, such as work advancement.  You just need the right motivation, and you too can learn fast.

For many language learners we have worked with, fluency implies an ease and fluidity of expression in the target language. And you would probably need to add to the mix ease in understanding everything said by others in the target language. Plus everything that you read. Plus perhaps everything you write in the new language too. The list could go on. We would agree that for most mortals it’s not possible to achieve fluency of this kind in a few weeks or months.

You CAN, however, achieve ‘conversational fluency’ in a matter of weeks or months.

Myth 2: It’s much easier to learn a language as a child.

a lot has happened in the last half century, and there’s been a substantial amount of new research that pokes big holes in the ‘critical period’ idea. It has fallen out of favor with psychologists and language specialists alike, which means you can no longer use your adulthood as an excuse not to learn a language. In fact, a number of studies have demonstrated the exact opposite: that when exposure time to a new language is controlled, adults actually learn FASTER than children!

This makes perfect sense. Think about it. Adults have a couple of obvious advantages over children who are learning their first language. Adults know infinitely more about the world; they understand that there are such things as ‘rules’ and ‘conventions’ and that these rules govern the way all languages work.

So don’t let this common myth stop you, whatever your age, from pursuing a new  language.  There are so many reasons TO learn a language–these myths are but a few erroneous reasons not to!

Myth 3: The best way to learn a language is to go to that foreign country and immerse, immerse, immerse…

Immersion is a very fashionable word when it comes to concocting language learning catch-phrases. And for good reason. Surrounding oneself with other native speakers and being forced to communicate in the target language most if not all of the time is a powerful way to learn a second language.

But here’s the thing: you don’t need to go to Germany to immerse yourself in German, Italy to immerse yourself in Italian, Korea to immerse yourself in Korean, and so on. This belief just puts another obstacle in your path, and gives you an all-too-tidy excuse not to take your language learning seriously in the meantime.

There are several reasons that undo the foreign country immersion myth. First of all, there are plenty of ways in which you can recreate – or ‘simulate’ – a productive sense of immersion in the language. That’s because you live in a digital culture where all kinds of resources from all kinds of places are available to you on your personal computer.

Secondly, it’s certainly not a BAD idea to immerse, but who has all the time and money to do this?  Moving to another country takes a lot of time and resources, and requires sacrifice like very few other things: you’re giving up time from your family and friends, time from your job, giving up precious savings…

So, you ask, what IS the best way to learn?

In general, the best courses will be able to combine:

1) the power of multimedia technology;
2) a clear and up-to-date method of instruction; and
3) a sense of enjoyment and play…

The best courses will also provide you with a suggested learning path, but at the
same time be flexible enough to allow you to do things your own way. They will
be invaluable in giving you simulated conversational practice when the real thing
is not within earshot.

For my money, Rocket German, by the fantastic Rocket Languages team, is the best, fastest, and most enjoyable way to learn German.  It covers beginner’s to advanced levels and costs far less than a beginner’s course (you can spend over 0 at most universities just to get the basics!), and about a 25% of the price of JUST Rosetta Stone Level 1 (about 0 just for Beginner’s German!!).

It’s a good deal, and one that any serious learner should jump on.

I hope this helps!  Enjoy whatever path you take, and good luck.

Related Language Learning Articles

Tags:

Chinese Universities And Chinese Language Schools – A Perfect Way To Study Chinese

The ever-increasing business ties between the Eastern and Western countries are the outcome of a globalized world. Keeping this in mind, mastering Chinese language or Mandarin Chinese will certainly give you an upper hand in the current business scenario. You can also pursue a career of a lifetime once you learn the language. Mandarin Chinese is certainly not an easy language to learn. Below are some pointers that will help you in your learning endeavor.

Enroll in a entry-level Chinese School

This is the certainly the best way to study or learn Chinese. Some of the various options available are as follows:

* High School

* Community colleges

* Chinese Universities

In these schools, you can get an understanding of both, spoken as well as written Chinese. You can also expand the available options by searching for native speakers you can practice your pronunciations with.

Learn Chinese with Audio Programs

You can enhance your Chinese vocabulary via audio programs. Such audio programs provide lessons and courses in Mandarin Chinese. Listen to these CDs as much as you can whenever you get free time. According to Language experts, listening to these audio CDs will help you to know about the intricate details about the foreign language. Experts also recommend that listening to these audio programs, by placing the walkman under your pillow, will help you in internalizing with the spoken aspect of the language.

Universities in China

universities in china offer short-term courses to the students at reasonable rates. You can also consider the option of contacting a Chinese cultural society and availing the services of a tutor. Check the experience of the tutor before hiring him/her. Choose a Mandarin speaker or tutor as this dialect is spoken by a majority of the population. You can choose a good university in Beijing for learning the language.

