People learn languages for various reasons – they either need it for work, to study abroad, or simply to pass their language class.
How about learning it as a hobby? Just like playing an instrument, riding a bike, or baking cookies?
Language learning is a worthwhile hobby for passing time while having fun. There’s no need for an objective to pursue and it can be done on one’s own pace.
What makes language learning a particularly interesting hobby? How far can language learners go when treating the activity as a pastime?
Learning Languages to Pass Time
Language learning can be a hobby in that it helps you pass time, which would otherwise be spent in unproductive activities like sitting in the couch and watching TV.
Any time you can insert some activity between tasks, such as when taking a break or commuting to work, you can insert a game or two of a language app and recall what you’ve learned.
Nothing also stops you from multitasking the hobby with other routine activities – think passive listening while watering the plants or doing the dishes. Even try to listen while you’re sleeping!
How about reading short stories before going to bed? When you’re learning a new language, you can discover stories from a different culture, making it a nice way to fall asleep.
Learning Languages to Have Fun
Endlessly browsing Facebook or bingeing YouTube provides a ton of fun to many. But language learning can also be just as fun.
Thanks to technology and a wide variety of services in the language learning space, there are more ways than ever to enjoy the often grueling journey towards fluency.
There are language apps that add “gamification” to make the learning process feel like a game. Think Duolingo, Memrise, LingoDeer, LingQ, these apps have helped me explore foreign languages at no cost.
If bingeing is your thing, there are streaming sites catered to language learners, such as LingoPie.
To those lacking the opportunity to meet native speakers nearby, the Internet provides access to every part of the globe through apps like HelloTalk, Tandem, and hilokal.
And of course, for tutoring and classes, there are apps like italki and Lingoda to address your needs.
Learning Languages as a Goalless Pursuit
Typically, people go into a language for a specific reason, like as a requirement for study or work abroad.
As a hobby, language learning need no goals if you wish not to aim for anything. You can simply fill your brain with knowledge of the language, even if you’re not doing anything about the knowledge.
Something about pursuing a foreign language without a defined objective could lead to an interesting life along the way. You may be just mindlessly playing with phrases such as Olá or Guten Tag in an app, then months later you hear these greetings from people in the grocery.
After learning the Korean alphabet way back in 2011, I start to notice Korean text in various places – in the stores, restaurants, and even the restroom. The same goes with Chinese characters – the handful I’ve learned so far, I can finally see and notice around me.
Also, the cultural nuances brought by a foreign language can serve as background knowledge which might serve a purpose later in life. I find myself bowing more often when greeting people, thanks to my exposure with Korean and my previous travel in Japan.
It may be hard to explain how having no goals can be beneficial. But one thing is for sure: the overall knowledge you gain from language learning, even if you end up forgetting a lot of them, will remain with you forever. You will use it eventually in unexpected (but interesting) ways, and you’ll be glad you did the upfront work.
All it takes is the “curiosity” to learn it.
Caveats to Language Learning As a Hobby
There are plenty of benefits to acquiring a foreign language for pastime. That said, it also comes with disadvantages.
Particularly, the mindset at which you approach a foreign language can get lax when you treat it as a hobby. That is, you’re not serious.
Not having a reason for learning typically leads to less retention, therefore forgetting the knowledge easier. This makes casual learning inappropriate if you need to set language goals, such as passing a proficiency test in 6 months.
If you want to become fluent in your target language, which is a bigger goal, then you should treat the learning process more seriously using effective methods that get you there faster.
From what I’ve observed in my journey, I usually improve when I face the difficulties in my target language. This is where a hobbyist mindset falls short, since it’s not all fun.
There needs to be a mix of deliberate methods if you also strive for improvement, such as acquiring comprehensible input or practicing active recall.
Otherwise, don’t expect much from the casual time you spend on the language.
Bottomline: Should You Dive In?
If you need a breather from the typical daily grind at work, acquiring a new language would give new color to your life.
It doesn’t matter the intensity, whether you go serious or just casual. You will achieve something out of your efforts and it won’t all go to waste.
Should you begin now with the language you’ve been longing to study? Of course!
It’s time to explore what wonders a foreign language could bring to your life, all while doing it as a pastime and you’re simply having fun.
