How convincing will you be if you are able to close a deal in your counterparts own language, say in Japanese or Chinese?
The knowledge of language is truly a powerful tool that we can have in our lives. Learning a language or two is very feasible especially now that a lot of ebooks, CD's, or online courses are readily available.
Tips in Learning Foreign Languages
If you want to learn a foreign language that you can use in business, travel, or just for the love of learning new things you can try to do the following tips:
• Research – Knowing what language you want to learn is the beginning, but you have to start to learn it as quickly as possible. Research online for available references or materials that you can use to make learning easier for you. The internet will give you choices for books, CD's, or online courses which you can take. You also need to determine if visual, audio-visual, or group learning methods will be effective for you.
• Listen- If you want to learn French, German, or Spanish then listen to these foreign languages. Listen to music, watch movies, or read literature which uses those languages. You will have no idea what they're saying but everything starts there. Words will be familiar to you when you hear them the second time and learning will be much easier.
• Immerse yourself- try to incorporate what you hear or learn in everyday situation. Say “good morning” in Chinese, or say “how are you doing?” in German. Listen to the languages while you're driving, or while you're in the tub. Try to find ways to live the language
• Make most out of the Resources that you have- Aside from CD's or tapes make use of the books, DVD's, or flash cards that you purchased. Imitate the sound and consult written literature if you are confused about pronunciations. Languages may have varying rules as to syllables or characters and the way they are pronounced.
• Watch movies – rent films using the language that you want to learn. Get those with subtitles so you can read the meaning while learning the sounds of the foreign language.
• Visit the Country - If you have enough time and money to do so, and enough reason then go. The longer you stay and interact with the native speakers of the languages you want to learn the easier it will be for you to learn it. You may not be able to master it before you return home, but aim to be conversant using the foreign language.
• Learn the Alphabet- different languages may have different phonetics and alphabet. They might not follow the usual ABC that we know. Learning their basics is key to learning a new language
• Establish Connections- having native speakers of the language that you want to learn will be a big help in your endeavor. Learning will be a continuous process and talking to them on a regular basis will help you retain it by repetition.
Learning new languages is very possible. Nothing is impossible since experts have revealed that people do not need very high IQ to learn. Being too busy should not be an excuse.
