深めて！南山GLS 学生の活躍 学生コラム
Step one to get better at any language without having to work too hard
2021.10.21
ライティングセンターTA ： Prajesh Shrestha
Being a non-native Japanese as well as English speaker, I have come a long way in my journey of learning these languages. Currently, I am a Pentalingual - meaning I have a command over 5 different languages. Among which, English is one of them. Since I get asked a lot about how I managed to learn 5 different languages before the age of 18, I decided to share this secret with you all today.
In order to learn and be decent in a language, a great deal of hard work is NOT needed. Yes, you read it right, you do NOT need a lot of hard work. The secret technique is to be motivated and be interested in the language itself, instead of thinking of it as a chore or an assignment. Step one to execute this technique would be to search for something that you find interesting in general which would be in a way related to the language itself. Sounds too complicated? Let me give you an example so you can have a clearer idea about it. So, if you are planning on learning English, search for something that you find fascinating other than the language itself, like western music, TV-series, movies or dramas that are in English. Once you find what interests you the most, your aim should be, to be able to understand the content in general. Ideally you would want to be able to sound like it as well. After you find what interests you, listen or watch it on a daily basis. This wont even be tiring to you as this is a form of entertainment and a way to relax. The trick is not to stress yourself and stop thinking that you are trying to learn the language. Just sit back and enjoy the content. If you are watching a movie or a series with the language you want to learn but you are completely new to the language, then try turning on the subtitles till you are used to it or feel confident without it.
See? No hard work needed, just a way to keep your mind entertained whilst subconsciously learning a new language. Hop on this first and simple step while I introduce more steps in the future. Till then keep entertaining your mind and do not forget NOT to work hard.
