Tips for Teaching a Second Language to Your Child

Studies have shown that children can learn a second language and retain the information much quicker and more efficiently than adults. That’s why you’d be doing your child a great service by teaching them at least one other language while they’re still young. Here are some things you can do to ensure that your child is excited about learning that new language and will remember it throughout the rest of their life.
· Find a language that’s easy to learn. Spanish is a great choice because it’s one of the easier foreign languages and it’s the second-most dominant language spoken in the United States.
· Visit your local library or bookstore and find beginner’s guides to that specific language. You might be able to find age-specific guides to make it easier. But if you can’t, any beginner’s guide will do. Start at the beginning and study each lesson yourself before trying to teach it to your child.
· Purchase, rent or borrow some audiotapes where the speaker uses the foreign language. Depending on your child’s age, they can either follow along with the written materials or simply listen to the language and absorb it.
· Say the words slowly and enunciate well. This way, your child knows exactly how it sounds when they try to say it.
· Start slow. Begin by introducing a couple words at a time into your daily vocabulary with your child. Make sure it’s words that you would use every day, such as clothing items or food dishes, just to name a few.
· Make it fun. Children learn and retain new information best when they can associate it with something fun.
· Ask others in your life to learn some of these words so your child can speak with them in the foreign language, too.
· Use visual aids. Not only do children learn better when the material is fun, they also learn better when they can associate the material with something they see and hear rather than material they just hear.
Following these simple steps is a great way to helping your child learn a second language.

Four Benefits for Teaching a Second Language to Children

Everybody knows the benefits of learning a second language as an adult. With increased earning potential and the chance to impress your friends, knowing another language can be both fun and advantageous. But did you know that children can benefit from expanding their second-language skills as well? Here are four benefits that you can give your child just by teaching him or her another language.
· Respecting Cultures
All too often, children grow up without experiencing cultures other than their own. By learning another language, children get a glimpse of how other cultures live. This not only expands their knowledge, it might help them appreciate their own culture even more.
· Job Opportunities
It’s often difficult for an adult to learn to speak another language fluently. Children, however, can learn at least one other language while they’re young and expand their career opportunities later in life.
· Studying Abroad
If your child learns a second language, they might have an opportunity in high school or college to study in a country that speaks that language. It’s a great chance to meet new friends and learn how people in other parts of the world live.
· Fitting In
Whether you like it or not, the nation is quickly becoming a bilingual nation. As such, children who can speak English and Spanish (or another language) have an advantage over their classmates and friends. Being bilingual gives them a sense of accomplishment and allows them to communicate more effectively in an ever-changing world.
With all of these benefits, it’s easy to see why you’d want to help your child learn a second language. Since younger children can learn a language quicker than older kids, it’s ideal to start them as young as possible. Do your children a favor by taking the steps necessary to ensure that they learn how to speak at least one other language fluently.

Five Tips for Learning a New Language

Learning a new language is a great way to learn more about your own language. Not only that, but becoming “bilingual” gives you a sense of pride and satisfaction for learning something as new and exciting as a second language. You might even open up your earning potential by knowing how to speak more than one or two languages. Following are some tips to help you learn a new language effectively.

-Learn the Vocabulary First
The vocabulary is the essential part of any language. The more words you learn and memorize, the more effectively you can communicate with others in your desired language. Flash cards are a great way to learn vocabulary. Simply put a word on one side of the card and then its foreign counterpart on the other side. Practice your vocabulary by mixing the cards up and looking on one side while translating it into the other language in your mind. You can even color-code the cards by putting the masculine nouns on blue cards and the feminine nouns on pink cards.

-Do Your Homework
If you’re taking a foreign language class, the homework is vital to helping you learn the language. This usually involves a mixture of listening to recordings of the new language in addition to memorizing vocabulary and other rules. Getting a classmate or several classmates together to practice is the ideal way because you can talk to each other using the language you’re studying. You’d be surprised how much of an impact group studying can have on learning a new language.

-Look for Ways to Use the Language
Try to act as though you’re living in the native land where your language is spoken. If you live in the United States and you’re studying Spanish, this is easy to do. Many services give you the choice of using English or Spanish, such as ATMs and telephone services. Choose Spanish and try to immerse yourself into the language as much as possible. You can even borrow books or magazines written in the new language from your local library. They might not be readable, but you can learn a great deal about context with this method. It might also be fun to watch the Spanish channel on television for awhile and get a feel for the affectations and other nuances of the language.

-Try Thinking in Your New Language
This might be hard to do at first, but the more you think about the language, the better you’ll be able to speak it. Think of how you would say certain phrases in the new language. When you see objects and you know the vocabulary for them, think about them in terms of the new language, too.

