So in my
normal fashion I decided not to worry about that fact that I didn’t speak a
lick of Spanish even though we were jetting off to South America. That because I’m
so awesome I would instead be able to just summon English speakers to bump into
me in the streets. This was so not the case, but I didn’t let that get me down.
Even though I haven’t been able to prefect the art of summoning yet, I do pride
myself in being able to keep a positive attitude and am a believer in the power
of positive thinking. Having a husband attached to my hip who easily picks up
new languages doesn’t hurt a bit either;)
 |
| {via} |
My
vocabulary is still well under 150 words {I think}, but I have picked up a
couple of cool tips on learning a new language from some friends of mine along
the way and I wanted to share them with you guys.
Tip from Liz Gilbert-
Translate
one newspaper article a day. In Eat, Pray, Love Liz said she would do this and
it took her about an hour. Unfortunately I don’t really have the ability to do
this every day with 3 kids running around, but I have been able to do a couple
and it totally helps. I swear I’ll be able to read Spanish before I’ll be able
to speak it. And this is only with 3 or 4 articles under my belt people.
 |
| {via} |
Tip from Tim Ferris-
When
learning a new language immerses yourself in a topic you want to learn about.
If you can’t stand economics don’t translate an article about commerce. Study
what interests you. A week or so after I was here I picked up a copy of Glamour
magazine. I loved it! It was in Spanish, and I enjoyed what I was translating
as well. Good point about magazines vs newspapers is that magazines generally
have more spotlight pieces with only a word count generally fewer than 50 words
so you can translate something more quickly. Like when you are waiting for
water to boil for pasta, or your kids are playing in the back yard.
Personal Tip-
Don’t use Google translate for the articles!! While I find that is it defiantly the most
accurate for quick look ups-- if you take the time to look up the word in your dictionary, you are
more likely to remember it.
Tip from Royal-
Get these flashcards!! They are fantastic!! They also have several other categories such as medical, SAT prep, and school topics.
 |
| {via} |
Second Personal Tip-
Don’t rush
into getting a tutor or enrolling in a language class when you get to where you
are going. Even if tons of people don’t speak English tons of people want to
learn how. People will want to practice with you—for free!! Ask around for a
language exchange partner. Or you can also jump on this great website called Conversation Exchange which basically does the same thing, only has a broader
search since it’s online. It also gives you the option to find people who want
to practice, but on Skype as well. So if you aren’t going somewhere for a few
months jump on and find someone’s profile that sounds like a good match for
you. Contact them and practice ahead of time and {BONUS} you’ll already have a
friend when you go.
How many of
you can speak another language? I want to be able to raise my hand, but I’m
still a work in progress. Do you guys have tips to share with me? I’d love to
hear them.
xO-Etheline
i love the tip to emerse yourself in something that you really want to learn! might just have to give this a try ;)
ReplyDeletexo TJ
I like the idea of learning from the magazines and the concept of writing right on them as you go!
ReplyDeleteI definitely read it better than I can speak it and I've been studying Spanish for years! Isn't it funny how that works? I would suggest placing post-it notes around your house on objects and in places you will see them on a regular basis. Then whenever you see the post-it note, just repeat the word a few times out loud or in your head to help familiarize yourself with it. It worked for me! I like the magazine articles as well. I definitely noticed that listening to conversations going on around me while I was in Spain helped me too. I would try and identify a few key word I knew to understand what the conversation was about.
ReplyDeleteAlso, learn the phrase 'Como se dice _________ en espanol' (how do you say _______ in spanish) and use it frequently whenever there's an object you can point at. At one restaurant, I had to go up to the waiter, hold up a spoon and say 'Como se dice -point at spoon- in espanol' because I had forgotten. I then proceeded to point at the knives and forks and ask about them too.
It can be pretty gringo, but it's worth it when you finally have a full on conversation in Spanish with a complete stranger (holla!).
I love you and miss you and I hope this helps!!!!
Bailey