Yes, everyone tells you to do it, but nobody actually tells you how. Everyone agrees that one of the most important ways to improve your language learning and to speed up your progress is to listen to as much of the language as you can. But, without going to the country where it’s spoken, how can you do that?
Fortunately, today there are more forms of access than ever before to foreign languages, and these include access to spoken language. Let’s have a look at just some ways you can listen to the foreign language you’re learning.
Co-Workers - Friends - Family
If you are fortunate enough to have people around you who speak the language, spend as much time as you can with them. Be forewarned, though. Daily conversation with friends and relatives will probably be filled with idioms and grammar that you’ve probably not come across in your more formal lessons.
Internet Broadcasting
There are many free internet radio stations. They broadcast day and night, 7 days a week. All you have to do is find them. Try internet searches like the following in your favorite search engine:
- free internet radio German
- free internet radio Norwegian
- free internet radio French
- internet radio stations Spanish
- internet radio stations Portuguese
Again, disc jockeys and talk show hosts may not use perfect grammar, but news broadcasts are usually correct and quite easy to understand.
Books on Tape or CD
You can purchase audio books online at sites like Amazon.
Unfortunately, not all audio books are created equal. Sometimes the narration is cluttered with distracting loud sound effects and music. The volume may vary from horrendously loud to whisper-soft. If you can listen to a sample before purchase, do so. Never purchase more than one audio book from the same publisher or narrator until you are sure that they produce acceptable recordings. Sometimes the narrator’s volume will vary so much during a reading that it makes the book almost useless.
Be on the lookout for audio bundles that include a printed copy of the book - excellent for learning purposes!
TV Channels
Check your cable or satellite TV lineup. You may find one or more channels in the language you are trying to learn.
Movies and Television Series on DVD
Most larger centers and internet sites like Amazon have foreign language productions with English sound tracks and subtitles. Try to watch everything at least once without subtitles. Pay attention to the lips of the speakers as they pronounce words. Lipreading is part of the language learning process.
You could also get hold of English-language programs that have been processed to be sold abroad - they will usually have been dubbed into the foreign language that interests you, often with subtitles in that language. Obviously you lose the lipreading advantage, but the situations will be more familiar to you and might help you understand the language a little better.
It’s up to you
So, now you have a few tips, what are you waiting for? The technology’s there - you just have to use it!
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