Language learning through writing in everyday life

Learning doesn’t need to be (and probably shouldn’t be) limited to the classroom, or dedicated ‘learning time’.  If you are learning a language, it can be helpful to try to integrate that language into your daily life, whether or not you are speaking it outside the classroom.

If you are learning a non-roman script, try switching your mobile or computer default language to it.  Even if you don’t use it that much, having to switch out of it each time might make you ask yourself if you could write what you need to in another language.

Try to write your correspondence with your teacher and language exchange partners in your target language.  Even if you can’t think of the word (and don’t have time to look it up), putting a few words in English here and there will be fine.  Even writing text messages in your target language will help you, and will probably get you some brownie points (or at least helpful feedback) from your teacher.

For any notes you write to yourself, including to-do lists and calendar entries, try to use your second language.  Business or technical notes might be a bit difficult, but ‘go to the bank’ and ‘get a haircut’ are useful phrases to learn.  A side benefit is that it will be harder for people to read your reminders!  If you find an indecipherable note in the future, it will be a good prompt to revise some vocabulary you’ve forgotten.

Do you have any tips for everyday use of new language?

Image: TMAB2003.