Once upon a time, there was a man with a pony who went to buy bread with his son. As the father and son walked home, the pony walked alongside them. When the neighbors saw them, they said, “These people are stupid! Look, they are walking next to the pony when they could be riding it!” So the man got on the pony and road it, and they continued home.

Then the neighbors said, “This man is a bad father! Look, he is riding the pony while his poor son has to walk!” So the man got off the pony and let his son ride in his place, and they continued home.

Then the neighbors said, “This son has no respect for elders! Look, he is riding the pony while his poor father has to walk!” So the father got on the pony with his son, and they continued home.

Then the neighbors said, “These people are cruel! Look, they are overburdening the pony by riding it both at once!” So the father and son got off the pony and carried it home. They were late for dinner and woke up the next morning with back pain.

Today I’m eager to announce the release of my new book: Nerd’s Guide To Better Grades in High School or College. You can purchase the book on Amazon for $2.99. Check out the full Book Description down below!

Nerd’s Guide To Better Grades in High School or College Book Description

Grades suck, but they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. High school grades are the most important factor of college admissions and determine how rich scholarship money is awarded. College grades, which are viewed as evidence of competence, technical ability, and work ethic, influence internship, postgraduate, and employment decisions. Indeed, while experience wins out in the long run, academic performance plays a pivotal role early in the game.

People tend to conflate grades with intelligence, which simply isn’t true. Anyone can do much better in school by working smarter, regardless of how smart they are. In addition, by taking a strategic angle, students who want to score better grades ensure that none of their hard work goes down the drain. This short book consists of 15 time-tested, fool-proof, nerd-certified tips to improve academic performance. The bulk of them apply to high school, and all of them will come in handy in college where most high school students are headed.

Why did I write this book? Well, I have a reputation for being a bit of an academic nerd. As someone who won a lot of scholarship money and got some cool opportunities to work and travel, I have seen firsthand how good grades can open doors. While the 15 tips naturally derive from my schooling in the US, they are widely applicable to educational systems around the world.

School, to be sure, consists of much more than just grades. Networking, relationships, extracurriculars, and lived experiences are super important, which you can read all about somewhere else. The focus of this book, on the other hand, is more laser-like. If you follow the advice contained herein, your grades will undoubtedly get better. The good news is you don’t have to be a nerd or a genius.

[My new book release, The Art of Learning a Foreign Language, is now available on Amazon!] Today, there more opportunities than ever before to travel and connect with people from all around the world. There is also greater access to quality dictionaries and language learning resources than at any point in history. The benefits of being bilingual and multilingual — culturally, economically, intellectually, and personally — are myriad. Foreign language study is a regular part of many people’s lives, and it is rare to meet someone who never studied a language for any length of time.

Today, I transcribed a clip from WatchMojo.com that ranks the Top 10 most useful languages in the world. Your list may vary depending on where you live, your ethnicity, your interests, and other individual considerations that inform the highly personal decision to study a foreign language.

Check out the complete video and transcript below, in descending order! What languages did they leave out and how would your list — and its underlying rationale — differ?

10. Portuguese

This Ibero-Romance language can be traced back to the Kingdom of Galicia and is rooted in variants of Vulgar Latin with a splash of Celtic phonology for good measure. This, thereby, makes it unique from the language it’s most often compared to, Spanish. While it’s considered more difficult than Spanish, it isn’t much harder than English or French, and shouldn’t be too much trouble to those interested in learning. With over 230 million speakers and the official language of many countries across the globe, including the upcoming economic force of Brazil, Portuguese is fast-becoming a very attractive language to master.

9. Russian

Considered the “easiest” of the hard languages, Russian is spoken by over 250 million people. Understanding Russian and the Cyrillic alphabet can aid in the learning of other languages and is a great foundation to have. It’s also considered a politically important language. Furthermore, if you’re into scientific and technical literature, then Russian is for you, as some of the world’s largest collections on both those subjects are in these East Slavic tongue. Or you could stick with the works of Tolstoy, Bulgakov, and Dostoevsky. As it’s geographically the most widely spoken language of all the Slavic languages, you can find native Russian speakers throughout Eurasia.

8. Japanese

Spoken by 125 million people, Japanese remains useful not only for business and Asian studies but also thanks to the ever-increasing influx of Japanese media in Western culture. Plus, it’s an enjoyable language to learn. On top of all that, you’ll be able to watch your favorite anime and Kurosawa films with the subtitles off. There is a catch, however. Japanese is arguably the most difficult language going. So, get ready to study a lot. Mixing three complex writing systems, levels of formality in speaking, and complex grammar, there’s a lot to know. Don’t let all of that discourage you. Ganbatte — that’s good luck to you.

7. Hindi

Along with English, this Indo-Aryan language, is one of the government of India’s two official languages, and it’s also one of the Republic’s 22 scheduled languages. Boasting over 260 native speakers, it’s one of the top 10 most spoken languages in the world. So, in short, you’d have a lot of people to talk to . While most commonly found in India, it’s also Fiji’s official language and is spoken significantly throughout Mauritius, Diana, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. So, if your travel plans have you venturing to any of those countries, Hindi suddenly becomes a useful language to learn. Or, at least, to master a couple of its phrases.

6. Arabic

This ancient Central-Semitic language was first spoken in North-Western Arabia all the way back in the Iron Age. Arabic continues its robust tradition and remains an important and well-used language. With up to 420 million speakers, it’s in increasingly high-demand, especially in the energy and security sectors. However, with its difficult writing system and very complex grammar, and dialects varying greatly, it’s an incredibly difficult language to learn. However, it’s not as foreign as you may think, as it’s already influenced Spanish and has given loanwords to English.

5. German

While previously though to be a language in decline, German is becoming more useful than ever as Germany gains a foothold as a major powerhouse in the EU. Spoken as a first language in several European countries, it’s the most used native language in the European Union. After English, Spanish, and sign language, it’s also one of the most studied languages in the US. Furthermore, understanding German will help to increase your comprehension of other Germanic languages. It’s considered on pa with English in terms of learning difficulty. It’s grammar is more complex, but then it’s also more logical, as well, and so it balances in the end.

4. French

Before English started to take over, French was the lingua franca of much of Europe. While the lion’s share of the 80 million native speakers of the language of love are in France, others can be found in North America, such as the Canadian provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, as well as Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of South America. It’s also a very important language in the European Union. Outside of travel, it’s very useful to those studying philosophy and for diplomats. On top of all that, it’s also just a very lovely language in general, giving any speaker a certain “je ne sais quoi.”

3. Spanish

A must for travelers to Latin America, South America, the Southern United States, and Spain, this is the language of Borges, Marquez, and Cervantes. As a bonus, this language, with the second greatest number of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese, is considered one of the easiest to learn with straightforward grammar, pronunciations, and writing system. Of all the Romance languages, Spanish is thought to be one of the closest branches from the Latin roots, although it went from an evolution when the Moors brought over roughly 4,000 Arabic loanwords during the time of Al-Andalus. The official languages of 20 countries all over the world, Spanish is a very accessible and desirable language to have in your repertoire.  

