(content by Adina Martin)
Travelling to a new country where you do not speak the language may be intimidating but can also be very rewarding. Being able to communicate even just a little in the foreign language can significantly enhance and improve your trip. Getting to know a brand-new language takes effort and time, but with the proper techniques, tools, and mindset, you can develop basic fluency in only a few months.
Evaluating Your Motivations and Goals
When browsing travel dreams and possible destinations, the first step is to clearly define why you want to learn a new language. Is it to be able to order food and navigate transportation? Hold basic conversations? Or become fluent enough to make local friends? Setting realistic goals and understanding your motivations will help guide your study approach.
If you only need some phrases for a one- or two-week vacation, that requires much less time commitment than reaching conversation fluency. Be honest with yourself about why language learning fits into your travel plans and what level of proficiency you’re willing to work towards. This clarity will help you stay focused and energized through the learning process.
Choosing the Right Language
With so many languages in the world, how do you select which one to learn for your travel goals? Here are some key factors to consider:
Your Destination(s)
This may seem obvious, but it helps to be brutally practical. Study the language most commonly spoken in the places you want to visit, which increases the chance for real-world application and cultural immersion. If you’re backpacking around Europe, French or German could be good options. If Southeast Asia is on your list, Bahasa Indonesian or Vietnamese would serve you well.
Difficulty Level
Some languages pose more challenges for English speakers to pick up than others. Typically, languages in the same family tree – Spanish and French for the Romance languages or Swedish and German for the Germanic languages – are easier to progress in. The Foreign Service Institute groups languages into categories based on how many hours the average English speaker needs to reach general proficiency, which ranges from 23-24 weeks for the “easiest” group to 88 weeks for languages like Arabic and Cantonese.
While a “difficult” language may seem intimidating, it can also make travel interactions and cultural connections much more rewarding when you put in the hard work to learn it. Just be sure to set your goals and timeline accordingly.
Personal Interests
Your individual interests, heritage, family history, or just think a language sounds lyrical? Factor your personal motivations. Learning a language takes significant mental energy and consistency. If you already feel drawn towards a culture and their native tongue, you’re more likely to stick with the process until you reach your goals.
Setting a Realistic Timeline
Once you select your target language, get honest with yourself about how much time you can dedicate on a regular basis. Consistency truly is key when forming any new language habits.
A common question is “How long does it take to learn a language for basic travel conversations?” There’s no one set formula, since many factors play in. But in general, here are some approximations:
- 150 hours for simple travel phrases
- 250 hours for basic conversational fluency
- 500+ hours reaching advanced fluency with wider vocabulary
The actual number depends greatly on the difficulty level of your chosen language, how closely it’s tied to your native language, and what structures are familiar or different.
No matter what, don’t expect magical overnight success! But during consistent daily practice across a few months, absorbing bits of grammar rules and vocabulary here and there does start adding up. Celebrate every small milestone, seek opportunities to practice with patient native speakers, and work your plan.
Immersing Yourself In the Language Through Media
Language learning thrives when your brain is surrounded by examples of natural speech patterns, correct grammar structures, and nuanced vocabulary. This immersion can happen through a variety of media sources. Consider incorporating:
Music Playlists
Have upbeat foreign language tunes play in the background as you drive or do household tasks. At first it will just sound like rhythmic noises you don’t comprehend. But over time your ear learns to recognize commonly repeated words and phrases.
Pay attention when those start to stand out. Listen closely for patterns in the cadence and speed of talking. Accurately mimicking pronunciation and sounds is hugely important for being understood and building new speech habits.
Movies and Series in the Language
Watch TV series, documentaries, or children’s movies originally recorded in the language you want to learn. Turn on subtitles in that language rather than your native tongue if it helps you follow along. But also take time to listen intently without any subtitles to train your ear.
When a film uses visual storytelling, you can start interpreting meaning from more than just direct word translation. Notice facial expressions, gestures, reactions – how is the dialogue impacting the unfolding events you’re watching? As your vocabulary and listening skills improve, pay attention to the subtitles less.
Language Learning Blogs and Podcasts
Plenty of wonderful blogs, YouTube channels, podcasts exist completely dedicated to language learning! Not only do hosts share useful learning strategies on grammar, vocabulary, and cultural advice – exploring that content inherently exposes you to lots of language examples along the way.
Want an Indonesian-language podcast that analyses pop culture? There’s one out there! Seek content created in and for your target language to boost immersion. YouTube TV and other streaming services also make it possible to work remotely while travelling. If you have an online job or business, you can keep up with shows, news and video conferences no matter where in the world you are exploring.
Using Flashcards for Vocabulary Memorization
While immersion helps your brain recognize patterns, your active memory also needs strengthening through good old-fashioned vocabulary practice. Flashcards remain one of the most effective techniques proven by research to help recall word meanings accurately.
Well-designed digital flashcard apps abound with handy features like shuffling self-quizzing abilities across different categories, statistics on words you struggle with, and even pronunciations.
But don’t underestimate the power of physical notecards you make yourself either. The physical writing process helps cement connections in unique ways digital alternatives can’t replicate.
Prioritise learning words tied closely to your travel goals and likely everyday situations first:
– Basic nouns – taxi, hotel, restaurant
– Questions and polite requests
– Food and Emergency vocabulary
– Present tense verbs – to be, to eat, to sleep
Layer additional cards on gradually after getting those fundamental categories down cold. Review the full set of cards you’ve made at least once every day, even just for 15 minutes. Identify the terms that trip you up repeatedly and practise them more actively. Staying consistent with self-quizzing avoids backtracking on progress already made.
