[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.

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.

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. 

Creator Villa

[You can follow me on Twitter @creatorvilla.] Human beings are constantly thinking, and many of those thoughts consist of words. According to The National Science Foundation, the average person thinks anywhere from 12,000 to 60,000 thoughts a day. That’s a lot of action between the ears, and with it comes a lot of opportunities to improve language ability. There’s a reason almost all humans are proficient in at least one language. Our brains have evolved to utilize language at a prolific rate, both as passive recipients of the communication of others, and also as active creators of our own. Thinking is something we are already doing all the time, and requires no special time provision.

In the prequel to this article, Lifestyle Of A Linguist: An Atomic Habit To Take Your Language Skills To The Next Level, I talked about the daily habit of interpretation. Many of us studying a foreign language live in a country where our native language is spoken. Practicing interpretation on a daily basis–that is, translating in our minds from our native language to a target language, is an excellent way to advance language skills. I did this for years in college, from English to Spanish, and from English to Arabic, when I was in a lecture that wasn’t particularly important. And I do it from time to time today, if I am watching an English broadcast or otherwise feel like honing my foreign language skills. Check out the article ^ for the complete scoop on interpretation.

Today, I want to talk about another daily language habit that also yields great dividends over time: thinking in a foreign language. When we think in a language all day, it becomes a second nature. Our level of comfort, ease, and fluency in the language dramatically increase over time.. As with interpretation, you want to be at an intermediate level before you begin this process, so you have something of a linguistic base to fuel your efforts.

Thinking in a foreign language, like interpretation, will be laborious at first. There will be a lot of words you don’t know, and it may take you a while to formulate sharp, coherent thoughts. However, in the weeks and months that follow, you will find that both processes get a lot easier, and also more enjoyable. What started out difficult, like running, will wind up being easy, like breathing.

While interpretation and thinking can help us better organize what we already know, they should also be a prompt for further language acquisition. When you first start interpreting and thinking in a foreign language, you will quickly be able to identify words you do not know, or words that you may be able to recognize passively, but that have not become a part of your active vocabulary. Start looking them up. As you research words, structures, phrases, etc. that surface in these processes, your active vocabulary will increase dramatically. As active vocabulary goes up, language level rises.

It’s one thing to hear and recognize a word once a week. Or once a month. That is a kind of passive knowledge. It is another thing to actively create words in context via interpretation or thinking on a regular basis. There is a special fluidity and ease that accompany words that we ourselves routinely use. Words, put differently, that have become a part of our active vocabulary. Interpretation and thinking in a foreign language, to build on the idea of the previous paragraph, help grow and sharpen our active vocabulary.

Today, my level is C2 in Spanish and C1 in Arabic. Lately, I’ve been thinking primarily in Spanish, although some days I will switch over to Arabic. Occasionally, I will interpret from English to Spanish or English to Arabic, as time and interest allow. I can say that these two skills have helped advance my level significantly during the last 7 years. They have also helped me to maintain my language skills when life would otherwise have gotten in the way.

Have you ever experimented with either of these habits?

If you like this post, check out How To Score Superior (C2) On Official ACTFL Listening Proficiency Test (LPT) (5 Pro Tips!).

The American Council On The Teaching Of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) is one of the most popular advocates of foreign language education. ACTFL creates official standards and administers exams to assess language competency in over 120+ languages. Language Testing is their official partner, and they offer official proctored, on-demand exams seven days a week, that test reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills.

You may already be familiar with the CEFR Scale (Common European Framework of Reference), which ranges from A1 to C2. See the following graph for translating results from ACTFL to CEFR.

A quick note on the ACTFL LPT (language proficiency test) itself. The listening exams consist of around ~15 short audio segments ~one minute a piece, followed by three questions each. You may find that your exam gets easier as you progress, more difficult, or more or less stays the same, depending on how you perform early on. The listening, like the reading, is a dynamic exam designed to “probe your level. If you are in the Advanced High / Superior range, the listening “clips” are likely to get progressively more difficult.

Recently I took LPT tests in Spanish and Arabic. In Spanish, I scored Superior (C2), whereas in Arabic I scored Advanced High (C1). I’ve posted the certificates down below, complete with a complete description of each level. I figured I would make a post outlining some important things to keep in mind, both in preparation for, and on the day of, the exam. While the title of this blog is tailored to advanced learners, these tips will help you do better at any level, and some of the tips are transferable to both the reading and speaking exams.

FYI, the first three tips are relevant before the day of the exam, while the last two apply to test day.