2. Mandarin Chinese

Mandarin Chinese is the official language of the People’s Republic of China, with over 950 million native speakers. With China on the rise as the next global superpower, Mandarin is becoming increasingly desirable as a language for both business and travel. Once you master the tricky tones, which can drastically change the meaning of a sentence, it’s considered relatively easy to speak, with practice. Likewise, the grammar system is considered easier than some of the other difficult languages. However, the writing system is notoriously tough. But, if you get this one down pat, you’ve earned some serious bragging rights.

1. English

Nearly anywhere you go anywhere in the world, most people will understand at least a little bit of this beautiful mess of a language, a true hodgepodge. Modern English has adopted a little of everything. While Old and Middle English are almost incomprehensible even to native speakers modern English is now the language of international business. And, in many countries, it’s hard to hold down high-level business and diplomatic jobs without knowing at least a little of this new lingua franca. Good thing it’s relatively easy to learn, if you ignore the non-sensical grammar and spelling rules.

A few days ago, I visited my brother’s condo in downtown Columbus where he had a copy of The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness sitting on the coffee table. When we asked him about the book, he described Naval as “one of the wisest people alive,” which is as glowing an endorsement anyone could give an author. I don’t always act on book recommendations, but this week I decided to take my brother up on one of his favorites.

The Almanack of Naval Ravikant is unique in that it addresses both wealth and happiness, two giant themes that are rarely treated concurrently. Naval’s balanced, holistic outlook on life is not what you might expect from a serial entrepreneur whose net worth exceeds $60 million. Money, for Naval, “will solve all your money problems,” but the love of money, he asserts, is an insatiable desire that leads down a path of misery.

Naval says he has a habit of mining books for knowledge and will often not read them from cover to cover. I also learned this skill in college, but I can say that I intently read every word of his almanack. In the process, I typed up a myriad of quotes/excerpts that I thought were worth stashing, which I have consolidated for this article. Below you can find 50+ hand-picked quotes/excerpts that I found inspirational, thought-provoking, or just plain insightful.

Overall, the ~six hours or so I invested in this book were well worth the investment. I recommend you grab a copy and see for yourself what made this work, collated by Eric Jorgenson, the #1 best-seller in numerous categories on Amazon.

50 Insightful Quotes From The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Build Wealth and Happines

Technology democratizes consumption but consolidates production. The best person at anything in the world gets to do it for everyone. 

#1

No one can compete with you on being you. Most of life is a search for who and what needs you the most.

#2

The group of scientists who made real breakthroughs and contributions probably added more to human society, I think, than any other single class of human beings. Not to take away anything from art or politics or engineering or business, but without science, we’d still be scrambling in the dirt, fighting with sticks, and trying to start fires.

#3

Specific knowledge is found much more by pursuing your innate talents, your genuine curiosity, and your passion. It’s not by going to school for whatever is the hottest job. It’s not by going into whatever field investors say is the hottest.

#4

The internet enables any niche interest, as long as you’re the best person at it, to scale out.

#5

Escape competition through authenticity. Basically, when you’re competing with people, it’s because you’re copying them. It’s because you’re trying to do the same thing. But every human is different. Don’t copy.

#6

The most important skill for getting rich is becoming a perpetual learner.

#7

Basic arithmetic and numeracy are way more important in life than doing calculus. Similarly, being able to convey yourself simply using ordinary English words is far more important than being able to write poetry, having an extensive vocabulary, or speaking 7 different languages. Knowing how to be more persuasive when speaking is far more important than being an expert digital marketer or click optimizer. Foundations are key.

#8

Intentions don’t matter, actions do. That’s why being ethical is hard. 

#9

The reason I say this is not to make some glib comment about how 99% of your life is wasted and only 1% is useful. I say this because you should be very thoughtful and realize in most things — relationships, work, even in learning — what you’re trying to do is find the thing you can go all-in on to earn compound interest. When you’re dating, the instance you know this relationship is not going to be the one that leads to marriage, you should probably move on. When you’re studying something, like a geography or history class, and you realize you’re never going to use the information, drop the class. It’s a waste of your time. It’s a waste of your brain energy. I’m not saying don’t do the 99% because it’s very hard to identify what the 1% is. What I’m saying is when you find the 1% of your discipline, which will not be wasted, which you will be able to invest in for the rest of your life and has meaning to you, go all-in, and forget about the rest.

#10

Accountability is a double-edged thing. It allows you to take credit when things go well and to bear the brunt of the failure when things go badly.

#11

We live in an age of infinite leverage, and the economic rewards for genuine intellectual curiosity have never been higher. Following your genuine intellectual curiosity is a better foundation for a career than following whatever is making money right now.

#12

If it entertains you now but will bore you some day, it’s a distraction. Keep looking. 

#13

I only really want to do things for their own sake. That is one definition of art. Whether it’s business, exercise, romance, friendship — whatever. I think the meaning of life is to do things for their own sake. Ironically, when you do things for their own sake, you create your best work. 

#14

You get rewarded by society for giving it what it wants and doesn’t know how to get it elsewhere. 

#15

There are three broad classes of leverage. One form of leverage is labor — other humans working for you. It is the oldest form of leverage and actually not a great one in the modern world. I would argue this is the worst form of leverage that you could possibly use. Managing other people is incredibly messy. It requires tremendous leadership skills. You’re one short hop from a mutiny or getting eaten or torn apart by the mob.

#16

The final form of leverage is brand new, the most democratic form. It is products with no marginal cost of replication. This includes books, media, movies, and code… Now you can multiply your efforts without involving other humans and without needing money from other humans… This newest form of leverage is where all the new fortunes are made.

#17

Humans evolved in societies where there was no leverage… If I was chopping wood or carrying water for you, you knew that 8 hours put in would equal 8 hours of output… With a leveraged worker, judgment is far more important than how much time they put in or how hard they work. 

#18

If you have specific knowledge, you have accountability, and you have leverage, they have to pay you what you’re worth. If they pay you what you’re worth, then you can get your time back. You can be hyper-efficient. You’re not doing meetings for meetings’ sake. You’re not trying to impress other people. You’re not writing things down to make it look like you did work. All you care about is the actual work itself.

#19

No one is going to value you more than you value yourself. 

#20

Wealth creation is an evolutionarily recent positive-sum game. Status is an old zero-sum game. Those attacking wealth creation are often just seeking status. . . They’re playing a different game, and it’s a worst game. It’s a zero-sum game instead of a positive-sum game. 

#21

The problem is to win at a status game, you have to put somebody else down. That’s why you should avoid status games. They make you into an angry, combative person. You’re always fighting to put other people down, to put yourself and the people you like up. 

#22

Retirement is when you stop sacrificing today for an imaginary tomorrow. When today’s complete, in and of itself, you’re retired. . . Well, one way is to have so much money saved that your passive income, without you lifting a finger, covers your burn rate. A second is you just drive your burn rate down to zero. You become a monk. A third is you’re doing something you love. You enjoy it so much, it’s not about the money.

#23

Art is creativity. Art is anything done for its own sake. What are the things that are done for their own sake and there’s nothing behind them? Loving somebody, creating something, playing. To me, creating businesses is play. I create busineses because it’s fun, because I’m into the product… It makes money almost a side-effect… My motivation has shifted from being goal-oriented to being artistic. Ironically, I think I’m much better at it now. 

