Learning A New Language: Ideas & Tips

When you are immersing yourself as a traveler in a new country it is essential for you to get to know the language, even if only a little to start. Learning a new language is the most important thing you can do while slow traveling or fast traveling.

You will find that it helps you to respect and immerse yourself more with the people in the new place you’re in. It will also help if you run into trouble and need guidance, directions or understanding. As we travel this is one of our major priorities. (For more about that check out our local culture blog post here).

In this blog post we will share with you some great tips and tricks on learning a new language. We would also love to hear from you if you have any other ways of learning a new language.  

How To Start

Our advice is to start slowly, stay consistent and never feel embarrassed when you are just starting out. Chances are, the person you are talking to will appreciate you trying to speak their language (even if you make a hundred mistakes). As opposed to if you come into the conversation expecting the other person to accommodate you and never try speaking their language at all.

Our next tip is to introduce yourself to the local community. Get outside of the tourist area and eat at some local hangouts. Don’t be shy. Walk up with confidence to anyone that will talk with you and give it your best shot. You may get some looks or a possible laugh, but don’t worry, it’s all part of the process. 

Different pronunciation or a roll of your tongue are particular from language to language, with many words sounding similar to your language or some words seemingly impossible to pronounce.  You might have meant to say ‘hecho’ (meaning a ‘fact’) but instead, they heard you say ‘echo’ (which means ‘threw out’ in Spanish).  Which may lead to some very funny looks. This is just one more example of getting to know the locals, sharing a funny moment and actively testing and correcting your language learning skills for the next conversation!  

Here is a funny list of homophones (similar sounding words) in Spanish. 

Our Language Learning Experiment

We go in-depth later, but here is a simple list of apps that we have used in the past to learn Spanish on our smartphones:

• Duolingo
• Pimsleur
• Mondly
• Plus so many more apps you find when you search

Our recommendation would be to use a real, live human language teacher, but that is our preference because it fits in more with our learning style. It all depends on how you learn and retain information best, so it doesn’t hurt to try some of the above tools to see if they improve your ability to speak a new language or not. We find we often like to combine different methodologies of learning.

Having a Spanish tutor we meet with regularly is our main way of learning, however using the above apps on our phone have proven to be valuable, supplemental tools in our repertoire.

Meeting A Teacher In Person

Again, talking in person to someone in our opinion is the best strategy for learning a new language. In some larger communities, you can find local people that speak in multiple languages that will teach you for a very affordable price. We have found that the local teachers who we have hired like to practice their English language skills as they teach us Spanish, so it is a very positive and reciprocal relationship.

When we met our Spanish teacher Michal, while dining at a restaurant in Merida, we were impressed with his ability to communicate with us in multiple languages and also his friendly, attentive attitude. When we found out he taught Spanish and English we got his phone number and set up our first class. We meet weekly at a coffee shop and learn practical, real life vocabulary and sentences that we can actually use.

Our first few months were mainly spent on learning the verbs and conjugations in present tense as well as common phrases.  Now we have branched off into learning a little future and past tense, though we have quite a ways to go. The Spanish language utilized many more variations of verbs than in English, so we are progressing slowly, but surely. We look forward to meeting Michal every week and love the consistency and accountability that meeting with a real person brings to learning a new language.

Meetups For Specific Language Learning

We always recommend to go and talk to the locals but sometimes it can be an equally great experience to try out your language skills with people that are learning right along with you. In Merida, Mexico and other places around the world there are meetups in local libraries, restaurants and parks where people go just to practice speaking another language.  

You will have people there who speak little to no English while you speak little to no Spanish (if you are in Mexico).  Having that block of time to get out of your comfort zone and practice forming new conversations with people who don’t speak your language is valuable. This is a great way to make new bonds while helping others and yourself. 

Apps On Your Smart Phone:

Phones have become more and more a part of us with wearable technology such as Bluetooth headphones. Or the constant barrage of pings and dings that let us know when to drink water, reply to an email or feed our dragons.

Why can’t education be a part of that? If you spend 10-15 hours a day connected to an electronic object let it work to educate you and learn a new language. Below are some of the apps we have used that we like that can help you learn as you move throughout the world.

Pimsleur:

Online (Non-App) Options:

As digital nomads, we spend a lot of time on our computers working on blog articles or editing videos. We have had a lot of success in learning new skills online as our passions continue to grow. In terms of language learning, there are a couple of great online platforms we want to share with you.

Different Styles Of Learning:

Some people can read a book and remember the entire thing (we wish we had those special powers of photographic memory), while others need to read the same sentence over and over to let the knowledge sink into their brain. This is because people learn differently and what works for one person does not always work for others. Plus it may just take a little longer for the information to stick for some people.

Nate is a Kinesthetic-ISFP (INTROVERTED SENSING FEELING PERCEIVING) learner while Cassie is a Visual-ENFP (EXTROVERTED INTUITIVE FEELING PERCEIVING) learner. What does that mean? 

To find your learning style in depth, check out the quiz by Live Lingua here.

Here is some more information from Learning Styles Online which defines different ways of learning that can apply to how you choose to learn a new language: 

Learning Styles:

• Visual (spatial): “Pictures, images and spatial understanding are the preferred learning media of visual learners. These learners love to see lessons come to life, and often sit at the front of the class to not only get a full view of their teacher’s body language and facial expressions, but also to avoid potential visual obstructions (and distractions).”
• Aural (auditory-musical): “Watch some music videos and memorize the words to catchy songs or watch the videos with some subtitles. We have even gone as far as listening to kids songs that are used for 5 year olds to learn abc’s or numbers when learning a new language. Auditory learners rely primarily on music and sound for their learning. Information is often best acquired through verbal lectures, discussions and mini-presentations.”
• Verbal (linguistic): “These are students who learn best through words regardless of whether they are communicated in speech or writing. When learning something new, students who belong to this category prefer hearing a detailed explanation over viewing a physical, visual demonstration.”
• Physical (kinesthetic): “Your hyperactive students may simply be your curious kinesthetic learners who prefer using their body, hands and sense of touch to explore the world. These students tend to have trouble sitting for long periods of time, but with the right strategy you may be able to enthrall these energizer bunnies.”
• Logical (mathematical): “These students prefer using logic, reasoning and systems. You may find them to have a keen sense for numbers, sequence association and problem solving.”
• Social (interpersonal): “Group learning streamlines the learning experience of social/interpersonal learners. They are quite verbal and are always anxious to apply what they have learned in interactive settings.”
• Solitary (intrapersonal): “As the name suggests, these kind of students are your quiet angels who can work alone with minimal directions from the teacher. Oftentimes mistaken as the shy ones of the classroom, solitary learners can be quite extroverted when given the opportunity.”

Have Fun And Be Easy On Yourself!

We understand that learning a new language can be difficult at times, especially if you’re only in an area for a couple days or weeks. But like anything else in life, the more you practice speaking a new language, the easier it will be to pick up that new language. Practice makes perfect!

Also remember to always have fun while doing it. Don’t let yourself get discouraged. Practice with people you like to be around or in environments that make you happy.  If it is a habit that you look forward to because you truly enjoy it, you will more likely be consistent and successful in practicing.

We hope you enjoyed this blog post and would love to hear from you about your own journey to learning a new language in the comments below. Happy language learning during your travels!

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