The best way to learn a language is through immersion. About a year ago, I heard about a guy named Scott Young who decided to go a year without speaking English with a friend of his. They visited 3 different countries in one year, and committed to learning the language spoke in those countries through study and forcing themselves to only speak that language as much as possible. Lo and behold, they learned to speak 3 languages rather fluently in one short year. You can find out more about their journey in the following video playlist:
Last year, I interviewed the Creator of blackgirlslearnlanguages.co about several topics, including the best way to learn a foreign language quickly. She, too, confirmed that the fastest way to learn a language is through immersion. You can hear the interview here:
I even wrote a book based on our interview, because the content of our interview was so stellar. Check out the book here: http://amzn.to/2FPmWPE
I am trying my best to become fluent in Igbo. For a long time, I struggled to incorporate Igbo into a regular part of my daily routine. Until today, I found it difficult to find Igbo resources that wove seamlessly into my daily life. I found a guy on YouTube who did videos predominantly in Igbo, but when I realized what he was talking about, I decided that I was not into his philosophy on life. So, I moved on from him. It was a difficult decision. I thought about listening to him a little longer just for the sake of the Igbo even though I didn't like what he was saying and felt like he is crazy. Eventually, I gave up on him.
Even Igbo movies, I am not really a fan of, for multiple reasons. First of all, I don't really watch a lot of movies in general. Second, I don't find the plots entertaining. Third, they never speak fluid Igbo, it's usually Engl-igbo or a regional dialect. And lastly, I just don't have time to sit for two hours for the sake of learning Igbo and not being fully satisfied with what I am doing.
Then, today, I came across a game changer. A podcast that I feel I can really get into. The podcast is an Adventist podcast. Although, I am not an Adventist, I am a strong Christian believer and I don't think that the differences in our beliefs are SOO dramatic that they are insurmountable. So, I started listening to it today and I love the style of Igbo they are speaking.
The big thing I plan to do to get the most out of this podcast is to listen to it with Google translate open on my desktop and a pen and paper in front of me to write down any new words I hear. As well as listen to some parts over and over again in order to gain mastery of the language. This is not recreational listening, but listening with the intent to learn. So, this process is necessary!
I hope this trick is helpful to someone out there who might be attempting to learn a new language.
Recap: Immersion is the best way to learn, and when you can't afford a plane ticket to immerse yourself in that country, the next best thing is to engage with the language daily and as much as possible through media in that particular language. Including and especially podcasts, youtube videos, blogs, etc.