Editor's Note: We earn a commission from affiliate links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect the opinions or ratings of our editors.
The best way to learn a new language depends on each student and their specific goals. Starting the new year as a language student can bring many challenges, but the benefits can also be rewarding. Learning a new language can boost your creativity, develop different thought processes, and increase your appreciation for other cultures and communities.
As an online student, you may not know where to start or how to make time to learn a new language. But if you're ready to make it a priority by 2023, our guide will help.
Read on to discover the benefits of learning a language, along with helpful techniques to build habits and stay consistent on your language learning journey.
Why should you learn a new language?
Develop a greater appreciation for other cultures.
Learning a new language can offer insights into foreign cultures. In addition to exploring vocabulary, syntax, and grammar, language learners can better understand other communities by learning the connotative meaning of words and their cultural uses.
Learning a new language allows you to better immerse yourself in other cultures while traveling. As an added resolution, students studying languages in the new year can also learn about other traditions and communities.
be more creative
The academic world has long explored the links between multilingualism and creativity. AStudy 2012revealed a connection between people who can speak multiple languages and their creative endeavors, including problem-solving efforts.
In this study, language learners were able to cope better with new problems, perhaps due to their greater comfort in uncertain situations and unfamiliar environments and cultures.
get better at multitasking
It's natural to feel overwhelmed when trying to multitask. Luckily, being bilingual can improve your ability to handle multiple responsibilities at the same time. AI study at Penn State Universityfound that people who speak multiple languages are better at prioritizing tasks and juggling multiple projects at once.
Each language has unique elements of grammar and syntax. Bilinguals who hop in and out of multiple languages in the same conversation must be able to process multiple factors simultaneously, forcing them to consider multiple contexts simultaneously.
improve your memory
People who speak multiple languages have to mentally memorize a wider range of grammar rules and vocabulary than people who speak only one language. By using their multilingual skills, bilinguals exercise their thought processes more regularly, which is also possibleimprove memoryOccupation.
keep your brain healthy
Not only can knowing multiple languages keep your memory sharp, but it can also help keep your brain healthy.The search showsthat multilingualism can change the physical structure of your brain. This flexibility allows the brain to change, evolve, and recover faster.
Learning a new language allows our brain to improve its adaptability, which can contribute to better brain health. If you decide to take better care of your brain in the new year, learning a new language can help.
How to combine your studies with learning languages
Time management techniques
Language students can use a variety of methods to manage their time. If one technique doesn't suit your learning style, feel free to try another.
For example, if you think you're a procrastinator, think twiceset deadlines🇧🇷 You can consider working without a connected computer charger to set a specific time to end a lesson. Other options include limiting the time spent on certain tasks and attempting to end a task early to aid in time management.
Other students may prefer methods such as writing to-do lists with time allocations and prioritizing their problem areas. Some people like to tackle the hardest challenges first, while others eliminate the easiest tasks before moving on to the more challenging ones.
One of the best ways to learn a new language isPomodoro-Technik🇧🇷 With this method, you select a specific task and set a timer for processing it. When the timer expires, there will be a short pause before going back and setting the timer again. After a few laps, you can extend your breaks. This can help with goal setting and habit formation.
Make your learning a habit
The search showsthat people benefit from forming good habits. When we engage in actions with positive results and repeat those actions until they become second nature, we can create enduring and useful behaviors.
Be consistent with your learning goals. Make time to study every day or every few days and stick to your schedule. Consistency is key to accomplishing any new task, and learning a new language requires a reliable habit-forming schedule.
language learning programs
Idlewild Sprachkurse
Cost:$295 to $345 per class
Offered languages:French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese
Program overview:Idlewild offers online and face-to-face language learning courses at beginner, intermediate, upper-intermediate and advanced levels. The more advanced courses, aimed at those enrolled fluently, explore cinema in different languages.
Italki
Cost:it varies
Offered languages:English, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Korean, Arabic and more
Program overview:With more than 150 languages available, Italki allows online students to take individual or group language courses. Students can listen to podcasts to immerse themselves in specific languages and discuss with over 20,000 teachers from around the world.
pimsleur
Cost:$14.95 per month
Offered languages:Spanish (Latin), French, Italian, German, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Russian, Greek, Icelandic, Turkish and more
Program overview:The Pimsleur Method promises easy and fun language learning that can put users on the path to conversing in a new language in 30 days. Audio lessons allow students to develop their skills without having to interact with their devices.
Rosetta Stone
Cost:$35.97 for three months; $95.88 for 12 months; $179 for a lifetime subscription
Offered languages:Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), French, Italian, German, Arabic
Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, Farsi (Persian), Japanese and more
Program overview:Rosetta Stone uses a natural language learning process through picture-based learning that allows users to associate common objects and events with vocabulary. Students choose courses based on their goals. This platform uses "Adaptive Recall" to reinforce speech so people are better able to retain what they have learned.
Language Learning Apps
Chat
Cost:$66.90 for six months; $84.90 for 12 months; $349 for a lifetime subscription
Offered languages:Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Danish, Dutch, Indonesian, Norwegian and more
Application overview:Babbel aims to get people speaking other languages in less than three weeks. Users listen to conversations with native speakers to better understand pronunciation and cultural context and increase authenticity. Babbel also offers podcasts and games to make learning more accessible.
drops
Cost:$13 for a month; $69.99 for 12 months; $159.99 for a lifetime subscription
Offered languages:Spanish, Japanese, French, Korean, Chinese, German, Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Hindi and more
Application overview:Drops uses short games that allow users to learn other languages. The accessibility and length of the interactive experiences allow people to easily integrate the lessons into their daily lives.
Duolingo
Cost:Free with ads, $6.99 for one month of Super Duolingo ad-free
Offered languages:Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, Arabic, Czech, Korean, Hindi and more
Application overview:Duolingo offers interactive lessons for users to write, read and speak other languages. Over time, the app increases the difficulty of the exercises to align with your learning progress. Along with lessons on specific letters and characters in other languages, Duolingo uses interactive stories to help people learn conversational language tips and tricks.
Memrise
Cost:$8.49 for a month; $29.99 for 12 months; $119.99 for a lifetime subscription
Offered languages:Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Slovenian, Icelandic and more
Application overview:Memrise provides a fun learning platform that delivers language learning results twice as fast as classroom-based formats. Its immersive learning modules allow users to learn conversational dialogue for both short- and long-term use. Users can explore more than 50,000 Learn from Locals videos for authentic language usage.
Per month
Cost:$9.99 per month for one language; $47.99 for 12 months for 33 languages
Offered languages:Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Turkish, Arabic and more
Application overview:Mondly prioritizes commonly used words to help you learn other languages. The app allows users to listen to real-life conversations with native speakers and gain insights into modern language usage. Mondly offers daily classes to help people develop a consistent language learning routine.
Tips and tricks for learning a new language
Consume media in the new language
Explore media at different stages to develop your sense of language. In addition to movies, TV, and music, try picture books to connect words and pictures. One of the best ways to learn a new language is to watch one of your favorite movies in the language you want to learn.
Chat with native speakers
Native speakers of the language can provide feedback on your progress. This benefits students by educating them about the different contexts in which different words or phrases may apply (e.g., academic vs. colloquial). By speaking to native speakers, students can develop a better sense of connotations and word usage.
Practice with apps, podcasts, and other programs
Apps can help you build your vocabulary in other languages, and podcasts can help you with grammar and syntax.
to learn from mistakes
It is okay to make mistakes at any stage of the language learning process. However, make sure you understand your mistakes and do your best to learn from them.