In all my many years of being a foreign language instructor I have met many learners who have spent quite a few years studying a language but who can't speak a lick of it. Sure, their test results are off the charts, and they fully understand grammar points that even many native speakers do not fully understand. Their lack of speaking skills can be attributed, needless to say, to the fact that they hardly ever actually speak out using their target language. Many make the excuse that they don't have any opportunities to converse with native speakers.You don't have to be a person who makes excuses. In this article, I will show you three excellent ways to practice communicating in a foreign language, even if you do not ever meet, in person, anyone who speaks your target language.
Utilize Skype
Reside in Idaho but want to learn to speak Chinese? No problem. Skype, in case you do not already know, is a free of charge Online communication device. Making use of this technology, a person in Bangladesh can have a conversation-video included-with a person in Buffalo, and neither person has to pay a dime, assuming that each has an Internet connection. Of course, you must find someone willing to speak with you, which must be difficult, right? Wrong.
You can find hundreds, if not thousands, of Internet discussion boards committed to connecting language learners from around the world. Just visit Google and enter in "Skype language exchange," or something similar. Once you discover a site that suits you, search for a person who speaks your target language and whose target language is your native language. Once you discover that man or woman, the pair of you will take part in a language exchange; you will practice chatting with him or her in your target language, and he or she will practice talking with you in his or her target language. It is a win-win situation for everybody!
Singing
I know, you feel ridiculous singing to yourself, but when you haven't got a native speaker to converse with, you must make a few concessions. Additionally, singing has been proven to assist second language learners acquire their target language much quicker, when compared to speaking alone. Believe it or not, you can find whole language acquisition programs designed around belting out your favorite songs. The best way to use this method is to first memorize the dialogues you desire to speak. Following that, simply sing them to the tune of your favorite songs, or just sing them in tunes that come naturally to you.
This specific studying system is effective for two reasons. One is because it lets you concentrate on your target language for much longer periods of times, in contrast to just reciting dialogues in a standard tone of voice. Secondly, the sentence patterns you are learning meld together with the rhythm of your music, making them stick in your brain in a natural and fluid way.
Recite Popular Speeches
As soon as you move past the basics, such as "What's your name" or "How are you," it is possible to progress to memorizing and repeating well-known speeches that were given in your target language. This technique is great for various reasons. First of all, you can find many translated speeches on the web in virtually every language spoken. All you do is get a hold of them and print them out. It is easy and it's totally free! Next, the majority of the speeches given were recorded for television or radio and are now available free of charge on the internet. Simply type the title of the speech and the word "video" or "audio" into Google, and, more than likely, you'll find a nice, clean copy of the speech spoken in your target language. After you've got the text along with the audio or video, memorize a sentence or two. Following that, listen to the speech and then speak it aloud. You can rehearse repeatedly until you can deliver the complete speech fluently and with correct tones and hesitations. Just be certain to study the vocabulary. There is absolutely no point to reciting something if you don't fully grasp its meaning--you're not a parrot!
Summary
Speaking a target language aloud is really important for improving one's speaking skills, but, regrettably, many learners of second languages ignore it. Don't be one of those individuals. Utilize Skype, sing in your target language, and learn to recite well-known speeches and toasts, and, very quickly, you'll become a well-spoken master of your target language.
Author Resource:
Want some more learn Chinese tips? Come by the Live in Asia Blog and pick up my FREE e-book "Ordinary Ways to Learn a Language Extraordinarily Fast."
Or, come and check out my brand new FREE Chinese language course. Start with the Chinese Numbers page.
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