#24

The punishment for the love of money is delivered at the same time as the money. As you make money, you just want even more, and you become paranoid and fearful of losing what you do have… I think the best way to stay away from this constant love of money is to not upgrade your lifestyle as you make money.

#25

To summarize the fourth type [of luck], build your character in a certain way, then your character becomes your destiny. 

#26

Trying to build business relationships (networking) well in advance of doing business businesses is a complete waste of time. 

#27

Sharks eat well, but live a life surrounded by sharks. 

#28

Your only failures are written within your psyche and they are obvious to you. If you have too many of these moral shortcomings, you will not respect yourself. The worst outcome in this world is not having self-esteem. If you don’t love yourself, who will? I think you just have to be very careful about doing things you are fundamentally not going to be proud of, because they will damage you.

#29

I have this saying inside my head: the closer you want to get to me, the better your values have to be. 

#30

The most common bad advice I hear is “You’re too young.” Most of history was built by young people, they just got credit when they were older. The only way to truly learn something is by doing it. Yes, listen to guidance, but don’t wait.

#31

Your real resume is just a catalog of all your suffering… Anything you’re given doesn’t matter. You have to do hard things to create your own meaning in life. 

#32

Most of the time, the person you have to become to make money is a high-anxiety, high-stress, hard-working, competitive person. When you have done that for 20, 30, 40, 50 years and you suddenly make money, you can’t turn it off. You’ve trained yourself to be a high-anxiety person. Then you have to learn how to be happy. 

#33

My definition of wisdom is knowing the long-term consequences of your actions. Wisdom applied to external problems is judgment. 

#34

You can only make progress when you’re starting with the truth. The hard thing is seeing the truth. To see the truth, you have to get your ego out the way because your ego doesn’t want to see the truth.

#35

What you feel tells you nothing about the facts. It merely tells you something about your estimate of the facts. 

#36

It’s only after you’re bored, you have the great ideas. 

#37

Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are. 

#38

If all your beliefs line up into neat little bundles, you should be highly suspicious. 

#39

“Praise specifically, criticize generally” [quoting Warren Buffet]. Then people’s egos and identities don’t work against you. They work for you.

#40

Charisma is the ability to project love and confidence at the same time. 

#41

“If you want it done, then go. If not, then send” [quoting Julius Caesar]. When you are the principal, you are the owner. You care and will do a great job. When you are the agent and you are doing it on somebody else’s behalf, you can do a bad job. You just don’t care. You optimize for yourself rather than the principal’s assets… The more closely you can tie someone’s compensation to the exact value they’re creating, the more you turn them into a principal, and the less you turn them into an agent. 

#42

If you can’t decide, the answer is no. 

#43

Pointing out obvious exceptions implies either the target isn’t smart or you aren’t. 

#44

It’s not about educated versus uneducated. It’s about “likes to read” and “doesn’t like to read.”

#45

[Question to Naval] “What can I do for the next 60 days to become a clearer, more independent thinker?” Read the greats in math, science, and philosophy. Ignore your contemporaries and news. Avoid tribal identification. Put truth above social approval. 

#46

The fewer desires I can have, the more I can accept the current state of things, the less my mind is moving— because the mind really exists in motion toward the future or the past — the more present I am, the happier and more content I will be.

#47

Happiness is what there is when you remove the sense that something is missing in your life. 

#48

Happiness, love, and passion aren’t things you find; they’re choices you make. 

#49

Desire is a contract that you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want. Every desire is a chosen unhappiness. 

#50

Today, the way we think you get peace is by resolving all your external problems, but there are unlimited external problems. The only way to actually get peace on the inside is giving up this idea of problems.

#51

The enemy of peace of mind is expectations drilled into you by society and other people.

#52

At the end of the day, you are a combination of your habits and the people you spend the most time with. 

#53

You don’t make any decisions if you don’t judge anything. You just accept everything. If I do that for ten or fifteen minutes while walking around, I end up in a very peaceful, grateful state. 

#54

Hiking is walking meditation. Journaling is writing meditation. Praying is gratitude meditation. Showering is accidental meditation. Sitting quietly is direct meditation. 

#55

Courage isn’t charging into a machine-gun nest. Courage is not caring what other people think. 

#56

Inspiration is perishable. Act on it immediately.

#57

This week, a number of stunning country-border photos made their rounds on Facebook and other social media. In this article, I’ve aggregated a number of the most thought-provoking/breath-taking ones that I could come across. All these images qualify to be circulated under the Creative Commons License. Feel free to share some of your favorites not included here, and if they are public domain I will update the post accordingly.

Territorial sovereignty is a foundational principle of the current international state system. Many scholars attribute this evolution to the Peace of Westphalia, a treaty signed in 1630 by numerous European powers that ended decades of armed conflict. The treaty provided that countries would respect borders and not interfere in the domestic affairs of their neighbors.

USA & Mexico Border

The USA side is on the left; the Mexican side on the right.

South Korea & North Korea Border

Israel, Syria, Jordan Border

Portugal & Spain Border

Guadiana International Bridge; Spain is on the left; Portugal is on the right.

Germany & France Border

View from Offenburg, Germany, with the French Vosges mountains (Mont Donon) in the background.

Myanmar, Thailand, Laos Border

Sweden & Norway Border

Not sure which side belongs to whom, nor do I think they care.

Bulgaria & Turkey Border

USA & Canada Border

Pakistan & India Border

A view of India from the Pakistani side.

Senegal & Gambia Border

The author did not specify which side belongs to which country, but maybe you can tell by some of the clues in the photo?

Guatemala and Mexico

Per Wikipedia: “Border between Guatemala (left) and Mexico (right), in Lagunas de Montebello National Park, delineated by cleared trees and a white border marker. “

Hoy salió la traducción al español de mi libro The Art of Learning a Foreign Language: 25 Things I Wish They Told Me (el nuevo libro número uno en dos categorías por tres semanas). Échale un vistazo al contenido y la descripción! Se puede comprar en Amazon la edición Kindle ($4.99) y la pasta blanda ($9.99). Feliz aprendizaje de los idiomas extranjeros.

Descripción del Arte de Aprender un Idioma Extranjero :

El idioma es la puerta de entrada a la cultura y a las riquezas de la humanidad. Permite acceder a las personas, la historia, las ideas, el arte, la religión, la estética y las oportunidades económicas. El idioma también ejerce un efecto transformador en el recipiente a través del cual se expresa. Según cuentan, Carlomagno dijo que “hablar otro idioma es poseer otra alma”.  

El Arte de Aprender un Idioma Extranjero consiste en todas las cosas que desearía haber sabido en las distintas etapas de mi viaje de aprendizaje de idiomas durante los últimos 15 años: como aficionado, estudiante, académico y lingüista profesional. Este libro está diseñado para ayudar al estudiante a evitar muchos escollos y aprovechar las oportunidades, con lecciones sobre la elección del idioma meta, los viajes, el acento, la inmersión, la tecnología, los enfoques de aprendizaje y los hábitos de vida de los lingüistas profesionales.

En algunos capítulos se abordan temas de interés general para el estudiante de idiomas (“útil para saber”). Otros capítulos abordan cuestiones más cruciales con implicaciones potencialmente vastas para el estudiante de idiomas (“importante para saber”). Si hubiera sabido entonces lo que sé ahora, habría tomado algunas decisiones diferentes, pero lo bonito de la vida es que solo se puede vivir en una dirección.

