You can read the discussions without signing up for the forum, but to take part, just sign up.

I find this great fun. Sometimes I “waste” too much time here. Where else could I see a lively discussion on learning ancient Egyptian, with a list of recommended books and sites? Not that I am planning to learn ancient Egyptian. I’ll stick with working on my Spanish, French, and may really get back into Mandarin, which I once knew a few basics of.

A Great Site and Forum About Learning Languages is a post from: Learn Spanish Rapidly: The Blog.

How to Gain a Rock-Solid Linguistic Self-Confidence

By Martina Srblin

One of the most common reasons people stay mediocre foreign language speakers is that they’re too ashamed to use the language consistently. Big mistake. Huge (as Julia Roberts points out in Pretty woman)!

You need to practice, if you want to achieve mastery (or any solid linguistic level, really). It’s that simple!

You probably wonder now how can you practice if you don’t feel confident enough, right? I totally get your point, believe me… but as the saying goes, sometimes you just have to jump and learn to swim along the way, otherwise you get stuck in a vicious circle of shame and mediocrity. Ugh! Not the most fantastic place to be in, agree?

Let me help you out here, OK? There are 7 simple truths you can start appreciating immediately to leapfrog your linguistic self-confidence and knowledge to a whole new level.

1. Overall self-confidence is a must if you want to gain the linguistic one!

It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? If you’re generally insecure, you probably feel embarrassed around people no matter what language you’re using at the moment. However, it’s very likely that a foreign language will make you even more nervous than your native one, so if you want to have a shot at being self-confident (instead of overly self-conscious) as a foreign language user, take care of the overall self-confidence first. Before »wasting« time on anything else!

2. Mistakes raise your awareness – which is not only good, but freakin’ awesome!

Yes, mistakes are annoying, especially when you’re the one making them – no good denying that, right? But don’t get too upset – mistakes can actually do you an XXL favor if you just listen to their message. Learn from your mistakes, analyze them and start using the correct expressions or grammatical forms right away! No waiting and ranting period allowed. Ever.

3. No-one’s perfect – no, not even you!

I’m sorry to step on your toes, but in language learning there’s no such thing as perfection; the best you can hope for is proficiency. Next time you’re worried to show your imperfect linguistic knowledge to the world, remember that when it comes to humans, perfection is a myth. Deal with it and move on – maybe you’ll start enjoying your less-than-perfect-but-sooooo-adorable attempts to conquer foreign language skills.

4. Seek occasions to speak and write in your target language… over and over again!

It’s a never-ending story, you know that, right? Mastery requires work and taking smart action. In the magic world of language learning, this means you never ever stop looking for opportunities to use your written or oral linguistic knowledge, preferably in communication with native speakers of your target language. Get a penpal, chat online, join a local organization of foreign students, travel while leaving your native tongue at home… I’m sure you’ll find a way!

5. Put some effort in your speaking and writing – and please, USE the new vocabulary you just learnt!

Sometimes, going with the flow is not the best strategy. If you don’t pay attention to what you’re saying or writing, you’ll keep stagnating at the same linguistic level – and that’s the best case scenario. The worst case scenario shows your knowledge deteriorate due to repeated mistakes that are, by now, well-anchored in your mind. To avoid that horror movie, check out your script now and then – incorporate your most recently learnt words and/or grammar structures in your speaking and writing, even if you’re not 100% sure how. Keep trying and you’ll get there…

6. After every speaking or writing exercise, jot down the words or grammar patterns you had a hard time with!

…and you’ll get there faster if you do your homework. Remember the part where mistakes become freakin’ awesome? It’s right at this point of the story – when you acknowledge the problems you encountered while speaking and/or writing – that you get the chance to step up. So, write down the trouble areas and work on them ASAP.

7. Practice regularly and your self-confidence will grow by the day!

Practice implies consistency. If your efforts are not focused AND regular, you can’t expect miracles… no magic will just knock on your door! It’s you that have to make it happen – by following a flexibly designed schedule that you’ll feel great about. And don’t say you don’t have time for language learning, because you do!

Martina Srblin is the Language Learning Magician who will help you discover the language learning system that best fits your needs, skills and schedule, so you can stop wasting time, money and energy on language learning methods that – for you personally – are inefficient. For free resources and to sign up for a FREE report on “7 Key Steps to Smart Language Learning” and a FREE subscription to the Language Learning Magic Ezine, please visit Martina’s website http://www.martinasrblin.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martina_Srblin
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Gain-a-Rock-Solid-Linguistic-Self-Confidence&id=3548107

How to Gain a Rock-Solid Linguistic Self-Confidence is a post from: Learn Spanish Rapidly: The Blog.

