There are so many strategies for learning a new language. Some people recommend flashcards, others tell you to get practice buddies and a good private tutor. Some people have had success with a sink-or-swim approach, by going to a different country and learning through immersion. With all these miracle solutions flying around, it’s easy to forget that reading can be the secret to language learning.
Reading Brings Consistency
Reading is one of the best things you could do in order to become fluent in a second language. It’s a tool you can use to keep expanding your vocabulary. It can even make it easier for you to learn more than one new language at a time. Reading really can be the secret to language learning, and is included in all good definitive guides to language learning.
For someone who’s really ambitious with their language goals, reading can be the best way to get consistent exposure. If you’re learning three languages at once, it might not be feasible for you to find people to chat with in your target languages. With reading it’s different. You’re still spending high-quality study time, but you can pick it up whenever you want. You have the chance to learn about an entirely new culture directly from the people who belong to it. This gives you an even richer learning experience.
Reading as the Inspiration for Language Learning
Many English-speakers decide to learn new languages specifically so they can read literature in its original version. These aren’t just people who discovered mainstream writers as teenagers and decided to read the original. They are people who want to have access to the huge bodies of philosophy, history, and fiction. Works that English translators have barely touched. If reading is your goal, you also focus on learning the standard version of languages. You don’t pick up regional variations like you’d get from a native speaker.
It’s not just about achieving fluency in a new language through reading. They can also have conversations about what they’ve learned with people from other countries. Imagine how much more in common you’d have with someone from Germany, if you’d already read books that are a part of their national background.
Reading and Vocabulary
Reading is not only a good way to expand your knowledge, but it also helps you expand your vocabulary. If you don’t know enough words in a certain language, you’ll never get to have genuine conversations with people. If your only goal is to know basic phrases to use while traveling, then a few words and phrases will be enough. You’ll need more than that if you want to actually develop a relationship with someone who doesn’t speak English. You’ll have to learn the words you need to express yourself, as well as understand the other person.
Even if your main goal for learning a new language is to speak fluently, reading can still help you get there. In most cases, language ability relies on first identifying just a few words and phrases. Then you start learning more and more words, and begin to figure out how they go together. After that is when you can finally understand basic written material in the foreign language.
Finally, while it’s true that reading and speaking in the foreign language are key to success, don’t forget grammar. Grammar is the cement that holds the language building blocks together. Grammar shouldn’t be the focus of your language learning, but it has to be in there somewhere.
Reading Breeds Success
It probably won’t surprise you to learn that reading ability can be a predictor of success later in life. If you can read well in several languages, you won’t just have a better professional career. You’ll have improved academic success as well. If you enjoy the subject matter, you can acquire information faster through reading than you can with any other learning method.
However, just because you can’t read very well doesn’t mean you’re going to fail. There are plenty of stories of people who are dyslexic, or had poor educations, who still overcame their personal obstacles. Even people who have excellent reading skills won’t get anywhere if they aren’t determined to improve their lives. If you don’t read as well as you’d like for some reason or another, don’t let that stop you. If your dream is to speak three languages, but you never learned how to read very well, it’s never too late! Let yourself start slowly, or take some remedial classes. The point is, just because you’re fighting a disadvantage doesn’t mean that you can’t reach your goals just like anyone else.
Make it Interesting
An important thing to remember is to only read material that interests you. If you’re only going through a book as a learning exercise, the number of words you retain will be very low. Even if you’re careful to read slowly and look up new words in a dictionary, it’ll still be a waste of time. That’s the problem with traditional teaching methods in schools. The kids have to study materials that are hardly ever of general interest. Whenever you have the chance, pick something to read that you’re really passionate about. For some people that’ll be German philosophy, and for others, it’ll be Arabic poetry. You’ll not only improve your general language skills, but you’ll be learning about a topic the way it was originally supposed to be presented.
When you first begin learning a new language, start out like you did with English. There are lots of quick tips out there to help make things fun. Learn just a few words that you need to know. Babies begin by learning words about family members, pets, foods, and household objects. All of the things that are most relevant for their limited daily life. By the same token, let your initial vocabulary will focus on whatever you’re interested in reading about. Don’t get too obsessed with the technicalities, and don’t wear yourself out with drills and comprehension tests. In the long run, you’ll benefit more from what you’re doing if you aim for enjoyment, rather than results. If you’ve started a really great Italian novel and you can barely put it down, then don’t! It wouldn’t make sense to stop after every chapter and test yourself on the new words you learned. Pick something that interests you, and then let yourself enjoy it!