En resumen, con recursos de aprendizaje de idiomas sin precedentes a nuestra disposición y abundantes oportunidades de conexión intercultural, hoy es el momento más emocionante de la historia para adquirir competencia en un idioma extranjero. Independientemente de sus motivaciones para aprender un idioma extranjero — o de su nivel actual — esta lectura digerible le acercará a la consecución de sus objetivos.

Today, I’m excited to announce the release of my new book, The Art of Learning a Foreign Language: 25 Things I Wish They Told Me, now available on Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats! Check out the Table of Contents, Book Description, Excerpts, and Author Bio below! You can also listen to a professional narration of the book on Audible. (See El Arte de Aprender un Idioma Extranjero for the Spanish version.)

The Art of Learning a Foreign Language Book Description:

Language is the gateway to culture and the riches of humanity thereof. It affords access to people, history, ideas, art, religion, aesthetics, and economic opportunities. Language also exerts a transformative effect on the vessel through whom it is expressed. Charlemagne is reported to have said that “To speak another language is to possess another soul.”

The Art of Learning a Foreign Language consists of all the things I wish I knew at various stages of my language learning journey during the last 15 years—as a hobbyist, student, academic, and professional linguist. This book is designed to help the learner avoid many pitfalls and seize opportunities, with lessons on choosing a target language, travel, accent, immersion, technology, learning approaches, and the lifestyle habits of professional linguists.

Some of the chapters address topics of general interest to the language learner (“nice to know”). Other headings address more crucial issues with potentially vast implications for the language learner (“must know”). Had I known then what I know now, I would have made some different choices, but the beauty of life is that it can be lived in only one direction. 

In sum, with unprecedented language learning resources at our disposal and abundant opportunities for cross-cultural connection, today is the most exciting time in history to acquire proficiency in a foreign language. Whatever your motivations for learning a foreign language—or current foreign language level—this digestible read will bring you closer to achieving your goals.

The Art of Learning a Foreign Language Book Excerpts:

From Chapter 2 on “To Learn A Foreign Language Is To Become A Child” 

“Fear of appearing stupid, ignorant, or childish is a nemesis of learning, and language learning is no exception. Frustration is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be final. It’s always a letdown when a language learner loses motivation, stops engaging in the target language, or abandons the endeavor altogether. It follows that learning how to manage our emotions and take a long view of situations (i.e., “respect the process”) is critical to weathering the storms of acquiring a new skill. Like a baby learning how to walk, we deserve credit for every milestone we attain and for mustering the courage to confront the unknown.”

From Chapter 4 on “Studying Grammar and Looking up Words You Don’t Know Improves Your Language Skills Exponentially” 

“Every dictionary entry or grammar rule worth its salt is complete with example sentences. Example sentences reinforce, contextualize, and activate; they inspire confidence, as per above, and keep the learner from making silly mistakes. In addition to example sentences, this chapter is premised on abundant exposure to the target language via reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Indeed, these activities are what prompt most word look-ups and grammar consultations. It follows that the more language input we feed ourselves with, and the more language output we generate, the more relevant the question becomes of whether to look things up.” 

From Chapter 5 on “Avoid Burnout by Making Friends in the Target Language and Engaging in Passive Language Activities” 

“Burnout is also why passive language learning activities can sometimes be very beneficial. For example, relaxing to a song, movie, book, or conversation in a target language without looking up any words or preoccupying the mind with linguistic minutiae. In these moments, learners can focus on mastering what they already know. As for the unknown, they can draw inferences based solely on context without racking their brains. Passive language activities are doubly productive when learners have acquired a solid language base, without which their ability to rehearse, refine, and infer is constrained.” 

From Chapter 6 on “Your Native Language Ability Influences Your Potential In A Foreign Language” 

“Worldly knowledge, reasoning ability, and linguistic creativity quickly convert into a target language as soon as they are given a vehicle for expression. A 24-year-old, for example, who traveled, went to college, and and gained life experience has a much higher linguistic ceiling than the 16-year-old version of themselves. While they both start from square one, the one with stronger native language skills is going to progress further and faster.” 

From Chapter 8 on “The More Foreign Languages You Know, The Easier It Is To Learn New Ones” 

“The hardest foreign language you will ever learn is your first one. And the second hardest foreign language you will ever learn is your second one. In other words, language learning gets easier with each subsequent iteration. This phenomenon owes to the fact that languages, especially those belonging to the same family, share a great deal in terms of grammar, syntax, phonetics, and vocabulary. . . Not only are many of the concepts repetitive across languages, but learners become more adept at recognizing patterns, formulating sentences, and memorizing information.” 

Chapter 12 on “Learning A Foreign Language May Change Your Personality” 

“In a foreign language, a lot of social and psychological conditioning gets thrown out the window. First, you begin to interact with people who do not know you outside of the target language. The blank canvas effect here is true of any new people you meet, in general. Second, every language is a world unto itself. It is common to hear people comment on the particularity of an individual’s foreign language skills. “She speaks French well. His Spanish is formal or funny. I want to hear them speak Arabic.” In other words, people expect there to be some differences between the native-language version of yourself and the target-language version. If you want to exaggerate these differences, then more power to you. As the saying in the intro goes, the multiple personalities effect with people who speak more than one language is real but bears none of the oft associated pathology.”

From Chapter 15 on “Atomic Habit #1: Thinking In A Foreign Language” 

“Even this lower new data amounts to a grand average of more than six thoughts per minute, or a thought every ten seconds, which, to my mind, is an incredibly high number. There’s a reason almost all humans are proficient in at least one language. With that much action in between the ears comes a lot of opportunities to improve language skills. . . As linguists and language learners, we can channel our brain’s verbal activity to improve or maintain our language skills, without making any major modifications to our lifestyle or environment.” 

From Chapter 20 on Linguistic “Muscle Memory”

“I have a friend from my graduate school days at The Ohio State University whom we nicknamed Aladdin. Aladdin and I took a number of Arabic classes together. Every now and then, we would play pick-up basketball at the university gym. Aladdin couldn’t shoot, but he was one of the quickest, most intense defenders I have ever seen. One day, he went high up for a layup at 100 mph, bumped a defender, and fell square on his head. Aladdin lay there motionless for a few minutes before gingerly getting up. He had apparently suffered a concussion. We drove him to the ER, before he decided in the reception that he felt okay enough to go home. I’ll never forget, while we were leaving the gym and during the car ride, Aladdin kept asking people to speak Arabic to him. I probably heard the phrase “Speak Arabic to me, Binyamin! [my Arabic name]” at least two dozen times. Aladdin, in his dizzied and confused state, waiting to be seen for a potentially serious injury, was afraid that he had forgotten Arabic. The next day Aladdin texted everyone saying he felt fine. In hindsight, this story is a comical illustration of every language learner’s worst fear: losing the skills they worked so hard to acquire. As it turns out, Aladdin didn’t forget Arabic and currently lives in Dubai. . . 

