(Chapter 1) Getting to know your Language
Part 1
Getting your language motors running
So you’ve found yourself here Reading this eBook on how to enhance a better way to learn a Language or multiple languages, and how to get your silly self to speak that foreign language with no problem. Well I’m Glad you stopped by because you came to the right eBook my friends. I won’t just teach you the main thing’s you need to know, but the thing’s people never told you so you don’t spend $300 dollars on something that is equal to a book at a library. So I ask you to read on and I will get started.
Well I need to introduce myself first because it will make a hell of a meaning to what I am teaching you, so any who. My name is Jorge Ramirez, I was born in McAllen, Texas and Raised in Hobart, Indiana. I am 24 years old Mexican Male from a Texan Mexican Father and a Mexican Mother. I grew up knowing Spanish and English all my life and I never liked to speak Spanish. I only spoke it when I needed to or when a relative who only knew Spanish would speak to me, so then I would be forced to.
It was up until I was 14 years old, I was fascinated by East Asia mainly China/Japan/Korea. Originally I wanted to Learn Chinese but as school went on through music, media, internet, and so on I decided to take on learning Japanese to maybe one day make a Band in Japan. So I would always put myself dedicated, notice I bolded dedicated because I would always be in the Library from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. most days just to learn this language I was so intrigued by.
“Libraries are the best ways to get strict information on whatever you want to learn, whether it’s through one of their Language books, cd’s, even internet! Yes I said it, INTERNET!”
So get yourself down to the Library and start checking things out. You’ll never know if you don’t try. All you need is your license and they will provide you with a library card and a pin. Then once you get that you will have instant access to the internet, everything but your nudies of course. So get your language motors running if you have spare time. Making a schedule is always very productive. People with set schedules always seem to have everything in order, wouldn’t you say? So make a schedule and when you have an off day go to the Language section of the library, and that one particular language you have always wanted to learn, find it!
When you get home and are all settled in your jimmy jams and your hot cocoa or cappuccino take out your book(s) and go to the table of contents. Manage your own amounts of work you want to study. Do yourself a favor and learn 10 pages a night. You will be surprised how far that gets you in learning a language.
Part 2
How to overcome fatigues in the study room
You’re finally trying to pursue learning this awesome new language and you find yourself falling asleep in a study room at your local library. Trust me this is very common but don’t give up just yet! Yea I get it, it’s a small room and its quietness is putting you to sleep and all you hear are the patrons rolling books from one end of the library to the other. Once you’ve got yourself a room you’re in your own little world. Do 10 push-ups, stand up and walk around that little room, get your blood flowing.
If that doesn’t work then you probably need a snack or some coffee/water. Personally I used to drink one energy drink maybe every other time I went to the library, just so I didn’t overdo it. Motivation in the mind is another way to keep you in the game. So why do you want to learn this language so bad. Is it maybe you want to get a good job that requires you to learn this extra language, maybe you want to teach overseas, even better you have a foreign sweetheart that you want to communicate with and actually try to make it work.
Don’t worry, we’ve all been there, we’ll... a lot of us have. Keep that in mind that your motive is another motor that keeps you running. Just because you’re not taking something internally doesn’t mean your brain can’t energize naturally. The brain is a powerful organ and will do better than any coffee or energy supplement. Also remember to have enough sleep and to eat before you go to the library or prepare for your studies, you don’t want to study on an empty stomach just like you don’t go on a road trip on an empty gas tank.
Music is and always be a great way to learn. Maybe not too loud so you can actually concentrate, keep it at a productive level because it can take over and you will find yourself listening to music all day and night. It was said by many, even studies that classical music such as Mozart and Beethoven are soothing to study to, as well as helpful to keep you in tune with your studying. Now that you have all these tips and ways to keep yourself alive and awake, try your best to work with them and don’t overdo it. Too much indulgence hinders the body and mind.
Part 3
The perks of learning a new language
When you learn a new language it can be rewarding is many ways you can’t imagine possible. Once you learn the basics all you need is a good friend that speaks the language your learning and they should help you. If you get stuck on a word you want to know, just learn to say “how do you say (the word) in (language)” It will come in handy and you will eventually get a sense of how the language flows. If you decide well one day I want to go to Spain or Russia to work or teach, it can really help when you’re searching in that country.
