If you aspire to learn a new language, you might wonder if using the Internet is just as effective as attending a language class.
Especially if you’re serious and want to achieve fluency in your target language, you may have doubts whether it’s doable online.
So can it be done?
Of course, you can learn a language online. With the Internet, you can choose effective study materials that suit your lifestyle, all while having fun. And if you dedicate yourself to your target language, there’s no reason why you can’t achieve fluency.
There are both benefits and challenges to taking the online path. Assuming you don’t want to immerse in a foreign country or enroll in classes anytime soon, you can make significant progress even with just a phone (or laptop) and an Internet connection.
Here’s how.
How The Internet Can Teach You Foreign Languages
Despite being a different method from real life immersion or language classes, the Internet has its own sweet benefits that can be attractive as well.
First of all, it’s convenient and cheaper. Given that you already use your phone or tablet to browse the Web, you’re literally minutes away from learning your first Spanish word (or Chinese character). You don’t even have to spend a dime to begin dipping your foot into the language since free (but high-quality) resources are everywhere.
Not only that, digital content is incredibly flexible and you’re sure to discover formats that will suit your lifestyle. If you’re a gamer, there are games that will help you learn a language. If you like reading, there are reading apps and story books that will make your learning interesting. If you binge watch shows and movies, there are definitely platforms catered to your target language.
Because of the Internet’s convenience, you can begin wherever you want and design your learning environment. Say you’re learning at home particularly in your room. That’s a great opportunity to turn your room into an immersive environment according to your liking. You can stack shelves of books, place travel postcards on the wall, stick some notes for study, all while studying your target language in your smartphone or computer.
You can also take advantage of the massive reach of the Web to access the best teachers in your target language. You don’t have to be stuck with your local universities’ language program, nor sign up to whatever class that’s available near you when you can grab your phone and Google the top gurus in a matter of seconds.
Combined together, these benefits make online learning an alternative worth considering.
In fact, I grew my level of Korean mostly by using the Internet to download games, consume study material (for grammar), and use flashcards for vocabulary. I also stream videos and shows with Korean subtitles, tune in to podcasts, and broadcast foreign TV channels, which wouldn’t be possible without the Internet.
Even with these resources, I’ve yet to uncover other formats for learning online, such as having a conversation partner, getting a language tutor, reading blogs, and buying books in a foreign language. But in general, the richer resources you have, the more motivating it is to pursue your language journey.
How to Use the Internet to Become Fluent In Your Target Language
That said, being online doesn’t have to become a limit if your target is fluency.
By definition, fluency is when you’re able to consume foreign content with ease. You don’t stop to think about what is said or written, yet you quickly understand what is meant. And if you wanted to express yourself through words or dialogue, you could deliver the message smoothly.
But to get to this level, you need to hone your skill.
That’s what the Internet can provide you with – tools and resources to achieve your goal.
So how do you use the Internet to effectively learn (and even master) your target language?
1. Determine Your WHY
Why are you learning a new language?
There are many reasons why people pursue their target language. It may be for work purposes, preparing for a trip abroad, or wanting to dive into a foreign culture.
There must be a specific reason why you started the language of your choice. Or if there isn’t, you could be just exploring out of curiosity, which is totally fine.
Your purpose can sometimes guide you on how you would learn online. Moving abroad might mean consuming cultural content through videos. If you pursue mastery of languages (i.e. being multilingual), you can enroll in a course made by a successful polyglot online.
In order not to get lost on the Internet, it helps that you have a clear mind and know what to do to avoid distractions.
2. Consume a Lot of Foreign Content
Acquiring input is one of the best methods to master your language. It’s not just any input though, it has to be comprehensible input which you are having fun immersing into.
At the very least, you should have a means for exposing yourself to your target language even if it’s only 5 minutes per day. You can do it through:
- Books
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Music
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Movies
- Language Apps
- Language Courses
- Cultural Content
- Flashcards
Language acquisition is a numbers game – the more hours you spend doing it, the better.
Consistency is also important. You have to make it a habit in order to retain what you’ve learned in your memory for a long time.
Not only that, developing the habit makes you more confident over time in the language you’re learning. You might initially feel like an ‘impostor’ trying to enter a language alien to you. But eventually, you’ll come to embrace it the more you understand it.
3. Pick the Best Study Materials for Your Target Language
While taking in input from your online immersion, you should also complement it with study to boost the quality of your immersion. Again, the online world is rich with these study resources, and you can often get them for free.
Studying involves learning new vocabulary, grammar rules, concepts, and once in a while, cultural knowledge that could come in handy when it’s brought up during immersion.
You can choose your materials from anywhere, provided they are correct and high quality. Whether you have several resources or just an all-in-one place doesn’t matter. Make sure to do your due diligence by reading reviews especially if the resource costs real money.
4. Seek Inspiration From Those Who’ve Done It
One way to get on the right track is by finding inspiration from learners who’ve already learned your language. They can show you the tools and resources so that you won’t have to go through trial and error.
Finding successful learners is easier online, since you can reach them from all over the world. Just choose your language, run a search for people fluent in it, observe them closely, then see how you could apply what they did to your life.
It would be nice if you can get closer to fellow learners whether they’re on equal level with you, behind you, or ahead of you. In that way you can always find help, as well as help out newer people entering the language.
5. Take Consistent Action and Create Habits
It doesn’t matter how little or big of an effort you dedicate to language learning for as long as its consistent over a long period of time.
Ever since I discovered the power of habits in 2018, it has changed my life in so many areas, including learning a language. And you should take advantage of this principle as well.