Careers for Translators and Interpreters

In a world where global communications are increasingly becoming the norm rather than the exception, there is a growing need for translators. Every country can use bilingual people no matter what their second language is. There is always a need for people who have learned a second language in order to help others communicate. If you’re considering a career as a translator or interpreter, here are some of the more popular settings in which your talents and education will be of great use.
· Literary Translator – People in this field adapt works of literature or other written pieces into another language for a variety of reasons. Another writer might need it translated or a company might even be working on publishing a number of works in different languages. Many times, translators in this field work with original authors to help maintain the tone and meaning of the work.
· Localization Translators – This is a rapidly-growing field that involves adapting a certain product or group of products for use by different cultures. Software is a great example of this position, but websites and manufacturing industries are in greater need of these services as the nation becomes more multicultural. The ultimate goal of a translator doing this type of work is to make the product sound like it was manufactured in the country where it’s going to be marketed and sold.
· Guide Interpreters – These professionals accompany guests around to new areas while they are visiting from another nation. This type of position is unique in that the translator needs to be skilled in interpreting during informal moments while maintaining the utmost professionalism during the more business-related moments. Many students entering a career in translation enjoy this type of job because of the travel associated with the position.
· Court Translator or Interpreter – The courts are always in need of people who can translate for them when a non-native speaker comes to court. Court translators are typically knowledgeable about legal terms and the judicial system in general as well as legal systems in other countries. In this position, you can work in different settings, including conferences between clients and lawyers, depositions, arraignments and actual trials. Sometimes, they are even called upon to translate documents and read them aloud for the entire court to hear.
· Freelancers – If you’re unsure about the type of field you want to enter after school, there is always the option of doing freelance translating. Simply advertise your services at places that can use them. By doing this, you have the opportunity to set your own rates and hours and you can be your own boss. You’ll need patience and a source of income before you start getting actual jobs, though. Many times, freelance translators make more money than the ones in a professional and traditional setting.
Translating and interpreting are two very useful professions. Graduates in these fields also have access to a wide variety of jobs and opportunities in several different settings. In our ever-changing world, this profession will be in demand for many years to come.

Long Term Benefit of Immersion Programs

I, personally, have not been able to find any real data as to the benefits of immersion programs, though I do think there is some. Possibly I just am unaware on the proper search term to use in Google. Specifically, what is the language ability after one month, six months, a year? Has the level of the second language been maintained, improved, or is the student back to square one? Once the immersion program is over, how does a student keep the momentum going?

Attending a language immersion program can be lots of fun and very beneficial to the language learning process. Many, many schools exist all over the world for those wishing to learn a second (or sometimes third and fourth) language. Have you noticed that almost every school, at least those listed on the internet, claim that their school is different? I did a quick check on Google (1,380,000 hits) using the term, “Spanish Immersion Programs”. Out of the few selections that I actually clicked, the sales pitch was about the same.

I find it just as interesting that out of so many immersion programs for those wanting to learn Spanish, there is very little, if any, feedback from students other than the initial “I had a great time” story.

When a student initially returns from their immersion program they still have the excitement flowing through them. The exposure to a different culture, a different way of living is definitely a benefit of immersion programs. And, I think most do actually learn a great deal of language from immersion programs. What, however, are the long term benefits?

Choosing The Right Program

Trying to decide which Spanish learning program is best can be a real challenge. A quick check of Google shows more than 1,380,000 possibilities when using the search term, “Spanish Immersion Programs.” Likewise, “Learning Spanish” results in 90,100,000 hits; “On Line Spanish Courses” has 75,400,000 hits. This is, as they saying goes, just the top of the iceberg. In other words, the selection of options is overwhelming.

So, how does one decide which program, school, book, etc. is the best? I wish that I had the magic answer. I would certainly be very rich if I had the magical answer. The truth, though, is I don’t, and it appears that neither does anyone else. Basically, it is a stab in the dark. However, there are some preliminary things you can do before spending your money.

Ask yourself what type of learner are you. Are you a visual learner? Do you learn better in groups or one on one? Do you learn better in a class room setting or by yourself? These are just a few of the questions you should be asking yourself before committing to a Spanish learning program. Once you know which type of program will match to your learning style you then need to be realistic as to the amount of time you are able to devote to your studies.

There are many debates as to the best method of learning Spanish, or any foreign language. We have the grammar approach, the conversation approach, the immersion approach. Which is the right way to learn? My answer – who knows? I think a combination approach is probably the best, but I think really it depends on what you, as the learner, want to accomplish.

Are You Dedicated?

Being dedicated is a key to learning Spanish as second language. Are you dedicated? The problem, as I see it, is too many people give up before they really get going. This is not, however, always the fault of the student. A quick Google search and you will find hundreds of advertisements claiming to teach you Spanish within hours of buying their program. Don’t believe it! I can only give my opinion, but in most cases you are wasting your money. There are too many “free” options available to you.

Language learning, like many other learning experiences, is an on-going process. You learn one word or phrase at a time. I read once in another forum, http://www.translatorscafe.com that you need to live your second language for a minimum of five years in order to “internalize” your second language. There is a lot of truth to this statement. Unfortunately, not everyone is in a position to spend five years in another country. There are the small issues called, money, family and work. Still, there are ways to learn.

Learning is done in increments. To remain dedicated you need to focus on making small accomplishments daily. Eventually, you will look back and say, Wow! I am actually communicating in my second language. How did this happen? It happened through your dedication to learning. Did you know that by spending just one hour a day doing something (anything) with your second language you will advance much quicker than you ever dreamed?

But it is discouraging when I can’t remember words, phrases, and those awful grammar rules. Who said you would not get discouraged? Let’s be honest, you will get discouraged. This does not mean you need to give up. It means you need to take a different approach. When those feelings of discouragement start creeping into your head take a look at what you have accomplished during the learning process. How many more words, expressions, grammar rules do you know now that you didn’t know six months ago? Probably way more than you ever dreamed possible. Be proud of your accomplishments and then add something new. Add a new word, a new phrase, a new grammar rule. Again, learning is done in increments.

Everyone has a different approach to learning a second language. Attending a formal school, learning through tapes and books on your own, internet, immersion programs, are just a few. How are you learning your second language? Do you have some recommendations for others?

I think next I will write about “Immersion Programs” what happens when the immersion is over? Have you attended an “Immersion Program”? What happened when it was over?

Until next time, keep learning!