Remember those times when you were about to talk to someone in a different language, but you were so nervous and stressed that you couldn’t speak. Whereas, in your head, you can even think in a different language, or you can understand a vast amount of videos you watch on the internet. But you still have difficulty speaking.
I’ve experienced that too, more than I can count. Whether it was back in high school facing that final English exam, or even at work, trying to talk to clients. The countless times it felt like I hit a wall. But you know what’s interesting? Those struggles didn’t get me down; they became my fuel to master languages at warp speed.
I remember one time in school, I asked an English teacher how long she studied English. She said her whole life. That got me thinking about how schools teach languages. It often feels like they go on forever, but do they help us speak better?
The short answer is no. That is the sad truth. We spend so many hours in classrooms, and we can’t even express ourselves.
Good news! You can learn a foreign language in 1 year at the B2 level. It requires a goal, a positive attitude, effort
and the right tools.
The key takeaways from this article are:
- You can learn a foreign language in 1 year at the B2 level.
- It requires a goal, a positive attitude, effort and the right tools.
- The right tools are: deliberate practice, memory encoding, active recall, personalization effect.
- Speaking practice is essential for language learning.
- Soliloquy is a language app that helps you practice speaking and learn new phrases in another language.
Achieving goals: Attitude, Effort, and Tools
Setting a clear goal
Learning a new language is challenging, but having a goal makes it easier. Before you start learning, figure out where you’re at. Know what you already know and what you don’t. This self-assessment helps you set a clear goal, like a guiding star for your journey.
Self-Assessment:
Start by honestly evaluating your skills in each language area. Consider your comfort level when speaking, your understanding of spoken language, your ability to read and comprehend text, and your writing skills. Use the following scale: beginner, intermediate, and advanced to categorize your skills.
Embracing positive attitude
Learning is hard. Your attitude is crucial if you want to embark on a challenging journey. Without a positive attitude, you won’t succeed. For example, if you think learning a language takes a lifetime, it will impede your progress. It can even stop you from trying. Believe that you can make progress toward your goal by engaging in actions that are consistent and effective.
Putting in the work
Let’s be honest, learning takes effort. Nothing meaningful comes easy. Especially language learning. Think of it like working out to build muscle. Just as muscle growth requires ongoing, intentional effort. Language improvement demands daily speaking practice, vocabulary acquisition, grammar understanding, and attentive listening. Put in the work, and you will see great results.
The right tools
Having the right tools is vital for reaching your language learning goal. This includes understanding effective learning methods and pursuing meaningful activities. The most effective ways to learn a language are through speaking practice and acquiring new vocabulary.
Let’s find out why.
What are the efficient learning methods?
Those are methods that help you to learn more efficiently and faster. Let’s take a look at those I mentioned already.
What is deliberate practice ?
We can define deliberate practice as a focused and purposeful way of practicing that helps you improve a skill or ability. It involves breaking down the skill into smaller parts, identifying your weaknesses, and working specifically on those areas.
As I said before, when you speak, you can quickly find out what you can’t say or what words you can’t recall. Those are your weaknesses.
What is memory encoding ?
Memory encoding is the process of transforming information into a form that can be stored in memory by connecting it to things you already know.
For example, if you’re learning a new word, your brain encodes the sound of the word and its meaning so that you can recall it when needed. The more attention you pay to the word, and the more connections you make to other words you know, the better the encoding, and thus the better your chances of remembering the word later.
When you speak, you have to form longer sentences. So you have to connect recalled words together, which improves memory encoding.
What is active recall ?
Active recall (also known as testing effect) is about actively retrieving information from memory rather than passively reviewing it. Instead of simply rereading notes or textbooks, active recall requires you to actively try to remember and retrieve the information you’ve learned. This process strengthens your memory and helps you learn more effectively.
Here’s how active recall works:
- Retrieve Information: Instead of just reading or reviewing your notes, close the book or hide the text and try to recall the information from memory. For example, you might ask yourself questions about the material or try to explain the concepts in your own words.
- Check Accuracy: After attempting to recall, open your notes or textbook to verify the correctness of your answer. This step is crucial as it helps you identify any gaps in your understanding.
- Repeat and Review: If you got the answer correct, great! If not, review the material again and then try the recall process once more. Repetition helps reinforce your memory.
Active recall is effective because it strengthens the neural connections that are responsible for retrieving information from memory. When you actively work to retrieve information, you’re practicing the actual process of recalling, which makes the memory more robust and easier to access in the future. This technique is often used in practices like flashcards, self-quizzing, or summarizing information from memory.
