Hi, this is Cedric from MosaLingua. I hope you're all good! So here you are, full of
motivation and eager to get started. Now what? You browse through all the
language learning resources after a quick Google search and you're
overwhelmed by the bazillions of results you get. And all very different from one
another, of course. See, that's what countless other language
learners have faced when starting to learn a language. And to frame my advice
to you, I will tell you about one I know, that we will call "Cédric," for the sake of
the example. Of course, any resemblance with actual persons is purely
coincidental. So let's start at... the beginning!
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of our videos with the best hacks and tips to learn languages. And if you're
watching this video from Facebook or another platform, please like and follow
our page. Number one: define your goal! Now, back to the topic of this video. So
Cédric has started watching some TV shows in Japanese and now really wants
to learn the language. He gets started by reading a couple of textbooks and
websites, does a couple of exercises... And quickly feels he's getting nowhere, because
10 new questions come up every time he finds the answer to a previous question.
He feels like he is going round in circles. What he seems to need is a clear
direction for his studies. And every direction has to point to a goal: what do you want
to achieve, Cédric???
- Well, I want to be able to understand these TV shows I like
without being stuck on the subtitles!
OK then, so why are you spending
so much time learning characters that you won't be reading anyway?
- Ah... "oui." I guess you have a point...
The idea here is to have the most specific objective possible.
Do you want to speak with natives? Read books and magazines? Write
e-mails? Or just enjoy TV shows without missing the action because of the
subtitles? Be as specific as possible when you define your goal and how far you
expect to go. A time frame can be motivating too, but keep it flexible, as
you can never be sure of how much time you'll need. Now, write this goal as a
statement on a piece of paper and tape it somewhere where you'll see it every day.
Trust me, this will help! So, to watch shows, Cédric will need some vocabulary, basic
grammar – but not too much – and most of all, plenty of audio or audiovisual
resources to practice his listening skills.
Number 2: Tickle your fancy!
Fast forward to a few weeks later. Cédric has been practicing his Japanese listening
skills on a regular basis, but is losing a bit of steam. Every time he starts his
practice sessions, he feels he's back in high school. It's just so boring! The
thing is that he feels far away from the goal he set for himself. What about those
TV shows? What about Japanese culture? Why is he listening to those boring, bland
dialogues about people going to the supermarket? You see, learning a language is
not like learning any other topic. Unlike mathematics, you live a language.
It's more than the words and grammar rules you learn. It has to make sense to
you, just like anything you enjoy doing in your daily life.
That's why Cédric should have chosen learning resources that were
more aligned to his interests, so that he stays interested and excited to learn.
Focusing on your interests and hobbies is not the only thing to take into
account; you also want to think about your favorite type of activity. For
example, if you're always on the go, you might want to use mobile apps to
practice. If you're a social butterfly, you might enjoy interacting with
a tutor or native speakers via an online platform or a language exchange or
classes in your town. Or in the case of Cédric, who is known to be a bit of a couch potato...
- Hey, I'm still here, you know?
...web training on his laptop from the comfort
of his own home. Instead of doing exactly what he did in his high school language
classes, he decides to listen to short videos in Japanese and expand his
knowledge of the Japanese language while still having a great time, on his couch,
and discover more about the Empire of the Rising Sun. That's Japan, by the way.
Number three: get inspiration from fellow learners.
Now that Cédric knows what kind
of resources match his goal and interests, he is still facing another
problem: where to find them? As I said earlier, there are tons of them, and
making a selection can quickly become a nightmare. It's not a walk in a park, and he
could probably do with a helping hand. Guess what: that's exactly what he is supposed
to do! Isaac Newton once said, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the
shoulders of Giants." Let's face it, Cédric is no more of a genius than any of us
here, but he can get inspired by what other learners have done in the past.
There are a lot of people online who document their language learning journey,
and their experience constitutes a priceless resource. By following them, you
can find the answers to the questions you may be asking yourself and find the best
resources that will suit you needs. Our very own blog here, right here, is
entirely based on the experiences of our team of polyglots, including yours truly.
It's an excellent place to start your research online, as you will stumble
upon a lot of gems that will help you to find the best resources to customize
your learning experience to your needs. In the case of our Japanese learner, Cédric...
- I found in the link below a neat list of great resources for learning Japanese!
Especially a course called Erin's Challenge, which is a miniseries. Exactly
what I hoped for!
With all the kawaii and manga culture references that I secretly
love... That *he* - *he* - *he* secretly loves! Reminder: any resemblance to actual
persons is purely coincidental.
- Ah... yeah right!
That's it for this video. To sum it up,
here's what you need to do to select the most suitable resources to learn a
language: Define your learning goals, identify the type of activities you prefer, get
inspiration from the experiences of other language learners. Thanks for
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