Chapter 21 on “Having Clear Foreign Language Goals Maximizes Output” 

“If you look around the room you are in right now, you will observe a great diversity of items, shapes, sizes, textures, colors, and functions, with all their associated nuances and subtleties. Every career, hobby, occupation, sport, industry, philosophy, plant, animal, object, event, and sensory experience—visual and otherwise—corresponds to a specific language. Language, in a word, is all-encompassing, and there are numerous registers, dialects, idioms, metaphors, and synonyms that express the same idea in multiple ways. “Mastering” one’s native language is a lifelong pursuit. Mastering a foreign language is an even taller order.” 

Chapter 23 on “Music, Comedy, and Dialogue Test Advanced Listening Proficiency” 

“In addition, to be “in on the joke,” the listener must possess a window into the culture in which it was birthed. Comedians are constantly telling stories that only people who have experienced similar things in life can relate to. Some themes are universal across time and places, whereas others involve local food, sports, traditions, celebrities, holidays, and shared cultural experiences from work, educational, and familial environments. Given that cultural products like these comprise the lion’s share of speech, knowledge of them is as relevant to the language learner as grammar and vocabulary.”

The Art of Learning a Foreign Language Author Bio

My journey with foreign languages began in high school when I was introduced to Latin culture through a friend and purchased a Spanish grammar book from Barnes & Noble. Fast-forward 15 years and I’ve spent a great deal of my life studying foreign languages (10+ years of Arabic and Spanish; 2+ years of Japanese and Latin; and < 1 year of French & German). I’ve lived in the Middle East, Tokyo, and DC, and worked multiple bilingual jobs, including my current one as a linguist in the American Midwest. Aside from being a language nerd, I enjoy blogging, web-making, hiking, and following professional sports.

Learning a foreign language is an art, and a lot of people have really creative ideas on the topic, some more compelling than others. One dubious theory that I hear get recycled frequently is that it isn’t necessary or advisable to study grammar, dictionaries, or vocabularies. Proponents of this theory hold that the best way to learn a foreign language is to imitate how people naturally learn their native language–that is, by gradual exposure in an immersive environment with other native speakers. It is certainly possible to learn a language like this. I imagine this is how most people had to learn languages before dictionaries were invented. However, as I will explain, I think this method is generally the hardest, slowest, and least efficient way to go about it. .

In my opinion, not all ideas about language learning are equally resourceful. In this article, I want to address a few of the the less helpful ones that commonly get circulated. I also want to suggest some alternative ideas that have proven particularly helpful for me on my language journey with Spanish and Arabic during the last decade.

I invite you to check out some of the other language learning articles on the blog for more topical editorials. If you’re in a giving mood, share your favorite tips/ideas/strategies down below, as I am always looking to learn from others!

Without further ado. . .

1. Adults Do Not Learn Like Children

It does not logically follow that the best way to learn a foreign language is the same way we learned our native language. Babies brains are wired differently than adult brains. Babies are like blank canvases. They are capable of passively absorbing and synthesizing information in their native language with minimal conscious effort.

The brilliance of babies aside, how much of a chronological advantage do native speakers really have? When’s the last time you talked to a 12 year-old? How about a 15 year-old? Most of us don’t want it to take us two decades to master a language, but that’s exactly how long it takes most native speakers. With a fully developed adult brain, we can learn foreign languages in a more time-efficient manner (albeit, with a lot more conscious effort), than a native speaker did naturally growing up.

2. The Dictionary Is Your Best Friend When Learning A Language

This item is probably the most important language learning tip of all. The choice to regularly use a dictionary, to regularly look up words and phrases, on one hand… or to passively “go with the flow,” trying to infer the meaning of everything new by context on the other hand.. may be the difference between achieving proficiency within a few years and spending an entire lifetime bumbling around in a target language. The dictionary isn’t just for nerds like me. It’s for all serious language students who want to accelerate time.

Before the invention of dictionaries, foreign language acquisition was especially difficult. For example, the first Japanese-English dictionary was not published until the 19th century. You can imagine having to ask a native speaker every time you needed to know the meaning of word or grammatical concept, and then again a second and third time when you inevitably forgot. You’d either need some really patient friends or enough money to pay someone for years to achieve exactly what you can achieve with an electronic dictionary/grammar, most of which are free.

A few years ago, I discovered a comprehensive Syrian-English dictionary. It was a game-changer. (Google “A Dictionary of Syrian Arabic by Stowasser”..). That green book with the Romanized letters and barely legible font probably saved me years of stumbling around in Arabic, asking friends and relatives the meaning of this word and that word, even though working through it at the time was an ordeal. On a more macro level, I imagine it has multiplied the number of foreigners with a command of Syrian since it was published in 2004.

What’s more is that we have electronic dictionaries now, so we can access definitions, with sample sentences gathered from digital databases, on demand. (For an electronic Arabic colloquial dictionary, see Lughatuna.) The evolution of dictionaries/grammars/vocabularies is undoubtedly the biggest reason why foreign language acquisition is easier now than ever. These resources also enable us to progress in our native language more rapidly.

3. An Active Language Learning Approach Accelerates Time

This includes, but is not limited, to using the dictionary per #2 ^. An active approach entails effort–asking questions, looking words up, studying things. A passive approach is energy-unintensive. A passive approach is when we immerse ourselves in an environment where the foreign language is spoken and rely solely on context and our ability to make inferences for understanding. A passive approach is when we watch a program in the target language, the majority of which we cannot understand, without subtitles or the dictionary. A passive approach is when we engage in conversation and do not inquire about new words. In contrast, with an active approach to learning, we learn a lot more and we learn a lot faster.

4. Make Friends In The Target Language, And Find Creatives Ways To Stay Motivated

Language acquisition is a marathon, not a sprint, so we need to keep the big picture in mind when devising strategies and creating routines. Motivation, or emotional interest, may be fickle, but it is important. It is common to see people get excited about learning a language then fall off after they fail to notice significant progress, become undisciplined, or allow life to get in the way. We won’t always feel like studying a language, but the more regularly motivated we are, the easier it is to stay focused and make consistent progress.

My favorite way to stay motivated is to connect with friends in the target language on a semi-regular basis. The interactions themselves are productive, but, more importantly, they energize me to keep learning when I am alone or when I otherwise would not feel like it. People are social, and language is an essential reason why. Having social interaction in a target language is a lot more stimulating for most people than studying the dictionary or grammar. Friends advise, correct, encourage, and remind us why we were interested in learning the foreign language in the first place.

In the second place, I choose programs, TV shows, movies, podcasts, etc., that I am personally interested in, independent of the language benefits. For example, if I enjoy watching comedy or cooking shows in my native language, then I’ll do the same in Spanish or Arabic. You can also sometimes kill two birds with one stone. A lot of movies are available in multiple languages, as are sporting events, like football, baseball, and soccer, that we would be watching anyway. As a general rule, if you’re already consuming media that has been made available in the target language, then consider making the switch.

5. Avoid Burn-Out While Studying A Language

This is closely related to #4, but I want to include it under a separate heading of what NOT to do in order to avoid burn-out. In #3, I talked about effort and exertion.. We need to wrestle with the language actively as much as possible. That said, I also understand that it can be tedious to study definitions and grammar all of the time. People whose only activities in a foreign language are dense are at a greater risk of burn-out. Over time, they may even lose interest in the language altogether. That is why it is advisable to make friends and consume stimulating content in the target language.

