Learning a new language need not throw you off balance or consume all of your time.
Trying to acquire a new skill when you’re working a full-time job is incredibly difficult. It requires a huge amount of time to learn something new, and you also need to dedicate some time to practising it every now and then so that you don’t forget it. You also need to think about the monetary investment, and you also can’t let it distract you from your regular work duties or your long-term commitments.
But there are a couple of ways for you to make time to learn a new language, even if you’re working a full-time job or have many commitments to focus on.
Why learn a new language when you’re working a full-time job?
But first, why would you want to learn a new language if you’re working a full-time job? Surely there are other skills that you could learn which would give you more opportunities to advance in the future? While that may be true, learning another language can be seen as a way to future-proof your career options while also opening up new possibilities.
For example, if you’re interested in moving to another country but maintaining the same career, then you could learn another language to find a new position with a different company in a different part of the world. Alternatively, you could use your new language skills and existing experience to start your own company in a different country. There’s also the possibility of your current employer expanding to a different region of the world. If you have the language skills necessary, you could be in charge of that expansion and be given a much more important role in the workplace.
So if you’re looking for more ways to advance your career, learning a new language could be a fantastic way to do so.
Time-saving tips to help you learn a new language
So here are some of the best tips to help you save time when learning a new language.
- Always look for a tutor if you’re serious about learning a language. If you want to try Spanish lessons, look for a Spanish tutor to supplement them. Alternatively, this can be somebody that knows the language and is willing to help, such as a close friend or even a relative. This is for the sake of practising the language, but it’s also to ask questions about more commonly used words and phrases.
- Use podcasts to help you get accustomed to the language. Podcasts are a fantastic source of spoken language and you can learn a lot about the customs and mannerisms used when speaking. It’s all about training your ear to get used to the sounds and tones of the language, but it can also help you learn new words. Podcasts are also great because you can listen to them during commutes or even before bed.
- Consume content in the language you’re learning. While you definitely need a basic understanding of the language to grasp some words and sentence structure, you can accommodate your lessons and tutoring by consuming media in that language. For example, you can watch a dubbed version in the language while keeping on subtitles, or switch between languages on a website.
While learning a new language is certainly time-consuming, you can greatly reduce the time you spend while maximizing your learning time with these helpful tips.