The Top 7 Mistakes People Make When Learning a Language

By Martina Srblin

Learning a language can take forever, if you don’t have a system in place to make you advance at a satisfying pace. Not to mention that mistakes, stealing you precious resources, such as time and money, lurk everywhere!

Here are the top 7 mistakes people make when learning a language – you need to know them to avoid them:

1. Buying learning materials, and then forgetting all about it

Under the effect of enthusiasm, many of us tend to buy language learning materials, such as home study kits, dictionaries, and special editions of quick grammar handbooks, and then, due to lack of time, will, or a new burst of excitement, we leave those items lying on the shelf and get dusty. Actually, we usually fill so many shelves with these teach yourself manuals, that we could open a bookstore, or a library, right away.

2. Investing in courses of poor quality

Who hasn’t done that at least once? Poor quality courses are not as rare as one would hope for. Before paying any money for a language course, do some serious research, and try to find positive testimonials. Remember that it’s a much wiser decision to pay a little more, and ensure yourself a fantastic experience, than to be cheap and disregard any criteria except the financial one.

3. Underestimating difficulties of a specific language

You’re naturally more inclined to learn certain languages than others, so it would be wrong to assume that you’ll need the same amount of time for every language you choose to master. Be realistic in your estimates, and you’ll avoid stressing out for not being able to stick to your learning schedule. You see – you need to do your homework properly, even before you start learning a language!

4. Not learning the language in its country of origin

One of the biggest mistakes to skip by all means, is never gifting yourself with the opportunity to learn it in its country of origins. Being surrounded by native speakers will make you talk, think, and even dream in this foreign language, and you’ll discover that by spending a month attending a course abroad, you save a couple of years of learning at home.

5. Overestimating your self-discipline

Many people, even language learning enthusiasts, not just those who have to learn a certain foreign language, struggle with self-discipline. Life happens, and believing you can follow a strict, inflexible learning schedule on the long run, is overly optimistic, to say the least. As strange as it may seem, you need to foresee the unforeseeable, in order to preserve you learning plan intact.

6. Overestimating the time on your hands

Time flies, and thinking there’s enough of it every day for everything you envisioned to do, is another fairytale that has little to do with reality. You only have so much time on your hands, and, just as mentioned before, unexpected things can pop up, and down-the-drain goes your linguistic session of the day. Again, try to come up with a realistic time frame to reach you linguistic goals – knowing you’re able to achieve them is very empowering thought!

7. Overestimating your learning speed

This is a mistake closely linked to underestimating the difficulties of that specific language you’re learning… but it’s not quite the same! Learning speed is about your skills, not the technical difficulties of the language itself. It might have something to do with talent, but is also very much related to the language learning techniques you use, and the effort you actually put in this process. Observe how quickly you’re able to grasp specific linguistic concepts, and/or remember new words or grammar patterns, and then adapt your planning to your own personal speed. There’s no too quick or too slow tag, but there certainly is one that says unfit for you.

Martina Srblin is the Language Learning Magician who will help you discover the language learning system that best fits your needs, skills and schedule, so you can stop wasting time, money and energy on language learning methods that – for you personally – are inefficient. For free resources and to sign up for a FREE report on “7 Key Steps to Smart Language Learning” and a FREE subscription to the Language Learning Magic Ezine, please visit Martina’s website http://www.martinasrblin.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Martina_Srblin
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Top-7-Mistakes-People-Make-When-Learning-a-Language&id=3548050

The Top 7 Mistakes People Make When Learning a Language is a post from: Learn Spanish Rapidly: The Blog.

This could be a good idea for someone with access to native speakers of Spanish who have good accents, which is in many places! — Rosana

How an Accent Reduction Coach Can Help You

By Susan M Ryan

An accent reduction coach can tell you which sounds and patterns you currently use that contribute to your accent. Then you can focus on the areas that are problems for you and help you learn the sounds and patterns of spoken English.

People from many different fields are now looking for ways to improve their American English pronunciation and reduce their accents. These include: doctors, nurses, clergy, business executives, engineers, professors and call center employees. They understand that clear spoken English will allow them to communicate more effectively with business associates, customers, colleagues and friends.

You may be one of the many people learning to read, write and speak English in your native country. Chances are that your reading, writing and grammar are excellent. However, you may have found that your spoken English is so accented that American English speakers don’t always understand you when you speak. Your foreign accent prevents American listeners from understanding you, causing frustration and breakdowns in communication.