Burn-out is also why passive language learning activities can sometimes be very beneficial. For example, when we relax to a program or book or conversation, without looking any words up and obsessing over linguistic minutiae. Passive language-learning activities are especially productive once we reach an advanced level and are able to understand the majority of what is going on with minimal effort.

That said, motivation also comes from progress. When we see that we are making progress, we may feel inspired to engage in more activities in the target language. In short, we want to balance our big picture desire to make maximum progress with our short-term need for emotional stimulation. No two people are the same, and only you can determine how much active and passive activity is appropriate for you on any given day.

If you liked this post, check out the following article on a single daily language habit that has helped me make huge gains in Spanish and Arabic during the last several years.

SEO is short for “search engine optimization.” It refers to the process of creating and formatting content with the greatest probability of ranking highly on search engines. Search engines employ complex algorithms consisting of hundreds of factors that determine the order in which pages show up on SERPs (search engine results pages) whenever a user searches for particular keywords or phrases. The stakes of this process are quite high, both for producers and consumers of content. On the producer side, search engines are free marketing. Traffic = profit and influence for businesses and creators. On the consumer side, the better the quality of search results, the more efficiently consumers can access the content they are after.

Some websites rely exclusively on SEO to drive traffic. On the other hand, websites that benefit from social media and paid advertising still stand to gain from improved SEO. WordPress has a number of SEO plugins (e.g. Yoast SEO and All In One SEO) that provide valuable SEO information about posts, pages, and overall site configuration. These insights tend to take the form of “tips,” “suggestions,” or “guideposts” rather than one-to-one automations. The webmaster, ultimately, is responsible for implementing all SEO changes.

This article is far from exhaustive, but it can be a good starting point for people who want to SEO-optimize their WordPress sites. Many SEO best practices can be implemented right away (1-7, 9) , while others require more background research and fine-tuning (8, 10-12). As you will take away from this post, it is a lot easier to employ SEO best practices from the jump than to go back in the future and make revisions. In many cases, it will make sense to start doing it the optimal way “from here on out,” in order to save time and avoid creating an even bigger SEO mess. Keep in mind that SEO is a long game, and it may take several months or longer before you see results from any optimizations you make today.

Without further ado, here are my top 12 SEO best practices, in no particular order. They are catered to WordPress sites, but most of them apply to all websites.

1. Create Keyword-Rich Titles

Titles give users and search engines valuable information about the contents of a post or page. When crafting a title, it is helpful to think about what users are likely to be searching for. If you want to employ a scientific approach, there are a number of tools you can use to research popular keywords and phrases (e.g. Soovle keyword search). It also helps to know your market or target audience, in general, and have an understanding of the kinds of topics and keywords that interest them.

For example, “You Won’t Believe What I Just Saw!” is a much less SEO-effective title than “Rare Video Of Poisonous Snake Attack!” The former is general and undescriptive, whereas the latter is specific and likely to connect with readers searching for that particular content. A lot of click-baity titles, in fact, are really bad when viewed through an SEO lens.

Another example is the title of this article, “SEO Checklist: 12 SEO Best Practices For WordPress Sites,” which is much more keyword-friendly and to-the-point than “12 WordPress Tips Taken From My Experience/Research.” Be specific, be direct, and use keywords and phrases that users are likely to enter into search engines.

2. Create Keyword-Rich Permalinks (URLs)

Every page has a unique URL that prompts the loading of its contents when a user enters it into a web browser. In WordPress, you can set the default URL format under Settings –> General –> Permalinks. The options are “Plain,” “Day and name,” “Month and name,” “Numeric,” and “Post name.” “Post name” (the “out-of-the-box” setting) is generally the most advisable (unless you have a reason to include the date). Permalinks with the “Post name” setting enabled are derived from the post title, which should already be keyword-friendly. The “Plain” setting, on the other hand, has no descriptive words and is pretty much a disaster for SEO.

Even with the “Post name” setting fixed, you will still want to tweak the permalink generated for each individual post (before, not after publishing!). For example, if a post title is particularly long, you can omit words to make it shorter or remove prepositions and particles like “the” “for,” “to,” etc., in cases where they aren’t particularly relevant for SEO. Once you’ve published your article, you almost never want to modify the permalink afterwards, because doing so can lead to 401 errors (especially if you don’t have redirection set up), break backlinks, and negatively affect hard-earned page rank.

Warning: You should make changes to the permalink structure cautiously, with the long game in mind, and always ensure that proper redirection is set up to minimize the effect of broken links and SEO loss. In three years, I changed my WordPress permalink structure one time from “Day and name” to “Post name,” set up redirects, and had to wait several months for search engines to get up to speed. Once Google updated my permalinks in the search results (it happened progressively, not all at once), I lost page rank on a number of high-performing URLs, which took anywhere from several days to a few weeks to regain.

Bottom line: do your due diligence in advance, as unexpected changes can take place whenever you change the permalink structure, and it takes time for search engines to index new URLs. My advice is that if you don’t have a compelling reason to change the permalink structure, then don’t.

3. Organize Content By Paragraph Headers

Search engines use paragraph headers to understand and categorize content. As a result, paragraph headers can be an opportunity for SEO. The title of a post is the default H1 header. However, you can add H2 headers (and H3, H4 sub-headers, etc.) in the body of the article as needed. The idea is to organize content in a logical fashion. For example, you would use an H3 header if the content for that section logically fit under an H2 header rather than the title of the article more generally.

Paragraph headers also facilitate the reading experience, and so it is advisable to include them for that reason, as well. Paragraph headers are something I neglected when I first started blogging. However, on all my new articles, I typically include at least one or a few H2 headers, depending on how long the article is, and occasionally some H3 headers, as well.

4. Consider Image Count And Post Length When Making Publications

It is common knowledge in the world of SEO that pages with images and text generally rank much better than pages consisting solely of text. Search engines favor pages with multi-media, in large part because users prefer reading them. Images make pages more lively and often contain valuable information in visual format. If you want a page to rank well, then consider including at least one image in the body of your post, and preferably multiple images, relevant to the content.

In addition, really short articles naturally don’t perform well in search engines. A post with 100 words, for example, is unlikely to rank against a post with 1,000 or 2,000 words. According to one study, the best word count for SEO was 1,447. There is no hard-and-fast rule when it comes to word count, and I have had shorter posts rank highly (500-750 word range), and much longer ones not do so well. However, search engines want to feature content-rich publications that add value to readers, not something that an author half-assed in a short period of time. Word count is one of many metrics search engines use to assess value.

5. Optimize Image File Sizes

Images are often the item on a webpage that take the longest time to load, due to their large file sizes. When images are not optimized, they can negatively impact page performance. Page performance, in turn, impacts bounce rate (i.e. how many people click away from your site after viewing only one page). Page performance is also a factor of conversions (i.e., how many visitor undertake a desired action, like purchasing a product.) Better page performance = greater user retention and engagement, and vice-versa.

Page performance is also something that search engines like Google factor into their rankings. Google ranks for 3 “Core Web Vitals” — performance (how long it takes for content to appear); responsiveness (how fast does the page react to user input); and visual stability (to what extent does stuff move around on-screen while loading). Images with large file sizes can slow down all of the above, downgrading the user experience and reducing SEO score.

