Una cerveza, por favor?

Où est la banque?

Xièxiè!

Living in a foreign country is an exciting prospect. But what happens if you don’t know the language? Well, that’s all part of the adventure, isn’t it?…until you end up on a train going to the wrong destination!

But on a serious note, learning the local language is a good idea no matter how you look at it. 

What are the benefits of learning a foreign language?

The first question you might ask is, is learning a foreign language good for my brain? And the answer is, absolutely yes! Learning a foreign language has a whole host of benefits for the language learner. Learning a foreign language:

• develops your cognitive and problem-solving skills; 
• improves your memory;
• helps you learn how to multi-task;
• improves your decision-making skills; 
• helps prevent dementia; and
• improves your academic performance in other fields.

And these are just the physical benefits!

On a social level, learning the local language helps you integrate into your new community. You will endear yourself to your colleagues and neighbours. If your community doesn’t have a high level of English, you’ll be able to experience the culture on a deeper level than if you didn’t. 

When it comes to work, learning a foreign language helps you in the workplace, too. It helps you understand your colleagues and the work environment a lot better, besides the obvious improvement in communication. 

And if you’re taking a break before entering the workplace, learning a foreign language looks great on your CV. Because linguistic skills are becoming more appreciated as a skill in many careers, some reports suggest that learning a foreign language is enough to increase your salary!

Which foreign language is easiest to learn?

This is a logical question. Learning a foreign language has many benefits but it’s not particularly easy to do. A clever idea is to learn the easiest foreign language!

The problem comes in when we need to consider your first language. Because languages are part of families, which languages will be easier to learn depends on what language you speak. 

If you speak English as a first language, for example, learning Spanish or Italian should be relatively easy. If your first language is Dutch, Flemish should be easy enough for you. 

But if you speak a Romance or a Germanic language, learning Mandarin or Greek will prove considerably more difficult.

Generally speaking, Spanish pronunciation is not too tricky for English-speakers because it is a phonetic language. Thai, on the other hand, is a tonal language which can prove to be more challenging for English-speakers.

Which international language is best to learn?

Which is the best foreign language to learn depends on what you need it for.

As the international language of business, English is the number one language to learn if you need to communicate in the business world on a global scale. 

If you already speak English, Mandarin is the next choice for business because there are so many speakers of the language. Mandarin-speaking employees are in high demand in fields which do business with the East and, specifically, Chinese companies.

If you’re looking to travel widely, Spanish is a good language to learn. Spanish is the official language of 21 countries, and is spoken in many more across a number of continents. Similarly, Portuguese is spoken in Europe, South America and Africa.

The question then is, how can you learn a foreign language as an adult?

The best way to learn a foreign language

There are many different ways to learn a foreign language. While it’s easier to learn a foreign language as a child, it’s totally possible to do the same as an adult – even if you haven’t been in a classroom for a long time!

Research has shown that the best way to learn a foreign language is through immersion. Simply put, immersion refers to immersing yourself in the foreign language environment. This could be through talking to native speakers or listening to content in the target language – basically surrounding yourself with the language. 

But by far the most effective way to learn a foreign language is one way which is part and parcel of being a TEFL teacher – living in the country!

Read more: How To Find English Teaching Jobs Worldwide

How to learn a language in a foreign country

Living in a foreign country and not speaking the language can be daunting. Imagine wandering around the local supermarket and relying on the packaging to understand what you are buying? Or trying to understand public transport if you can’t read the subway map or ask for directions.

Of course it’s possible to get by with only English in many countries, learning the local language definitely makes your life easier.

Here are our top tips for learning a language in a foreign country:

• Start small. Don’t expect to read a novel in Italian in your first few weeks. Focus on road signs, restaurant menus, and timetables until you get a feel for the language. Baby steps.
• One topic at a time. Learn vocabulary related to one topic at a time, rather than many different topics. This promotes connections between the vocabulary items you are learning. 
• Speak as soon as you can. Don’t worry about making mistakes, because that’s how you learn. After all, speaking the language is the main goal of learning the language, isn’t it?
• Repetition, repetition, repetition. Incorporate the same language items into your learning program to increase retention.
• Focus. Ten minutes of focussed learning every day is better than half an hour of distracted learning.
• Make friends. Speaking the language with locals gives you the opportunity to really get to know the culture. But it also gives you a chance to practise your newly-found (or soon-to-be-discovered) language skills. 
• Make friends with your students. Now we’re not saying you need to hang out on the playground with your Young Learners, but engaging with them and being aware of them outside the classroom is a way for you to pick up the language. 
• Do a language exchange. Many TEFL teachers take on private students to earn extra income. But if your aim is to learn a language, rather than charging for your lessons, do a language exchange with a local friend. 
• Think about your exposure to English in your everyday life. Make changes so that instead of hearing English, you’re hearing the target language. Listen to the local radio station instead of streaming your favourite show back home. Watch your favourite series in the target language. Read local magazines and newspapers. 

Remember, you don’t need to be able to speak the local language to teach English in a foreign country, but being able to speak it will open doors for you in ways you can’t imagine!