Reading in a foreign language is one of the many pleasures I can experience
thanks to the fact that speak different languages. I love books and languages, so
I never asked myself if reading in the language I was learning was a good idea
or not. Luckily, it turns out that reading is a great way to improve your language
skills and today I'll explain why.
There are several benefits of reading as a way to improve your language skills.
One of the most obvious advantages of reading
your target language is, of course, that it's a great way to learn new words. Books,
articles and other reading material are endless sources of words to learn and
phrases to memorize. The more you read, the more your vocabulary grows, and by
now I'm sure you know that this is one of the most important tasks for any
language learner. This leads me to another related benefit:
when you pick up new vocabulary while reading, it is always surrounded by other
words and ideas. In books and articles, words and phrases are never isolated.
Learning vocab with context is much more effective than trying to memorize
single words. So reading is a powerful tool for encountering new vocab in its
natural habitat and actually remembering it. A third benefit I should mention
is that reading gives you a lot of exposure to natural and useful language.
In many books, short stories and articles, the same terms come up over and over again.
According to the famous Latin phrase "repetita iuvant," which means
"repeating things helps," this frequent exposure is the key to memorization.
Of course you should not limit yourself to reading material, as listening resources are
also extremely important for building your core language skills.
But the thing is that in order to master a language you need a lot of
exposure. I mean it: a lot! So it would be a shame not to take advantage of all the
repeated exposure books and articles can provide. I'm a huge advocate of focusing
on speaking as a way to learn languages, but let's be honest: speaking is not
always possible. Of course you can talk to yourself in your head – something to try,
even it sounds weird – but in order to have meaningful, interesting
conversations, you do need a speaking partner. Also, sometimes speaking is not
possible because it would disturb others around you. For example: when you are
commuting to work on public transportation. On the other hand,
whenever and wherever you can almost always open a book, a tablet or an e-reader
to immerse yourself in your target language. And if you are a bit of an introvert,
reading might suit you better than speaking, especially if you are in the early
stages of your language journey. Speaking of your language journey, at some point
you might experience the so-called "intermediate plateau." Many learners get
stuck because, no matter how much they speak a language, they feel they aren't
improving enough. One of the most powerful strategies for overcoming the
intermediate plateau is reading a lot about a variety of subjects. I remember
when I was learning French how much progress I made just by reading French
newspapers everyday. Conversations are great for learners because they are
often very repetitive. You talk more or less about the same things, using the
same words and phrases. But one inconvenience is that with spoken
interactions you do not get the chance to cover many subjects and work towards
an advanced level. When you read, on the other hand, you can expose yourself to
all the subjects and vocab you want, including the more specialized ones, that
wouldn't necessarily come up in a conversation. When you learn a language
there are four core language skills you need to acquire: understanding what you hear,
speaking, understanding what you read, and writing. It goes without saying that the
more you read the better you get at understanding what you read. Also, it
comes as no surprise that when you read a lot, you improve your writing skills.
Every time you read something, you are passively learning how the language is
structured, how ideas are expressed, and how grammar rules are applied. But if you
think about it, these activities are also extremely beneficial for your listening
and speaking skills. I already talked about how reading helps you grow your
passive and active vocabulary, so the time you spend reading is not only
contributing directly to your reading skills, but also to your overall language skills.
The last perk I'd like to mention is
about the language immersion you can experience thanks to reading. Nowadays we
are lucky enough to be able to access the online edition of many foreign
newspapers and a variety of other foreign-language reading material. This
means that is quite easy to immerse yourself in your target language even if
you never leave home. Reading for as little as 10 minutes a day can not only
give you the immersion and exposure you need but also help you build a connection
to the language. I often hear people say "I can't learn this language because I
won't have the opportunity to use it in my day-to-day life." But if these people
would read a bit every day, they would think differently and build a true
connection with their target language. Almost like you'd get to know a friend.
I really hope my video convinced you that reading is a good way to learn a
language and to improve your language skills. Take care and happy learning!
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