The best way to learn a new language depends on each learner and their specific goals. Heading into the new year as a new-language learner can bring many challenges, but the benefits can be rewarding as well. Learning a new language can improve your creativity, help develop other mental processes and grow your appreciation for other cultures and communities.
As an online learner, you might not know where to start or how to make time for learning a new language. But if you’re ready to make this a priority for 2023, our guide is here to help.
Read on to discover the benefits of learning a language, along with helpful techniques to create habits and stay consistent on your language-learning journey.
Why Should You Learn a New Language?
Develop a Greater Appreciation for Other Cultures
Learning a new language can offer insight into unfamiliar cultures. Along with exploring vocabulary, syntax and grammar, language learners can better understand other communities by learning the connotative meanings of words and their cultural usage.
By learning a new language, you can better immerse yourself in other cultures while traveling. As an added resolution, students learning languages in the new year can also learn more about other traditions and communities.
Become More Creative
Academia has long explored the connections between multilingualism and creativity. A 2012 study revealed a link between individuals who can speak multiple languages and their creative efforts, including efforts with problem-solving.
In this study, language learners could more capably handle new problems, perhaps due to their increased comfort with uncertain situations and unfamiliar settings and cultures.
Get Better at Multitasking
It’s natural to feel overwhelmed when trying to complete several tasks simultaneously. Fortunately, bilingualism may improve your ability to handle multiple responsibilities at the same time. A study by Penn State University found that people who speak multiple languages are better at prioritizing tasks and juggling multiple projects at once.
Each language has unique elements of grammar and syntax. Bilinguals who slip in and out of multiple languages in the same conversation must be able to process several factors at the same time, requiring them to consider multiple contexts concurrently.
Improve Your Memory
People who speak multiple languages need to perform mental recall from a wider set of grammar rules and vocabulary than individuals who only speak one language. By applying their knowledge of several languages, bilinguals more regularly exercise their mental processes, which can also improve memory function.
Keep Your Brain Healthy
Much like keeping your memory sharp, knowing multiple languages can also help you maintain your brain health. Research indicates that multilingualism can change the physical structure of your brain. This flexibility allows the brain to modify itself, continue to develop and recover more quickly.
By learning a new language, our brains can improve their adaptability, which can contribute to improved brain health. If you resolve to take better care of your brain in the new year, learning a new language may help in the process.
How to Balance Your Studies With Language-Learning
Time Management Techniques
Language learners can use several methods to manage their time. If one technique does not work with your learning style, feel free to try another.
For example, if you consider yourself a procrastinator, consider setting deadlines for yourself. You might consider working without a computer charger plugged in to set a specific amount of time to finish a lesson. Other options include limiting time for specific tasks and aiming to finish an assignment early to aid in time management efforts.
Other learners may prefer methods like writing to-do lists with time allotments and prioritizing their problem areas. Some individuals like to tackle their most difficult challenges first, while others knock out the easier tasks before moving on to more taxing ones.
One of the best ways to learn a new language is the Pomodoro Technique. With this method, you choose a specific task and set a timer to work on it. When the timer goes off, you take a short break before returning and setting the timer again. After a few rounds, you can increase the length of your breaks. This can help with goal-setting and habit-forming.
Make Your Learning a Habit
Research indicates that humans benefit from forming good habits. When we engage in actions with positive outcomes and repeat these actions until they become second nature, we can create long-lasting, beneficial behaviors.
Stay consistent with your learning goals. Set aside time to study every day or every few days, and stick to your schedule. Consistency is key for undertaking any new task, and learning a new language requires a reliable schedule to form the habit.
Language-Learning Programs
Idlewild Language Courses
Cost: $295-$345 per class
Languages Offered: French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese
Program Overview: Idlewild offers online and in-person language-learning classes at the beginner, intermediate, high intermediate and advanced levels. The most advanced courses, intended for fluent enrollees, explore film in different languages.
