If you want to truly immerse in the language of your choice, it is best that you visit a native-speaking country.
It’s easy to avoid challenging situations and play it safe. We tend to attach a sense of identity or pride to skills we have developed outside of performance settings.
This can make you uncomfortable. It’s essential.
It’s impossible for your brain to focus on the faithful reproduction and comprehension of real language unless you are under a genuine risk of failure.
If you want to master a complex language, then high stakes are required.
If you decide to take this trip, make sure you don’t live in the tourist bubble and that you do not use your mother tongue or comfortable lingua-franca every time.
It is important to be able to speak as much as possible using your language.
Put yourself in situations that will force you to adapt.
Here are some suggestions based on how confident you feel:
Beginners’ Guide
Have a haircut
All day long, barbers and hairdressers converse with their clients. Some customers will be talkative and others quiet. When it comes to learning your target language it is a good environment for you to practice without being embarrassed if there are no more things to say.
It’s important to make sure you understand each other and to explain what you need.
Most tourists don’t get haircuts when they travel. You’ll likely hear the latest colloquial languages and get a taste of local culture if you pay attention.
Taxis are available
Taxi drivers are the best at knowing their towns.
They get both talkative and quiet customers. Like hairdressers, they’re used adapting to it. But unlike them, they also meet many tourists. You may be able to get by with some English, or even a common lingua-franca.
Taxi drivers are a good way to gain some insight into the local culture, including social attitudes and colloquial language. They can also provide you with linguistic elements that would be difficult to grasp through academic study.
Urban Sketching or similar activities
It’s worth joining a regular group to participate in a particular activity if you plan to spend some time abroad.
Urban sketching is a great way to engage in the world. It’s a great way to immerse oneself in your environment visually.
Intercambio / Language exchange
Language exchange groups are great because you don’t have to worry about being judged and you can switch from one language you know well into another, giving your brain some rest.
It’s easier to get someone to correct your mistakes when everyone is there to improve their English. Other people may avoid correcting you out of politeness, which can lead to errors.
Intermediate level
Attend a dance or yoga class
Listening to instructions on how to move is the best way to learn your space verbs and movements.
You’ll be concentrating on listening rather than talking, and it will also give you the opportunity to practice asking questions like “Can you repeat what you said?” without being embarrassed. After the class, you might also end up talking to someone.
Couchsurfing, volunteering, and homestay are all options.
A host can help you get a feel for the local culture.
It’s possible that you will have some duties, and this may encourage you to think like a native rather than as a tourist. However, unlike a job you are paid for, it is unlikely you will be required to speak the language perfectly.
Hiking groups to join
It’s also perfectly acceptable to speak very little or a great deal when hiking. If you’re in nature with new people, it can be a great opportunity to have some deep discussions. However, if the majority of your group is locals then listening may also work.
Your group may hear some vocabulary from nature, or they might get creative, freed up by urban routines.
Discover a village or small town that’s not a popular tourist attraction
In small towns, older people tend to dominate. You’ll find accents and expressions that are almost as old-fashioned as the towns themselves.
You can quickly learn about a new culture by visiting a restaurant or historical site. You will get instant feedback if the people who you talk to don’t speak English.
Expert level
Open mics and similar events are great places to go.
This is an excellent way to get feedback and put yourself on the map.
This experience will have a greater impact if you are already very comfortable with the language. Test yourself and see if your language skills are truly native.
Take a date with a person and speak only their language
The risk of being embarrassed when you push yourself to the limits is essential for any kind of skill.
It is possible to become too comfortable with language acquisition at high levels. Native speakers no longer feel embarrassed by your mistakes and are less likely to point them out. Your proficiency is reaching a plateau.
You can overcome this problem by putting yourself in situations where you are nervous and worried about your communication. It’s best to avoid speaking your native language when you go out with someone who speaks it well.
Team sports are fun!
The key is again, high stakes. You’ll need to be able to communicate and listen without any hesitation if your team depends on your performance.
You will naturally speak more fluidly when spending time with your teammates. This is because you have developed a camaraderie. This is the key to making your target language feel like a part of who you are, not something you just study.
You can try to convince others that you are a native English speaker
Can you fool a native English speaker into believing that this language is also yours?
Grammar is the most difficult thing to master. You don’t need to have perfect grammar. In fact, a single mistake can reveal that English isn’t your first language.
You can start by learning the vocabulary
If you are planning to travel to an area where the language you want to learn is spoken, you should try to improve your vocabulary before your trip.
Each listening or speaking experience is more powerful when you have a solid lexical base.
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