Learning a foreign language

[tammywammy]

How many here have sucessfully, meaning can hold a decent conversation, learned a foreign language as an adult?

I'm going to try and start learning Spanish, it would be helpful in my job though not a requirement. Do you have any advice on a specific program?

[likesmountains 52]

1. I have taken on line courses, college course, adult education courses..

and the only way that you can really "get" it is to be in situations where you have to converse in the language...I get to speak Spanish about once a month at work...and it is hard for me to keep it fresh in my mind...I would need to speak it every day to become really comfortable.

[tammywammy]

2. I'd have that opportunity to actually converse with someone

I have a few co-workers that already know Spanish, so I could do that.

I'm just wondering if there's a better way to get the basics, online vs school vs self study.

[UncleSepp]

3. It depends on the learner.

Some people do great with immersion, some with tapes and such that focus on conversation, and some with a dusty old book full of grammar rules. I'm a grammar rules + dictionary + read, read, read language learner, but that means nothing for you. It's about finding out how you learn, and then choosing the learning method that works for your particular style.

[Tyo]

6. This is exactly right

People learn differently and respond better to some types of input than others. Me, I have a hard time absorbing purely written info. I'm much more audio/visual. Actual speaking practice and role play, even though I make a mistake every two words, backed up with charts and pictures works for me. But I know people who seem to do just fine on their own with written rules and exercises and sample dialogues in books.

[S n o w b a l l]

4. I took adult conversational classes through a local high school

in LA. I thought they were excellent and I learned enough to communicate when I went south of the border. It really helps though to be able to use it on someone who knows it...I've pretty much lost everything I learned cause I didn't use it enough. But, I'd start out here if I were you.

[oregonjen]

5. Immersion really works

Sink or swim. You also get to learn slang and intonations that a textbook just can't teach you. I've had experience with immersion and it truly was the best for me.

[tammywammy]

8. Yeah, but I'm not moving to Mexico anytime soon

:)

[oregonjen]

10. Yeah, but you could maybe trade conversation with a Spanish speaker

You could find a Spanish speaker wanting to trade his/her time speaking English with you. You could teach English and he/she could teach you Spanish.

[tammywammy]

11. That's a good idea

I might look into that. :)

[bleedingheart]

7. I grew up with people who spoke foreign languages

my mother spoke Lithuanian, my father spoke Croatian and they both could speak some Polish and Russian.

I think that using it is what makes a big difference.

I had taken German in high school...the first time i used it conversationally with a German...it was rough but the fellow was very helpful and it got easier...I am brushing up on my German cuz I will be meeting some reps from Europe this summer...it kind of comes back to me but I know that speaking it with a native born German will make a big difference.

[Roon]

9. I learned enough sign laguage

to cruise the the cute deaf gay boys at the bar! :-)

[Chan790]

12. I can...

but it's a natural skill (which some people have and some don't).

I do it primarily through immersion. Vacations, for example. I went to Montreal for a week and came back conversationally-adequate in French. More often...I immerse through books. Not learning books...novels. After I took Spanish during second semester Freshman year of college I decided to read one book written in Spanish (very-slowly and with much assistance of the Spanish/English dictionary) over the summer (One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez) for retention purposes only. I ended up discovering when I returned to class for sophomore year that I was actually fluent to a 200-level. (This is 1st year level for majoring students...well beyond the level needed to fulfill my language requirement.)

I'd suggest that (reading, even with a dictionary) along with conversations (don't be afraid to ask if something doesn't make sense) and if you have a favorite movie which is subtitled, watch it as few times without the subtitles, you'll discover you understand more than you think you do because you know what's going on and roughly what is being said. 50% of language-learning is context. (A great example of this is the poem Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll...it's 25%-50% made-up words and yet makes perfect sense.)

As for learning programming...I've found that they're all pretty-much equal. Boring and terrible, but necessary.

[Kali]

13. Immersion

You can do a two week course in several places in Mexico. Plan your next vacation around it!

See if your work would help pay for something.