What is space repetition ?
Spaced repetition is a learning technique that involves reviewing and practicing information at increasing intervals over time. The goal of spaced repetition is to optimize memory retention by strategically timing your review sessions based on the forgetting curve—the pattern at which information tends to fade from memory.
Here’s how spaced repetition works:
- Initial Learning: When you first learn a new piece of information, you review it intensively to establish a baseline understanding.
- First Review: Rather than reviewing the material again immediately, you wait for a short period, typically a few hours or a day, before reviewing it for the first time. This helps reinforce the information while it’s still fresh in your mind.
- Subsequent Reviews: After the first review, you wait a bit longer before reviewing the material again. The intervals between reviews gradually increase, allowing your brain to strengthen the memory over time. The more effectively you can recall the information, the longer the interval before the next review.
- Adaptive Timing: Spaced repetition systems often use algorithms to adjust the timing of future reviews based on how well you remembered the information during previous sessions. If you struggled with a particular piece of information, it will be scheduled for review sooner; if you remembered it easily, the interval will be longer.
By spacing out your reviews and focusing on the material that’s more likely to be forgotten soon, spaced repetition takes advantage of your brain’s natural memory retention patterns. It’s like tuning your memory so that you review just in time to prevent forgetting, maximizing your learning efficiency.
Spaced repetition is commonly used in digital flashcard apps and other learning software to help users efficiently retain a large amount of information over the long term.
What is personalization effect ?
The personalization effect is when we remember things better if they are connected to ourselves in some way. It’s like
how you might remember a story more if you imagine yourself as one of the characters. Our brain likes things that feel
related to us!
Why effective language learning methods matter?
You might not have come across these ideas before. I learned about them recently, and they really changed how I learn. Let’s see why these methods are important.
Thanks to them:
- Efficiency: You will be more efficient, and you will waste less effort.
- Time: You will be able to achieve more in less time.
- Retention: You will remember more for longer.
- Motivation: You are more motivated when you see progress.
- Confidence: You will be more confident with your language skills.
Why speaking practice is essential for language learning?
Because our life revolves around language. We communicate by talking to each other. If you don’t speak, you will never learn how to do that.
Speaking in a different language is really hard, especially at the beginning when you don’t know much. However, it is the best way to learn what you can’t say. If you know what you can’t say, you can improve on that.
Speaking practice equates to 4 effective learning methods: deliberate practice, memory encoding, active recall, personalization effect. Because while speaking, you have to actively recall words and phrases from your memory. When you talk, you have to form longer sentences, so you have to connect words together, which improves memory encoding. In addition, speaking can be—if done correctly—a deliberate practice because you can see what you can’t say. It shows you what words you don’t know yet. You will achieve personality effect if you talk about yourself.
You might be wondering, “How do I actually use this?” You could use a text editor and online translator, but it is
tricky. I made an app to make it easy. The app is called Soliloquy!
What is Soliloquy ?
Soliloquy is an act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself or regardless of any hearers, especially by a character in a play.
/səˈlɪl.ə.kwi/
suh·li·luh·k wee
Soliloquy is a language app. It helps you practice speaking and learn new phrases in another language. I picked this
name because it fits the app’s purpose. It’s a tool that supports the effective language methods we talked about
earlier.
How does Soliloquy work?
Soliloquy has two core features. Questions and Flashcards. Those features complement each other.
It provides you with predefined list of questions grouped by topics. However, you can add your own question. You can talk out loud to answer questions and save phrases. While talking, you might realize you can’t say something. If that happens, you can write it down and the app will translate it to the language you’re learning. This way, you’ll have all those phrases you couldn’t say saved, helping you know what to learn from flashcards. Each phrase you save becomes a flashcard in the app.
Flashcards are like digital learning cards that help you remember words and phrases. They show you a word or phrase in your native language on one side and its translation or meaning in the language you’re learning on the other side. You can flip between them to test your memory and practice recalling the words.
Both of these features use a space repetition algorithm. This helps by spacing out your questions and flashcards over time. This way, you review them right when you’re about to forget them. It really helps make your memory stronger.
The app reads texts to you. It does this in both your native language and the language you’re learning. It uses text-to-speech technology for this. Thanks to that, you will hear phrases spoken, and you can repeat to hone your pronunciation.
Here are 4 tips and strategies for effective speaking practice:
- Start with simple phrases: When beginning with Soliloquy, it’s important to start with simple phrases that you’re comfortable with. This will help you build your confidence and ensure that you’re making progress in your language learning journey.
