Should we spend time learning a foreign language?

False. Though we know this, it all depends on the language you choose to learn or its proximity to your native language. Thus, it was observed that it took a much shorter time to learn a Roman language derived from Latin (an estimated 50 hours of course is enough to get by in Spanish and French), whilst for those with no prior experience, the most arduous and perilous are still Slavic and Oriental Languages ​​(500 hours on average) due to the change of alphabet, new sounds, and language structures which are often nothing like ours. But more than the time invested, it is the personal involvement that often makes all the difference in the duration of picking up the language. Thus, learning a language effectively requires exposure to it.

From the moment you really desire to progress, it is therefore not enough to just go to class and listen, but also to read, to train with exercises and to develop your listening comprehension via radio or movies… Translate the words of your favourite song, forget the English version of your favourite series, sign up for free discussion groups on the Net, subscribe to daily newsletters that provide grammar rules and vocabulary, etc. What happens then? What happens is that the language becomes a constant part of your life, because we gradually immerse ourselves in the language, in the exact same way a child gradually acquires his mother tongue.

Read the rest of  our report:

Learning foreign languages: Is it harder after 40?
Speaking a foreign language: Is it a gift?
What is the best method to learn a foreign language?
Learning foreign languages: Your stories

 

Stphanie Torre