Are you soon heading abroad to improve your language skills? Being immersed in the local culture and language can be a very effective way to practise the language.
The exposure to so many different people will give you the opportunity to hear people talking formally, people talking informally, and people who are excited, angry, sad, or any other emotion. You’ll also hear different accents and voices.
If our exposure to all this has been quite limited until now, it can be quite a knock to our confidence when we first arrive. Here are some helpful tips for gaining confidence in your language skills as you study abroad.
Don’t stick to one person or group of people
It can be very tempting to spend all your time with someone you have clicked with, or even a group of people. However, if you limit your exposure to mainly one person or one group, you automatically reduce your exposure to the language and local culture.
This means that you are exposing yourself mainly to their vocabulary of choice, their topics of interest, their voice, accent, sense of humour, and way of talking. That might not sound like a bad thing… but it will mean that you then start to adopt their way of talking, instead of reflecting your own personality with your own choice of phrases, humour, slang, etc.
Recognise when to push yourself and when to go easy on yourself
Moving abroad can be a very stressful experience for some people. For others, it can be a time of pure excitement and joy. For most people, it’s a mixed bag.
A good way to make the most of the experience while, at the same time, respecting your feelings of frustration or loneliness, is to press ahead when you have the motivation to do that, and allow yourself to wait a bit when you don’t feel up to it.
If you’re ready to press ahead, look for groups or activities that you can join that interest you. Think sports groups, music groups, conversation exchanges, voluntary work, part-time work, etc.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, try some experiences that don’t involve much direct contact with people. Think museum trips, excursions to nearby towns or villages, a walk around the streets in your local area, etc.
Experience the culture, not just the language
Studying abroad is not only about improving your language skills. Growing in your understanding of the culture is invaluable. In fact, there becomes a point in your language learning where you really can’t improve without understanding the culture. Without knowing about the culture, you miss out on references to local holidays, historic events, rivalries, etc.
As outsiders, we will never fully understand why people think or act the way they do in a different culture to our own, but we can certainly begin to make sense of it.
You don’t have to like every aspect of the local culture, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t learn a little bit about it. Every culture has aspects that are both positive and negative.
Grab a tourist guide and choose some places to visit. Go and see the local festivals taking place. But also, simply keep your eyes and ears open as you do daily life, and you’ll pick up on all sorts of cultural habits.
Conclusion
Studying abroad is a change to immerse yourself in the language and culture of the place you are studying in. To make the most out of your experience abroad, make sure you don’t just stick to one person or group, join some groups of interest to you when you feel motivated, try immersive experience experiences will less contact when you’re feeling overwhelmed, and take in as much of the culture as you can. Have a great time!