Would you like to know Chinese?

Learning a foreign language is useful, fun, fascinating, challening, important and rewarding. So how do you do it? Some people learn languages at school, although this is far from the most ideal form of learning: groups are usually big and they are always planned according to the level of the weakest member, which means that some students might grow bored when they have to repeat the same thing over and over again. Living in the country of the language can be a useful experience, but few people learn anything correctly unless they make a conscious decision to start the learning process. Independent learning might be the most efficient way of improving one's language skills, but this in turn requires a certain awareness of how to carry out the whole project. Where does one start? Defining objectives and recognising one's own strengths and weaknesses are essential aspects for success. Planning takes a lot of time, and in a language school you can usually foget about this part and just do what you are told.

Whichever form you choose, here are some tips to get you started:

-> Remember that a language is always a very complex system, in order to master it, you need to be able to communicate and produce, be aware of grammatical structures and also have a grasp cultural aspects. Pronounciation is more important than you think.

-> Recognise your strengths and weaknesses: everyone can learn a foreign language, but depending on the method you choose, you can make the process to seem either like a piece of cake or a ride straight to hell. The piece of cake-version does not mean that it is extremely easy, rather you are using a style that suits you and that makes you have fun while learning. Using colourful pens might make verb tables look a bit more interesting, adding a favourite activity (such as movies, films, cooking) to the language learning process (why not try using recipes in Italian, or listen to some amazing music in German) makes it more interesting and gives you more variation.

-> Take advantage of time that would go to waste otherwise: are you planning on staring at the wall during those ten long minutes you are going to spend in the loo? Bring your flashcards, a foreign magazine or talk to yourself. You can do the same while sitting on the metro, waiting for a friend who is arriving ten minutes late, etc.

-> Use creativity and imagination.

-> Stay motivated: you should always have a reason for learning a language (e.g. improve your chances for getting the perfect job, be able to communicate with the in-laws, you want to move to a specific country, etc.), if your goal is to learn it "just because" you will have a long and rocky road ahead of you.

-> Stay humble and never stop learning: you will never ever know any language perfectly. Accept that fact and keep learning.

Happy language learning to everyone!