A Formula for Success
There is a simple secret to mastering a
foreign language in a short time. That secret is, in the words of
prize-winning Korean-to-English translator Jason Rhodes, “Every day,
input and output.” That’s it! There are many ways to accomplish this
goal: here’s one. Rather than spending hours each day peering at a
grammar book and trying to memorize the rules, spend the same amount of
time reading or listening to real materials in the target language. Then
write or talk about what you experienced. Choose material that is
personally interesting to you: that way, you will be assimilating the
grammar and vocabulary you will be most likely to need to talk or write
about your own interests and concerns.
Try This at Home!
1
Spend 1-2 hours every week reading some articles which
interest you in English-language newspapers or magazines (for
example, The Korea Herald, The Korea
Times, Time, Newsweek, The Economist, Ohmynews
International). If you prefer, you could choose a novel or
non-fiction book and read a chapter or two every week. You could
also choose articles which you find on the internet. The most
important thing is to find something that really interests you. That
way, the vocabulary and expressions you are learning will relate to
your own life. Also, choose something that is at, or just above,
your reading level: if it is too high, you will become frustrated;
if it is too low, you will become bored.
1
Spend 1-2 hours every week
watching or listening to English. You can choose television, radio,
a movie, or audiotapes. There is a great deal of interesting audio
and video information on the internet: everything from short films
to news broadcasts. Many of my former students have chosen to follow
television series like “Friends” or “Prison Break.” The most
important thing is to find something that really interests you. That
way, the vocabulary and expressions you are learning will relate to
your own life. Also, choose something that is at, or just above,
your listening level: if it is too high, you will become frustrated;
if it is too low, you will become bored.
If you want to improve your writing, then
write a short report in your journal each week on what you read,
watched, or listened to: describe what you did, what the article, book,
program, or film was about, why you chose that project, and how the
ideas or issues or situations relate to your own life, as well as to
life in Korea or to issues in the world at large. If you have no opinion
about what you did, you are choosing the wrong topics!
As an alternative, to improve your
conversation and discussion skills, you could get together with a
friend or a group of friends and talk about what you each did.
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