Will a trip abroad help you learn a foreign language?

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Many people believe that you can really learn a language well only by being in a language environment. And they postpone the study until they find themselves there, believing that things will go much easier abroad. Others are sure that you shouldn't even try to break out abroad until you have the ability to freely maintain a conversation with native speakers. Will a trip abroad help you learn a foreign language? What does it depend on, and what needs to be done to make the trip beneficial?

If you are provided

If your budget does not become a serious loss to pay for living abroad for a period of 3 to 6 months and you have money for the services of a local language school, then, of course, this method of language acquisition will be more interesting, exciting and, perhaps, more effective. than the classic one. However, if you choose an unsuccessful school, you may not achieve the desired effect.

What to do?

When choosing which company to conclude a contract with, be guided not only by the information given on the website and in advertising brochures, but also by the responses of graduates. It is important that these are reviews from outside resources or, in extreme cases, from a special form created to answer customer questions and post their responses.

Ask for a complete lesson plan with a transcript of what topics will be covered and how many hours will be allocated to them, as well as how much time will be devoted to practice.

Ask what skills you will have after completing each of the training steps.

Seek advice from a reputable independent teacher. He will tell you how successful, in his opinion, the training program is and whether it is realistic to master the specified knowledge and skills in the specified number of hours.

If you have little money

or you know a foreign language very badly

Contrary to the prevailing stereotype that you need to have a lot of money to travel abroad, people who do not have enough finances to go abroad quite often go abroad in order to provide their accommodation there. To earn a living, they look for work.

Why not move geographically and start working in a different country, learning along the way a foreign culture and language?

Indeed, if you still go to the office every day, why not move geographically and start working in another country, studying a foreign culture and language along the way?

Different people have different opinions about how achievable this is. Some are convinced that in order to find a job, you need to know the language. Others are sure that nothing is impossible, and either tell you their success story, or cite as examples of those people who have succeeded.

What to do?

It should be admitted that, although it is possible to find a job without knowing the language, it is very difficult. Be that as it may, knowing the language certainly gives you many more options. Therefore, in most cases, it is best to stick to the middle ground: do your best to learn the language before leaving, but not give up the opportunities available because of doubts about whether your level of language is good enough for such a trip.

If you were unable to learn a foreign language in your home country

We stopped at the fact that even without knowing a foreign language, you have a chance to get to a foreign country and survive there. But the main question is whether you will ultimately be able to significantly improve your level of proficiency in a foreign language.

Practice shows that aspiring people who come with a zero level of language take an average of 8-12 months to start speaking more or less tolerably. At the same time, they either have to study from textbooks, or attend special courses, or both at once.

Yes, you will receive a serious incentive: without understanding what others are saying, you will want to understand it.

If you think that a few months will be enough for you to learn a language from scratch to a conversational level, then you are mistaken. Your hopes for this could be justified if you were provided and completely immersed in the study of the language. Of course, spending time at work, you will begin to understand the meaning of some words intuitively, but to learn a language completely without textbooks, just listening to others, you will need several years.

So the language environment is not a panacea and active classes are needed. And if you didn’t succeed with your studies at home, the situation will not change much upon arrival in the country. Yes, you will receive a serious incentive: without understanding what others are saying, you will want to understand it. However, firmly deciding that after work you will sit down to textbooks, you still risk becoming a victim of routine. So you came home in the evening, had dinner, chatted with relatives on Skype in your native (!) Language, cleaned up, etc. And now it's time to sleep. And again the next day, and again the desire to learn.

In other words, if you do not have a sufficient degree of organization while you are in your home country, then in another country it will not appear from nowhere. Learning a language in any case requires perseverance and diligence.

What to do?

Start studying now. Everyone has at least 30 minutes a day to work out.

If you yourself do not know how to get started, consult with the teacher, he will help you make a lesson plan and tell you where to find the materials you need - grammar tables, textbooks, audiobooks, etc. In the end, you will spend a lot of money on the trip, so you can set aside a small amount to consult with a really knowledgeable person.

Look for information on the forums, there are many people who are willing to share their experiences.

If, for some reason, you prefer to cope with this without financial costs, get ready to spend a decent amount of time - finding solutions on your own requires a lot of effort (which is why so many people are ready to pay specialists for ready-made answers). Look for information on the forums, there are many people who are willing to share their experiences. Just do not rush to throw yourself into the pool with your head. Before using any technique, ask yourself: “What exactly will this give me? What skills and knowledge will I have when I master it? Keep track of the results to understand in time whether this method is for you or not. Even if he has excellently helped others, this does not make him perfect, each person perceives information differently. Look for what is right for you.