Make friends in the country you want to go to and when you do, try to talk to them in that language. If they see you trying to learn they would be glad to help you if you are serious about learning that is. A lot of people say “I would love to learn a language so others can’t understand me”. Well if you heard this before then you’ve discovered another perk. I’ve worked in restaurants before and half the people always seem to be Latino. There are things I would tell them that I wouldn’t want my other coworkers knowing and it would make them mad but I didn’t care. There are times where they would communicate in the back about making extra food to take home and they would talk in Spanish so our manager wouldn’t know what they are saying. And of course you guessed it, they took free food home, but don’t worry it was going in the trash anyways.
If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend overseas then my gift to you is to LEARN THE LANGUAGE!!! There’s nothing worse than to go meet your love and not being able to communicate with them. I will give you an example of how I had it when I went overseas. I was in Japan for 3 months and those 3 months were the best of my life! I stayed in a guest house and met people from all walks of life. It was interesting and very fun! Well any who just for legal purposes I will name this friend Jerry and the other Ben which by the way are very close to what their real names are.
Well me, Jerry and Ben went to Shibuya for Halloween and let me tell you, you thought fast and furious Tokyo drift was showing you crowded, you haven’t seen crowded until you go there on Halloween. So anyways we went there on a train that night and we were walking around dressed up, I was dressed normal with a wicked painted face, Jerry was dressed up as a bloody doctor and my Australian friend Ben was dressed like a Jedi from star wars. We walked around and took pictures with so many people and drank on the streets.
So we kept running into a lot of girls there and we all were talking to a girl each. My friend Ben who barely spoke Japanese was talking to a girl but because he had charm and was funny he just knew how to talk to any girl didn’t matter the language. My buddy Jerry was trying to talk to a girl but was very awkward because he would try to say a word or two in Japanese and would try to get the girl to talk to him, but he didn’t have game and the girl eventually lost interest quick.
As for me I talked to a girl dressed like a cop and the conversation was endless. I knew what she was saying and she knew what I was saying. My friend Jerry said; “Man Jorge you were smart to learn the language and come here because you can talk to anybody”. Which to be honest made me feel good to hear along with built my confidence even more. When someone tells you something like that without you mentioning anything about it, then it must be true. Needless to say me and the girl set up a date and had lunch in Ikebukuro at a bagel shop, also went to an arcade place called Round One which had a huge bowling pin in front of it.
My Point about the story was to tell you that when you show interest and know how to speak the language, things can be so much easier. Just ask Jerry when you get the chance. If you go to a restaurant and want to order something, you won’t have to be stuck in line for an hour looking ridiculous trying to order a meal. And finding directions is a big one. Let’s say you want to know where the train station is to go to your place or hotel, Make sure to know these things before you end up spending nearly 20 or 30 dollars in train fares that you wasn’t necessary if you just knew how to communicate.
Tip: Google translate 5 words a day and learn those 5 throughout that day. 5 a day will go a long way!
Part 4
Keep your aspirations and don’t give up!
It’s always hard at the beginning of anything you start. But always have a motive for this passion of learning a new language; it pays off to know something that many others wish they could know. But everyone knows it takes a lot of work . . . or does it? Sure it has a lot to do with time and your own personal duties, but is this really a difficult thing to do?
Well I say NO! It’s not as hard as you think actually. Here is why I say that. I personally put nearly 10 years on learning the language I learned and two of those years were dedicated to learning. And the eight years I learned along the way. But “every little bit counts”, don’t forget that. Let’s say you learned 5 words a day and decided, Hey! That’s 150 words a month, and so on and so forth. And to make it more interesting here’s a neat trick I will give to you just because you’re here reading my eBook. Buy a pack of stick it notes big or small, doesn’t matter. Write the word of an object in your room on a sticky note and put it on the object. And once you’ve learned the word you take the sticky note off and repeat every time!
One thing most people don’t know and what I figured out along the way of being self-thought is that repetitive pronunciation and repetitive thinking can help with memorization. But speak aloud for this to work; only thinking it is half the battle. Just try repeating a word a few times a day, eventually it will stick and you will know that word front and back. Don’t feel stupid or think you have a mental issue. People are very cold in the world and think just because you can’t remember the first time you were told something or even two or three times you were told that you are a moron. Don’t be a fool and buy into this manipulative scum. You know what you are worth and there’s nothing anyone can do to take that from you without consequences.
