Learning a foreign language in record time for corporate purposes

by Jerry S. Jerry Stark is a professional writer and publisher

Studying foreign languages became a most today because of the international relationships that people have. In terms of business, this factor is even more important, as a good knowledge of a foreign language can establish a proper communication between entrepreneurs. Of course, technology disrupted this sector of life as well, as there are many software programs that can translate phrases from one language to another almost instantly. Even though this can be a solution, it won’t be as convincing and efficient as fluently speaking the respective language yourself.

The opportunities offered by the possibility of communicating in an international language are so numerous that they represent a huge advantage for any person that decided to become a polyglot. Beside the corporate advantages of learning a new language, there are some biological ones as well, such as brain development, the prevention of diseases that affect the memory such as Alzheimer’s, an improved memory, multitasking easier and even thinking differently. Moreover, by learning a new language, a person can also penetrate a different culture and gain a complete perspective on how different people think and live. Here is a list of tips and tricks that should help you rapidly learn a language, especially for corporate purposes:

Choose a target language

Don’t try to learn more languages at once. It will be too difficult, it will take longer than you plan and you are going to mix things up. The result won’t be the one you expect and you might not be able to fluently communicate in any of it. Choose a target language that you will focus on intensely for the next few months. That’s the easiest and most effective method to do it. Having an ambitious goal is not a mistake, but putting together more goals that are not achievable simply because they are unrealistic is not healthy for your mind.

You want to obtain results, fast ones. So, the best method to do it is by selecting a language you’d like to learn and start investing your time and resources in studying that language only. Choose a language that’s internationally spoken, such as English. English is the most common language out there, and anyone speaks at least a little English. You will be able to communicate with most entrepreneurs in the world if you reach a communicational level in English. This should be your first target language as a future polyglot.

Reach fluency in just a few months

In order to reach fluency in a short period of time, you need to plan things carefully. Learning a language involves certain steps that have to be completed gradually. The steps differ from one method of studying a new language to another. Depending on what you chose, the steps can be more or less numerous. If you want to learn the language by yourself, without attending courses, then pay attention to staying as consistent as possible. Taking long breaks will lead to forgetting what you’ve learned. Instead, try to section your time properly and assign a task for each week. Stick to the checkpoints you create and actively involve yourself in the learning process. Finding a partner that’s also motivated to learn a new language is useful because you’ll both try to outdo each other, which leads to better performance.

On the other hand, choosing courses can involve following different steps. You can either choose physical courses in traditional classrooms or courses over the Internet. Both are just as efficient, but the difference is represented by the amount of time invested into it. Online courses can be more engaging, as they focus on the needs of one particular student. For instance, if you are not good with a specific grammar topic, you can insist on that instead of the rest. Thus, this will lead to learning the language faster than expected. Even though there are differences between the methods selected, one step is clearly required in all of them – staying motivated.

Free resources

The Internet is full of free resources that you can access in order to learn a new language, so money can’t be an issue when it comes to that. If you can’t afford to pay for courses, you can use these free resources and you’ll receive the necessary information to start using the vocabulary of that language. The secret to remember what you’ve learned by using free resources has to do with repetition. The more you use what you learn during one day, the better it will stick in your head. That’s the reason why engagement is so important when learning a foreign language.

Don’t be scared to speak

Keeping in mind that you learn a new language for corporate purposes, you’ll have to use the language verbally, not only in written. Considering that you might need to carry a long conversation in the language you’re studying now, you have to find the courage to speak, regardless of the fact that you might consider that it sounds wrong, incorrect and so on. The only way to learn is using the respective language, and without practice you won’t be able to get any word coming out of your mouth. Taking English courses by Skype will have you speaking English with confidence, without the irrational fear that you can’t pronounce the words you’ve learned. Go ahead and invest your time in spoken practice more, as this represents the key to fluently speaking the language.

Many people are proficient when it comes to the written language, but they can’t pronounce even one word right because of the lack of spoken practice. This fear is not founded, as the person already knows the words. You need to simply start speaking to a native, a foreigner either in reality or via a communication platform such as Skype. As you hear yourself speaking the language, it will become easier and easier to communicate your ideas through it. Trust your capabilities and all the efforts will be worth it.