Studying English abroad can be a good way to develop your skills, learn about another culture, and improve your job prospects. Here’s our list of things you need to know before going abroad to study.
The internet has changed the way we consume information. What was once spread through newspapers, magazines, and books is now shared on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Language learning sites have become popular as well because they offer a convenient way to English study. In this article, we will explore why language learning websites are useful and how you can get started with them.
How to learn English quickly: 10 tips
1. Read everything you can get your hands on
The best way to improve English is through reading, and there are plenty of opportunities to do so. Today, more than 250 million people use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter on a regular basis (TICAS, 2012). That means that an additional one billion users around the world now have access to this information at their fingertips. The internet offers countless stories about everyday life in almost every country across the globe. You can read blogs written by people who live in New York or London and learn how they’ve adapted to the city’s language limitations.
2. Actively take note of new vocabulary
There are more than 200 million blog posts published every day in the world at any given time. All of these different sources provide limitless chances to expand your vocabulary. If you haven’t been actively searching for new words, consider experimenting with a search engine like Google or Bing and entering key phrases. For example “dictionary meaning of the word”, or “how do I say this”. Take 45 seconds once per day to look up a few unknown words that you just encountered and try to attach a meaning or definition.
3. Talk with real live humans
There are countless fantastic examples of language learning websites out there designed for native English speakers. The best way to use these sites is to engage in face-to-face conversations with other students, teachers and natives. Virtual communication via Skype or Google Hangouts can work as well, but keep in mind that it’s much easier for you if the people you’re communicating with don’t know each other beforehand. It also makes it a lot more difficult because you can only use/read chat windows that you’re part of. If they want to understand what you are saying, they will ask for clarification (and probably in a very irritating fashion too).
4. Subscribe to podcasts or Youtube channels (in English)
There are very exciting people out there who have dedicated their lives to learning English. I’m not aware of anyone as devoted and punctual as the daily blogger known as “LearnEnglish”. His lessons plan changes every single day, but you can read them before hand at the bottom of his posts. Very often he publishes a podcast in which students send questions for him to answer (he usually answers by reading off an entire page in his notes).
5. Go abroad
Many students take the time to travel while they’re learning English. Individuals have different preferences: some like to go on vacation abroad but spend a large amount of their free time doing activities that are related to studying, namely being more efficient with word memorization because you are immersed in Google translate and translating from/into English every single day; others prefer travelling for workshift purposes only, as it allows them not just receiving income without having a boss but learning from the locals because of living as a cultural ambassador and knowing how to interact with them in simple conversation. Sometimes, you can even go on mini-cruises or get paid for doing work that does not involve English (like bartenders, waiters, cashiers etc) so without having to be fluent but just enjoy talking about your experiences abroad.
6. Use your friends
Unfortunately, many students think that their current friendships and relationships will be strained since they’re in a different situation than before. However, I’ve noticed using my friends has been crucial for me maintaining motivation to continue learning English as it helps to experience all sorts of social situations without completely being immersed by the language; you can have your dance parties, movies nights with your best friend’s Korean cousin Kim… while understanding okay this is very bad but everyone there already knows it anyway, unlike when your small circle of friends is all in English.
7. Ask a lot of questions
I find that asking many questions about things you are interested in is a crucial help for your understanding edging. Many people have one education career, be it: Professor of Literature, but if there are no literature courses at your university… maybe try to take some online classes? If you’re studying law school, what can I do? What happened during the election or Royal Wedding (American)?
I’ve tried talking as much possible when starting the language while doing the social activities I listed before, a way to do this is reflecting on what you wanted to interact with your friends about concerning that topic.
9. Start with what you really need
What do you know already? What are the things that majorly contribute to your ability in language acquisition and learning a second one well? You’ll have an easier time starting with those words first, probably making up sentences later on but of course, within these rules might be exceptions sometimes such as: if you came over here to study law (though this wouldn’t be too fun) or learn alone, then it’s obvious when working out what you have to be concerned about most involves the language that you are weaker in than English.
10. Don’t kick yourself while you’re down
I’m not going to argue that this is a fun or easy language at all and the things I’ve listed won’t make you feel very happy about it either. It is however rewarding for those of us who strive through, knowing how much progress one makes during times like these are far more fulfilling than feeling grateful just because we can order in Korean and understand text messages with someone now (though also good!).
All in all, I hope this article will help you to overcome the “impossible” feeling of wanting to learn a language. Try to see languages as a hobby, even if it does take up most of your time and last for hours on end.