There’s magic when you do something over and over for a long enough time – you get familiar with the field, the task becomes more effortless, and the results come in by surprise.
But most importantly, you BECOME the type of person you want to become.
Sure, back in 2011 I was still a no-one when it came to Korean. Fast forward a decade later I finally embrace Korean and the culture attached to it. And of course, I get to understand Koreans much more.
This doesn’t happen by accident. As you take action day by day, you’ll eventually become the fluent [insert language] speaker you wish to become.
6. Remember to Enjoy What You’re Doing
When embarking on a language for the first time, everything will feel daunting at first.
The higher you go up, the more you’ll feel this struggle.
The worst thing that could happen as a language learner is you end up quitting for good simply because the going gets too tough (or boring).
Often times, the most effective study hacks can become the most daunting and uncomfortable things to do, which lead some people to procrastinate on it.
In which case, I suggest that you simply have fun in your language. No need to cram on flashcards or awkwardly talk to foreigners if you don’t want to.
If the Internet doesn’t look appealing to you, then go ahead and take physical classes. Feel free to mix up your tools with a combination of both online and offline. Then see if you’re having fun with it.
Beginner Mistakes to Avoid When Learning Languages Online
If this is your first time learning a language outside of your native tongue, then you may have forgotten the roots of how you did your native languages.
This means you have to reset and adopt new tools and strategies especially in this Internet age.
I’ve gotten my fair share of mistakes as a language learner online, and I hope you don’t have to go through that hassle by avoiding these common mistakes in the first place.
1. Gathering Too Much Resource
I learned it the hard way that it’s impossible to consume everything online. When I wanted to learn a skill or topic, I would go and buy books or courses related to them. But before I knew it, I’ve built up a huge pile of stuff that I don’t always use.
The problem is, the more stuff you have, the more your attention is spread out, therefore diluting your focus on them. And since there’s an ever expanding pile of content on the Internet, we simply just couldn’t keep up with it.
With this in mind, we should become wiser about the apps, websites, and teachers we use online. In fact, if you can grab a good e-book on the language of your choice, chances are good you will learn a lot from it alone. No need to buy more at the moment.
But if you’ve already bought a lot, then I encourage you to take a look at your learning materials and see whether you can focus on just one or two of them at a time.
I’d say acquiring plenty of resources is a way to explore what’s out there. But focusing on a handful is what creates REAL progress.
2. Not Exploring a Wide Variety of Content
On the other hand, you could become overly focused on one thing, which can lead to boredom. Boredom impedes progress because you lose the energy and enthusiasm to continue.
When it came to Korean, I used to stick to Duolingo and even built a 1,000-day streak on the Korean course alone. However, it didn’t take long to outgrow the lessons and yet I decided to continue the streak.
Though I’ve let go of the streak, it was hard to lose it especially when I broke it intentionally. For me losing the habit was a painful thought until one day I decided to quit it.
After my finish with Duolingo however, I started to attract all sorts of higher level resources that would fit for me. I didn’t have to get stuck with lessons that I’ve repeated dozens of times over the years.
Yes, focus creates progress. But you naturally block out everything else, including the things that could be hidden opportunities for growth.
So not only do you need to simplify in order to focus, you should allow room for exploration as well especially since the Internet is vast and rich with content you never knew existed.
3. Overthinking On The Study Method
With so many study hacks online taught by countless gurus, one would wonder what’s the best method among all of them. This is the wrong way to approach the question.
First things first, any of the methods you use would actually give you progress. They only vary in effectiveness, with some being more effective than others. And even if you try something that is detrimental to your growth, you’d eventually discover that it’s wrong and you’ll learn to adjust along the way.
Second, what works for one language learner might not work for another, and it usually depends on her learning style and unique preferences. I can tell you right now to speak from day one, but if you’re a shy introvert you simply won’t do it.
Third, I recommend experimenting on the best method to use by trying out many things. Then once you’ve tried enough options, you’ll intuitively start filtering them and end up with only the most effective ones.
Fourth, it’s impossible to only do one thing if your goal is fluency. You need one method to improve your listening skills. You need one method to memorize vocabulary. You need one method to become good at speaking, and so on. Sure, you can merge these methods to form a complete system for yourself, but something has to give way. No matter how well you read foreign novels, that won’t turn you into a fluent speaker.
Bottomline: Just keep it cool. Use any method if you’re stuck. You can always correct and upgrade your method later.
4. Juggling Too Many Languages At a Time
To make significant progress, I mentioned that focus is the key. And if you decide to pursue multiple languages at once, handling too much could slow down your overall progress.
That is not to say you won’t succeed at all. Exploration is essential in order to recognize which language you truly want to learn. But when you’ve finally found a language you can dive into, you’ll make plenty of progress if you go all in to that language.
Language learning apps like Duolingo, Memrise, and Babbel offer plenty of language courses that you could get busy with for the whole day. And I won’t be surprised if you have 10 courses open at a time.
But as a rule of thumb, if you naturally notice yourself spending more hours on a particular language (which includes consuming related cultural content), that could be a sign to go after that language.
The Internet is becoming more of a distracting place as time goes by. Having the strength of focus to go after one thing – in this context a foreign language – gives you a great advantage.
Ready to Hop On the Language Journey?
Rest assured, becoming knowledgeable in a foreign language comes with a ton of benefits.
And since you’re already using the Internet, why not use it productively and learn some new words along the way?
Combined with your physical textbooks, offline classrooms, and actual conversations with native speakers (or fellow learners), you’ll have a diverse set of tools to make study more interesting.
After all, you learn the most when you’re having fun.
How are you learning a new language now? Do you make good use of the Internet when learning your target language?
