“Language is key to normal everyday human function.” says Maria Gaitan, who had to learn English after arriving in the U.S. Knowing more than one language is an important tool. Because of social media, we have a much higher chance at interacting with someone who is from a different culture than us. There are many reasons to master more languages. Whether it be to meet new people, get more job offerings or the want to master the language your family speaks.
In order for you to learn a new foreign language you have to immerse yourself. Consume media from that language. Watching movies and TV shows in that language with English subtitles. It will help your brain to connect sounds with different words. Listening to music and singing along can help with pronunciation.
To understand how a language works we have to familiarize ourselves with its grammar and its sounds. Every language tends to have different accents. Each region tends to have their own dialects. The best way to master a language is to focus on one accent within the language. It leads to consistency in pronunciation and takes the overwhelming feeling of trying to learn multiple accents away. Learning multiple accents at the same time can lead to confusion.
Consistently practicing on pronunciation and expanding your vocabulary will lead you to master the language faster. Practicing with a native speaker will help you see where you need to improve and how a native speaker would answer. “Before coming to the states I had a basic understanding of the English language because of what we were taught in school. Soon after I had come to realize it took using it in real life scenarios for me to actually learn,” states Maria. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. We learn from every mistake we make. Hearing the mistakes out loud will lead to improvement. “Sometimes we hold ourselves back from learning when we are too embarrassed to try things out.” says Maria.