What are the best ways to learn a new language for professional purposes?

Com a minha experiência liderando servi?os de idiomas para profissionais e executivos em todo mundo posso dizer que ao escolher um idioma de destino com sabedoria, além de considerar a demanda, popularidade e utilidade do idioma em seu setor, você deve levar em conta os seguintes aspectos: objetivos pessoais e profissionais, interesse pessoal, recursos disponíveis, cultura e contexto e oportunidades de curto, médio e longo prazo.

La manera de elegir un idioma sabiamente es primero entendes el motivo de estudiarlo y que beneficios traeria tanto en lo profesional como en lo personal. Saber bien tu industria de desarrollo es crucial en este punto y cuales son tus planes a futuro.

The best way is to combine theory and practice. Some vocabulary, grammar and syntax can be learned by following online or offline methodologies. To accelerate and improve the learning experience nothing replaces practice with colleagues, clients or suppliers. In addition to this general consideration it is important to select the language(s) that will be most useful to make a difference in professional communication and in business growth. Opting for global languages like English or Spanish for example can enable reaching out and engaging many people in a global audience.

When teaching a language for professional purposes, cultural immersion is key. Students should be exposed to the target culture to understand nuances in language and communication. Encouraging interactions with native speakers, hobbies, and media consumption in the target language can be beneficial. For business-oriented learning, I suggest watching industry-specific content, reading relevant publications, and researching common business terms and phrases.

Choosing the right language for professional purposes isn't just about what's popular. Instead, think contrarian: focus on niche languages that are crucial in your industry but overlooked by many. For example, mastering German could be far more beneficial in the automotive sector than Spanish. This strategic choice not only differentiates you but also fills a unique gap in your professional skillset, making you indispensable.

Siempre soy claro con mis estudiantes de que los objetivos deben ser claros y medibles en el tiempo. Sin un objetivo claro tambien sucede que los alumnos se desmotivan y terminan dejando de lado el idioma. Es por eso que lo mejor es establecer objetivos / metas a corto, mediano y largo plazo, para que pueda ir notando su progreso.

Learning a language has no definite end, which is one reason it can be so hard to define your goals. But setting realistic and specific objectives, can be really helpful. Like, I want to be able to make small talk on hobbies and weekend activities with my colleagues before and after a meeting by the end of the summer. As well as setting the goals, it can be really helpful and motivational to think about how you're going to achieve those goals, realistically.

Set clear, specific goals beyond just 'improving your business English.' Often, I hear people say they want to work on their language skills, but what does that actually mean? What’s the goal behind the goal? Do they want to be taken seriously as a conversation partner? Do they want to feel more confident and in control at work? Or do they want to communicate more efficiently to increase productivity? Language is a tool, not an end in itself. Define what success looks like for you beyond language proficiency, and let that vision guide your learning.

One of the worsts mistakes that I've noticed among my students is setting unrealistic goals. Goals that are so ambitious that they become unachievable ("I will become fluent in Korean in 1 year, starting from 0"), can in fact bring faster progress, but it works temporarily and eventually leads to burnout and decrease in motivation. This is where most students give up their studying adventure. That is why one should always take into account their lifestyle, daily routine and other chores while setting their language goals. You can work hard on your progress while also getting enough sleep, taking breaks from time to time and not neglecting your other duties.

No solo busques recurses en linea, tambien la mejor manera de mejorar siempre es con un mentor/ profesor que vaya recorriendo el camino contigo. Esto no solo hara que avances mas rapido sino tambien que no te desalientes. Sin dejar de lado los recursos teconologicos que hay hoy en dia, plataformas, juegos, videos. En mi experiencia el mejor avance se da cuando se practican situaciones de la realidad.

This is the great thing about a coaching service to learn a new language. The coachee can choose the resources that are most appropriate for their particular learning style, context, and needs. Personalized storytelling is a great opportunity to focus learning in a meaningful context with a powerful emotional connection.

Try to immerse yourself in environments where your target language is spoken, and remember, this doesn't have to be abroad. I participated in community events and projects related to my target language (German), which not only helped me practice the language but also deepened my understanding of cultural nuances and regional variations. I also switched my phone to German, watched German shows, and listened to German music. This type of immersion can greatly accelerate your learning process and make it more practical and engaging! Remember, learning a language is a marathon, not a sprint, and progress is not linear. Some days are better than others. Keep pushing forward, and before you know it, you'll be speaking like a pro!

My students often ask me why they see little progress even though they seem to be learning all the time. It frequently turns out that they've been using only one studying method that they like. When it comes to Korean, students often opt for learning with k-drama or they favorite k-pop songs. However, while our brains love repetition, they also don't like monotony. Using various techniques even to learn the same vocabulary can boost the results drastically. Even switching from paper flashcards to electronic ones (or the other way round) can surprisingly bring better effects. It's important to note that most students focus on writing and reading and neglect speaking and listening skills. Various methods can help use the language in practice.

Using a foreign language in real situations for the first time can be very daunting, especially if the stakes are high e.g. in a business negotiation. Therefore, AI apps that focus on speaking in situational role plays, that help you practise and where you can make mistakes in a non-threatening environment, are really useful. Then when you're out in the world you have the confidence that you can get the job done.

