(العربية)
The Language bubble is to surround yourself with the language that you want to learn. Watching TV, reading the news, chatting, and many other methods that I am going to summarize here. Though a language bubble doesn’t necessarily mean not being exposed to any language. Still, the language targeted for learning means being exposed more to the language, and by the means below:
- Writing moves the same parts of the brain that are required to produce language, it just happens at a slow rate when compared with flowing speaking. It is similar to the supported walking that children need, or those who have spinal cord injuries. Walking without support or guidance – although it’s difficult to find a child who never saw other humans walking around, something like Tarzan – may not produce the correct form of walking (many people in our societies still walk incorrectly). Therefore, writing an existing article is similar to these guided and supportive walking, without it, the language may have many issues. Repeat the article that you’re writing many times (tens of times even, I’ll talk about that in a separate article).
- Messaging chat. Chat is a modern invention, but it’s a great stimulant to the brain because it forces you to find a suitable word, but it gives you the required time to do so, it also provides the feature of language production within a social context, unlike the first method. Thinking of words searching in voice chat would be very difficult and needs a minimum of 2-3 seconds even if you have Google translate open before you.
- It’s better to read news using the targeted language only (if you ever read news). Each article will give you one or two words, and the news, in general, would help you with a new vocabulary set that’s used in some mildly intellectual discussions.
- Read a book (as soon as you’re able to do so). That would be just the beginning to live with the language that you like to learn, the first book will be difficult, but the second will be easier. Choose something that’s not meant to be difficult and something that you like. In my case, a book about C# was the first book that I finished.
- Find a group to practice the language. Duolingo events offer such opportunities. Sometimes teachers provide similar opportunities too. And nothing better than a friend if you find one. Even if you feel that you’re not learning new words/grammar in such conversations, it’s very important to keep practicing.
- Follow the language speakers on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube, see how they use the language in the homeland of the language and in its original culture, live in their world, surround yourself with the language, build a cultural context for the language, as languages can’t live well without their original society and world.
- Listen to songs, read the lyrics, try to translate them, check if your translation was correct by searching on LyricsTransalte website (if you’re able to find the song), and finally, sing the song.
- Make imaginary discussions in the language, think, make a conversation, think how someone will ask you about something and how you’ll reply, when you miss a word, just try to find it using the dictionary or the automatic translator. This imaginary discussion is no less important than real conversations.
- Travel to where the language is practiced, would be useful to gain self-confidence if all the previous methods weren’t enough, though I don’t see this step as essential at all.
- Listen to Podcasts, whenever you can.
- Listen to yourself, listen to a native speaker in a short video (1-2 minutes), repeat it, understand what they’re saying, then say it by matching your voice with the speaker’s voice, record your voice meanwhile, then listen to it. Does it look similar? Repeat it again until you find that you’re speaking exactly the same as that native speaker.
- Be brave, never be shy, go to practice whenever there’s a chance, even if you make mistakes, even if people laugh.
- Watch TV, series, and movies, read the subtitles, pause sometimes and repeat.