From engrish.com

One thing that is hard for many people is making conversation. It’s even harder when doing it in a foreign language–you want to be able to tell jokes or get your opinions across in a completely different culture by using different words and in some cases, completely different ways of expressing yourself.

In this article from Positivity on mistakes in a conversation, an excellent point is made that can be applied to foreign language learners:

Poor delivery
One of the most important things in a conversation is not what you say, but how you say it. A change in these habits can make a big difference since your voice and body language is a vital part of communication. Some things to think about:

* Slowing down. When you get excited about something it’s easy to start talking faster and faster. Try and slow down. It will make it much easier for people to listen and for you actually get what you are saying across to them.
* Speaking up. Don’t be afraid to talk as loud as you need to for people to hear you.
* Speaking clearly. Don’t mumble.
* Speak with emotion. No one listens for that long if you speak with a monotone voice. Let your feelings be reflected in your voice.
* Using pauses. Slowing down your talking plus adding a small pause between thoughts or sentences creates a bit of tension and anticipation. People will start to listen more attentively to what you’re saying. Listen to one of Brian Tracys cds or Steve Pavlina’s podcasts. Listen to how using small pauses makes what they are saying seem even more interesting.
* Learn a bit about improving your body language as it can make your delivery a lot more effective. Read about laughter, posture and how to hold your drink in 18 ways to improve your body language.

Of course you’ll be eager to talk about everything in your new language, but rushing will lead to mistakes which leads to backtracking to get your points across. In other words, you lose your fluency. The more expressive you are and the clearer your voice is, the more effectively you can communicate.

Notice that the article encourages learning correct body language so that your audience will have no doubt as to how you are feeling. This also applies to foreign cultures as well–do your research! Find out what makes native speakers “native,” and how you can bridge the gap between an awkward foreigner and a cool insider. A lot of it has to do with body language and not just speaking abilities.

For example, take for instance person A. Person A is fairly competent in speaking Japanese, but wavers when they make a mistake and their confidence diminishes. They speak too fast in a small voice to try to cover up their mistakes, and ultimately confuse whomever they are talking to. Embarrassment on both ends.

Person B, on the other hand, is a native Japanese speaker. They make mistakes in speaking–as we all do–but laughs off the mistakes and keeps going, because they know they have the language skills to get their point across. The audience in question disregards the mistakes, or laughs with them and continues listening to the speaker.

Both people know the language, but have different ways of handling conversations. It’s imperative for language learners to gain confidence in speaking abilities despite making mistakes. At the same, you should speak clearly and slowly to minimize the chances of making silly errors.

- Saving the Whales? Or Leftover WWII Resentment?
- It's Been a Crazy Two Months
- Japanese Version of the Office
- Algorithm March...with Ninja!
- Tokyo Cat Cafes (Why Aren't I Working Here Already?)

Taken in Kobe

There is a super-informative article at About.com on using bilingual dictionaries. The article is aimed towards those learning French, but the same concepts apply to any language.

Here are some tips from the article that will apply to any language-lookups:
- look up unmodified words (also known as root words, stem words, un-conjugated or dictionary form words)
- when looking up expressions, look for key words instead of the whole phrase
- look up words right away when you can’t understand them–looking them up later might give you the wrong translation because you aren’t putting it into context
- pay attention to parts of speech (i.e., be careful not to confuse similar-sounding verbs and nouns)
- pay attention to gender if applicable
- don’t overlook dictionary shorthands and abbreviations
- consult a native speaker when possible
- think figuratively rather than literally when translating (otherwise idioms and expressions won’t translate well)

As you can see, the article aims for learners to use the dictionaries as a guide and not as a sole authority on translation. You have to be smart about it and put what you see in context, which is what separates your translations from Google’s.  For those learning Japanese, make sure you have the right corresponding kanji character to the word you are looking up–this can make all the difference.

- Speak Our Language or Go to Jail
- Learn a Language Faster By Slowing Down
- Learning a Foreign Language for Beginners pt. 3: Main Resources
- How To: Use Chopsticks
- Learn Foreign Languages with Free Online Courses

Learn English through exercise

So far in this series I’ve talked about finding a language suitable for you, and finding the right dictionary to help you learn words faster. In this post I am going to cover the main resources you will use to learn a foreign language.

