Name: Autumn
Studying: English, German and Spanish at University
Mother Tongue: Hungarian
Strongest Language: English
Future Plans: Possibly teaching, Linguistics, Working for the EU, Diplomacy and D efinately Travel!!
1. Why do you want to learn languages? Personally I feel fascinated about language learning because I believe that it allows me to access a greater part of the world we live in directly and gain an insight into how other people […] think about and see the world.
2. Why these particular languages? When I started primary school I had already been learning English, so the only other option was German at the time. It was the same with French when I went to secondary school; I simply had no other option. And then Spanish was actually my own choice mainly because I felt intrigued by and wanted to explore Latin American culture.
3. How long have you been learning and how competent are you at your languages? I have studied German for 11 years, French for 6 years and it is my second year studying Spanish. In German I am quite advanced in all skill areas. I generally feel confident about using the language in various formal and informal real life situations. Surprisingly in spite of only starting Spanish one year ago I would rate my competency between pre-intermediate and intermediate and I have built up quite a lot of confidence too in such a short period.
4. What kinds of resources helped you in your Language learning? Well, at high school I was not really relying on online sources unlike now at university, it was simply not common practice at the time I guess. Instead, mainly based on the recommendation of my tutors, I used selected material in print that was designed to help language learning. Also, I enjoy reading simply for pleasure in foreign languages, so for example I have read books and magazines. And not to forget native speakers and other language learners as excellent resources; I have always liked practising with others.
5.What resource do you wish you had made better use of from the start of your language learning? Definitely other speakers [of the language] whether they are also language learners or native speakers. Besides that, I would say the unlimited variety of resources on the internet.
6. How do you improve your Reading? Writing? Speaking? Listening? When I read I like […] to underline and highlight things I find noteworthy. I have developed my own elaborate marking system to work with texts, using different codes and symbols. I find this method much more effective than solely listing words in a book. It slightly changes the outcome of reading when I decide to focus on the theme of the text and only try to pick out elements that are directly linked to this theme. While at high school I also used to write summaries and commentaries on readings and form questions to them as if I was designing my own listening comprehension task.
With respect to improving my writing skills I now benefit from sending emails to my foreign friends or my fellow students. Or even just texting my friends in a foreign language who study the same language does help. Apart from that especially in German I used to write my own stories or topic-based essays and imaginary letters that really improved my writing skills.
To improve speaking there is the good old method of memorising dialogues by heart so one can then apply those phrases in real life. I know it may well sound a bit boring but it actually worked out well for me in German. Also, having at least one form of a safe environment where one feels comfortable to speak up is essential. It can be a class or a group of friends or a language teacher or a native-speaker friend, there are numerous options.
In order to improve my listening skills I search recordings online. For example newspaper websites normally have news clips and one can always find interesting ones. They are nice because one can go back and listen to them several times as opposed to listening to a live radio show for example. I like watching movies with foreign sounds and subtitles and I listen to foreign music over and over so I cannot actually help gradually understanding more of the lyrics just by being exposed to it constantly. I have had the chance to benefit from having conversations with native speakers, so if one has an opportunity to do so I would highly recommend not missing it; it is probably the most effective and authentic way to improve listening and speaking skills.
7. What is the hardest part of learning German? For me personally the hardest part of learning German is regional differences in pronunciation and colloquial phrases in everyday speech. Even though German is considered to be a “difficult language”, I would recommend trying to enjoy it and make use of it! Most importantly, find some kind of motivation for YOURSELF personally that will help you fight through the hard times of language learning!
2. Why these particular languages? When I started primary school I had already been learning English, so the only other option was German at the time. It was the same with French when I went to secondary school; I simply had no other option. And then Spanish was actually my own choice mainly because I felt intrigued by and wanted to explore Latin American culture.
3. How long have you been learning and how competent are you at your languages? I have studied German for 11 years, French for 6 years and it is my second year studying Spanish. In German I am quite advanced in all skill areas. I generally feel confident about using the language in various formal and informal real life situations. Surprisingly in spite of only starting Spanish one year ago I would rate my competency between pre-intermediate and intermediate and I have built up quite a lot of confidence too in such a short period.
4. What kinds of resources helped you in your Language learning? Well, at high school I was not really relying on online sources unlike now at university, it was simply not common practice at the time I guess. Instead, mainly based on the recommendation of my tutors, I used selected material in print that was designed to help language learning. Also, I enjoy reading simply for pleasure in foreign languages, so for example I have read books and magazines. And not to forget native speakers and other language learners as excellent resources; I have always liked practising with others.
5.What resource do you wish you had made better use of from the start of your language learning? Definitely other speakers [of the language] whether they are also language learners or native speakers. Besides that, I would say the unlimited variety of resources on the internet.
6. How do you improve your Reading? Writing? Speaking? Listening? When I read I like […] to underline and highlight things I find noteworthy. I have developed my own elaborate marking system to work with texts, using different codes and symbols. I find this method much more effective than solely listing words in a book. It slightly changes the outcome of reading when I decide to focus on the theme of the text and only try to pick out elements that are directly linked to this theme. While at high school I also used to write summaries and commentaries on readings and form questions to them as if I was designing my own listening comprehension task.
With respect to improving my writing skills I now benefit from sending emails to my foreign friends or my fellow students. Or even just texting my friends in a foreign language who study the same language does help. Apart from that especially in German I used to write my own stories or topic-based essays and imaginary letters that really improved my writing skills.
To improve speaking there is the good old method of memorising dialogues by heart so one can then apply those phrases in real life. I know it may well sound a bit boring but it actually worked out well for me in German. Also, having at least one form of a safe environment where one feels comfortable to speak up is essential. It can be a class or a group of friends or a language teacher or a native-speaker friend, there are numerous options.
In order to improve my listening skills I search recordings online. For example newspaper websites normally have news clips and one can always find interesting ones. They are nice because one can go back and listen to them several times as opposed to listening to a live radio show for example. I like watching movies with foreign sounds and subtitles and I listen to foreign music over and over so I cannot actually help gradually understanding more of the lyrics just by being exposed to it constantly. I have had the chance to benefit from having conversations with native speakers, so if one has an opportunity to do so I would highly recommend not missing it; it is probably the most effective and authentic way to improve listening and speaking skills.
7. What is the hardest part of learning German? For me personally the hardest part of learning German is regional differences in pronunciation and colloquial phrases in everyday speech. Even though German is considered to be a “difficult language”, I would recommend trying to enjoy it and make use of it! Most importantly, find some kind of motivation for YOURSELF personally that will help you fight through the hard times of language learning!
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