Easy ways to learn the local language

Becoming an expat in a new and somewhat strange land isn’t just about finding your feet in a new job, it’s also about the culture of the country as expressed through its language.

Whether you’re relocating to further your career, deserting your home country for an exotic, far warmer retirement or heading overseas as an entrepreneur, one of the biggest challenges is learning a new language once you’re an adult. Even if it’s simply to get around on public transport or read road signs when driving or descriptions of unfamiliar foods whilst shopping, being able to communicate with local people gives a new dimension to the expat experience.

Going to classes is one way to introduce yourself to a new language, but it’s limited to the curriculum and often concentrates on words and phrases more useful to tourists than to expat professionals or those aiming at long-term residency. Really learning a language is best done by immersing your everyday life in it, from sun-up to sun-down. That way, everything you’re involved in can be a chance to transfer the foreign to the familiar.

A good start is to immerse yourself in your local environment and listen hard to locals’ everyday speech. You’ll find you’re beginning to recognise the most-used, everyday words and even phrases, and will feel more comfortable, even although you don’t understand the subjects of overheard conversations.

Many expats tend to avoid situations which force them outside their personal comfort zones, with overcoming this tendency opening them up to the challenge of learning the new lingo. Another way to familiarise yourself is by watching TV, with advertisements for products you are familiar with a good start, as are movies with sub-titles. It’s easier to recognise words and phrases when they’re associated with the English version at the foot of the screen.

For pronunciation, local news programmes are useful, as news anchors are required to have clear speaking voices as well as language proficiency and diction. Other hints include listening to public service announcements on public transport, attempting to read road signs and directions and learning words relevant to your own immediate surroundings.

Once you’ve a degree of confidence, however shaky, trying to have a basic conversation with locals will help enormously, provided said locals aren't attempting to learn your language! Above all, don’t fall into the same trap as so many expats when the going gets tough – that of speaking English to locals for their linguisitc benefit rather than speaking their language for yours!