If you want to accelerate your career in the hospitality industry, you can do so by learning a foreign language.
After all, whether you want to work at an overseas resort or be the maître d of a hotel that regularly welcomes international visitors, by learning another language you’ll be able to communicate with more people and have the opportunity to take on many other tasks and duties than you could if you only spoke your native tongue.
Mastering a new language will undoubtedly take time. However, there are various ways in which you can learn a foreign language fast.
Here are five suggestions that are sure to be helpful.
Ways of Learning a Foreign Language
When it comes to the formal study of a foreign language, you have more options than ever before.
You can learn from books. You can learn from books that come with audio content. You can learn from online video tutorials. You can also learn directly from a teacher; you could attend a course that takes place in a physical classroom, hire a private tutor, or enroll in an online study program.
For instance, if you want to learn German, you can find flexible German language classes at Lingoda in which expert teachers lead live courses.
To learn a new language quickly, it’s undoubtedly best to be taught by a real person. And you can use the other learning methods mentioned above in addition to a live course of study.
Now you know the different ways of formally learning a foreign language, let’s move on to the ways in which you can speed up the learning process.
1. Study Pronunciation from the Start
If you learn from books alone, you won’t know exactly how words are pronounced, which is why it’s a good idea to enroll in an online or offline course with a professional teacher.
And if you want to learn a new language quickly, it’s vital that you pronounce the words you learn correctly.
If you don’t, you might find yourself being able to read and write a foreign language but unable to communicate verbally in an effective manner.
So, make sure you learn how to pronounce each word you learn right from the start.
Trying to fix mispronunciations later will only cause you more problems and delay your ability to master a new language.
2. Start Speaking the New Language Early on
The same logic can be used to make a case for speaking your new language early on.
While you’ll certainly need to become familiar with words and grammar on the page first, the sooner you start regularly speaking the language, the quicker you will learn.
If learning a language as quickly as possible is your goal, you should start speaking the language outside of an online or offline classroom environment in your second month of study.
You could meet up with a native speaker either online or offline or you could use apps with on-the-go language-speaking tools.
It’s also important that you simply say things out loud in the new language when you’re at home, even if you’re alone.
3. Regularly Read Foreign Language Content
The more you immerse yourself in a foreign language, the quicker and easier it will be to learn. So, make sure you read content in the foreign language besides the content in your textbooks and study materials.
It’s a good idea to look through online newspapers that are written in the language you’re studying each day.
You should also read simply-written books on subjects that you’re interested in. For instance, if you’re learning German and you have a passion for fishing, read a short how-to guide in German. Reading about a familiar subject matter will help to engage you more and assist you in learning faster.
You could also read comic books and children’s books that are written in the foreign language you’re learning.
4. Watch Foreign Language Movies
Another way to speed up your learning is to watch movies that are in the language you’re learning.
At first, leave the subtitles on so that you can improve your vocabulary, practice what you’ve learned, and ensure you get the pronunciation of words right.
But after a while, start watching movies without subtitles. You’ll then be forced to pay more attention, get your ear in, and learn the language faster.
5. Travel to Another Country
Time and time again, studies show that people pick up languages much more easily and quickly when they are surrounded by people who are native speakers of the language.
So, one of the best ways of learning your foreign language fast is to visit a country in which the language is spoken. If you’re learning German, head to Germany or Austria, if you’re learning Spanish, visit Spain or Mexico, and so on.
The more time you spend around native speakers and try to hold conversations with locals, the quicker you will learn.
Sure, you’ll want to wait until you have learned the basics of your language and have gained a good vocabulary, but once you’re ready, immerse yourself in a land whose people speak the foreign language you’re learning.
Not only will you be able to enhance your language skills. You’ll also gain new-found confidence in your ability to speak a little of the language.
It will then be easier to progress your language learning even more so that you can accelerate your hospitality career.