Textbooks
If you can, do as much research possible in finding a good textbook for your language. Don’t just use what your school offers–sometimes the school will offer a textbook that might not be ideal but is either more affordable or they have a deal with the publishing company (as a result, I started to learn Japanese at my school using what turned out to be a notoriously bad textbook series). Look around online in communities dedicated to learning the same language. Ask anybody who seems to be picking up the language quickly.
Here are some qualities of a textbook I found that helped me learn the easiest (and consequently the fastest):
- Written by native speakers: This should be an obvious factor but a lot of textbooks may be written by non-native speakers for English audiences.
- Chapter layouts are consistent: Consistency is key in learning, and this applies especially to textbooks. My ideal textbook is set up in this way: vocab list, example dialogues, grammar points, practice lessons. There are rarely footnotes and any surprises which prevents confusion.
- Comes with a language CD: Not all textbooks will offer one, but listening to the text as you read the book helps a lot. This wil also make the book you are looking for on the pricey side, but in my opinion it’s worth it.
- Isn’t obscure: Your textbook should be a familiar name to not just students at your school but with students all over the world who are learning the language too. Find out what textbook is being used at the school where you can study abroad or again, consult the Internet.
Extra for Japanese learners: I recommend the Genki textbooks published by Japan Times, which can be ordered from Amazon here:
- Genki 1: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese 1
- Genki II: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese II

Strong Schedule
You cannot learn a language if you don’t make it part of your daily (yes, daily!) life. Make learning the language part of your routine, just like eating breakfast or exercising. Take advantage of these free online courses to give you an idea of how you can organize learning from your textbook. Devote at least an hour to learning everyday, and break up the hour into learning different segments (example: 15 minutes of new vocabulary, 15 minutes listening practice, 15 minutes of new grammar, 15 minutes of practice questions) Your textbook will be useless if you don’t actually use it, and having a well-ogranized schedule will help you immensely!

Supplementary Books
These are books that will help your understanding of the language and culture as you study. I feel that it’s not just enough to learn a language, if you have any intentions of the visiting the country, it’s imperative that you are familiar with the culture and history as well. This will help you broaden your vocabulary as you learn words that textbooks won’t teach you. Some examples of good topics in supplementary books:
- a collection of famous folk tales
- kids’ books
- history book
- social issues (feminism, discrimination, corrupt government, environment, etc.)
- pop culture magazines
- fashion magazines
You get the idea! These make learning the language fun and will teach you a lot of slang words and help you better understand that culture of the language you’re learning. These can obviously be in English, but try finding some magazines in the language you’re studying because you can better associate words with pictures that way. Try eBay if you aren’t lucky enough to have a mega-international bookstore in your neighborhood.
Extra for Japanese learners: Manga (Japanese comics) are a fun way to read the language and learn popular slang in running series. You can order Japanese-language manga from Yes Asia.

TV Shows
Better than movies, finding a good TV series in the language you’re studying is ideal because you won’t get bored of the material but you will still be reinforcing concepts because of the consistent cast members and scenario. A show that isn’t too intensive or serious is ideal–try looking for shows that take place in a home with a family or among a group of friends. Watching a TV series will accumulate hours and hours of listening practice, and of course being able to watch natives speak and move is a great help in learning.
Extra for Japanese learners: Again, Play Asia has a good amount of Japanese TV series on DVD, but make sure you have a player that is either region free or can play region 2 DVDS!)

Browser Language Plugins
I love these things! You can download the dictionary of the language you are learning from Firefox’s plugins and translate anything as you read things online. This opens up a whole new Internet in another language, and you’ll be able to learn as you putz around online.
Extra for Japanese learners: Rikai Chan is your best friend.

With these resources combined, you’ll be able to have a good solid foundation from which to learn from. Don’t rely on just one of these options–mix it up a bit so you don’t get bored or frustrated. (Learning a language should be fun, not a chore!)

