Dora M

I don't why but hardly ever get embarrassed. I simply talk in whichever way I know best, especially if there is a situation that requires fast action. Usually, people don't care if you make any language mistakes, what they really is that you care about them.

Is there a limit to anything that you can learn in life? I read of a man who is able to speak 24 languages fluently. How amazing is that?

My approach to learning a new language is usually always quite formal and conservative. I like going to professionally taught classes to gain a basic idea of the language structure, grammar and correct pronunciation. I follow those studies up with reading and writing. I like to surround myself with the new language by watching movies and listening to native speakers on the radio. And, ultimately, I like to travel to a country where the language is spoken, to fully immerse myself in it.

Here in Ecuador and Colombia, where I have been working for the last 6 months, there is a big demand for native English speakers. As a matter of fact, native English speakers are preferred even if they have hardly got any experience in teaching. In the beginning I was totally overwhelmed with my "Superstar" status here. Wherever I applied for a job, I was almost instantly hired on the basis alone that I am a native English speaker. So, in my own experience, I see a trend in many places where non-native teachers will always be a second choice.

As you say, it would be rather challenging to set up a classroom in which a language is to be acquired. You would need a lot of realia and real life situations, and I think that it wouldn't fit into the budget of most schools. In the institute where I work, we have a group of very young children, aged between 4 and 7, and they learn English by playing games and other creative activities. I think that if we introduced similar strategies to our adult learners, they might feel as if they are wasting their money.

In my personal experience, I have always been more inclined to pay a professionally trained person to teach me a new language instead of a person who has no formal training as a language instructor. I much prefer an ordered, well-structured and professional approach. Of course, I am not saying that a person who hasn't received any tutoring training won't be able to teach me, quite the opposite, I am sure there are plenty out there who have a natural affinity with teaching and conveying their mother tongue perfectly to me. It's only that I prefer a more conservative approach.

Learning Swahili isn't exactly on the top of my list, but I would love to know a few basic phrases. I don't even know what it sounds like. Where can I hear spoken Swahili? How many people speak this language, and what parts of Africa?

That is really great advice, and I completely agree with you. I best learn a new language exactly the way you describe it. For example, once I have written down a grammar rule and used it in at least one hundred exercise examples, it really gets firmly established in my mind. I also often read foreign language texts that I don't completely understand, but I can make out what it means from the context. I then use my dictionary to make notes in my vocabulary notebook, and remember those new words rather quickly, as I recall the story in my mind.

I am teaching English and German to mostly Spanish students, and even though I have a good command of the Spanish language, I only ever use it in the classroom to explain grammar or vocabulary points. I have several different classes, ranging from teenagers to adults. I find that the direct approach works a lot better with the younger students than with the adults. Adult learners often feel more inhibited and self-conscious when it comes to confronting them directly with new language material. But, again, it depends on the background, temperament and motivation of each student. Some of the adults I teach are very eager to learn English or German as fast as possible, as they want to expand their businesses or work in foreign countries. And they readily absorb whatever I present to them, as they want to talk immediately.

Thank you, Aurelia. I am sure that people who seriously want to learn Latin will find your help very useful. To me personally, it's a language that I have no use for. If I had more time, I would be interested in acquiring some basic Latin structures and words to give me more insight about languages in general. But at this stage, it's quite useless to me, as I have no need for it in my daily life.

Thanks for the interesting link. I am just naturally skeptical of anything that claims to do something in record time. It sounds to me that I would have to put a lot of work into it to be able to achieve that. I much prefer to take things slowly and make plenty of mistakes from which I can learn. In my experience anything that goes too fast, usually doesn't sit all that well and dissipates quickly.

That is a really interesting point. I have been teaching English for a while now. I often notice that female adult learners are a lot more inhibited than their male counterparts. That's why I never cease to encourage them to speak up. Since we formed a women's only group, I have observed some dramatic changes. Most of the women feel more comfortable and enjoy the classes a lot more than when there are men present. Obviously, I am not suggesting anything sexist here. That's not the point. The point I am trying to emphasize, is the importance of creating an environment in which students feel relaxed and fearless.

