Next Adventure -> Thailand

It has been well over a year since my last post. With a move, a wedding, and some travels scattered amongst working days I haven’t made much time for writing and working on this program. As a step towards launching Language for Life in our new area I have decided to try my hand at writing again.

Last fall we spent 6 weeks traveling through Vietnam and Cambodia. It was an amazing trip but the planning was somewhat last minute and with only a little over a month to learn some of the local languages, I didn’t have much time to prepare. This year we have decided to visit Thailand and Laos and I thought this would be a good forum to share some of the struggles and success through the language learning process.

A lot of people say that you must have a gift or a special talent for learning different languages but the fact of the matter is; it takes time, motivation, and dedication. With the excitement of our next adventure on the horizon I have the motivation – It is a matter of making the time and staying disciplined to reach my goals. Over the coming months I will try to compile some of the resources I am using and share the challenges and breakthroughs that come along with learning a new language. If you have had any experience with Thai or have any suggestions I would love to hear from you!

Advertisement

Intensive Vs. Extensive: How to read effectively in your target language

Reading is an essential, but sometimes overlooked, component to language learning.  As language learners, we tend to put a lot of emphasis on speaking and rightfully so, as the goal for most of us is to be able to converse with other people.  But what if you could boost your vocabulary and help solidify grammar without doing endless drills.  Creating a habit of reading in your target language can help you do just that.

“Don’t talk to strangers”? – 5 Tips to start a conversation and boost your speaking confidence

As children, our parents always taught us never to talk to strangers.  Don’t say hello to the man in the grocery store and don’t talk to the lady reading on the train.  We all know the reasons for being cautious and protective of our children but why do most of us stand by this rule once we are adults?

Step-by-step guide to the Goldlist Method

The Goldlist method, developed by David J. James, allows you to commit a large amount of vocabulary to your long-term memory through a relaxed and stress free process.  This concept is based on the theory that small blocks of study time (approximately 20 minutes) separated by short breaks (about 10 minutes) used in conjunction with spaced repetition will allow you to bypass your short term memory and learn large quantities of vocabulary with relatively little effort.

Can you learn a new language with Harry Potter?

So you want to learn a new language but don’t want to spend hours conjugating verbs and reading about boring grammatical tenses.  If you like to read and have a favourite book or series then The “Harry Potter Method” might be your ticket to conversational fluency!