If you have any tips, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Other Articles in Learning a Language for Beginners:
- Part I: Getting Started
- Part II: Dictionaries

- Saving the Whales? Or Leftover WWII Resentment?
- It's Been a Crazy Two Months
- Japanese Version of the Office
- Algorithm March...with Ninja!
- Tokyo Cat Cafes (Why Aren't I Working Here Already?)

The people who brought you the video on how to eat sushi also made one on how to use chopsticks.  Watch and learn!

- Saving the Whales? Or Leftover WWII Resentment?
- Music: The Unfortunate Twist by Time Machine
- What's Happening Wednesday
- All Asians Have Beef With Other Asians
- Disney Offers No Dental Plan for Fireflies

Photo by schoshie

Following this list of ten universities that offer free online courses, I sorted through the sites and found which ones offer free language courses:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Language Index
- Chinese
- French
- German
- Japanese
- Spanish

Open University
- Language Index
- French
- German
- Spanish

Carnegie Mellon University
- French

Utah State University
- Chinese

I don’t know about you, but I am pretty excited that these courses are out there for anybody to take advantage of. 

Recommended reading to get started!!
- How I Skipped An Entire Semester of Japanese in One Month
- Tips in Building Up Vocabulary in a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Foreign Language Skills By Being Consistent
- Why You Should Learn a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Listening Skills in a Foreign Language
- Speak a Foreign Language Fluently, or at Least Pretend You Can
- Learn Gestures to Improve Fluency in a Foreign Language

Learning a Foreign Language for Beginners
- Part I: Getting Started
- Part II: Dictionaries

- Speak Our Language or Go to Jail
- Learn a Language Faster By Slowing Down
- Using Bilingual Dictionaries
- Learning a Foreign Language for Beginners pt. 3: Main Resources
- How To: Use Chopsticks

Photo taken in Nanking Town, Kobe

I’m not going to lie to you: the best way to learn a language is to have it taught to you by a native speaker. You will have someone to correct your mistakes, and learning the language in a classroom setting will force you to get used to studying it regularly if you find you don’t have the discipline to do it yourself.

The downside to learning a language with in a classroom setting is that how quickly you pick up the language depends on the pace of the course. Which, of course, could mean semesters and semesters of paying for courses and going at a snail’s pace.

If you aren’t lucky enough to know a native speaker that will kindly take the time to teach you one-on-one, you will have to turn to other resources that will be your guide. Books are, in my opinion, by far the second best way to learn a language (but it won’t help with speaking and pronunciation–that will come in a future post.)

But where to begin? I would like to think that the basis for learning any language is to learn the words. Obviously, this is where dictionaries come in. But which ones to look for? Which ones are a waste of time? This post will cover different types of dictionaries and how they might work for you.

Dictionaries
A dictionary could arguably be the most important tool in your language-learning arsenal. Put a lot of thought and research into what kind you buy and the company that publishes them. Visit your local bookstore and flip through their selections. Not all dictionaries are created equal–see if you can find ones with color-coded words and definitions you can understand. The ones with simple layouts are good for learning from because you don’t have a bunch of footnotes, references and sidenotes distracting you.

Electronic Dictionaries
If you are lucky enough to find one, invest in an electronic dictionary and make it a habit to carry it around with you. They are lifesavers when a word you just can’t remember nags at your brain, or if you want to see variations of a new word you just learned. I would use this instead of a pocket dictionary, and as either a supplement or a replacement for a big honkin’ dictionary. The top-of-the-line ones include an area to write for kanji look-ups and most of them include headphones so that you can hear what the words sound like.

Big Honkin’ Dictionaries
If you study at a desk all the time, it might be worth investing in a big honkin’ dictionary. They will have words that pocket dictionaries will omit and give you nerd street cred when friends are over. Don’t be a jerk and carry it around all the time–that’s what pocket dictionaries are for. Use these if you want a thorough resource for words (which I assume you do.) Look for the latest editions. You might be able to find some good ones at a used bookstore, but they might contain dated words that will make it harder to look through.

