#1 Strategy to Develop Fluency in a Foreign Language
If you want to speak, learn to write!
A few days ago I had the lovely opportunity to speak with the co-founder of Medium’s publication ‘Language Hub’, Antonello Zanini.
Our talk was aimed at discussing ways in which students could study and acquire proficiency in foreign languages quickly and efficiently.
The full talk will air on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts on the 7th of July but until then, I’d like to speak about one crucial and much too often overlooked aspect of language learning that Antonello hit upon.
That is the importance of writing in the attempt of acquiring fluency in a foreign language.
I am certain that most language learners understand the importance of reading, listening and speaking in a foreign language.
The first two skills are aimed at language comprehension and help to expand one’s passive vocabulary. Having a wide passive vocabulary is crucial, nonetheless, there comes a time when you have to start making it active.
There are two ways to do that. You can activate your passive vocabulary either through speaking or writing.
In my mind, there is no better tool to do so than through journaling.
Both Antonello and I use this technique in order to move from comprehension to fluency.
Actually, Antonello mentioned that he starts journaling in his language of choice from the first day he starts learning it! His goal is to write 100 words a day, but it can vary from day to day. As in the beginning you might not be able to pull off 100 words per day, try to sticking to 50 or even lower.
This will do 3 things:
- It will make the new vocabulary and grammar stick;
- It will help you think about how to make yourself understood;
- It will force you to start thinking in sentences rather than in lone words.
If you are unable to form sentences at first, do not despair. Use Google Translate or some other app to study new words and capture phrases. This will simultaneously expand your vocabulary and instill new patterns in your brain. Once they are there with time they will become second nature.
Thanks for reading!
I hope this short post on language learning has been useful! If it was, be sure to check out my language learning and writing podcast on YouTube. If you enjoyed the content, please leave a like, comment or subscribe.
It will help the channel grow. ✌️📈