Practising Conversations with Language Partners
Attempting real dialogue is often the most intimidating part of language learning. But it’s an essential step towards travel preparedness! Book services through platforms like Verbling that connect you with certified teachers offering affordable virtual lessons. Or seek language exchange partners for casual conversational practice completely free through sites like Speaky.
Come prepared to video chat sessions with a list of phrases and questions you’ve learned recently and want to practice using out loud. Have your teacher slow down, clarify meanings, and correct your pronunciation. Overcome the shyness of stumbling through sentences to power through beginning levels towards improved fluency.
Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions! Show your practice partner photos from your camera roll describing what you see. The more you speak out loud, the faster your mouth can reproduce sounds that feel totally new at first.
Recording these conversation sessions helps too, as you listen back for subtle miscommunications. We often can’t hear our own accents and quirks until they’re played back to us. Use these clips to continuously improve!
Using Language Learning Browser Extensions
A fun way to incorporate more immersion into limited free time is taking advantage of handy language learning extensions built right into your web browser. Options like Duolingo Language Tips or Mondly display quick pop-up cards translating words on whatever webpage you have open.
Leave the extensions turned on as you browse travel sites planning upcoming adventures, peek at news sites, or scroll your social media feeds. Skim the translations and pronunciations in your target language that pop up for headline words, key names, and other high level page content.
Think of it like a casual vocabulary energy boost to complement more active lessons. Install language extensions on both your laptop and mobile devices so they can work for you anywhere anytime!
Pre-Trip Planning for Practice Opportunities
As your journey gets closer, start preparing some likely scenarios for needing your language skills. For example, imagine checking into the hotel you’ve booked and roleplay the key questions and phrases at a restaurant. Picture yourself explaining your unusual food allergy to the wait staff using the emergency medical terms you’ve studied.
Brainstorming these situations ahead of time reduces the chance of freezing up. You’ve already envisioned exactly what you want to say! Yes, the actual interaction won’t go perfectly as scripted.
But avoiding total shock and scrambled thoughts helps the words come out smoother. Review previous conversations with your language partner addressing similar contexts. Pre-trip planning like this makes application less intimidating so you can fully immerse once on the ground.
Travelling In-Country with Continued Learning Focus
You achieved lift-off and safely arrived – congratulations! Now live your dream trip while simultaneously expanding language skills through daily life.
Label common objects around your accommodations with sticky notes: door, window, light switch. Note the names of foods at restaurants and item packaging at markets. Capture photos of signs and menus to review later. Collect physical artefacts like tickets, brochures, and maps with official place names. Immerse yourself in the music and media culture.
Observe how locals interact and take mental notes on useful phrases to try out next time an opportunity pops up. Stay curious, brave, and open without judgement even when conversations go awkwardly. Laugh at yourself! Travelling itself exercises our adaptability muscles – so keep practicing through real-world exposure.
Each interaction builds connections in your brain towards better retention once home. Maintain discipline reflecting back on vocab flashcards or chatbot services during intentional study breaks. This balances passive exposure with focused review. Your trip experience will be all the richer for it!
Post Travel Habit Building for Long Term Language Success
Returning from an incredible international adventure often leaves us longing to recover that cultural high. But don’t lose all your precious progress as schedules go back to normal busyness! Sustain the momentum using a few key strategies:
Actively Journal in Your New Language
Scheduling just 15 minutes a day to freely write journal entries preserves hard-earned skills from fading too quickly. Not worried about perfect grammar and complex prose here – just keep sentences reasonably simple and vocabulary based on what you learned for conversational speaking ability. Date each entry so you remember every positive step in the right direction.
Convert Photos to Keepsake Album with Captions
Flip back through your abundant travel photography and be intentional about setting any truly special shots into a cherished album. Not every single image – just the ones capturing particularly poignant memories you want preserved.
Then caption the photos using complete phrases and sentences in your language. Simple statements about locations, activities, emotions work wonderfully. Future you will appreciate this way more compared to generic labels like “beach pic123.” Whenever nostalgia strikes, enjoy this physical album souvenir.
Diversify Your Media Streaming Selections
Keep shows, films, music, and podcasts from your host country streaming regularly via accounts like Netflix, Spotify, and more. Let the background immersion continue as you unwind doing household chores or commute to work.
Consider the monthly subscription fees just as valuable for maintaining language skills as a gym membership maintains physical health! Alternatively, check if your local library grants free access to popular foreign film services.
Attend Cultural Events Year Round
Seek out festivals, restaurants, community centers, and stores tied to the country you visited within your own hometown. Big cities especially tend to have “Little Italy” style districts and regular cultural events.
Attend and chat with vendors or other attendees – maybe language learners like yourself. Your local University likely has an international department hosting film screenings, holiday celebrations, and guest lectures open to public visitors too. This community engagement helps sustain cultural curiosities and language practise long term.
Conclusion
Learning a brand-new language is no small feat. But setting goals tied specifically to an upcoming international trip provides lots of motivation through applicable real-world rewards.
Dabble across a mix of media immersed in the foreign tongue, actively drill with flashcards, replicate conversations, and maximize in-country experiences. Then continue engaging that culture from home through journaling, photo albums, streaming entertainment with subtitles, and local cultural events.
Perseverant, incremental daily progress does truly pay off into life-enriching fluidity over time. The effort opens up not just globetrotting possibilities, but profoundly deeper human connections – and that is what travel is ultimately all about!