Pocket Dictionaries
If you can’t find an electronic dictionary, these cute little books are worth the pricey investment if you study on the go. You can fit them in your bag or jacket and carry them around for quick references. These are great for learning new words throughout your day–stop yourself often and look up words you encounter in your day such as car, drive, work, boss, etc. Use these as a supplement to your bigger books, since they often omit a lot of words in order to make it pocket-sized.

Grammar Dictionaries
Grammar dictionaries are helpful in learning new patterns of speech or as a guideline of how to apply grammar points that you’ve learned. I strongly suggest getting one as a supplement to your textbook or whatever you decide you want your primary book to be.

The Internet
You might find this an obvious resource, but don’t rely on it too heavily. Even with our space age technology, we have yet to perfect a translation of a webpage without it turning into something you could find on engrish.com. Instead of consulting websites like you would a normal dictionary, look for Firefox plug-ins that are specifically for the language you are studying (I highly recommend Rikai-chan for Japanese learners.) That way when you visit websites in the language of your choice, you will continue to learn new words as your browse.

Kanji Dictionaries
For those learning Chinese or Japanese, kanji dictionaries are insanely helpful if you see a character but can’t read it. These are organized by numbers of strokes, radicals, and complexity. The goods one will include example uses of the kanji characters, and ideally they should be color coded for easier look-ups. Of course, if you can get your paws on an electronic dictionary then you can skip this altogether since a kanji dictionary is included by default.

Nintendo DS Games
I don’t have a Nintendo DS, but many of the students here who do swear by Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten, which is a kanji dictionary in the form of a DS game. The advantage this software has over buying a book version is that you can actually write the kanji you see instead of trying to look it up by stroke order. The software will then look up the kanji for you–probably the fastest way to look up a character you can’t read.

I’m sure you’re all absolutely enthralled by the concept of getting a dictionary by now. Be patient, though–it takes a good foundation to learn a language, and once you’ve got the basics down you will be learning things at a breakneck speed. Stay tuned for the next article on learning a language for beginners!

Other Articles in Learning a Language for Beginners:
- Part I: Getting Started

More of my Language Articles:
- How I Skipped An Entire Semester of Japanese in One Month
- Tips in Building Up Vocabulary in a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Foreign Language Skills By Being Consistent
- Why You Should Learn a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Listening Skills in a Foreign Language
- Speak a Foreign Language Fluently, or at Least Pretend You Can
- Learn Gestures to Improve Fluency in a Foreign Language

- Speak Our Language or Go to Jail
- Learn a Language Faster By Slowing Down
- Using Bilingual Dictionaries
- Learning a Foreign Language for Beginners pt. 3: Main Resources
- How To: Use Chopsticks

This is a ridiculously funny how-to video on sushi, poking fun at the Japanese culture’s love for knowing how to do everything properly.  Learn how to enter a sushi-ya, the different types of tuna available, and how you can supplement your salt intake if your soy sauce was lacking.  Thanks to R for the heads up.

- Saving the Whales? Or Leftover WWII Resentment?
- Music: The Unfortunate Twist by Time Machine
- What's Happening Wednesday
- All Asians Have Beef With Other Asians
- Disney Offers No Dental Plan for Fireflies

Rules to enter an arcade

So you want to learn a second language. Maybe you’ve come across multi-lingual people and felt like you’re missing out, or maybe you’ve read some of the articles on this site and decided to try learning another language for yourself. However you came to the decision to learn another language, here are some tips on getting started.

Pick a language
This one is a no brainer, but it does require some thought behind it. What language do you wish you could speak? Why? Can you imagine yourself speaking it in the future? Is it going to be for fun or business?

Letters or characters?
Depending on what language you decide on, you may have to learn how to read and write an entirely different sort of alphabet. Japanese has three alphabets, two of them consisting of 52 basic characters each, while the third contains thousands of kanji characters (the more complicated looking ones that you see people get tattoos of.) Are you willing to learn how to write characters? Or do you want to stick with the romance lanuages, which only include variations of the alphabet you already know?

Do some research
Before you go out and buy extremely overpriced language books and dictionaries, do a little research online on how others are picking up the language. Join some language communities and read common questions other learners have, such as pronunciation or grammar problems.

