One Czech proverb says: "The more languages you know, the more persons you become". I've never been thinking about the depth of this proverb as much as I do recently. Languages gives you an opportunity to become someone else. Sometimes it's simply because your vocabulary is so poor that you can't look like the big philosoph even if you wanted to .. But also sometimes, some things are just easier to say in a language different from your mothertongue ...
Learning languages has been a big hobby of mine since I was a kid. I started learning English when I was about 4 years old and even though I'd probably use the help of the Google translator when reading a scientific study, English feels almost like my second native language. I also started studying French at school, I've been trying to learn Spanish and Italian on my own and if I go to the University next year, I'll also start with Indonesian.
Even though our school was promoting the "enhanced language classes", I didn't really learn much from all of the English/French/Spanish classes. I'd have passed the final high school English test when I was about 14. We had 5 different French teachers during the 8 years of school and I would never even learn how to ask for the direction, if we didn't get the most amazing French teacher for the last two years of high school. And the Spanish classes? That was one big disaster that (fortunatelly) lasted just for one year. I personally learned much more about Spanish vocabulary and grammar through phone apps I was playing with in Physics classes.
Well, that's it.
Learning languages seems like a boring thing for many people. A lot of students' motivation are just the good grades at school and once they leave the institute, they never continue with their studies. Which is actually really sad.
Being able to speak different languages can help us in many areas of our life. You can watch TV shows and movies without having to wait for someone to post the subtitles on the Internet ... You can read books and blog posts in original language and search for information you wouldn't find in your native language. And honestly - using Google translator for every word sucks.
If you're good at more than one or two languges, it may be much easier to find a job - either as a translator or an employee of some International company. For me, the biggest motivation about learning languages is traveling. Basic English is essential, but there are also countries where it won't help you at all. Especially if your English is "too good". I don't think my English is 100% perfect .. but let's say I use more than one tense and when I talk abou something, I use more evaluating words than "nice" or "good/bad". But if you're talking with a person who knows just few English words, it's much easier to talk if you know basics of their own language, instead of trying to talk to them with complicated English phrases and perfect accent.
Even though our school was promoting the "enhanced language classes", I didn't really learn much from all of the English/French/Spanish classes. I'd have passed the final high school English test when I was about 14. We had 5 different French teachers during the 8 years of school and I would never even learn how to ask for the direction, if we didn't get the most amazing French teacher for the last two years of high school. And the Spanish classes? That was one big disaster that (fortunatelly) lasted just for one year. I personally learned much more about Spanish vocabulary and grammar through phone apps I was playing with in Physics classes.
Well, that's it.
Learning languages seems like a boring thing for many people. A lot of students' motivation are just the good grades at school and once they leave the institute, they never continue with their studies. Which is actually really sad.
Being able to speak different languages can help us in many areas of our life. You can watch TV shows and movies without having to wait for someone to post the subtitles on the Internet ... You can read books and blog posts in original language and search for information you wouldn't find in your native language. And honestly - using Google translator for every word sucks.
If you're good at more than one or two languges, it may be much easier to find a job - either as a translator or an employee of some International company. For me, the biggest motivation about learning languages is traveling. Basic English is essential, but there are also countries where it won't help you at all. Especially if your English is "too good". I don't think my English is 100% perfect .. but let's say I use more than one tense and when I talk abou something, I use more evaluating words than "nice" or "good/bad". But if you're talking with a person who knows just few English words, it's much easier to talk if you know basics of their own language, instead of trying to talk to them with complicated English phrases and perfect accent.
Talking about the countries around Europe which I visited, I used English only in England (you don't say), France, Turkey, Greece and sometimes in Montenegro. On the other hand, you won't be able to talk much in English with people from Bulgaria, Poland, Croatia or Italy. Honestly, it's easier to use sign language there.
It's very beneficial to know at least the basics of as many languages as possible so you can at least ask for the direction and order food in restaurant. Even if it's not the language of the country you're visiting - it's always much easier if you can offer someone to talk to them not only in English but for example in German, French or Spanish.
It's very beneficial to know at least the basics of as many languages as possible so you can at least ask for the direction and order food in restaurant. Even if it's not the language of the country you're visiting - it's always much easier if you can offer someone to talk to them not only in English but for example in German, French or Spanish.
Tips for learning
There are SO MANY ways to learn new languages. I gained most of the knowledge from English in the language school which I attended for abotu 10 years. The first few years helped me to be much better in English than most of the other kids at school. Unfortunatelly the last few years there were more about talking with my classmates, when we were talking about school tests and gossipping about other kids from our class ... and the teachers weren't able to teach us and motivates us anymore.
The next big step was the exchange program in Netherlands which helped a lot with conversation in English. We spent a week in Czech Republic with our Dutch partners and one week with them in Netherlands. When you have to speak foreign language all the time, you improve your language skills naturally and super fast. After this experience, talking in English became absolutely natural for me - I don't really care if I speak Czech or English because I can simply think in both of the languages without the need to translate every word in my head.
So if you have a chance to participate in a program like this, go for it! No matter if it's an event by Erasmus, your school's exchange program or volunteer opportunity, all of these things are great way to improve your language skills (as well as find new friends abroad and learn other useful skills).
The next big step was the exchange program in Netherlands which helped a lot with conversation in English. We spent a week in Czech Republic with our Dutch partners and one week with them in Netherlands. When you have to speak foreign language all the time, you improve your language skills naturally and super fast. After this experience, talking in English became absolutely natural for me - I don't really care if I speak Czech or English because I can simply think in both of the languages without the need to translate every word in my head.
So if you have a chance to participate in a program like this, go for it! No matter if it's an event by Erasmus, your school's exchange program or volunteer opportunity, all of these things are great way to improve your language skills (as well as find new friends abroad and learn other useful skills).
Now, let's talk about the vocabulary. I personally can't learn words just by writing them down and memorizing them. My brain doesn't work like this. I built my vocabulary mainly by watching movies, TV shows and reading English blog posts (and by writing this blog as well). When I became more interested in healthy lifestyle, veganism etc. I started reading searching for information mainly in English, looking for inspiration for recipes on foreign websited etc. Nowadays I never search for recipes on Czech websites and I automatically go to Pinterest and in terms of climate change, veganism and other topics like this, I feel like my vocabulary is even richer in English than in Czech.
I always try to use more senses while learning. Combining writting, reading and speaking together makes the process of learning much more effective. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with the smartphone apps Memrise and Duolingo which helped me to learn basic Spanish (which I'm planning to continue learning in future) and currently I'm starting with Italian with these apps again. Both of them are free (there are in-app purchases) and you can choose from MANY languages - from German or Spanish, to Portugal, Norwegian, Korean, Svahili or Hebrew.
I always try to use more senses while learning. Combining writting, reading and speaking together makes the process of learning much more effective. That's one of the reasons I fell in love with the smartphone apps Memrise and Duolingo which helped me to learn basic Spanish (which I'm planning to continue learning in future) and currently I'm starting with Italian with these apps again. Both of them are free (there are in-app purchases) and you can choose from MANY languages - from German or Spanish, to Portugal, Norwegian, Korean, Svahili or Hebrew.
Which languages do you speak? Do you any have tips which help you with learning? :)
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