En mi experiencia hablar con nativos ayuda bastate si tu conocimiento con el idioma ya es avanzado y quieres pulir ciertos aspectos. Para alguien que esta comenzando o se encuentra en un nivel intermedio y quiere mejorar por un aspecto profesional debe enfocarse en encontrar ya sea un profesor/ mentor / entrenador en el cual pueda practicar con la metodologia mas adecuada para cada caso para cumplir con sus objetivos profesionales en el menor tiempo posible.

Le meilleur point de l'article haha La pratique fait le ma?tre ! Et tu peux devenir le ma?tre à partir du moment où tu fais ce pourquoi une langue vivante est vivante : PARLER, COMMUNIQUER !

Why just native speakers? In the real world, you have to communicate with all levels of speakers so to get really good at communicating, you also need to practise with people who are the same level as you, and sometimes it's even useful to practise with those who are lower in level than you! If you want to learn from others providing an excellent model of language, AI can do that for you. Not everyone has access to real people that speak the target language excellently. Use AI for this.

Interacting with native speakers and professionals who use the new language daily is a smart approach to mastering a new language. At our language company, we recognize the importance of immersion and encourage our clients to interact with international professionals who are experts in their field. This not only provides language practice but also adds valuable information to their business niche and improves their professional performance. The combination of language learning and international interaction practice is essential for developing fluency and confidence in the language and for creating global connections.

Any language practice is better than no language practice. Especially for casual learners. Now, somebody looking to improve their language skills for professional reasons, in my opinion, should work with a language learning professional (eg. a language coach). A coach provides a very targeted and actionable approach tightly connected to your professional goals. The good coaches will keep you accountable and won't let you skip practice sessions and buy into the typical excuses about how you didn't have time to practice yet another week. Actually, that's why you hire them for.

El conocer la cultura te acercara mas al idioma y por lo tanto mas a querer utilizarlo. Si eres una persona que le gusta salir y conocer esa cultura hay lugares puntales donde personas de diferentes paises se reunen a hablar para poder practicar el idioma y a la vez conocer mas de la cultura, sin lugar a dudas es una gran experiencia que recomiendo.

Immersion goes beyond watching movies or listening to music. Dive into the professional culture of your target language. Read industry reports, follow key influencers, and participate in relevant online forums. This deep immersion helps you grasp the language's practical application in your field, making you more adaptable and culturally aware, which is crucial in today's global market.

Immersion is one of the best ways to not only learn a language, but also become familiar with the culture it is attached to. Combining online and offline interactions whilst learning Chinese has helped me tremendously in gaining a deeper understanding of Chinese culture. Spending time socializing and conversing with native speakers abroad and in the local community has broadened my cultural knowledge. Spending time creating and consuming Chinese-language content online via social media has helped me keep my finger on the pulse with internet slang and neologisms. These two methods help learners keep up with their foreign colleagues and leads to a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of both language and culture.

To learn a language with a professional focus, in addition to immersing yourself in the language and culture, I believe it's essential to practice real workplace scenarios. In my English classes, I often incorporate practical activities such as meeting simulations, presentations, and negotiations. This approach helps students apply the language directly to the situations they will face in the workplace, which accelerates learning and boosts confidence. Additionally, mastering the business culture of the target language is just as important as fluency, as it ensures more effective and natural communication.

En mi experiencia y lo que mas me sirve para mantenerme motivado es establecer metas a corto, mediano y largo plazo. En la cual voy llevando todo un registro de todo el proceso. Nada mejor que llegar al final del dia y ver que todas las tareas/ objetivos propuestos estan logrados. Esto me permite estar siempre activo y en constante autoevalucion.

Reviewing and seeing how you're doing on a weekly basis is key to successfully reach your language learning goals to advance your career. There are many ways to do this. Many professionals learning a language like keeping a language learning journal or they track their practice time on a spreadsheet or app. If you're working with a language coach, you can agree upon this with them. When working with my clients I offer them different options to do the review and revision work beyond our session time. Many of them enjoy keeping track of our work together in a personal coaching dashboard (I use Coach Accountable).

Many people fall into a trap of speeding up their language journey to such an extent, that they keep on learning new vocabulary and grammar points, neglecting the revision part. Unfortunately, in order to make the previously learned material remain in our brains, we need to work on our long-term memory, which can be only done through repetitions. I recommend my students that they try using previously memorized words in various new contexts and using new grammar structures. Often than not it turns out they already do not remember the words that they could use without a problem one month ago. This is because they focused solely on the new material and did not review their previous notes and did not use the previous material in practice.

O aprendizado de um idioma n?o ocorre em linha reta como muitos pensam. Ele ocorrem em espiral. Os assuntos se repetem nos diferentes estágios de proficiência da língua e assuntos a cada virada de nível é tratado com mais profundidade. Por isso que o aprendiz tem a sensa??o de que n?o sai do lugar e de que está sempre aprendendo as mesmas coisas.

A revis?o contínua é essencial para consolidar o conhecimento e evitar o esquecimento. Algumas estratégias incluem: Revis?o espa?ada: Use aplicativos como Anki para revisar vocabulário e gramática em intervalos regulares. Testes e quizzes: Fa?a testes periódicos para avaliar seu progresso. Revis?o de materiais antigos: Volte a estudar li??es e exercícios anteriores para refor?ar o aprendizado.