The Do’s and Don’ts of Language Learning

By Danielle Collins ‘20

If you’ve always wanted to learn a new language, starting as an adult can be daunting. It feels like you’re at a disadvantage after hearing for years that the best time to learn a language is as a child. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done — it’s just going to take some time and effort.

I have a double major in Spanish, so I’ve been learning my second language for years in a classroom setting. But I’d still like to learn more languages once I’m finished with my Spanish major. So I thought I’d share some tricks I’ve used while learning Spanish, and some tricks I will use when I learn a new language. Here are the do’s and don’ts of language learning:

Do:

• Make a schedule! Do a little bit every day or a couple of times a week. Set aside the time or you won’t make any improvements.
  
• Also set goals for your time. For example, to learn a new word every day or have a 20 minute conversation once a week.
• Watch movies/TV shows that you have already seen, but change the language to the language you’re learning. Since you already know the plot, you can watch without subtitles and pick up on the new language.

• Use free apps/websites to learn vocabulary and grammar.
• Duolingo is a good one! It also has practice conversations.
• Take classes at USC!
  
• 4 unit intro courses for Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Persian, Italian, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish
  
• Be sure to check and see if these courses need D-clearance!
• 2 unit conversation classes for certain languages such as Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese depending on the semester (some have pre-reqs, some don’t)
  

• Watch movies/TV shows made in the language you’re learning. Start off with English subtitles until you get a better grasp of the language, but make sure you pay attention to the audio while reading the subtitles.
• *For Spanish, I recommend Velvet on Netflix.
• Have practice conversations with yourself! Either aloud or in your head, act out both sides of the conversation to figure out what words you don’t know.

• Watch Youtube video lessons!
• Visit the USC Language Center in THH 309.
  
• Open M-Th 8am-8pm, F 8am-5pm
  

Don’t:

• Buy a service like Rosetta Stone. There are plenty of free services available.
• I’ve used Rosetta stone and it honestly does not work that well. Also, if you lose momentum and don’t use it, you’re wasting your money.
• Bite off more than you can chew. Set reasonable goals so you don’t get discouraged!
  

• Watch a movie or TV show in English with just the subtitles in the new language. You’ll ignore the subtitles and just listen to the English, which doesn’t help you learn.
  
• Be afraid to make mistakes. Just because you are struggling to get a certain pronunciation right doesn’t mean you can’t keep learning the language. You’ll figure it out eventually— don’t let one thing impede your learning process.
  

How to decide what language to learn:

Don’t know what language you want to start? Make sure you think about…

• Usefulness:
• How often will you get the chance to use the language?
• Similarity to languages you already speak:
• Already speak Spanish? Try Italian!
• Whether or not you have to learn an entirely new alphabet with new sounds makes a big difference.
• Friends who speak the language:
• Having someone to practice speaking with is going to make a huge difference.

• Opportunity to travel to a country that speaks the same language:
• Immersion is the best way to learn, so if you have the chance to travel to a country that speaks the language, that is your best chance to learn it.

Being multilingual is a great asset in today’s global society. Pick a language, make a plan, and commit to it! Happy language learning!

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