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How to learn a new language: 7 tips from TED Translators

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Knowing more than one language is great for your brain. But what’s the best way to learn? TED’s Open Translation Project volunteers share 7 tips:

1. Get real. Decide on a simple, attainable goal to start with so that you don’t feel overwhelmed.

2. Make language-learning a lifestyle change. […] Find a language habit that you can follow even when you’re tired, sick or madly in love.

3. Play house with the language. The more you invite a foreign language into your daily life, the more your brain will consider it something worth remembering.

4. Let technology help you out. […] “A funny thing like resetting the language on your phone can help you learn new words right away,” […] Duolinguo for its approach to grammar…

5. Think about language-learning as a gateway to new experiences. […] Think of fun things that you wanted to do anyway, and make them into a language-learning opportunity.

6. Make new friends. Interacting in the new language is key —  Find native speakers near you. Or search for foreign penpals or set up a language tandem online, where two volunteers help one another practice their respective languages.

7. Do not worry about making mistakes. Native speaker will appreciate your effort and even help you. And be patient. The more you speak, the closer you’ll get to the elusive ideal of “native-like fluency.” And to talking to people your own age.

We hope this may be useful, and we assure that all these tips are truly helpful, sowhy don´t you start applying some of them?

For reading the whole article in the TED-Ed Blog, click here.

5 techniques to speak any language

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Have you ever seen any of the TED Talks?

TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 […] and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world. [https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization]

The topics of the videos vary and one may not be interested in many of them. If you wish to know or see more about them, visit the TED website

We leave just now this enthusiastic speaker called Sid Efromovich, who speaks 7 languages and shares here his techniques for learning to speak any language.

Summary of Sid Efromovich’s TECHNIQUES TO SPEAK A NEW LANGUAGE

  • MAKE MISTAKES – You are afraid to speak in the foreign language because you don´t feel confident in it. But you need to dare to speak and make mistakes!
  • SCRAP THE FOREIGN ALPHABET – escape from your own alphabet, and try to find ways to grasp the foreign language sounds.
  • FIND A STICKLER – Someone who will help you to find the errors and make them right.
  • SOLO CONVERSATIONS – speak to yourself in the foreign language, so you will have to think how to produce different parts of a conversation.
  • BUDDY FORMULA – find a friend or someone who shares the need and interest of practising the target foreign language and practise, practise, practise!