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HomeTopics...Learning VacationsLanguage Travel Follow Up
After Language Travel: Translation, Pen Pals and Chat RoomsWhether you've spent two weeks or two years in a foreign country, you'll quickly forget a language unless you practice the skills you learned. Your best bet is to plan a follow-up experience as soon as possible. Back Home: Practice, Practice, PracticeFinding ways to practice your newly learned language skills is essential if you want to maintain the fluency you have recently acquired on your language vacation.
You'll have ample opportunity to practice your newfound language skills if you sign up for a class soon after your return. If time does not permit a class, you might spend a few dollars on language conversation tapes that you can listen to in your car on your commute to work. You might also consider a cooking course or hobby that keeps you talking in that language: surely a French cuisine or Mexican cooking class will help you meet kindred spirits. Your goal is to develop automaticity—the ability to speak the language without word-by-word translation. That's the advantage of language immersion: You learn to "think" in French or Spanish or Japanese, without spending time recalling the translation of phrases one word at a time. Although opportunities for conversation are ideal, you can also maintain your vocabulary and grammar by reading and writing the language. Pen pals, chat rooms, foreign language magazines and even comic books are ideal for beginners. Ask your pen pal or chat room acquaintances to correct your translation errors and give you feedback on usage.
Weekend TripsIf you can find a language practice group within your geographical area, you might consider weekend get-togethers to sharpen your skills and maintain the language. If you're near the border, weekend trips to Mexico or Quebec, for example, are ideal and give you a chance to practice Spanish or French.
Even if you're nowhere near a border, you might start a club or group yourself. Simply advertise your intention and think of an angle to make it fun. "Germans on the Move" might be a great cycling or hiking group activity where no English is spoken. Restaurant meals with a group that mixes new language speakers with native speakers provide ample opportunities for using a language.
Let Language Take You Around The WorldYou can make language the driving force behind your future plans to see more of the world. You can practice your Spanish skills in many South American and Central American countries besides Mexico. Travel to Bolivia or Peru where your dollar goes further.
French students can take in Tahiti, or exotic African countries such as Cote d'Ivoire or Madagascar. French is also spoken in Haiti and Martinique, where wonderful beach vacations await you. If you picked up your German in Germany, you might practice your skills on ski vacations in the Austrian or Swiss Alps. German is spoken in many other European countries, including tiny ones such as Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. If Italian is your language of choice, be sure to take in Sicily, Corsica, and some of the other islands nearby. People in southern Switzerland also speak fluent Italian. You might even find Italian enclaves in the Big Apple. For practicing Russian, consider Estonia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan for exotic destinations. Mongolia is an excellent location if you want to get away from the beaten path. Think Chinese is only spoken in China? Wrong! Try Indonesia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Thailand, a popular tourist destination. Singapore, though tiny, is a clean and safe country with countless modern amenities.
Master StatusThink of the job opportunities you'll have once you're mastered a language and developed fluency. You can work in many diplomatic and government offices, at home or overseas. You can work for the U.S. government in customs and immigration jobs. You might become skilled enough to work as a translator. You can join the Peace Corps and continue to travel the world, or consider a career in the military. You might even enjoy teaching your language to children or adults.
Maintain your language skills on your journey towards learning a new language. As a bilingual or multilingual American, doors will certainly open for you that are closed to those who have chosen a unilingual life!
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