An open letter to a future language student

Dear future language student,

You are about to learn a foreign language. You will discover a new world, because you will not only learn a language but also a different culture and a different way of thinking. What a great adventure!

However, every adventure needs a good preparation. You might learn a language for business, professional purposes or for your own pleasure. You might see language learning as a simple hobby, like going to the cinema, watch an exhibition, a concert or a soccer game. Well, learning a foreign language is not a hobby, even if you do it for your own pleasure: it is an investment. Learning a language is like doing an investment or practicing a sport: it requires commitment, self-discipline, effort and a regular practice. Without that, you will not succeed. If you take a language lesson once or twice a month, it’s not worth it. And if you’re overbooked, maybe you should think twice before making a decision.

You must also take an active part in the learning process. Don’t expect your teacher to do the whole job all alone. You can do a lot of things by yourself according to your level, such as watching foreign films with or without subtitles, educational videos on Youtube and foreign TV channels, using several apps such as Duolingo, joining community sites to chat in a foreign language and reading a lot.

Don’t expect it to be easy and beware of all ads promising you to learn a language in 30 days. Because you can’t. If you want to speak like a native, it will take a lifetime. It’s not easy nor fast, but it’s worth doing it.

So, are you ready? Let’s go.