Reading comprehension comes relatively easy to me. It only gets more complicated if I have to create language by myself. I often fall into the trap of trying to structure sentences in my native language, which doesn't really work that well. I can read an entire short story and understand everything in it, only afterwards I often have trouble to freely and fluently recount the story.

When I started learning Spanish, I was able to read and pronounce the language rather quickly, but until I could speak it fluently, it took me quite a while. Even now, I often try to translate from English or German into Spanish, which simply doesn't work. So, my way of getting better and improving my Spanish skills is by listening and talking with Spanish natives as much as possible.

I always make a lame joke about google being one of my best friends. But it's actually true. Whenever I need to know something, I immediately look it up on google to get a basic idea. I have learnt a lot with the help of the internet. I have managed to successfully complete several courses that furthered my career massively and opened many new doors for me. I also get a lot of information from free e-books and other free literature. But one of the most valuable aspects on the internet for me is when people write in forums about their personal experiences, such as how they overcame certain difficulties, how they managed to create a better life for themselves, and so on.

I prefer to study at home, especially at night time when everything is quiet and everyone is asleep. I can concentrate well with a normal amount of noise around me, as long as I don't get constantly disturbed. I like to sit at my table by the open window, with plenty of light and fresh air to keep alert. Oh yes, not to forget the big cup of coffee with soy milk and cinnamon.

Why not choose an online tutor? I live in Latin America and work part time as an online language teacher, together with with my partner. We teach English, Spanish and German. If you are interested in learning Spanish online with a qualified teacher, please let me know, and I will send you more information.

I grew up in an German-English speaking household, so I acquired the English language in a natural way. These days I am working part time as a language tutor, teaching English to Spanish speaking students. Many of my pupils tell me that they find English difficult as it isn't a phonetic language and requires a lot of listening and speaking exercises to get the pronunciation right. Many have a good command of written English and a great repertoire of vocabulary, but they have trouble speaking fluently.

It happens so quickly. Sometimes I catch myself trying to explain to my Spanish students a certain English word or phrase with a Spanish intonation. But usually I catch myself in the act and correct it. Also, when I lived in Australia, I unconsciously adopted the accent without ever being aware of it. One of my friends pointed it out to me one day.

I don't exactly get confused, but there are occasions when I mix up words. It's especially funny when this happens in the classroom. My students enjoy "correcting the teacher". But the interesting thing is that those incidences actually make a deep impression on my pupils, and whatever I tried to teach them during that lesson, they will remember. So, these days, on occasion, I am actually deliberately incorporating those "mistakes" when I'm planning a lesson.

The language that I find most romantic and stimulating, is Italian. I simply adore the melodic way that Italians speak. Even when they are angry, they still sound musical to me. I thought Spanish was romantic, but my opinion has changed since I actually started learning the language. It also has lovely lulling sounds, but in essence it's quite choppy.

I am an English and German language tutor and live and work in a Spanish speaking country. My students always tell me that English sounds "hard" to them. I make my pupils laugh when I demonstrate how and where to position one's tongue when pronouncing certain words, but it works. As Spanish is a phonetic language, many have problems with the right pronunciation, as they don't have much exposure to native English speakers.

In my experience, the motivation of learning a new language depends a lot on the aim for acquiring it. If you know that you will be going to live in a French speaking country in the near future, it will obviously be not only very useful but also more exciting to learn the new language. On the other hand, if you simply want to learn another language for its own sake, it might be challenging to convince others to do the same.

In Australia, we use f***k all the time to express things that are good or bad or indifferent, such as f***ing great, f***ing awful, or f***ing boring. It is very common to hear the f-word and other swear words on a daily basic in all situations. Most people don't take any offence to swearing as it has become a normal part of the language. It all depends on how the words are used.

I grew up bilingual, and I learnt two more languages over the years. For me, it has never been hard to pick up a new language or to become fluent in it. It's one of the things that come easy to me. I like the fact that I can speak to people in all parts of the world, using these skills. And I am truly grateful, that I was able to turn this talent into a lucrative job.