Be realistic
You know yourself better than anyone else. How disciplined are you when it comes to teaching yourself things? Do you start out passionately, only to fizzle out a week later? Languages take a long time to master, especially if you are juggling other things such as school and a job. If you are really serious about learning one, you need to put in the time everyday.

Manage time wisely
Like with everything else, learning a language requires a lot of practice and reenforcement. Make sure you budget your time wisely so that you can get studying in everyday, holiday or no.

Set a goal
Setting a goal is a great way to get started in learning a language. Set a goal for yourself to learn x amount of words within a week, or to be able to read x amount of characters if you’re learning an Asian language.

Do a 30-day trial
If you aren’t positive that you can commit to learning a language, try the language out for 30 days. Don’t worry about learning it a month from now. Instead, try to integrate your learning everyday for 30 days and see how much you can learn within that initial period. By the end of the 30 days, you can decide whether to keep going or to look for other languages to learn.

Stay away from get-rich-quick schemes
Unless you are a robot or the Rain Man, you are not going to learn any language within a week. In fact, you are probably not going to learn it within a month. If you’re absolutely dedicated, maybe you can learn it within 6 months to a year. But probably not. Stay away from books and products that claim you can learn a language in a short amount of time–chances are they omitted a lot of basic grammar rules and focus more on memorizing phrases and sentences. It might seem like you’re making progress, but instead of learning how to form sentences on your own, you are merely memorizing catch phrases.

Do you think you can handle learning another language? If you’ve stuck with it this far, stay tuned for my next post on learning a foreign language for beginners!

More of my Language Articles:
- How I Skipped An Entire Semester of Japanese in One Month
- Tips in Building Up Vocabulary in a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Foreign Language Skills By Being Consistent
- Why You Should Learn a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Listening Skills in a Foreign Language
- Speak a Foreign Language Fluently, or at Least Pretend You Can
- Learn Gestures to Improve Fluency in a Foreign Language

- Speak Our Language or Go to Jail
- Learn a Language Faster By Slowing Down
- Using Bilingual Dictionaries
- Learning a Foreign Language for Beginners pt. 3: Main Resources
- How To: Use Chopsticks

Anyone who has worked for a business that has branches overseas knows that there is certain protocol when opening a store in a different country. The biggest one would be cultural gestures. Gestures give away what you’re saying without you verbally saying it, or knowing how to. You can cause a lot of confusion in a foreign country if you don’t understand common gesture practices.

In Japan, there are gestures for just about everything, many of which are actual sign language uses. You stick out your pinky finger to indicate “girlfriend,” or slide your pointer finger along the curve of your jaw to indicate a facial scar, a common stereotypical trait of the “yakuza” (Japanese mafia.)

There being a deeply ingrained sense of hierarchy in Japanese society, even the way you sit and bow indicates your position. When sitting with someone of higher status then you such as a boss or a teacher, you should sit with your legs underneath you–this is extremely uncomfortable to do for long stretches of time, but sitting in a less comfortable position than your superior shows that you acknowledge your lower status. Bowing is also so ingrained that people on their cellphones will often bow to whomever they’re talking to.

If you plan to study abroad in a country, absolutely try to pick up some gestures before you get there. A harmless thumbs up is interpreted as the middle finger in the Middle East. Nodding a lot is common courtesy in Japan because it shows you are an active listener, compared to the U.S. where your head remains pretty much stationary. Not paying attention to your actions may lead others to see you as cold or rude when you are attempting to be warm and friendly.

Learning gestures is also beneficial in that they are extremely easy to pick up and can convey a lot. You don’t have to worry about correct pronunciation or grammar. You can also use it to emphasize whatever you’re saying in a foreign language, especially in the beginning stages where you might not have a lot of vocabulary to work with. If you’re in the more advanced stages, making the extra effort to learn corresponding gestures takes you another step further toward fluency–you will not only be able to talk but also carry yourself like a native speaker.

So when you go abroad, do your best to follow what others are doing. Be careful of your actions and how you carry yourself, otherwise you may find yourself at the receiving end of a hearty thumbs up.

