How to Learn a Language Successfully

Published: 06 Oct 2015 Tagged: Confidence CoachSpeech Pathology

Arrived in Brisbane at the age of 15 from Saigon, I was extremely excited about the new possibilities of learning. One obstacle was that my English was limited and therefore it was difficult to understand everything that was said by the locals. I asked myself, “How can I improve my English, change my accent and speak like an Australian?”. I had to quickly find a way to learn the Aussie lingo. It was tough as I could only understand approximately 10% of what was said in any conversation. I was also shy to speak in a public situation, just in case I’d be laughed at.

Traveling to a new city and speaking the local language will give you an advantage. Firstly, it will break the ice and people will warm up to you as they can see that you're making an effort to communicate. Secondly, you learn a new skill and feel good about it.

Over the years, I have gathered some valuable lessons and experience on how to effectively learn a language and I’d like to share these tips with you.

The acronym DISCOVER can be used to help you remember these tips. It stands for Dive into it, Interests, Search, Copy, Observe, Venture out, Explore and Rehearse.

1. Dive into it: The best way to learn a language is to start speaking it whenever and wherever you can. Most of us are afraid of making mistakes. Keep in mind that it’s okay to make an error. Making mistakes is the best way to learn.

2. Interests: What are your interests? Soccer, swimming, reading, art, dance…Whatever it is, find an interest group where you can spend your time with like-minded people. My English improved “dramatically” after joining a drama class in High School.

3. Search: Not sure what a word mean? Nowadays, it is a privilege to have a smart phone or a tablet as you can just "google" it. It’s a good way to look things up quickly when you need to. Back in the 90’s, I used to carry a thick dictionary with me everywhere I went. Technology has changed the way we learn languages. Why not use it for our advantage?

4. Copy: How does a child learn a language? S/he will constantly repeat what is said by other people. They copy the pronunciation and the words in a given situation. Later on, they can use them in other situations. I used to ask my Aussie friends to repeat their words so I could imitate them. It could be difficult at first, and the more you do this, the more confident you’ll be at speaking.

5. Observe: Observe, observe and observe. Practice paying attention to detail with your eyes and ears. How does a local say a word, a phrase, a sentence, and in what intonation and situation? Keep on learning and observing. The more you watch, the more you will absorb the information and learn. You don’t always have to speak. Just listen, and observe.

6. Venture out: As humans, we’re often attracted to people that are from the same country because they share the same culture and language. We like spending time with them, talking about similar things, and speaking the same language. This is great for personal relationships, but not so useful for your language learning. Learn to break out of that comfort zone. Spend more time with people who can speak the language that you’re learning. You will learn much faster this way.

7. Explore: Go where the language is spoken. Immerse yourself in an environment where you have no choice but speaking the language from asking for directions to ordering food. Australia is a fantastic place where I can practice my English daily.

8. Rehearse: Keep on listening, writing and repeating a word, a phrase, a sentence until you feel confident in using them in the right context. Remember, practice makes progress!

All the best with your language learning. Thank you for reading and please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. I’m more than happy to answer them.

Until next time, happy learning!

Binh Doan