Accent reduction involves changing or modifying some of the sounds and patterns in your current speech to make you sound more clear and comprehensible to American listeners. By learning to recognize and change the sounds and patterns that you unconsciously transfer from your own language to English, you can learn to speak in a way that will allow American listeners to understand you more easily.

An accent reduction coach can identify the pronunciation feautures that keep Americans from understanding you. Then she can help you learn the sounds and patterns of spoken English that you need to adapt in order to sound more American.

After each session with your coach you simply must practice your pronunciation every day for 20-30 minutes, even more if you can. This will help the new sounds and patterns you are learning to become natural for you. Most people actually begin to both hear and speak English differently once their coaching sessions begin.

People who take accent reduction courses are usually highly motivated individuals who are looking for better job opportunities or promotions. increased social opportunities and better cultural understanding. If this sounds like you, it may be time for you to investigate these kinds of classes.

Susan Ryan is an American English pronunciation and accent reduction instructor in Washington, D.C. Visit her blog to read more about Accent Reduction Coach.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_M_Ryan
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-an-Accent-Reduction-Coach-Can-Help-You&id=3507227

How an Accent Reduction Coach Can Help You is a post from: Learn Spanish Rapidly: The Blog.

It’s been well over a year since Learn Spanish Rapidly went online, and I’ve been really gratified by how much people seem to enjoy it and learn useful things from it. They also buy things from it  in sufficient quantity that I feel my time isn’t wasted. (I’m not retired.)

So I got the idea to do another site that would cover some of the other languages that there is software or audio programs available for.  Thus was born (corny, I know, but I don’t want to count how many pages I wrote today… my brain is fried) my new site:

LearnLanguagesRapidly.com

I started with Chinese and that is all I have done so far. Why did I start with Chinese? Because my father and my grandfather both spoke Mandarin, and I learned a bit of it myself. I think I will do a short section next on Spanish, just linking back to here. Then I will do French, since I also know it. Beyond that — German, Italian, Japanese, who knows what!

Here are the pages for the section I’ve done. I tell a funny story on myself on the Pimsleur Cantonese page. I’ve got a small learn Chinese blog.

One thing that I found very interesting as I did my research is that my opinions of these different programs for Spanish stayed the same as I found out what the companies had done for Mandarin.

• Learn Chinese
  Want to learn Chinese? Tips and advice on learning Mandarin or Cantonese.

• Learn Chinese Fast
  Want to learn Chinese fast? Tips and advice on learning Mandarin or Cantonese fast.

• Chinese Language Software
  Which Chinese language software would be most useful to you for learning Chinese?
• Fluenz Mandarin
  Fluenz Mandarin described enthusiastically
• Pimsleur Mandarin
  Pimsleur Mandarin, also called Pimsleur Chinese, and Pimsleur Cantonese are good programs for learning Chinese by ear.
• Pimsleur Cantonese
  Pimsleur offers a program for learning Cantonese.
• Rosetta Stone Chinese
  Rosetta Stone Chinese or Mandarin: Is this the program you want to use to learn Chinese? Maybe, maybe not. I like other things better.

Want to Learn Chinese? See My New Site! is a post from: Learn Spanish Rapidly: The Blog.

I asked him how come he spoke such good English so fast, and he explained that he already spoke Spanish, French, German, and two African languages. I do think he has a gift, but still it got me wondering about people who speak multiple languages. Readers, I would love your comments at the end of this article!

My own language background is that I used to know enough French to pick up a newspaper or a novel and read it easily. I had three years in high school and more in college, and I spent one college year in France. BUT I never spoke it as easily as I do Spanish now. Why? Because the French people were not friendly when I made errors,  but the Spanish and the Mexicans have always been warm and encouraging.

I have found that my French has helped me learn Spanish words and points of grammar, but there have been times in my life when I managed to completely jumble the two languages. Once at an international conference back in the day when I knew way less Spanish than I do now, I chatted with a woman from Argentina who didn’t know much English. We started out in Spanish but I kept using words in French. Turned out she knew French so we switched to that… but I kept mixing Spanish in! Somehow the Spanish part of my brain was turned on more than the French part!

Nowadays, I don’t use my French much. But last week we happened to catch a French movie with English subtitles on television, and I was pleasantly surpised at how much of the French I could follow. I even commented to my husband several times at nuances in French that the subtitles didn’t bother with.

Readers, I’m curious. Do you know other languages and if so, how has it helped or hindering your learning Spanish? (Even if you come upon this webpage some time in the future, I’d still enjoy your comments! But webmasters looking for a quick and easy link, be warned that you have to add to the conversation in a substantial way!)

Learning Spanish When You Know Other Languages? is a post from: Learn Spanish Rapidly: The Blog.