Four Ways to Boost Your Language Learning

Living in a foreign country is a great learning opportunity, but it still might take quite a bit of effort to pick up the language--it certainly has for us here in France. Especially if your native language is English, which just about everybody seems to speak these days. That's the good news for making life simple, and the bad news for your budding foreign language!

We've all known expats who've managed to skirt around the language issue and manage with English, but where's the fun in that? A new country is a new adventure, with a different culture to soak up, and there is much to gain if you can 'talk the talk'.

Here are some language learning tips just for expats, that we've picked up from our experience.

Find your comfort level for immersion: There are two things to know about language immersion. The first is that it's the very best way to learn to speak a language. It's the way children learn to speak, and opportunities to be immersed abound if you live in the country. The second thing to know is that total immersion can be utterly exhausting. Round the clock immersion for anyone functioning at less than an advanced level is difficult. So find a balance that works for you. Push yourself if you can, but you're going to need a break, so be sure to find some downtime to speak and read in your native language.

Keep current on the culture: Read the newspapers from your country, in their language if you can. But if that's too hard for you, read the local paper, in your native language, to keep up with what's happening. You'll be able to be a part of the discussion when issues like politics, current affairs, movies, and so on come up in the conversation. Context clues are so important to comprehension, so steep your self in the culture. Sites like The Local publish newspapers in English from many countries.

Know your neighbors: Chatting with the neighbors, is a fairly low-stress interaction and you can at least start with the weather. Befriend your neighbors and you'll have someone nearby for questions or emergencies when you need some language help.

Take lessons or get a tutor: Just because you're living the language doesn't mean you won't need to work hard at it, and for many of us that means some kind of structured learning activity. Get a private tutor or join a class if you're level is low; if your level is higher, join a conversation group if you find that you need more opportunities for speaking and listening.

For most language learners, the path to fluency will be a lifelong endeavor. As an expat, you have the chance to speed up the process and join that select and worldly group who are multi-lingual. As we say in France, Profitez! Take advantage of that wonderful opportunity for immersion that most language students only dream about.