So to sum up this part of the story is that every little bit counts and repeating is the key to memorization.
Part 5
The early resolution
I hope my advice has given you a chance to learn this new language that you’ve been trying so hard for. So how is it working? Did you learn your first few words? Great! Because these techniques are very simple and effective! Maybe you just learned a few words only in the process but remember “every little bit counts” So don’t give up, its only part of the process, Everyone’s brain and anatomy work different than others. Some of us take a while to adjust and others pick it right up. Stay in the game and keep your motivation up and running. If you’ve been at it this whole time you will see the early resolutions as in; you’re starting to get the hang of it, you’re learning sentences. You’re flowing with the learning vibe. Great keep it going. But don’t get cocky and give up, keep going! If you’re learning through Music, internet, cd’s, IPod tracks, books, people, then you’ve entered the best and free way to learn.
(Chapter 2) Stepping Stones to Language Success!
Part 1
Reaching out
If you haven’t figured this out yet People are your best source of language improvement. That being said go online look up people of that country and find someone who is willing to be your friend and help you improve. It’s the best to reach out to someone who knows a lot about the language or even from the country itself. Once you’ve connected with that friend and learned a little about them, be kind to them and ask if they could help you with your studies. They don’t have to know why you want to learn but if you want to tell them then please do. Other perks of learning this way is that your partner would love to teach you their customs and how they live there. They will give you an idea of how it is in their country through their eyes.
If you don’t know a lot about a place, ask this friend what to look out for. There are pros and cons to this; you could find a good cheap store to shop at, best bars, and entertainment, etc. Those are the pros. The cons: gang related territory, badly represented areas, dirty places, even places that have harmful animals or even airborne sicknesses. So be careful and have common sense. Let’s say you are really close to your friend and have known them for 5 or more years and you decide one day you want to travel to that country. Once they have built trust with you, you can go stay with them for maybe a week or even a month just by knowing this friend that you are really close to.
“It’s not only what I tell you on here that is the only way to get far with this learning, but the things you learn along the way that can help you even more. I am giving you streams of ideas that can become streams of knowledge, because you don’t learn by a single source but by my many sources.”
Part 2
The benefits of your partner
So you and your partner have known each other for 2 years now. But you have had friends in your own land that you don’t talk to very much. Well this foreign friend is either attracted to you or just likes you very much as a friend. But you’ve managed to stay talking this long. Most of the times you will stop seeing your own friends and start talking to this other friend that you have way across the other side of the world. But that’s not a bad thing it just means you found someone who is willing to listen and hear what you have to say.
If you have maintained this then good for you! There are always those friends that would listen to part of your stories and not even have enough interest to listen to the other part. Tell your foreign friend the story, I can only say that they will not only acknowledge you but embrace you as well. Don’t forget while doing this you can learn so much about the common things that books don’t tell you and insights you would have missed about your partner’s country. It may be hard to communicate at this level right away but if you and your friend are on that level you can learn even quicker.
If your partner or friend knows how to speak your language then you could be blessed with a walking dictionary. Yes I said it a “walking dictionary”. Now don’t call them that because it’s not a nice thing to call anyone and I’m sure your friend would hate being called that. Anytime you want to learn a word or how to say it, just ask in your own language, but to keep the consistency of learning you should ask it in their language.
Part 3
Breaking the language barriers!
It took you a while to pronounce these words correctly but now you’ve heard the same words millions of times and you know how to say it, what it means, and how to use it in a sentence. You’re not far from knowing enough to get by in that city you’ve always wanted to visit. You don’t have to know everything to start traveling; it does help but start your journey early. If you wait too long you might change your mind, you might find regrets and you might be getting a job that you will hate and stay at for the rest of your life. Well get moving because life isn’t here forever. Have fun but don’t get banned from anywhere. It would really be a bummer putting years into a language and not being able to return to that country.
Earlier in this book around chapter 1 I said every little bit counts and it does. But here is a tip that you must not miss out on. I and many others call it Immersion. If you’ve found yourself interested in the culture, music, the cartoons or whatever it maybe, keep yourself immerse by all of the things that relate to that culture. The more you see or do something the quicker your memories manifest. It’s a brain exercise that is most effective if you use it well.
