JoJaffa learns to speak the lingo

Triple your enjoyment of travel by learning to chat and break down barriers in the local language

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Why....learn a new language?

Getting started
How do I get started?

Kit and caboodle
Recommended reading

Spoil yourself
Holidays and Vacations

Getting more out of....learning a language
I've got the basics, what next?

Why....learn a new language?

You're sitting at the bar, letting your gaze wander across the room. You see someone interesting and wander over in their direction. Instead of a stream of unintelligable syllables you understand what they're saying, you spot your chance to join in the conversation. Half an hour later you are sitting down with a drink, chatting to a couple of other travellers, possibly from Italy, or from Hungary, Latin America or Russia.

Of course you can try and get by in English, but after a couple of glasses of wine it's just so much more fun to try out your language skills. Yes, you make mistakes (on a trip to Spain as a student, I managed to profess a state of sexual arousal when my only intention was to remark on the unusual heat for the season). No, it doesn't matter. Once the barriers are broken down you find that no-one expects you to speak fluently, no-one is marking your responses out of ten.

The payback of learning a language is immediate. A friend of JoJaffa's spent a pleasant evening in a bar with a Frenchman and a large amount of beer when the only thing they had in common was that their wives were temporarily otherwise occupied, and their conversation was limited to 'la biere, c'est bon, hein?' and 'ah, ma femme.....' and perhaps, summoning bits of long forgotten vocabulary from school, 'La coupe du Monde, la France, incroyable. La foule est sur le terrain, ils pensent que c'est tout fini.....'

Perhaps your aims are even simpler: to avoid eating something unfortunate in that little bistro you thought looked so interesting and off the beaten track. Whatever it is, you'll find that learning a modern language nowadays is quite different to the experience many of us had at school with rote learning and grammar exercises.

Give it a go!

Tell us what got you interested in learning a language.

Getting started

For you internauts, getting started learning a foreign language couldn't be easier.

But before we look at the internet options, let me suggest you combine learning the language with a great holiday! It really is the best way to make a start. You have the incentive to learn, and a great atmosphere in which to do it. Learning on your own with a book might be useful, but learning with a class of people from all over the world, when you are all currently staying in the country, is 1000 times better.

Have a look at The National Registration Center for Study Abroad. This is a US site, but you can see the details of all the schools and contact them directly wherever you live. Their catchphrase is 'Living the Language and Culture'. This is something that JoJaffa can really relate to.

There are many many resources for people learning languages on the Internet. The best of these, IJHO (In JoJaffa's Humble Opinion) is the Human Languages page

However, even with the best will in the world the initial excitement of starting a language course can begin to falter. In the first lesson all students make rapid progress and are able to introduce themselves and use several useful expressions. By around the third lesson a little bit of support is often needed. I found that attending language lessons was the best solution. With support from other students you keep each other learning. Visit our open outcry section to find penpals you can converse with in your chosen language.

You can find lists of courses from local higher education colleges or from a number of language organisations, for example:

The Goethe Institut, perhaps unsurprisingly one of the most organised sites for any country's culture and language
Alliance Francaise - search on Altavista to find the nearest one to you

Another good place to start, for an easy introduction to starting a new language is the BBC's site for adult language learners.

Getting more out of....learning a language

The best way to get more out of a language is to travel to the country where it is spoken, and immerse yourself in it. It will not only do wonders for your command of the language, but it could also (depending on your choice of language) do wonders for your suntan. Staying with a family can be a lottery, but with a bit of luck it can add hugely to the enjoyment.

A number of years ago now, I went to stay with a large family in the South of France (near Hyéres). With a glass of wine in one hand and a slice of french bread and brie in the other, I spent many evenings enjoying the warm evening air and joining in the animated discussion around the table on the verandah. This course was organised through ELFCA, L’Institut d'Enseignement de la Langue Française sur la Côte d'Azur, and it was fantastic.

Keeping up with a language when you at home is another tricky one. In Europe there are many free-to-air channels in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian, available on satellite (Astra and Eutelsat/HotBird are best for these languages). Via a single dish you can also choose Russian, Turkish, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Polish and a whole host of other channels.

Satellite is definitely the best and cheapest option, as cable companies tend to charge a premium for foreign language channels. For under £100 with no monthly fee you can have access to all these channels. (For a list of available channels and whether or not you will need a decoder, there is no better site than satcodx. It takes a bit of navigating, though.

Magazines and other periodicals are another top source of material for keeping up with a language. Most major magazines are able to handle international subscriptions. Try Yahoo’s media category for examples. Of course you won’t need to subscribe to many of these, as the websites will provide you with more than enough material.

There are also excellent structured resources for intermediate learners. I can recommend Champs-Elysées Speak a Foreign Language? Speak it Better! , in this area. Their tapes and CDs are structured around intermediate / advanced learners and pick up where many courses leave off.

Champs-Elysées have excellent material for French, German, Spanish & Italian. Check it out below:

I have personally subscribed to all but the Italian magazine and can wholeheartedly recommend them.

Don’t forget to look further into sites like the Human Languages page, as through these you can find email newsletters and similar.

Kit and caboodle

Need a good book, video or more advice? JoJaffa has picked out the best for you. For each book/ video just click on the amazon link find out the price and get more information.

If you can suggest any good books about learning a language, let us know.

Recommended Reading

Champs-Elysées have excellent material for French, German, Spanish & Italian. Check it out below:

There's more to learning a language than language courses, dictionnaries, grammar and exercise books, although these are all helpful.

Any prospective student should learn about the culture of the country, and immersing yourself in that can spread the range of allowable and justifiable investments to holidays, trips to art galleries, restaurants and the like.

Spoil yourself

Spoil yourself by taking a month or two off work and going to live abroad. Become a student again and book some classes during the day and leave your evenings and afternoons free to soak up the atmosphere.

Added bonus that in spoiling yourself and taking the decision, perhaps to have a career break, you may also come back to the job market better qualified and able to get that more interesting job you dreamed about.

Open Outcry

A vous! Du bist dran! Vamos! Whatever you want to say, and however you want to say it, this is where to put it. Don't be shy to post messages in any language you like on our chat board. If there is sufficient interest in a particular language we'll set up dedicated ones.

Got a question? Get an answer!

Post a message to the foreign_language discussion board.

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have a general question about learning a language?
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