Language Museum Blog

Completely immersing yourself in a new language by going to a country where it is spoken is a very brave choice. Perhaps it’s not for complete beginners, but it’s definitely a great way to force yourself to improve quickly – when eating depends on your ability to ask for food, you will soon find words!

However, complete immersion can be overwhelming. Being unfamiliar with your surroundings as well as unable to communicate can lead to loneliness and culture shock. You may find the language you hear to be different from that you learned in a previous class, with slang words you may not have heard before. As much as you research the place you’re going to, your first few days are going to be a learning experience.

The positive side of immersion is the chance to get to know the culture and history of the country, alongside the language. You’ll (hopefully) meet new lifelong friends who you can continue to converse with after you’ve left. You get to try new things you may never have thought of, and it will also look great to future employers, showing both initiative and a willingness to accept challenges.

A major consideration of the language immersion route though, is the cost. Apart from the initial expenses of getting to your chosen country, there’s the day to day living costs and perhaps additional classes to help the transition. There are some grants and scholarships available, and language schools abroad will also be able to advise you on costs and what you can expect. This interview with an immersion school director is a good start, as well as these frequently asked questions (although they’re specifically about learning Spanish, they can be applied to all languages).

Milton from Travellers Rest moved to France on a semester abroad part of his MBA:

When I arrived in France, it was overwhelming! It’s pretty nerve racking when you not only have to deal with a new language but new customs as well. A trip to the supermarket became an ordeal – I ate oranges, bread and cheese for two weeks! I would come home exhausted every day from having to work through the simplest tasks in a new language. Eventually, however, things that you are forced to do every day become second nature and really contribute to your learning. For instance, on the way home from my school, there was a bakery that I stopped in every day. I came to know the owner and we would talk and she would tell me about the different foods and make recommendations. This not only helped my language skills, but my cultural knowledge as well. Now, I can’t wait to go back!

Learning via a podcast is modern technology’s version of a language tape or CD. Advantages include portable learning – you can listen to a podcast whenever or wherever you like – and the range of podcasts available, a lot of them free.

This range has a downside, however. One of the great things about podcasts is that anyone with the right equipment can make one. But it’s also the big pitfall as the quality is not guaranteed.

You also need the ability to download and play the podcasts, which means investing in an MP3 player and some time at a computer. If you’re not tech-savvy, this could be a problem.

Another consideration is the need to actively listen. It’s too easy to put on headphones, hit play and drift off listening to the soothing tones of that lovely-sounding Frenchman. But you’re not going to learn by osmosis! So it may be beneficial to keep a notebook to go with the podcast and jot down times of sections you would like to go over again, as well as notes on what you understand and don’t.

Some good basic language podcasts for travellers can be found here. They’re free, and also include the script of the podcast in English although unfortunately only available for iPods at the moment. For listings of podcasts for various languages, check out this site.

Wendy from Nottingham has been following a Spanish podcast in preparation for her upcoming trip to South America:

It was difficult to find a suitable podcast as I wanted a Latin American Spanish one rather than a European one. Once I found this though, my skills have definitely improved! It’s great for speaking and listening practice, but I’m using a book also as I’d like to be able to recognise and read some of the basics also.

Being back in a classroom may recall horrible memories of learning Latin or French by rote at school, but it’s a great all-round approach to a new language. A good teacher will cover all the skills you require – reading, speaking, writing and listening.

In addition to this, there is instant feedback on pronunciation and what you are doing wrong (and right!). Plus, you know when and where you will be learning each week, so the time is already set aside for you to do so. There is also the opportunity to become friendly with your classmates and converse outside of the class.

However, those who don’t feel comfortable in a group setting and speaking aloud in front of others may find the class setting overwhelming. A class also has to adapt to the various levels of ability within it, so a faster learner may feel held back whilst a slower learner may feel too rushed. There is the option of one-to-one classes, which may speed up improvement and make the student more comfortable. However, the cost of classes also has to be considered.

There is the cost of the classes themselves, but also any texts you may need, and the travel to and from the school. In addition, you need to find a class at a time that will be convenient and fit in with your other commitments.

