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Languages have always been a pivotal factor in my learning and I believe they are crucial in communicating with the world in today’s global society. As a quadrilingual, I can speak, write, read, and understand English, Kannada, Spanish, and Hindi. On my journey of becoming a polyglot, I think it's safe to say I’ve picked up a few lessons on how to continue learning the languages I love without having to travel too far.
YouTube
This is actually a tip I got from my Spanish teacher. From watching recipe videos to vlogs, I’ve picked up a lot of vocabulary from simple everyday tasks. I also learned colloquial lingo used in casual conversations. Over time, I find myself being able to understand more just from listening. With fluent speaking, the speed of talking can get slightly hectic--something we as learners are not used to. Captions in the native language are great to keep track of the words during the beginning.
News Sites
Virtually all languages contain some sort of news media online. This functions as an awesome way to keep up with reading skills and learn a little about the culture of the linguistic region.
People!
A quick search online or through asking family and friends is a great way to meet people who speak the language you are looking to learn. Even though it can be intimidating speaking to a fluent speaker, real-time conversations are crucial to developing your spontaneous skills.
Novels
Local bookstores may contain novels and short stories written in other languages than English. During the beginning, try reading a book you already have read in English in the language you are learning. Since you understand the plot-line, vocabulary, and the flow of the story will be easier to understand, allowing time to appreciate the language itself.
Translating
Back to YouTube! Many videos look for people to help translate their videos from English to other languages. If you want to step out of your comfort zone or think you can handle the translations, this is definitely an awesome way to track your understanding. Don’t worry, the translations are proofread before being set on the video. Plus, your translations might be the reason another viewer learn English!
Language is a beautiful thing, and the more practice the better. Knowing multiple languages have given me skill sets in multiple grammatical patterns. In fact, grammatical patterns in one language have helped me to learn another, just from understanding the placement of parts of speech.