You don't always need to go abroad to have a successful language immersion experience. Read this article to learn how to have an immersion experience without traveling to another country.
What is language immersion?
Language immersion
is the process where a student learns a language by speaking it in context, using
it like a native speaker, in an environment where the student is immersed (surrounded by) communication
in that language. It is an essential way to learn languages for speakers of all
levels, but it is especially important for intermediate or upper intermediate
speakers trying to get to the next level in their target language (the language
they are learning).
Advantages and disadvantages of language
immersion abroad
When most people
think of language immersion, they think of going abroad to a country where this
language is spoken. This can often be an excellent way to get a good immersion
experience, if you have the time and resources to do so. However, unless you
find a way to interact with people on a regular basis, it’s not always
successful. In addition, even if you are able to regularly talk with people,
you will not always get what’s called deliberate practice, where your mistakes are corrected. I have
known people who have spent time trying to learn languages abroad, but who
weren’t able to speak on a regular basis, and therefore, while they enjoyed
their travels, their language skills didn’t improve significantly. So, even if
one is able to get immersion by traveling to another country, it’s essential
that one does it in an effective way where they are regularly interacting with
others and getting deliberate practice. Some ways to do this are to enroll in an
intensive language program, for part of your time abroad, or to live with a
host family.
If effective immersion
abroad is often difficult to get, or in the case of most adults who have a job,
family, and other adult responsibilities, difficult to do, how does one get an
immersion experience? The answer is get an immersion experience at home. This
article gives some tips on how to have such an experience.
Guidelines for at home immersion success
What are some
basic guidelines to help make your target language a part of your everyday life
and normal routines? First, Develop
goals. The more specific your
goals, the more likely that you will succeed. Goals should be realistic but
challenging. Decide what your learning goals are. For example, many students
want to improve their speaking skills, so they should choose methods that will
help them to do this. Second, develop a realistic
but challenging plan to achieve your goals. Third, follow your plan for 30 to 60 days. This is a good
amount of time to get an idea of whether it’s a good plan. Fourth, after this time period, assess your plan and see what
needs to be changed.
Ideas to help you get started:
Work:
Using your target
language at work can be helpful for those that have this opportunity. It can be
difficult because one can fear making a mistake and not seeming competent enough.
Just remember that you can only do the best you can and learn from mistakes.
Try to read articles and use audio and video media about your profession. In
addition, you can do the following:
·
Learn
the vocabulary relevant to your job. Make a list of words you hear regularly
but don’t know.
·
Try
talking to your coworkers in a more informal, less stressful setting. You can
get used them, and you don’t have the pressure of making sure you’re not making
important mistakes.
·
Don’t
be afraid to ask for help, or ask someone to repeat themselves.
·
If
someone doesn’t understand you, say it in another way.
·
Use
role plays to practice common routines either by yourself or with a teacher (for
example, asking for help, speaking at a meeting, giving a presentation, etc.)
Sometimes you’ll
find that you’ve mastered communication in the field of your profession, but
you can’t talk about simple topics such as the weather or food. Remember to
balance your language skills and don’t limit your topics only to your
professional area. One good way to do this is hobbies.
Hobbies
Hobbies are a
great way to study a language because it’s doing something you love, and it’s
always easier to learn when you’re doing something you enjoy. Some common
hobbies and strategies for using them to learn languages are listed below, but
almost any hobby can be good. It’s even better if you can do your hobby with
other language learners.
Tips for specific hobbies:
Reading: Try to get the book (or magazine, comic, or newspaper) in
your target language and your native language. You can also get the audio
version. Reading and listening at the same time can be an excellent way to
study. Try to commit to a specific day and time to read every week. For
example, one can read a page or a chapter a week on the train during the
morning commute Tuesdays and Thursdays. Start a book club to make it more
social and interactive.
Writing: Try keeping a journal, or if you like, write stories,
articles, or poetry. Italki’s notebook section has a good system for getting corrections
on your writing. Also, you can
read what you write and share it with others. For example, start a writing
group where you read and discuss what you’ve written.
Movies and TV: This is one of the most popular hobbies
for language learning. While it’s nice just to relax and watch a movie using
subtitles, it’s not as effective as some other methods (remember, life doesn’t
have subtitles!). For movies, try to get the script of the movie, as it’s
easier than referring to the subtitles. Also, it can be easier to watch in 15
minute blocks instead of watching the whole movie at once. Try committing to watch
one 15 minute section each weekend.
First, watch a scene in your target language without reading the script
or subtitles. Second, listen to it again while reading the script. Look up any
new vocabulary words. Finally, watch it again without the script or subtitles. Start
a movie club to make it social.
Sports and exercise: Play sports or exercise with other language
learners, and speak only in the target language. Or, watch a favorite sport’s
match on TV in your target language.