Rob from Sheffield has been taking classes in German:

After finding out that I’d been accepted into a student exchange program in Germany, I figured I’d better learn enough of the language to get by. The Language Museum classes fit around my uni schedule, and I learned as much about the culture as I did about how to speak German. I’m now in the third week of the programme, and am even relaxed enough to have organised my first date!

(Note: learning a language does not guarantee you a date!)

Next time… the podcast.

Over the next few posts I’ll be taking a look at different ways of learning a language – from a classroom setting to using modern technology such as podcasts .

Whilst by no means a definitive list of pros and cons of each method, it’s a good starting point for those considering committing to a new language.

Before considering each method, it’s worthwhile putting some thought into what you want to get out of the course – conversational skills to be able to converse with family members? A few words to take you through a foreign holiday? An understanding of business speak to aid in work transactions?

Your reason for learning will of course impact on which method(s) you choose and how much you can commit.

First up – the class.

Writing formal letters, especially covering letters for job applications, can be a daunting task. You’ve got to start off with the correct salutation, clearly and concisely convey your message, and then there’s the sign-off. Is it “sincerely“? Or “faithfully“? “Best wishes“? “Kind regards“?

The rules are fairly simple. If your salutation is “Dear Sir/Madam”, always use “yours faithfully“. If addressing a person by name (for example, “Dear Mr Jones,”), you should use “yours sincerely“. Taking out the “yours” from “yours sincerely” is also an acceptable alternative.

“Best wishes“, “kind regards” and the like are much more informal. They can be used between friends and work colleagues who have established a relationship. I like “kind regards” as an email sign-off as it denotes more friendliness than “regards” whilst also maintaining a formal and professional air. Anything that involves “hugs” should be kept strictly between close personal friends!

An extra thing to note is that whether using ‘sincerely’ or ‘faithfully’, the first letter is never capitalized.

There’s a handy guide here with some good opening and closing lines as well as setting out “yours faithfully” and “yours sincerely” as I have explained above.

What’s an interrobang? It’s a nonstandard English punctuation mark that combines the exclamation mark (!) and the question mark (?).

When you’re asking a question that’s also an exclamation (or vice versa), you would normally place both exclamation and question marks at the end – “What is that?!” for example. With the interrobang however, you get both in one.

This clever idea was thought up in 1962 by American ad agency director Martin K. Speckter, although it’s never become part of standard English punctuation. I certainly have never seen it written anywhere. The name comes from the Latin for “query” (interrogatio) and printer jargon for the exclamation mark (bang).

It’s easy enough to handwrite, although in my writing it comes out looking more like a poorly scribed question mark. If you’re typing, MS Word has the symbol in Wingdings, and some word processors support it with the shortcut Alt+8253.

I am happy to admit that I am occasionally confused by apostrophes, something I attribute to spending my formative years at schools where calligraphy with the headteacher was sometimes more important than grammar.

Anyway, now that I’m all grown up and like to see writing that is grammatically correct, I’ve been working hard to make sure I always put the apostrophe in the right place. Apostrophes have two uses, and one of them I am fine with: showing the omission of letters (e.g. “it’s”/”it is”). It’s the other that I, and probably most others, stumble over.

The other use of the apostrophe is to show possession (“the girl’s pen”). The most useful (although a little childlike!) way I have found for remembering the correct grammar is thinking of the tail of the apostrophe pointing to whoever has ownership. So:

The pen of the girl = the girl’s pen. There is only one girl, so the apostrophe is pointing to the word ‘girl’.
The pen of the girls (more than one girl) = the girls’ pen. There is more than one girl, so the apostrophe is pointing to the plural of girl, ‘girls’.

Try testing your apostrophe knowledge here.

Prioritise. Prioritize. Apologise. Apologize.

Same word, one letter different. People often get confused with the “z” and the “s” in words like these. One way is generally favoured by American English, the other by British English. Which is which?

The answer is slightly complex. The use of ‘z’ was popularised in American English when it was standardised in the 19th Century, whilst ‘s’ has become more widely used in British English, perhaps as a backlash against the American use of ‘z’. However, British spelling has always recognised the use of the suffix ‘ize’, with the Oxford English Dictionary generally favouring it.

There are some American spellings using ‘z’ though that are not acceptable in British English, ‘analyze’ being one.
Most importantly though, it’s best to be consistent. So if you start off by “organizing”, you should continue by “prioritizing”.