The coronavirus spread and the lockdown we have been living for the few past months changed the way we interact with each other drastically. In this scenario, the teaching strategies and learning facilities need to adapt in order to meet language learners’ needs and expectations.
Despite this situation, in my opinion it is still possible to learn and practice a language from home, during the isolation period. In fact, if for most people being home can be boring then learning a new language is definitely a good strategy to spend time and will make you feel rewarded after all of this will -eventually- end.
However, there are some consequences that are inevitable when it comes to learning languages in this pandemic. There are two words we need to bear in mind while walking on this path: motivation and pleasure. Yes it’s possible to learn and make progress but write down your “why” first and visualize yourself somewhere in the world, happily speaking the new language. Also, you should consider the following:
1.ONLINE CLASSES
Online learning has become so popular during this time and especially in the last few months I noticed an increase in my requests for tutoring online as a language teacher. This is a great way to learn language because most people tutoring are natives speakers. If you are on a tight budget you should also consider Tandem. It is a great website for people to meet and exchange their language knowledge. Also, if you are on facebook you can check out the page The Language Nerds. There, you might find good resources and fellow learners from all over the world. If you like, you can also visit our instagram page for inspiration and fun facts about languages. Make sure you have fun and no pressure whatsoever!
2.MASKS
When I was learning English, I found that reading people’s lips was extremely helpful in order to really understand what they were saying. This helped me in becoming more familiar with pronunciation, especially because where I have been living for the past two years, the accent is really tight and I struggled at the beginning ( I love it now, by the way! :) Therefore, I imagine it will be more difficult to communicate in a new language while wearing a mask. Ironically, I would say Italians are a step ahead in this because the signs that we use are really helpful for communication if you can’t be heard. Just make sure you know what they actually mean in order to avoid misunderstandings. I will write about this soon in another article, so, stay tuned for that!
3.SUPPORT GROUP
In my learning path to speaking 5 languages I found that having a group who supports and motivates you is key for success and gratification. It is one of the main reasons why I have so many good friends from different countries. I found that when you bond with people who speak a certain language, you learn quicker and easier. I know people who learnt a whole new language from scratch just because they were in love with a native speaker of that language. <3 So, now that we cannot really gather in classes or groups, how are we going to do it? I would say the internet is a great way for us to keep up with our listening and talking with people in a foreign language. Also on TV, you can turn captions on in a different language to learn some new words. If you like, you can watch movies or read a book while other friends do the same and then you can talk about it in a zoom or skype call- thank you Leo for the great initiative. Honestly, I think I was really lucky to be able to speak with people who motivated me in reading or learning something new. This is also one of the reasons why I am sharing my tips on this platform for you guys.
4.TRAVEL
I empathize with people whose travels had been suspended so much. However, there are a few things we can do to calm down our anxiety for travelling. Before we get the chance to finally get out seat on that plane, we could travel with imagination. I know at first it might sound silly, but research is a big part of travelling unless you want problem, so I like to think about the lockdown as a good preparation for my next trip. In fact, not only documentaries can help, but simply watching a video on YouTube about a specific country, whether it is history or music related it will make you feel like you are travelling there, even if not physically. Also, you could read the news on internet sources directly from the country or maybe next time you plan online food delivery, google a recipe from that country and try it out. These are some small, isolation friendly ideas for us travels to hang in there while we hope that everything will be better soon and we will be able to explore more of the world.
In conclusion, I am confident that people who are learning or just started learning a language will succeed in their mission. Don’t forget to follow our page for more tips and information and If you liked this article make sure you share it with your family and friends. I will see you next time and have fun learning!
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