Written by: Anastasia Lind, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about learning a new language? Most likely, it is traveling or taking courses abroad. But in reality, is it that effective? So let's take a closer look at it.
So, is traveling to another country the best way to learn a language?
To separate cause and effect, let's start with the basics.
There are four essential skills in foreign language acquisition. Two of them are receptive: listening and reading, and the other two are productive: speaking and writing.
So to master a foreign language, we get to practice those four skills in different variations based on our current level and the end goal.
And there are hundreds of ways to practice those skills! Let's see if traveling is one of them.
Reading and listening – articles, books, blog posts, magazines, radio, music, movies, videos on platforms like YouTube.
Writing and speaking – communities, forums, blogs, games, social media, language exchange partners, friends living in other countries, internet portals for language learning, local language exchange meetups.
Can you do all that at home? Absolutely! And thanks to the internet, it has become effortless.
Traveling creates a perfect atmosphere for learning a language. Yet, the fact of you being physically present in another country doesn't guarantee any improvement. You still get to practice the four essential skills actively: reading, listening, writing, and speaking, whether you are at home or abroad.
So the most significant advantage of traveling is exposure to the language and unlimited opportunities to talk to the locals. At the same time, nowadays, there are endless opportunities to do the same online without having to travel.
And this is especially important to know now when we can't travel freely due to the pandemics. Travel restrictions don't have to be an excuse to stop learning a language.
In fact, from my experience, studying at home can be more productive because you have fewer distractions, and there are ways to make friends worldwide before traveling.
Here is a couple of examples from my practice that illustrates the point.
Czech Republic: Russian Students who learned Czech at home vs. in Prague
About ten years ago, I lived and studied at the University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic. As a Russian-speaking student, I had two options: learn Czech at home with a teacher and then go to Prague to study at the university, or study Czech in Prague for one year first and then start at the university.
I was among those who studied at home, but I also met many other students who took the other option. Guess what I discovered? The students who studied Czech at home had a higher fluency level than those who studied in Prague.
So what happened was that students who studied language in Prague flocked together naturally and spoke mostly native language with each other. On the other hand, we who studied at home came to Prague with a good base of knowledge and no contact net; therefore, it was natural for us to interact with the locals and advance our skills.
Relocating for work
If you are employed by an international company, there is a big chance that English is your corporate language. I have many former colleagues who have been living and working in Sweden for decades but still can't speak fluently because they mostly use English or their native language, even after taking Swedish courses.
Sweden is probably the worst place to learn Swedish because almost everyone speaks English and happily saves you the trouble.
¿Cómo estás?
I can say a few basic phrases in Spanish, and I would like to learn more.
So a few weeks ago, I was in Spain, and it was an excellent opportunity for me to practice saying at least "hola," and "gracias." But I barely did it because I had so much fun discovering the city and didn't want to strain myself. As a result, I learned nothing new.
Sweden and Swedish
I worked with several women who came to Sweden with their husbands and lived in a loving and caring environment. Some of them had lived in Sweden for several years and still couldn't speak Swedish despite taking the courses. And as I discovered, they felt comfortable in that situation and didn't need to change anything.
My job was to help them see the advantages of learning Swedish and open up to new experiences that light up the soul, for example, taking a landscape design or a dog grooming course.
Another example is Silvia, The Queen of Sweden. Her Majesty is from Germany and has been a queen since 1976. However, she still has a strong accent in Swedish despite professional interpreter training and fluency in 5 other languages.
My practice
I speak four foreign languages besides my mother tongue Russian, and I've lived in Sweden for the last ten years. Nevertheless, my most active language is English because I have friends worldwide and work internationally, which includes: writing books, hosting virtual events, public speaking, teaching courses, etc. Yet, I have never been to an English-speaking country by this time.
So, is traveling to another country the best way to learn a language?
Traveling is not a way to learn a language. It is a neutral event that provides new opportunities to practice the four essential skills live, and you get to use those opportunities.
Practicing the four essential skills will make you fluent, whether you are at home or abroad. With the right strategy, you can master a foreign language and make friends worldwide before even traveling anywhere. I break down the process in my book and online courses. Please feel free to connect with me to learn more.
Anastasia Lind, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Anastasia Lind is a language strategist and a lifestyle coach living in Sweden.
While working as a teacher of Russian and Swedish, she started noticing specific patterns in the students' ways of thinking that affected their results. It was fascinating to see how certain people learned fast and with ease while others struggled.
It became crystal clear that the results had nothing to do with the method, book, or teacher and that the answers lay deep inside students' minds.
Then the idea of the first book about learning languages was born. It evolved and turned into a massive project that helps people create a lifestyle of adventure, joy, and connection worldwide.
Anastasia holds a vision of unity on our planet where more individuals worldwide collaborate and create joy and abundance on Earth. Currently, she is hosting virtual events and courses about lifestyle, traveling, languages, making friends worldwide, and coming from the perception of oneness.
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