Hiking: Go on a hike with friends and speak in your target language
only. Talk about all the natural things around you. What’s that bird called? Is it a hawk, owl, or
blue jay? Is that a river, stream, or spring?
Music: Listen to music in your target language. Read the lyrics to
understand the meaning of songs. Sing and play music in your target language.
Music is also a great social activity to do with others. Here are some other ideas for learning a language with music.
Volunteering: Volunteering can be an enjoyable activity
by itself, because you’re helping people and interacting with others, and if
you have an opportunity to do it in your target language, that’s even better. Individuals and organization will be more
likely to want volunteers, especially if you have some skills to offer, but
many organizations are happy to have motivated individuals that can give some
of their time and energy. Check out foreign embassies where your target
language is spoken or international organizations and businesses.
Relationships
Language is social,
so relationships are a great way to learn it. Try to make friends in your target language either in person or online.
Language exchanges like the ones on italki are one way to do this. If it’s hard
to find an exchange partner, don’t be afraid to get a partner at your level or
lower. If you have friends that are learning the same language as you, try a
group class or activities with them. Also family
members can learn together as well. Parents and children, spouses or even whole
families can speak or take lessons together. Also, some people advocate dating someone who speaks your target
language, also known as the pillow
approach, combining
romance and language learning. Finally, as we’ll see below, learning with
larger communities, such as language
clubs or language villages, is also effective.
Learning communities
Another way to add
a social element to your immersion experience is joining a community of
language learners like yourself. This can be online or in person. Online
communities like italki are great, but in person experiences are excellent as
well. If you live in a fairly big town, it’s possible that there will be a
language club in your target language. Language clubs come in all forms. If you
live in a large city there may be several different types of them, but even in a
small town there may be one at the local library, school or community center.
Therefore, make sure to check learning communities, such as libraries, schools,
and universities. If there isn’t a club in your target language, why not start
one? Also, learning communities such as libraries, schools, embassies, and
community centers sometimes have free classes. Another great resources is meetup.com,
which helps people to form their own clubs.
Language villages
Several countries
have language villages, which are immersion programs that allow you to stay at
a place that’s somewhat like a camp or resort and speak only in your target
language. This is especially popular with English,
but there are programs for other languages as well. This can be an excellent
immersion experience because you’re forced to speak your language in a
supportive, structured environment. It can also be a great way to have fun with
language learning and meet new people interested in your target language. In
addition, you can do it all within the borders of your country (or a nearby
country) for a short period of time. Unfortunately, this idea hasn’t become
popular in many countries, but if any entrepreneurs interested in the area of language
education are looking for a good idea, this might be it! There are plenty of
language schools, but the market for language villages in many countries is small
or nonexistent.
Regular online lessons or language
exchanges
Of course, one of
the best ways to have an immersion experience is by using online platforms like
italki. Online lessons and exchanges are a highly effective way of bringing
language learning into your home. Many of my students say this method is just
as good as going abroad. It’s also more flexible and convenient—you can have
lessons when you want from your home. Just remember to use deliberate practice to improve.
Learning through teaching
We can also learn
languages by teaching them to others. If you’re able to teach something, it
help you understand it better. We can do this through language exchanges,
language clubs and volunteering.
Everyday activities
Try using your
target language during everyday activities such as the following:
·
Listening
and reading the news
·
Cooking
·
Using
your phone and computer (change settings to your target language)
·
Counting
(and motivating yourself!) during exercise
·
Shopping
lists
·
Telling
time
·
Counting
money
Example schedule for an at home immersion experience
Finally, here’s a
basic example of how you can create your own day of an at home immersion
experience. This schedule could easily be used for a weekend as well.
Morning
·
Breakfast
and listen to or read news and/or talk with family or friends
·
Online
lesson or exchange
·
Social
activity (for example, volunteering, sports, exercise, hiking, museum trip with
friend, language club)
Afternoon
·
Make
lunch with recipe in your target language
·
Do
some necessary chores (if they need to be done!), but still try to use some of
your target language. For example, go shopping, but have your phone’s settings and
the shopping list in your target language.
·
Activity
(for example, watch film, read, write letter or in journal, online lessons or
exchange)
Evening
·
Language
learning dinner party
·
Watch
movie or read or write in journal
·
Review
day and new vocabulary
·
Plan
next at home immersion experience!
While not everyone is able to have an
immersion experience abroad, almost any can use these ideas and methods to
benefit from an immersion experience at home. Try adapting and experimenting
with these methods to see what works best for you. It may take some time to
learn what kind of at home immersion experience is successful for you, but if
you try to do it regularly, especially with support of a teacher and friends, it
can be an important way to get to the next level of your language abilities.
Have you ever tried an at home immersion
experience? Feel free to write in the comment section what ideas and methods
work best for you.