Italki
Cost: Varies
Languages Offered: English, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Korean, Arabic and more
Program Overview: With more than 150 available languages, Italki allows online students to engage in one-on-one and group-based language courses. Students can listen to podcasts to become immersed in specific languages and engage in discussions with more than 20,000 instructors from around the world.
Pimsleur
Cost: $14.95 per month
Languages Offered: Spanish (Latin American), French, Italian, German, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Russian, Greek, Icelandic, Turkish and more
Program Overview: The Pimsleur Method promises fun, simple language-learning that can set users on a path to conversing in a new language within 30 days. Audio lessons allow learners to develop their skills without needing to interact with their devices.
Rosetta Stone
Cost: $35.97 for three months; $95.88 for 12 months; $179 for a lifetime subscription
Languages Offered: Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), French, Italian, German, Arabic
Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, Farsi (Persian), Japanese and more
Program Overview: Rosetta Stone uses a natural language-learning process through image-based learning, allowing users to connect common objects and events with vocabulary. Learners select courses based on their objectives. This platform uses “Adaptive Recall” to reinforce language, allowing individuals to better retain what they’ve learned.
Language-Learning Apps
Babbel
Cost: $66.90 for six months; $84.90 for 12 months; $349 for a lifetime subscription
Languages Offered: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Danish, Dutch, Indonesian, Norwegian and more
App Overview: Babbel aims to get people speaking other languages in as little as three weeks. Users listen to conversations with native speakers to better understand pronunciation and cultural contexts for added authenticity. Babbel also offers podcasts and games to make learning more approachable.
Drops
Cost: $13 for one month; $69.99 for 12 months; $159.99 for a lifetime subscription
Languages Offered: Spanish, Japanese, French, Korean, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Hindi and more
App Overview: Drops uses short games for users to learn other languages. The interactive experiences’ accessibility and length allow individuals to easily incorporate lessons into their daily lives.
Duolingo
Cost: Free with ads, $6.99 for one month of ad-free Super Duolingo
Languages Offered: Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, Arabic, Czech, Korean, Hindi and more
App Overview: Duolingo features interactive lessons for users to write, read and speak other languages. Over time, the app increases the difficulty of the exercises to align with each individual’s learning progress. Along with lessons on specific characters and letters in other languages, Duolingo uses interactive stories to help individuals pick up on tips and tricks for conversational language.
Memrise
Cost: $8.49 for one month; $29.99 for 12 months; $119.99 for a lifetime subscription
Languages Offered: Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Slovenia, Icelandic and more
App Overview: Memrise touts an enjoyable learning platform that delivers language-learning results twice as quickly as classroom-based formats. Its immersive learning modules allow users to learn conversational dialogue for short-term and long-term use. Users can explore over 50,000 “Learn with Locals” videos to get exposure to authentic language use.
Mondly
Cost: $9.99 per month for one language; $47.99 for 12 months for 33 languages
Languages Offered: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Turkish, Arabic and more
App Overview: Mondly prioritizes commonly used words to build familiarity with other languages. The app allows users to listen to real-life conversations with native speakers, offering insight into modern language use. Mondly features daily lessons to help individuals build a consistent language-learning routine.
Tips and Tricks for Learning a New Language
Consume Media in the New Language
Explore media at various stages to develop your sense of the language. Along with film, television and music, try books with illustrations to connect words and images. One of the best ways to learn a new language is by watching one of your favorite movies in the language you want to learn.
Converse With Native Speakers
People who natively speak the language can provide feedback about your progress. This benefits learners by informing them of the different contexts in which different words or phrases might apply (e.g., academic vs. conversational). Having conversations with native speakers allows learners to develop a better sense of connotation and word use.
Practice With Apps, Podcasts and Other Programs
Apps can help you develop your vocabulary in other languages, and podcasts can help with grammar and syntax.
Learn From Mistakes
It is completely fine to make mistakes at any stage in the language-learning process. However, make sure you understand your mistakes and do your best to learn from them.
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