Language Learning

Learning the language of your host country (or the people group you are reaching) is one BIG way of showing love.

There are, it may be, so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance. Therefore, if I do not know the meaning of the language, I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me. | 1 Corinthians 14:10-11 (emphasis added)

Here are some ideas for learning the language:

Language Resources:

  • Apps

    • Duolingo - a great place to start your language learning. Duolingo helps you learn grammar at a solid pace.

    • Drops - a good way to grow your vocabulary.

    • Pimsleur - an excellent way to start speaking the language immediately, but you will need to concentrate for 30 minutes at a time.

    • italki - practice talking with a native speaker

    • Apps for learning the script of your country

    • New language apps come out all the time!

  • Movies and TV shows

    • Even more than learning the language, these are extremely valuable for helping you understand the culture and its values.

    • Children’s YouTube shows - they help you learn the basics like colors and animals and show you what is considered important for the children of your host culture to learn.

    • Disney offers shows in many languages (often dubbed). These are great for learning language (simple vocabulary with much repetition) but not for learning the culture (if it’s a dubbed show!).

  • Methods

    • Growing Participator Approach - this is an intense approach to language learning that helps you build relationships as you grow in the language.

  • The Bible

    • Listening to the Bible in your new language helps you learn spiritual vocabulary and learn the cadence of the language. Your vocabulary will grow over time. If you read along while you listen, your reading speed will also increase!

    • To take your learning even further, every day, look up 1 word from the chapter you read that you don’t understand.

    • For language learning purposes, try to use a modern translation.

    • The YouVersion app and Bible.is have many languages (plus audio)

  • More Ideas

    • Make it a family activity - designate 1 day a week, or certain hours of the day, where your
      family only uses your new language.

    • Cook in your new language - print a recipe online (in your target language), and try to find
      the items at your local grocery store (without translating them!).

    • Use the Toucan browser extension - this extension changes words from English to your
      target language as you browse the Internet. This can be frustrating at times (you can
      pause the extension and turn it off for certain sites)      , but it does force you to learn vocabulary.

    • Listen to (and sing along with) worship music in your new language.

    • Memorize 1 word/day. Use a frequency dictionary to learn the most important and frequently used words in your target language. In general, knowing 1,000-3,000 words will allow you to be conversational.

This recipe is from Schnelle & Gesunde Küche
by Stefanie Burger

Keep in Mind:

  • If it feels like drudgery, you’re doing it wrong! Language learning should be fun!

  • Everything you learn now (no matter how small) can be used later. Something is better than nothing!

  • You have to make at least 1,000 mistakes before you can become fluent.

  • Some people learn language fast, like rabbits. Some people learn language slowly, like turtles…but when they arrive at fluency, they bring house and home with them!

  • For the best learning to occur, aim for 90% understanding and 10% new material (so if you’re watching movies, it’s totally fine to have subtitles until you understand about 90% of what you’re hearing).

  • Pre-immersion, pre-living in the culture, the most sustainable = the best. If that’s just 5 minutes, then that’s 5 minutes!! That’s 5 more minutes than you would have otherwise spent learning the language! Over time, 5 minutes adds up to a lot.

  • Progress over perfection – you will have discouraging days. You will have days when you feel like you know less than you knew before. Keep plugging along, and over time, you WILL improve.

  • When writing down new words you want to remember {but: YOU DON’T HAVE TO WRITE DOWN NEW WORDS!}, don’t write the English equivalent. Instead, draw a picture of the definition, write a synonym from the new language, or write down the meaning in a different language you know.

  • Learning a new language takes time.

  • Learning a new language is humbling. You feel like a child and can’t communicate what you want.

  • Embrace the awkwardness, laugh at your mistakes, and keep moving forward.

  • Don’t focus on learning grammar rules. Instead, focus on learning what sounds right, and inadvertently, you’ll learn proper grammar.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.