How you can learn languages?

Whether you are a novice or an advanced learner, there are always things, other than attending language courses, you can do to improve as a language learner. Drawing on the experience of teachers and other learn­ers, here are some useful tips and tools.

Choose your approach. There are so many different methods and approaches to learning, including classroom learning, self-study and telephone courses, immersion courses abroad, virtual learning and more. Choose the mix that suits you.

There is a certain aura of genius attached to speaking languages. But multilingual­ism is not only the preserve of academic sand bookish linguists; plenty of European celebrities are also multilingual. Take foot­ball, a sport not traditionally associated with linguistic prowess, but which is replete with players who are fluent and articulate in several languages.

Learning a new language - like learning music - requires some effort but is enor­mously rewarding, and the journey can be as enjoyable as the arrival, as anyone who has embarked on this road can tell you.

Some individuals learn a language for purely practical purposes. 'I learnt French for strictly professional reason sand as a means of communication with the inhabitants of the country I live in,' explains Angel, a Bulgarian IT specialist who lives in Belgium.

People who have not yet embarked on the road to learning a foreign language, may feel concerned or afraid, like looking at the sea when they do not know how to swim.But studying a language is a little like learning to swim, surprisingly straightforward once you have taken the first plunge.

Many people are put off learning a language because they have the impres­sion that it will take them a lifetime to learn all the words and grammar.However, evidence suggests that, with the right approach and motivation,most people can pick up at least a basic command of a foreign language.