{"id":1547,"date":"2013-11-06T07:45:59","date_gmt":"2013-11-06T12:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/?p=1547"},"modified":"2020-10-02T13:37:14","modified_gmt":"2020-10-02T17:37:14","slug":"spice-it-up-five-quick-and-simple-language-learning-recipes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/2013\/11\/06\/spice-it-up-five-quick-and-simple-language-learning-recipes\/","title":{"rendered":"Spice It Up! Five Quick and Simple Language Learning Recipes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest Post by Sam from Lingholic<\/a>.\u00a0(If you missed his last guest post on language learning habits<\/a>, you’re missing out!)<\/em><\/p>\n

Would you eat the exact same meal every day? <\/i>I bet you wouldn’t. You\u2019d get fed up pretty quickly and look for something else. Why would language learning be any different?<\/p>\n

Learning a language is all about developing a healthy, consistent routine that you can stick to. Studying a language 15-20 minutes every single day <\/i>will bring you significantly higher returns in the long-run than if you studied 3-4 hours only one day of the week.<\/p>\n

But this doesn’t mean that you should do the exact same thing every day. That\u2019s boring and it can eventually get you stuck in rut. You should find activities that strike a healthy balance between \u201cstudy\u201d and \u201cenjoyment.\u201d Easier said than done, right?<\/p>\n

Hence today\u2019s post in which I will provide you with 5 language learning recipes<\/b>. That\u2019s right, just like a cookbook has recipes of meals with different time requirements that cater to different types of occasions, so too can a language learning routine be thought of in this manner.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Recipe #1: The Bookworm<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Approximate Time Required: 25-30 min<\/p>\n

Suitable Location: Home, library, coffee shop.<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll need: Your favorite language learning textbook.<\/p>\n

Directives:<\/b> This traditional recipe entails going through a chapter or part of a chapter of your favorite textbook. Get used to only working through a certain set number of pages<\/i> every time you open the book. As you go through the dialogues, repeat them out loud <\/i>to yourself. To solidify everything better into your memory, write the dialogues in a notebook as you go through them.<\/p>\n

For best results<\/b>, do this routine in a place you are unlikely to be interrupted. I personally like going to a caf\u00e9 when using this recipe, as it allows me to really focus, relax, and forget about other stuff that would normally act as distraction in my home. If you study at home, make sure you have a clutter-free desk and electronic devices turned off. It makes a big difference!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recipe #2: The Web Surfer<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Approximate Time Required: 10-15 min<\/p>\n

Suitable Location: Anywhere you have access to a computer<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll need: A computer; a Firefox or Chrome browser add-on; an online dictionary.<\/p>\n

Directives<\/b>: Surf an interesting blog\/webpage or the news in your target language. This works best if you\u2019re an intermediate learner. Download a plugin such as Wiktionary and Google Translate<\/a> for Firefox, which will let you hover over unknown words to automatically get a pop-up with the translation (I made a video about this<\/a> showing exactly how it can be done).<\/p>\n

For best results<\/b>, make your favorite webpage in a foreign language as your homepage.<\/i> Every time you\u2019ll open up your browser, you\u2019ll get to read at least a few sentences in your target language.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recipe #3: The \u201cTo Go\u201d Box<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Approximate Time Required: 15-20 min<\/p>\n

Suitable Location: In your car; on the bus; while walking\/jogging; at the grocery store.<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll need: An mp3 player with earphones; audio files such as podcasts or the radio.<\/p>\n

Directives<\/b>: This recipe works almost everywhere. A lot of people make the excuse that they are too busy<\/a> to learn a language, but whenever you find yourself commuting to some place, use this \u201ctransition\u201d time to listen to a podcast or the radio in your target language. If you\u2019re in the car, this works really well because you can repeat aloud what you are listening.<\/p>\n

For best results<\/b>, don\u2019t be afraid to jot down some words or phrases that you listen to and that you want to come back at later when you\u2019re on the go (not when you\u2019re driving, though!). Carrying a small pocket notebook is a winning strategy!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recipe #4: The Scribbler <\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Approximate Time Required: 25-30 min<\/p>\n

Suitable Location: Home, library, coffee shop.<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll need: A nice notebook; a text in your target language; a pen.<\/p>\n

Directives<\/b>: The Lingholic Method<\/a> is a writing routine that I have invented, and it works well to improve your writing. Simply copy texts in your target language that you\u00a0have an interest in<\/i> and that are\u00a0suitable to your level. <\/i>Copy those into a nice notebook especially dedicated to your writing exercises. <\/i><\/p>\n

For best results<\/b>, copy texts by hand <\/i>(not by typing words on a computer), to make use of the natural memory that is linked to handwriting. Be sure to take your time and relax, as stress hinders the proper functioning of memory.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recipe #5: The Moviegoer<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Approximate Time Required: 30-90 min<\/p>\n

Suitable Location: Home, movie theatre.<\/p>\n

What you\u2019ll need: A laptop or TV through which you can play TV shows or movies.<\/p>\n

Directives<\/b>: Simply watch an interesting movie or TV show (or even a YouTube video) in your target language. Even if you\u2019re a beginner and don\u2019t understand much of what you\u2019re listening, this will get you used to the \u201cflow\u201d of the language and you\u2019ll slowly pick up useful words and expressions. Don\u2019t hesitate to put on subtitles!<\/p>\n

For best results<\/b>, find a movie that is likely to interest you. You can easily find foreign language movies on a site such as IMDB<\/a>, and look for ratings above 7\/10 to make sure they are not lemons that will bore you to death.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What do you think? Do you vary your approach to language learning? Of the recipes outlined in this post, what\u2019s your favorite one? Let us know in the comments! And don\u2019t forget to visit my blog,\u00a0lingholic<\/a>, as well as my\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0pages.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Guest Post by Sam from Lingholic.\u00a0(If you missed his last guest post on language learning habits, you’re missing out!) Would you eat the exact same meal every day? I bet you wouldn’t. You\u2019d get fed up pretty quickly and look for something else. Why would language learning be any different? Learning a language is all…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[542801],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1547","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archived-posts"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1547"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6277,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1547\/revisions\/6277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/language-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}