With many free options online and in the community, you can learn a foreign language.
Speaking a foreign language can improve your employment outlook, your global understanding and even your personal life. Richard Riley, the U.S. Secretary of Education under President Bill Clinton, said, "We have strong evidence today that studying a foreign language has a ripple effect, helping to improve student performance in other subjects." Learning a language can be hard at first, particularly for adult students. Omniglot, an online guide to languages, suggests this: "Before you start trying to speak a foreign language, spend some time tuning your ears to its sounds and rhythms."
Instructions
1. Visit your local public library or a university library if you have access to one. Most stock foreign language audio tapes or CDs like Rosetta Stone, a comprehensive language learning software program with audio, and Pimsleur, an audio-only foreign language program.
2. Log onto The Foreign Service Institute and the BBC websites. Both offer interactive audio lessons for free. Visit YouTube to find video lessons of the language you wish to learn. Oftentimes you will find children's shows or tutorials that can help with proper pronunciation.
3. Complete the audio exercises aloud in order to learn the proper pronunciation. Listen in an environment that will not disturb others, such as at home.
4. Record yourself completing the audio exercises. Check your pronunciation against the computer program to identify any mistakes.
5. Watch news or television programs in the foreign language of your choice in order to create an immersion environment. Spanish channels are frequently available with cable or satellite television packages; languages from Basque to Urdu can be accessed as streaming video online. For example, watch Al-Jazeera to enhance your learning of Arabic.
6. Volunteer at an ethnic community center or retirement home in order to practice speaking and hearing the language you're learning.
Tags: foreign language, audio exercises, foreign language, language learning, proper pronunciation