(Chapter 3) My gift to you
Part 1
Know your sources
You might stumble across websites that give you a direct translation of how to say what you want to say, and you find out it is completely wrong when you tell your friend from Russia or China. This happens a lot but don’t worry it can be fixed. You put in a lot of hard work learning these phrases and sentences through google translate or an app off your computer or phone, and you feel all your learnings went down the drain. Drop the negative thinking and I’ll tell you why. Not all you learned was wrong, a lot of those sentences were just in the wrong order but the words in those sentences are about 98% right! So keep a hold of what you know and don’t delete it from your brains stored memory.
If you do have a friend that is willing to help you, just ask them “how would I use that word in a sentence”. Once they tell you just write it down in a notebook or a flash card. You will remember it and it will change in your brain automatically, getting rid of the wrong way and replacing it with the correct way once you study it. But study it so you don’t sound ignorant the next time you decide to use the sentence to your friend or anyone else. There are tons of ways to say 1 word in many languages and you might find yourself speaking formal than informal. It’s not bad to speak formally but you would sound like a news reporter or some language teacher trying to speak fancy like.
When you ask your friend to help you say something, they will most likely tell you the informal way just so you can feel like part of the group than an outsider. The best source for learning a new language and I can’t stress this enough are “PEOPLE”. I know it may be hard to find someone right away to help you but maybe I can give you some pointers. If Spanish is something you may want to learn then go to a Spanish bakery, or if you want to learn Chinese go to china town. Once you go there at least make an effort to buy something, doesn’t have to be expensive, just something to let them know you didn’t just go there to be a creeper, or just to loiter cause then this won’t work.
It’s best to start off will small talk once you check out like; hello, “how was your day?” Or “how is work, very busy?” Once you go to that place a few times then you want to ask for a name or even introduce yourself first. As in “I never got your name?” Or “My name is so and so nice to meet you”. After you become acquainted you can start making small talk in that language. And don’t be shy or embarrassed if you mess up it all part of the process. If they seem to care even a little bit they will help you, and if you make them laugh by how you spoke then that’s even better.
Once you become more comfortable with the person you can then ask questions like “If you have time would you be able to help me learn your language”. And this is a 50/50 chance they will say yes or no. If they say yes then Great job! You did it; you have a study partner and most of all a friend. If you do find yourself learning through them, give your friend 5 dollars or even 10 if you feel you learned a lot. This will show appreciation and best of all they will come back! If it went the other way then don’t be discouraged find a different place or even talk to someone else in the store or place that might help you. But remember it’s a process so don’t rush it or it WON’T WORK!
Part 2
If you’re still having doubts it’s not too late
Ok so your feeling like it won’t work out and you’ve tried nearly everything and you’re still sounding like a robot, or can’t memorize anything even if it was to save your life. It’s not the end of the world and this can be fixed easily, just keep reading. You might not have a great memory but hey guess what I don’t either. I forget things even in the same day but this happens to more and more people than you think. You might have a new job you started or you have stacks and stacks of books for collage and you feel your brain’s capacity won’t support your language data. Well not to worry. Start off slowly and be patient. Our brains are not computers so the processors in us are a bit slower than a machine.
If you have tried the 5 words per day and it’s too much then go down to 2 words a day. Having trouble with pronunciation, go to your local library and rent 3 movies that speak the language your learning and trust me it will stick! Movies are also a great way to get the language motors running. But don’t always directly translate what they say to the subtitles because it’s not always exactly the same. In movies they translate to English and put it how we would normally say it, and the word order from your language to another isn’t always the same. But the movies should be a big help with pronunciation none the less.
The important thing is to enjoy your language that you’re learning. Don’t just embrace the language but the culture behind it as well. It makes it so much easier to learn something you like 100% than just 10%. Don’t overdo memorizing or even how to write in that language because you will just make it harder on yourself. Let your brain work at its own pace and you will be surprised in how much you learned as oppose to how much you read.
Part 3
My 2 cents
You have read this far and I congratulate you and wish you the best of luck on your new journey of learning. I hope you took a lot of my knowledge and use it on yourself to become a fluent speaker of your chosen language. Nothing is easy in life and always comes with difficulties. It may seem like starting at the beginning is the hard part but really it’s only going to be hard if you make it that way. I personally don’t know every word in the languages that I learned but I am learning every day. And that is what you should do so you can master what you want to know. Never stop learning and never give up because Great things take time and effort. With that being said, Good luck and be all you can be!
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