I use the free TinyPNG image compressor before uploading any images to my site. The effect of TinyPNG on image quality is said to be invisible, and I personally have not been able to tell the difference. There are also plugins that optimize images automatically after uploading to WordPress (or images you have previously uploaded). They either function similarly to TinyPNG or convert images to Web P, which is even more compact and web-friendly than .PNG or .JPG. Recently, I started using this function with the premium version of WP Fastest Cache, which further shrinks and optimizes my already-compressed images. EWWW Image Optimizer is widely considered the best free version with premium plans for bigger sites and further speed gains.

I didn’t understand the importance of image file size optimization early on, but now it is a part of my “pre-publish routine.” By resizing images, using TinyPNG, and utilizing a plugin that creates a Web P copy, I can typically get them to be less than 50 kb a piece, depending on how large/complex the original images are.

6. Create Keyword-Rich Alt Tags And Image File Names

Image alt tags, consisting of alt text, are designed to increase accessibility. Machines read the alt text to visually impaired people so they can make sense of entire webpages. The alt text also appears when web browser are unable to load images due to server/compatibility issues. Alt tags are meant to be descriptive, and search engines factor them into their algorithms. Leaving the alt text field blank can decrease accessibility and is a missed opportunity from an SEO vantage point.

Image file names are similarly important for SEO purposes and are also intended to be descriptive. Naming an image something randomized (e.g. “1342353img”) provides no valuable information to search engines. On the other hand, properly labeled images can increase the SEO score of pages, and help those images rank independently on image search engines (e.g. Google Images). Words in image file names should be separated by hyphens, and you can leave out fillers. (E.g. “seo-checklist-12-best-practices-wordpress-sites.jpg”). Again, you can’t go back and change the image file name later without creating SEO complications, so make sure you get it right the first time.

7. Create Keyword-Rich Anchor Text When Linking To Content

Linking to quality content on topics relevant to a post gives search engines greater information about that post and can increase that post’s SEO score. When including links, both internal and external, you want to make sure the anchor text is informative. When I first started blogging, I frequently used “here” as my anchor text, as in “Click here.” I later discovered that this is inadvisable, because–while it may be seamless from the reader’s standpoint–it supplies no useful information to search engines about the link contents.

Now, for example, if I’m linking to a page entitled “Top 10 List of Universities,” I may include “Top 10 Universities” as the anchor text, or some other keyword or phrase relevant to my post. You can weave the anchor text into the article, or include it in parenthesis at the end of the sentence, as in the following: “One study demonstrated a parallel effect in rats after consuming sugar. (Study on sugar consumption in rats.)”

Be careful not to spam. I’ve read cases where sites were assessed a penalty for including numerous links whose anchor texts exactly matched the title of the article, in an effort to rank higher for that specific search parameter. Sites that gain a reputation for spam or other shady SEO practices can be assessed penalties. Search engines employ both algorithms and humans to make this determination.

8. Install A Cache Plugin

This one might as well be #1, because, when done properly, caching can drastically improve site performance. With a cache plugin enabled, pages get loaded from a pre-loaded version saved on the server, which can greatly reduce both server load and page loading time. Cache plugins also do things like minify HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (remove unnecessary code and markup), Combine CSS Files and Combine JavaScript Files (streamlining), Gzip (compression), browser cache (for lightning quick speed when a user reloads a page), and eliminate render blocking JavaScript, which similarly increases page speed. I currently use WP Fastest Cache, which increases my page speed by as much as ~70% for some locations (2+ seconds to 600 milliseconds on the East Coast of the US, according to tools.pingdom.com)

WP Fastest Cache is one of the best free caching plugins, and the configuration is simple and intuitive. I utilize the free version of WP Fastest Cache on one of my blogs and the premium version on another. (In my experience, its worth the upgrade for a one-time fee of ~$50, if you want some extra speed gains.) WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, etc. all have great reviews, as well, and are used by large numbers of people.

In sum, speed is beneficial for SEO, lowers bounce rate, and increases conversions, and one of the most effective ways to increase speed is via a caching plugin.

9. Submit Sitemaps To Google, Bing, And Other Search Engines

A sitemap (e.g. .xml) gives search engines information about the structure and content of your site, including text, images, and videos. According to my research, submitting a sitemap can increase the speed with which search engines index your pages and ensure they don’t miss anything important. Submitting a sitemap is not an absolute requirement (search engines will still index your site), but it is highly recommended. I used the Jetpack plugin to generate a sitemap. (Jetpack–> Settings–> Traffic–> Generate XML sitemaps.) Other plugins, like Yoast SEO and All In One Seo, also provide this service for free.

Once your sitemap is generated, you can submit it to Google in your Google Search Console. If you don’t already have a Google Search Console account, know that it doesn’t take long to set up and can provide a wealth of valuable SEO data. Google Search Console will tell you your site’s performance on Core Web Vitals and the assessed page quality of various URLs for both desktop and mobile versions of your site. If there are issues, it often recommends steps you can take to address them. Google Search Console is really a must as an in-house tool that Google uses to evaluate pages and websites and communicate with webmasters. Similarly, you can submit a sitemap to Bing using Bing Webmaster Tools.

Google at 87% commands the lion’s share of the search engine market share for the US, whereas Bing comes in second place at around 6%; Yahoo at 3%; and DuckDuckGo at 2%. That is according to April, 2022 data from Statcounter. Research the most popular search engines for your market or target audience, and consider submitting a sitemap where it is acceptable to do so.

10. Disable Plugins And Plugin Features That You Aren’t Using

Plugins, for all their merits, are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to slowing down sites. To be sure, not all plugins are created equal, and some plugins, in particular, have a reputation for being “heavy.” You can Google around to see what the word on the street is as it relates to a particular plugin, or you can perform your own speed tests using tools readily available online. For example, by right clicking –> “inspect” with Google Chrome, the Chrome Dev Tools panel will appear. Chrome Dev Tools can tell you what resources are the heaviest (e.g. click “coverage” at the bottom, as pictured below, and you will see the size of specific JavaScript/CSS items, accompanied by the name of those items, which you can use to figure out which plugin is responsible. If “coverage” does not already appear, click the three dots –> More tools –> coverage.) For more on this item, I recommend checking out avoiding JavaScript heavy plugins in WordPress.

Once you’ve deactivated and deleted unneeded plugins, you can look to lighten the server load by disabling specific plugin features that you are not using. For example, I have the Jetpack plugin installed, but many Jetpack features disabled. Disabling unneeded front-end or back-end features can decrease server load and increase page speed.

Bonus tip: If you want a free plugin that decreases server load, check out Heartbeat Control by WP Rocket. Heartbeat, which is built into WordPress, enables live AJAX-powered communication between web browsers and your server, on both the back end (WordPress panel) and front-end (website visitors). Heartbeat, for example, provides dashboard notifications about plugins, user activity, etc., and periodically auto-saves posts you are working on. Many webmakers find some, or all, of this functionality unnecessary. With Heartbeat Control, you can reduce the frequency of pulses or disable Heartbeat outright.

