Immersive learning?

When people admire those who can speak more that one or two language, they assume that learning a language is difficult. But is it really?

When learning a language, is all comes down to language exposure. Immersive learning is an environment in which you will MOSTLY hear the target language. It can be immersive for the duration of the single class, a few hours of your day, or everyday if you live in a country where a different language is spoken. One thing is certain: the more you HEAR the target language, the FASTER you will learn. People who learn several languages because they have lived in different countries are no geniuses. The language was forced into their brains and eventually exploded out of their mouths. It would happen to anyone; yes, even you.

When you are not surrounded by the target language though, the language is FORCED into your brain. It will take you a longer time to warm up to the language and reconnect with a different logic (way of thinking the language). The process will simply take more time, but the result, down the road, will be very similar in both instances.

If you wish to immerse yourself more, while learning, there are many tools available for free. You can for example listen to foreign music (this being the main way for foreigners to familiarize with English), listen to Podcasts (there are various levels out there you can pick from) or watch TV series, read books etc. When choosing an immersive learning option, just be mindful of the level you choose. You do not need to understand everything you hear (otherwise you would already be fluent), but you do not want to go through the frustration of understanding close to nothing. Your mean of immersion, and amount of it, is yours to choose. The more, the better.

For more information on HOW TO LISTEN to foreign language sources, you can check out the BLOG on this specific topic (active vs passive listening). In the meantime, get to your favorite app and start immersing yourself!