- Speak as much as possible: Try to speak in your target language as much as possible. This will help you improve your fluency and confidence in using the language. If you’re not sure how to say something, you can use Soliloquy to add the phrase and translate it.
- Practice regularly: Consistency is key when it comes to language learning. Set aside a specific time each day to practice with Soliloquy and make it a regular part of your routine.
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes: Making mistakes is a natural part of the language learning process. Don’t be
afraid to make mistakes when practicing with Soliloquy or speaking with others in your target language. Embrace
mistakes as opportunities to learn and improve.
Integrating Soliloquy into daily routine
Finding time for learning in your busy schedule can be tough. But here are 6 effective strategies to make it happen:
- Cut Down on Social Media: Try to reduce your use of social media apps. Those quick checks can add up, leaving you with more time for learning.
- Activate Focus Mode: Use your phone’s focus mode. This will help you resist distractions and give you dedicated time to learn.
- Plan Your Day: Schedule your day in advance. Knowing what’s ahead helps you allocate time for learning without feeling overwhelmed.
- Break It Up: If long sessions feel too much, split your learning into shorter chunks. Even 10-15 minutes can be valuable.
- Use Downtime Wisely: Instead of scrolling, use your free moments to practice. Waiting in line or during breaks, you can squeeze in some learning.
- Learn While Moving: Commuting or going for a walk? Use that time to answer questions and review flashcards. It’s
productive multitasking.
Keep Learning Beyond Soliloquy
Learning doesn’t stop with Soliloquy! Here’s how you can keep the progress going:
- Chat with People: Have real conversations. Talk to people in the language you’re learning. It’s an awesome way to practice.
- Listen Up: Tune in to podcasts and watch videos. You’ll get used to the language’s rhythm and hear real-life conversations.
- Read Stuff: Grab books, articles, or even comic books in the language. Reading helps your vocabulary and understanding grow.
- Grammar’s Cool Too: Yep, grammar matters. Don’t shy away from learning the rules. It’ll make everything more solid.
Remember, Soliloquy’s your buddy, but these steps will take your learning to the next level!
What’s Coming Next
We’re just getting started with Soliloquy, and there’s a lot more in the future:
- Useful Word List: Get ready for a list of most commonly used words with examples to help you learn even better.
- Handy Dictionary: Need translations? A dictionary feature is on the way, so you can quickly look up words and phrases.
- Take Notes: You’ll be able to jot down notes for your questions, to think deeply on the answer.
- Boost Your Focus: Look forward to focus exercises. They’ll help you sharpen your concentration and learn even better.
- Learning Reminders: Don’t worry about forgetting. We’re bringing in learning reminders to keep you on track.
- Better Stats: We’re improving the way we show your progress with cool stats that track your growth.
Conclusion
In conclusion, learning a foreign language doesn’t have to be a never-ending struggle. With the Soliloquy approach, you can achieve your language goals in just one year, reaching a B2 level of proficiency. It all starts with the right attitude, effort, and the tools that truly work.
Setting clear goals and evaluating your skills will guide your journey. Embracing a positive attitude is key, as it fuels your progress. Remember, putting in the effort is essential – language learning is a workout for your brain. And when it comes to tools, Soliloquy stands out as a game-changer.
Delve into efficient learning methods like deliberate practice, memory encoding, active recall, and personalization effect. These techniques optimize your learning efficiency, saving you time and boosting retention. Speaking practice is the heart of language learning – it’s how we communicate. It brings together those methods and puts them into action.
Soliloquy, the language app, is your partner in this journey. Through questions and flashcards, it guides you in speaking, learning, and remembering phrases. With space repetition, it fine-tunes your memory for maximum effectiveness. And with text-to-speech technology, it hones your pronunciation, making you sound more like a native speaker.
Adding Soliloquy into your daily routine is easier than you think. By minimizing distractions, planning your time, and using downtime wisely, you’ll find that even short learning sessions can add up to significant progress. But remember, learning doesn’t stop with the app. Real conversations, listening to podcasts, reading, and understanding grammar will take your skills to the next level.
And don’t worry, Soliloquy isn’t stopping here. Exciting updates are on the horizon, including a useful word list, a handy dictionary, note-taking features, focus exercises, learning reminders, improved progress tracking, and secure data backup.
So, fellow language learner, armed with the Soliloquy approach and its tools, you’re well on your way to mastering a foreign language. Embrace the journey, celebrate the progress, and keep in mind that every word you learn is a step closer to confidently expressing yourself in a new language. You’ve got this!