More of my Language Articles:
- How I Skipped An Entire Semester of Japanese in One Month
- Tips in Building Up Vocabulary in a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Foreign Language Skills By Being Consistent
- Why You Should Learn a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Listening Skills in a Foreign Language
- Speak a Foreign Language Fluently, or at Least Pretend You Can

- Saving the Whales? Or Leftover WWII Resentment?
- It's Been a Crazy Two Months
- Japanese Version of the Office
- Algorithm March...with Ninja!
- Tokyo Cat Cafes (Why Aren't I Working Here Already?)

Picture taken by R in Shinsaibashi, Osaka

So you know how to read the foreign language and can pick up key phrases and words when listening to natives speak it.  The next step is speaking it.  No, I’m not talking about the stuttered talking, filled with “ehms” and “urrs,” among other indicators that you are mentally piecing together the massive jigsaw puzzle that is a sentence.

I’m talking about speaking.  Your accent is spot on, you don’t hesitate to answer questions, and when you don’t know something, you know how to saw “whatdoyoucallit…”  Your grammar still might be jumbled, but your confidence takes you the rest of the way where things get messy.

Here are some pointers on how to speak fluently, or at least get really good at pretending you are:

Memorize with your mouth
It doesn’t matter if people think you are crazy. Read, read, read. As much as you can and as often as possible, and always read out loud to yourself so you know what the words sound like. Sure, you can hear it in your head, but you need to train yourself to physically say the words. Doing so helps words come out faster. Soon you’ll notice yourself being able to throw out a word that you otherwise would have to pause and think about. Then you’ll be able to spit out phrases, and soon enough after that commonly said sentences. It’s not enough to know practice the language mentally, you have to physically memorize it with your mouth.

Imitate and mimick everybody
You officially have permission to act like a five year old. Feel free to imitate, mock, and mimick your way to fluency (or at least fluent sounding). Whenever you hear a new phrase or word come out of the mouth of native speaker, mimick them to sound as close to the way they just said it as possible. Say things along with movies and TV shows. Sing along to songs in the foreign language. Watch a movie in your foreign language, with subtitles in the same language so you can read along.

Lose your inhibitions
We’re afraid of speaking to someone in the language we’re learning because we don’t want to say the wrong thing or make mistakes. But thinking like that will prevent you from improving. In most cases, native speakers of a foreign language are more than willing to help you out if they see you floundering. Don’t worry about sounding like an idiot. If it helps, you can always remind yourself that there is an opposite “you” out there, trying to learn Engilsh from the language that you’re studying.

Socialize
It’s hard to practice speaking with natives of your foreign language if you don’t know anybody. Stick your neck out there and make friends (don’t worry–not everybody in the world is as cynical and jaded as Americans. You will find somebody!) Use social networks online if you have to. I just got a message today from someone on Japanese social network Mixi, asking if we could help each other out in Japanese and English. There is always going to be someone out there who will help you learn, and who wants to learn in exchange. Once you’ve established a good social network, take advantage of the free online telephone program, Skype, and chat away.

Spit it out
Don’t worry about grammar rules and syntax. Say it as you think it, as you would in English. Say the first word or phrase that pops into your head and go from there. It’s a little scary, but it’s better than sitting there and thinking about what to say, and then miss the opportunity to say it altogether. Your speaking will improve really quickly this way because you will notice what you need to work on almost immediately after you say it.

Speak confidently
Making grammatical mistakes and having your voice waver is a surefire way to confuse whoever you are talking to. Speak confidently in whatever you say, regardless of there is a chance that what you’re saying is “I am a jelly doughnut.” Small grammatical mistakes will be overlooked as long as you get your point across. If you miss the mark entirely in what you say, apologize and start over. And you will have once again come closer to speaking fluently, or at least pretending you can.

More of my Language Articles:
- How I Skipped An Entire Semester of Japanese in One Month
- Tips in Building Up Vocabulary in a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Foreign Language Skills By Being Consistent
- Why You Should Learn a Foreign Language
- Improve Your Listening Skills in a Foreign Language

- Speak Our Language or Go to Jail
- Learn a Language Faster By Slowing Down
- Using Bilingual Dictionaries
- Learning a Foreign Language for Beginners pt. 3: Main Resources
- How To: Use Chopsticks