Learning a foreign language is essential for your career because companies today are more likely to establish cooperation with foreign enterprises. International policies are getting more lenient for trades, and thus the export and import business will thrive.
If you can speak more than one language, you certainly have advantages over your competitors. Moreover, being a business interpreter is a task that won’t be replaced by a robot any time soon. Such a job is just too complicated for machines to understand. Once you possess the skill, you will be safe from the threat of unemployment.
Start Easy but Determined
When you learn a second language for the first time, the experience may be overwhelming since you have to deal with foreign pronunciation and grammar. However, contrary to the common pedagogical belief, if you feel overwhelmed, then you should stop and rethink about the whole process for a while.
You must have the ability to step back and see which factors that have been hindering you from progressing. After you spot the source of the problem, you should eliminate it immediately. One of the most common scenarios is that, as a learner, you may be stunned by the vastness and the sophistication of your target language. This phase is actually good because it means you understand the complexity of the subject that you are dealing with. However, if you put too much thought on it, you cannot improve.
Therefore, it is vital to realize that you must start learning your target language step by step and bits by bits. For example, you can install a monolingual dictionary app on your smartphone, and you should try to memorize the important words (the ones that are relevant in business context, argumentation, law, and finance).
Engage a Native Speaker
If you learn autodidactically, then you must struggle to find a native speaker that is interested in language learning as you are. However, if you sign for a language class, then you will have no trouble in finding a speaking partner. Therefore, you must pick between those two options carefully. If you think you can make the most out of your smartphone to train your productive skills, then you do not have to join a class.
Moreover, when you have mastered the target language enough, you must practice your ability within the authentic context. Let’s say you are learning the Mandarin language. After you have mastered it until you’ve reached the conversational fluency, then your next goal is to apply that knowledge in a real business situation.
Visit the Country of the Language
The next step of your learning will be to visit the places where the target language is spoken. This experience is essential to your progress because you will learn to adapt to the culture of your target language by using the knowledge that you have acquired. And it will be different from a mock practice or even a professional engagement. Once you step on the land where the learned language is spoken, you will be surrounded with words of that tongue.
You will sharpen your language proficiency in spontaneous occasions. And although it may not contribute directly to your language skill for professional use, your fluency will be much more organic and natural.