Languages

Hi there! How are you my old chums? What a veritable thrill to see you all again. May I say, you are looking lovely this evening. Oh, thank you very much. That was me assuming the compliment was returned. No? Rude.

Today I want to give you some reasons, and more tips to learn another language.

Stepping out of the Matrix

I truly believe that when we learn another language, we learn another culture. But most importantly, we learn more about our own culture. Learning a foreign language opens your eyes to a new perspective. You see your language from outside and notice how difficult could be for other people. It is like Goethe said: 

Open new doors

Learning another skill opens the doors to new opportunities. It also makes you look interesting to other people. In Scotland, I had the opportunity to talk with a Korean girl in the hostel. She was in Edinburgh studying English, and I told her that I was studying Korean.We also talked about the stages of the learning process. We talked about how important it is to learn another language to make new friends and get a good job. Frank Smith said: "One language sets you in a corridor for language. Two languages open every door along the way."

Stages

These stages are something I found in article that I read long time ago.

Stage 1: Take Off

To take off, a plane needs to apply enough force to accelerate, it needs to lower the flaps to get enough lift at runway speeds, it needs to travel in a straight line in the right direction, and it needs to maintain constant acceleration for long enough to get off the ground.

Stage 2: Managing the Bumps

Once off the ground, things become a little easier. The flaps come in, the wheels go up, and you can start steering the plane in any direction you want. That said, the seat belt sign is still on. There is still a lot of work to be done before you are through the bumpy period below the clouds.

Language learning in this stage is about managing the bumps. Conversations won’t be smooth, they will feel awkward, but the more you can do in this bumpy period, the faster you will be through the turbulence.

Stage 3: Gaining Altitude

Now that the bumps and turbulence of the clouds are gone, the seat belt sign is off. You are free to move around the cabin. All you need to do now is simply continue to climb upwards until you reach cruising altitude.

Stage 4: Cruising

At the final stage of flight, you’ve reached cruising altitude. This is the easiest part of the journey. Now you can go anywhere you want.

I think it’s a nice and accurate metaphor.

Stay motivated and accomplish anything

I try to stay motivated by watching and listening native speakers talking. YouTube is amazing to find native speakers explaining the language. My favourite is Jini Channel. She is a Korean girl who lives in Buenos Aires and teaches Korean language in her Youtube channel. She was born in Seoul and moved to Argentina when she was 7. Jini gives amazing tips to learn the language. She also shares info about different Korean events in Buenos Aires.

Here you have a video of her giving tips to learn Korean. You can use these tips to any language you want. 

Have a great week :)

Links: https://www.fluentin3months.com/language-learning-stages/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3784tw3hE20Uz1ccbwgzjQ