Become Fluent In A New Language

People say that 95% of communication is non verbal. However, if you’ve tried to get by in a foreign country with hand gestures alone, you know how important languages are. Britain is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world and where better to study a foreign language than our capital? London is lucky to have hundreds of foreign language tutors, who often are native speakers of the language they are teaching you.

With a new language under your belt, you can travel to places that you have never been before without worrying about things becoming lost in translation or getting into trouble that you can’t get out of. Learning Spanish for example will open up parts of South America and Europe to you – it’s worth more than simply a quick trip to the Costa Brava! Imagine learning to salsa dance or cook hispanic food in Costa Rica or Rio de Janeiro.

Unfortunately, because English is such a widely spoken language, foreign languages don’t receive as much attention as they should in UK schools, and people tend to believe that you can get buy in other countries without learning the language. The truth is, it probably can suffice if you’re willing to stick to the busiest tourist routes, but if you want to get off the beaten track and actually explore other countries and cultures, knowing a little of their language can be indispensible.

The Best Approach To Learning

The best method of learning for you depends on which you respond to best, but because London is such a large and culturally diverse city there are plenty of learning options for you.

Maybe you remember the film Love Actually where Colin Firth spent weeks learning Portuguese with a pair of oversized headphones and a tape. Repetitive learning is a tried and tested method, but not always the fastest or best way to learn. Communicating with real people in another language is unpredictable and encourages you to learn more and think fast, which is why so many foreign language classes are taught in that language. This can seem daunting at first, but a mixture of familiar nouns and helpful body language makes the process easy and you subconsciously pick up new words and grammar all the time.

Some institutions such as Cactus Language Courses UK offer one week intensive courses that are based in Central London and completely immerse you in the language of your choice, taking you from beginner to intermediate level. The Cactus courses last for 15 hours and are based on Bond Street, making them easy to get to and possible to work around a job.

Alternatively, if you want to learn at a more relaxed pace in Central London, UIC London offer a student community that may remind you of university or college days, where students are free to interact with each other as they learn. Learning a foreign language shouldn’t be a chore – it can be just as enjoyable as learning anything else and has so much social interaction that you’re bound to make friends in your study group.

You can study the old favourites like French, German and Spanish, but because London is such a large and diverse city and people are so willing to move here, there are tutors available for every language you could imagine. Even the large institutions offer Russian, Japanese and Chinese, but if you look at the adverts at local universities such as UCL and Kings College you will probably find oversees students who want to teach their own native language and might even be willing to visit the Greater London areas to teach at your home. So don’t rely on phrase books and your dusty knowledge of languages you were taught at school any more, enrich your knowledge and learn a new language!

Cactus courses can be booked at: http://www.languagecoursesuk.co.uk/.

UIC London foreign language courses are based near Oxford Circus and more information can be found at: http://www.uiclondon.com/UIC_london.php.

Sam is a freelance article writer who lives and works in the UK and specialises in creative writing and fiction.