Study abroad placements provide you with the perfect opportunity to work on your language skills. Whether you have studied hard before your time away or whether you are new to the language, there are a plethora of ways to improve. It can feel a bit intimidating being in a foreign country, where you are left with no other option but to speak your target language. But if you study hard (and follow these tips!), you can work through this fear and leave the country far more fluent than when you first arrived!
1. Speaking classes provided by the university
If a university receives notable amounts of inbound students; they’ll usually host various language classes for you to improve your skills. Not only is this a good opportunity to meet other exchange students, you can study in a low-stress environment. As you’re all studying together, there’s no judgement and everyone is there to help each other. Reach out to your host university’s exchange coordinator to see if there are any classes on offer! Bear in mind that some universities may charge you for these extra classes, but in my opinion, they are worth the investment.
2. Talking to everyone!!
Whether it’s a quick conversation with the barista, or talking to your fellow classmates, every chat is an opportunity to learn! It doesn’t need to be a lengthy conversation for it to be valuable. Even the smallest chats will help you with pronunciation and listening skills. Be open to it all. Generally, people will hear your accent and give you some grace so don’t worry about any mistakes. The vocabulary that sticks out to me were the words I learnt in these small conversations!
3. Doing language exchanges
If you’re a native/fluent English speaker, you’ll be in high demand wherever you go! Make use of this linguistic currency and participate in a language exchange. It could be a formally organised exchange by the university, through a Facebook group, or maybe just with someone you met in class. Language exchanges can be so useful! Essentially all you do is help your partner with their English acquisition, and they help you acquire their language. Most language exchanges are simple and just involve a coffee and a catch up, or they can be more formal classes. It all depends on what you agree to. These exchanges are mutually beneficial and will help you build your confidence whilst you study abroad!
4. Watching TV in your target language
Make your pastime productive and watch TV in your target language. Something I realised whilst I was studying abroad was that passive listening actually helps improve language skills so much. It keeps you in the right frame of mind, helps with pronunciation and improves listening and comprehension skills. As much as you can, avoid turning on English subtitles as this can undermine the utility of this practice. Instead, just let the language wash over you. If you choose a more modern show, this will help you learn a more informal register, which will be useful when talking to your course friends! If you’re feeling a bit extra, keep track of the new vocabulary you learn and compile it into a Knowt set, so that you can return to it at a later date. Watching TV in your target language is another good way of preparing yourself before you embark on your year abroad!
5. Listening to podcasts
In a similar vein, podcasts are another invaluable resource. Choose your podcasts based on your interests so you can gain the topic-specific vocab that will help you make friends with people with similar interests!
6. Taking class notes!
During your classes and seminars, keep a dictionary open in one tab and Knowt open in another. You’ll learn a lot of subject specific vocabulary that will be useful for your exams. But if you’re okay with eavesdropping, you can listen to how your classmates speak to each other. Make note of the slang they use, so that you can use it yourself! I find that when you learn a language from textbooks and professors, you tend to acquire a very formal register. While this can be useful, this isn’t how young people speak with each other. If you learn how to speak like someone your age would, you’ll sound far more natural.
7. Owning your foreignness!
Once I stopped hyper fixating on convincing people I was French and instead embraced my foreignness, I found my interactions were smoother. It’s okay to have an accent and it’s okay to make mistakes. Like I mentioned earlier, most people will hear your accent and will be patient with you. I’ve had complete strangers help me with my pronunciation, verb conjugation and vocabulary. If you make it clear that you’re trying your best, people will give you some grace.
8. Reading books in your target language
When you’re in your home country, buying books in your target language can be quite expensive. Make use of the cheaper costs when you’re in your host country! Whether you read a translation of your favourite book or a new book, you’ll improve your reading skills so much. To develop your language skills whilst you study abroad, you’ll need to work on all the skills, including reading! Head to a cute local bookshop and pick up something you like the look of!
The overarching rule of thumb of working on your language skills whilst you study abroad is to be open to everything. A conversation with a stranger or a new book or TV show, these will all provide you with an opportunity to leave your host country more fluent than when you first got there. The chances are you won’t realise how much you’ve improved until your last day, but the realisation is a beautiful one!