11. Assess The Speed Of Your Theme

As is the case with plugins, certain themes have a reputation for being “light” or “heavy.” Heavier themes with complex functionality or sub-optimally written code can slow down your site, whereas the opposite is true of lighter ones. It is always preferable to do your own testing before making any drastic changes. Keep in mind that you can compare the speed of your site with different themes activated by using tools such as tools.pingdom.com, dotcom-tools.com, gtmetrix.com, pagespeed.web.dev, and thinkwithgoogle.com In fact, I have used all of these tools extensively to test the effect on speed of plugins/caching/custom CSS/embeds, etc. The beautiful thing about them is that they tell you exactly what is slowing down your site, and often suggest steps you can take to correct the problem.

Of course, speed isn’t the only thing to consider when selecting a theme. A simple, boring theme may be the fastest, but that doesn’t mean you should use it. A theme’s effect on speed should be weighed against user experience and the overall appeal of the site.

12. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A CDN is a network of servers that loads content according to a user’s location. Without a CDN, content always gets loaded from a single server location corresponding to your web host, regardless of where a user is located. For example, if my server is located in New York City, my site may load faster on the East Coast of the US, Canada, etc., while suffering speed losses the further west and east you go. On the other hand, with a CDN enabled, my site may load from a server in Berlin for a user in Germany, or the closest European location present in the CDN. It takes time for data to travel, and so CDNs have the potential to dramatically increase page speed.

I am familiar with Cloudlfare’s free CDN service that many small websites take advantage of. However, I would consider registering for a premium plan with Cloudflare, Stackpath, Bunny CDN, etc. if you really want to get the most of a CDN without sacrificing gains from caching. CDNs on a premium plan generally do caching a lot better than free alternatives in addition to increasing limits on data and volume. Caching plugins like WP Fastest Cache, W3 Total Cache, and WP Rocket are “compatible” with many CDNs (you can enable CDNs in the caching plugin panels). However, in my experience with Cloudflare’s free CDN, much of the functionality and speed improvement generated by WP Fastest Cache did not translate.

After I enabled the free version of Cloudflare, my page speed actually decreased. As I understand, this is because the free version of Cloudflare did not support many of the advanced caching features of WP Fastest Cache. My main server is also a Virtual Private Server (VPS), which is already much faster than the majority of competition. If I wanted to get the full benefits of a CDN, I would need to purchase a premium plan with fast servers that also supported advanced caching. In that case, I would have the best of both worlds (caching and CDNs) and my site would load faster around the world.

People often take it for granted that the best way to learn a foreign language is to travel or live in a country where the target language is spoken. They believe that being present in a foreign country will dramatically grow their language skills, like water, sunlight, and Miracle Gro to a plant. However, language learning isn’t formulaic. You can’t just plug an individual into a foreign country and expect language mastery to be the result. The environment of a foreign country or city can potentially facilitate language learning, but what’s far more important is the individualized experience of the traveler. When traveling, three main factors influence how much language improvement is likely to take place: 1) the destination country; 2) the traveler’s occupation; and 3) the traveler’s lifestyle.

The Destination Country Influences Language Learning

As a native English speaker, my language is spoken in many countries around the world. When I was in Jordan and Lebanon, there were signs in English posted everywhere, and most natives had some grasp of the language. A lot of foreigners viewed interactions with me as an opportunity to practice or show off their English. Similarly, if they sensed that their English was better than my Arabic, they typically preferred to speak in my native language so that we could have a better conversation. In other words, the practical advantage of speaking English among certain bilingual types can be a complication in the process. 

Students of English as a foreign language, in contrast, do well in most American cities. This owes to the fact that relatively few Americans are bilingual, and many bilingual Americans are eager to speak English, since English is pervasive in American culture. As a result, many foreigners make great progress in English when they come to the US because relatively so few people are capable of, or interested in, speaking a language other than English.

The Traveler’s Occupation Influences Language Learning

The second factor—occupation—is critical because it dictates how travelers will spend the majority of their time.. Travelers on a foreign exchange or language study program may receive daily exposure to the language in the form of classes and cultural activities programmed into the agenda. For example, when I was studying Arabic at Oman’s Nizwa University during the summer of 2014, we had around four hours of Arabic class every day and numerous cultural activities with native speakers who were required to communicate with us in Arabic. As participants, we also had to sign a language pledge only to speak Arabic amongst ourselves for two months (even though we all reneged). Middlebury College in Vermont, USA, is famous for similar immersion programs that are highly effective at promoting language development. 

On the other hand, I know people who live in a foreign country and work a job in their native language. This is actually quite common now with remote work having surged in popularity. A number of people prefer to live in a non-English speaking country for cultural reasons, while earning a salary from an American company or company that otherwise doesn business in English. Given how time-consuming work is, it is typical for people with English jobs to make very little progress in the foreign language, no matter how long their stay is in the host country.

Lifestyle Influences Language Learning

The third factor—lifestyle—is arguably the most important of all. In the Middle East, for example, are you out on the streets or in people’s homes interacting with locals, or do you spend the majority of your free time in the house? According to a February, 2021, survey of Americans, nearly half of respondents reported spending 5-6 hours a day on their phone, and another 11% reported spending 7 hours or more, not including work-related activities. Figures like these are on par with what you might expect in the smartphone era and may even be slightly higher in reality, given that the data was self-reported.

There’s a saying in English, you can take a horse to the water, but you can’t make it drink. When it comes to language learning, what we do is far more important than where we are located, especially now with the abundance of quality electronic dictionaries, references, smartphones, and language exchange applications.  Travel experience can easily amount to a wasted opportunity, in terms of language development, if we aren’t intentional about applying ourselves. Allow me illustrate…

My Japanese Got Worse In Japan 

In the spring of 2015, I spent four months in Tokyo on a study abroad program through Sophia University. What’s ironic is that my Japanese actually regressed during that span. When you break it down, my experience fell short on all three of the factors—country, occupation, and lifestyle—that influence language learning abroad. For one, many people at Sophia University spoke good English. This isn’t true everywhere in Japan, but location within a country matters, too. I had friends who barely spoke any Japanese at all, and they fared just fine. Second, Sophia University was international. English was the language of instruction of all of my classes. You had to specially apply to take classes taught in Japanese, which very few foreigners due to the high probability they would fail. Third, my lifestyle wasn’t conducive to language learning. Like my peers, I chose to socialize primarily with other internationals who shared my dormitory. Communication in Japanese was arduous, and there was no course curriculum or social pressure prompting anyone to do so. More often than not, I and my peers chose the more comfortable route of speaking English amongst ourselves. 

Overall, I had a good time in Tokyo, and I hope to be able to go back one day. I miss the people, the food, the cherry blossoms, the bullet train, the natural landscapes, and the cutting-edge technology. Japan was full of imagination, and it’s unlike any country I’ve ever visited. However, upon returning back home, I decided to abandon Japanese in favor of Spanish and Arabic. I determined that the effort required to get really good at Japanese paled in comparison to the scarce cultural and economic opportunities I was likely to receive in my future. My connection to Latin America and the Middle East was a lot stronger, and I already had my hands full with these languages and my other academic pursuits. 

The Myth Of Immersion?

The myth of immersion isn’t that immersion doesn’t work. Immersion does work. The myth of immersion is that traveling to a foreign country is a necessary step. People can experience the benefits of immersion wherever they are.They can consume media, change the language of their phones, find language partners using apps like HelloTalk, or practice translation throughout the day. And an immersive environment is most useful when we actively engage with our environment. In other words, not just about what we see and hear, it’s about what we are able to understand.