You can also consider the option of living with a Mandarin family to learn more about the Chinese culture. Practice your skills with the local people. Such day to day language exchanges with the local people will certainly help you immensely.

Chinese Language School

Language schools are the perfect place to learn foreign languages. Such language schools also offer study material or coursework which can help you learn the language in a better manner. You can also get information pertaining to the number of chinese language school online.

Tags:

The Best Language Learning Software

The reason you have found your way to this article is because you are wondering what is the best language learning software on the market today! Right? The truth is, there is not one specific language software that will be the best for each and every person! And there are many factors that go into determining which software is best for you and why. If you will take a few moments and finish reading this article, I assure you that you will have a strong heading to guide you to a specific language learning software that best suites you and your learning strengths.

Based on my personal analysis of several different language learning software programs, there are four software programs that really stand out. Each of these learning language software programs have their own teaching styles. The four software programs that I am referring too are Tell Me More, Fluenz, Rocket Languages, and Rosetta Stone.

There are a number of factors we took into consideration when determining which of the software programs above is the best language learning software program. These factors include pricing, teaching methods and styles, tools, and additional accessories such as games.

If you are interested in a teaching program that is low in price and contains several games then I recommend you look at the Rocket Languages software program. Rocket Languages specializes in 11 different languages including sign language. The program can be downloaded directly to your computer or shipped to your home. Having the software shipped to your home is a couple hundred dollars more expensive. So you may prefer to stick with the downloadable material. The major fall back to this software program is that it is mostly an audio program. You have the games, including a vocabulary game that helps develop your vocabulary, but the majority of the program is audio. But you are still getting a superb program for only if you decide to go with the download.

Rosetta Stone is another big language learning software that you hear about all the time. It seems like every time you turn on the TV that you see a Rosetta Stone commercial! Rosetta Stone is a great product and they offer a lot of software tools and learning material. The major drawback that I see with the Rosetta Stone’s software program is that it teaches you as if you were learning your native language for the first time. You may be thinking, “What could be so hard about that?” What makes this teaching method so hard is that you learn by looking at pictures and then hearing or seeing the foreign language word along with it. There’s no English translation! Rosetta Stone has designed this program so that you can learn various words pertaining to different objects and eventually develop those words into sentences and conversations. The problem with this method is that it will probably take a long time and a lot of us don’t have years to wait for our language skills to develop with Rosetta Stone. Don’t let me sway you away from looking into Rosetta Stone if this is the method in which you learn best. Go with what you know works for you and you will find the success that you are looking for.

Fluenz is another exceptional language learning software program. This program has been designed to take the headache out of learning. Fluenz has done this by eliminating lots of drop down menus and other buttons that you may see on your screen during the learning process. Basically allowing the software program to easily guide you through each lesson. In addition, Fluenz is rated extremely high among its users. There are a lot of users that are very happy with this program because of its simplicity. Other great features of Fluenz include progress tracking, iPod/MP3 compatibility, personalized learning paths and speech recognition. But one of the down sides to Fluenz is that the program developers choose not to include any games, test or quizzes. The reason the designers choose not to implement any test or quizzes for the software program is because the designers felt it best that the individual repeat various lessons until they have mastered the material. Sometimes people can just go in to a testing situation and do well on a test by simply being lucky. This method eliminates that likely outcome and encourages a complete mastery of the study material.

As awesome as the Fluenz language learning software program is, my absolute favorite is the Tell Me More software program! The program includes all the perks of the Fluenz software program mentioned above with the addition to games, quizzes and test. Something that should be noted here is that Tell Me More’s personalized learning path tool is extremely awesome! It has three different modes that you can choose from. The Free-to-Roam, The Guided Mode and the Dynamic Mode. The Free-to-Roam mode allows you to do what you very well please. So if you want to work on one specific area of a specific lesson then you can. The Guided mode will guide you through your lessons one at a time. The Dynamic Mode is the coolest of all! This mode will analyze your previous scores and progress, and then adapts your future lessons to focus on the areas that you performed weakest in a previous lesson. Essentially, allowing you to develop your weaker areas. The major downside to this software program is that it’s only available in windows operating systems. If you have a mac then I am really sorry. Just pray that the designers of Tell Me More come out with a mac version in the very near future.

As you can see each of the programs are different in their own ways. So it is definitely beneficial to look a little closer to pick out the details that can make a software program right for you. If you interested in learning Spanish with one of these programs and want a closer look then feel free to check out one of the links in the authors bio box. Thanks and have a great day!

 

Tags: