I’ve often thought that one of these days, after I’ve mastered Spanish, I’ll take on Italian, or Portuguese, or perhaps even Kaqchiquel. Yet after a total of 18 years of study (12 years of formal Spanish classes followed by six years of immersion in a Spanish-speaking country), I still make plenty of mistakes and true expertise continues to be a distant mirage. Just the other day I was playing Junior Pictionary with some kids and I mistakenly drew a gymnast atop a balance beam to represent balanza, instead of a scale!
I imagine that many long-time expatriates in Latin America share my frustration with reaching a plateau in language acquisition. I can read, write, listen and speak comfortably but there are always those enigmatic idioms that pop up at social gatherings and plenty of vocabulary that eludes me.
There are a few resources I’ve found to push myself forward. Reading the local paper everyday is helpful for both cultural immersion and language learning. When I can force myself to read at a higher level of difficulty, whether novels or texts like professional trade magazines, I feel like I’m at least inching along. I also subscribe to a Spanish word of the day e-mail that goes beyond everyday vocabulary to explain the origin of more challenging words that can spice up conversations.
What other tools have helped you grow in your non-native tongues?
Latest posts by Lisa Hetzel
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- Nonprofit Network Launches Website - November 20th, 2009
- Graduation Season - November 13th, 2009
- Milking Your Tax Dollars from Afar - November 6th, 2009
- Going Green(er) in Guatemala - October 16th, 2009
- The Hidden Benefits of Volunteering - October 9th, 2009
- Secrets to Landing a Volunteer Position - October 2nd, 2009
Try this site: http://www.lenguajero.com/
Free to use, allows people to connect and video/audio chat with native speakers. I just got an account, but it seems really cool.
Hi. I’m from Venezuelan. This year has meant a year of big challenges to me. At the end of 2008 I finished the university, but I still felt unconfident with my knowledge of English Language (I had made several courses in my country). My parents gift me the chance to live an international experience in US, where I took short language courses. That kind of experience meant a lot for me. Because I learned that with our own mistakes we are learning, and I think, we have to learn to enjoy that process. To know another language is wonderful, you have the opportunity to put out borders between cultures. For my culture, to know English is very important, and it is no so simple to learn for all the people. The pronunciation and listening is dificult and different! But I had the opportunity to meet several people in my experience for US and I discovered that Spanish is no as simple as English is. Perhaps I could understand your point of view, but it is OK, we have to enjoy and feel patience with ourselves during the process and don’t feel afraid to make mistake.
It had been interesting to find your article in these days. Because at the beginning of this year I purposed improve my English, but now, I found an international internship in Brasil, and I have to learn the Portuguese, that several people say that is similar of Spanish, but I think is no so similar as the people think. But one of the key I think it helps in the learning process of a language is using the learning method how we learn our native language, I mean for example a Spanish-baby learned to speak first, and several years after learn to read and write.
Answering your question, for my basic-intermediate English the tools what helped me grow have been listening and watching the TV series as Friends. And listening my favorite music in the non-native tongue, for example the songs from Ronan Keating or Jason Mraz singers I found the lyrics of their songs, and when I listening I try to memorize the lyrics or write it in a peace of paper and later I checked how correct I listened.
The tool that you have shared with us about read newspapers, I really appreciated to know about it, thank you.