5 Pro Tips To Improve Your ACTFL LPT Score

1-) Master The Material You Will Be Tested On. Both the Spanish and Arabic exams, and I’m pretty sure all the listening exams ACTFL administers, are tests of the formal variant of a language. In Spanish, that means the kind of language you will hear on CNN En Español, the news more generally, cultural and educational programs, and some informal exchanges using standard Spanish. What you will likely not hear is any slang characteristic of Central America, South America, the Caribbean, or regional pronunciation. None of my knowledge of Mexican Spanish, which is pretty vast, helped me in any way with this exam.

As far as Arabic, all of the passages are in Modern Standard Arabic. A few passages had superficial traces of dialect, like the Egyptian pronunciation of the letter qaaf, but nothing more substantive than that. Again, knowledge of spoken Arabic will not help with this exam, unless it is also coupled with direct exposure to formal Arabic, in which case the differences between the two can be worked out.

FYI, all of this info can be found in the prep material provided by ACTFL, which you can access here. ACTFL provides sample audios and a complete description of each level for every language.

2-) Practice Active Listening. This tip applies to training. Obviously, during the test day you will be zeroed in on every audio sample. However, in advance of the test, practice active, not passive listening. It’s one thing to hear something; it’s an entirely different thing to listen to it actively. Listening involves focus and concentration. On the other hand, when we are distracted, we only draw on a fraction of our mental abilities, and our practice time becomes much less productive. When we actively listen, we are able to pinpoint the words and the sounds that give us difficulties.

3-) Look Up New Words. It doesn’t matter how good you are at audibly deciphering words. if you don’t know the meaning, you will either be one, totally clueless; or two, liable to make errors (when you think you understood one thing, but the meaning was different or nuanced). In simple terms, having a broad vocabulary is vital to scoring high. The speakers in the recordings speak clearly, so pronunciation is not really a challenge, but you need to know what most of the words mean right away in order to do well. For years, I made a habit of looking up words all the time, both in Spanish and Arabic (see here), and that made exam day a lot easier.

That said, no matter how advanced you are in a language, you will likely not understand every single word being said; or you may understand what was being said only to forget it, so pay special attention to the next two bullets.

4-) Study The Questions In Advance. Each audio recording will play automatically, but you are given thirty seconds to study the questions in advance (just the questions, not the possible answers, so you don’t have to worry about information overload). Context is the most important thing to understanding any communication. These 30 seconds help you establish the context in advance, which knowledge is a huge aid during the listening portion. The title of the clip and the questions are typically short and relatively simple, so meditate on them during those first 30 seconds so you know exactly what you will be looking for when you listen. Since you only get one listen for each section, it is extremely important to be as clued in on the context as possible.

Remember, you do not need to understand everything to pass each section. You just need to know the answers to the specific questions they ask, which range from the main idea to more specific details.

5-) Take Targeted Notes While Listening. During the exam you are provided a notepad to take notes on each section. Utilize it strategically. You don’t want to be typing too much while listening because you may miss important details, and won’t have the chance to go back and listen again. At the same time, you don’t want to neglect what matters. I jotted down a few words during each clip, which helped me stay focus and remember the key details I was zeroing in on having studied the questions in advance.

For the listening and the reading, the results become available right away, as with a complete description of your level. You are supposed to wait 90 days before taking the same test again, but you may be able to take an individual exam a second time before 90 days, so check their policy online, and give them a call if you are not sure.

Lastly, language is far more dynamic than any exam could ever let on. Doing well or poorly on an exam most directly reflects your ability to take that exam. If you do well, enjoy your result, but don’t think a Superior result means you’ve arrived. The certificates, after all, are only valid for two years, during which time your level can go up or down. Similarly, just because you didn’t get the result you wanted, it doesn’t mean you won’t in the future. And it doesn’t necessarily mean your language level isn’t higher, especially if you are proficient in informal, non-standard varieties that speakers of a language commonly communicate in.

Here are my results as promised from September, 2021:

Have you taken an ACTFL exam before? Drop your two cents down below! If you liked this post, be sure to also check out The Psychology of Speaking In A Foreign Language | The Magic Of Speaking In A Foreign Language | I Have Multiple Personalities (Confessions Of A Linguist) | Travel Is Not The Best Way To Improve Your Foreign Language Skills (The Myth of Immersion) | How Long it Takes to Become Fluent in a Foreign Language | This Daily habit will dramatically increase your foreign language proficiency! | Confessions of a Bilingual: Raw Perspective From A Persian-American Linguist.

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