It may be a shock that one of the most effective ways to learn a language is possibly the simplest. It may also come as a shock that this method is right in front of you, and the same way that you used to learn your native language- even though you probably were not aware at the time! That’s right, I’m talking about immersion or content immersion. Immersion with your target language is the secret to language acquisition that isn’t taught in schools but yet is incredibly effective.
It makes sense that the best way to learn or acquire a language would be to interact with it in its most natural and authentic form, yes? You can do all of the Duolingo your heart desires and complete all of the grammar book exercises that you want, but, at the end of the day, if you’re not interacting with the language in its natural form, how are you going to truly acquire it? In comes content immersion to save the day and add a much-needed boost (and fun) to your language learning journey. Content immersion is simply the act of using and interacting with your target language in its real-world form. This includes- but is not limited to reading books, listening to podcasts, and watching Youtube, movies, and TV series in your target language!
Don’t get me wrong, grammar books and rote memorization of vocabulary have their place in your language journey. But they should definitely be supplemented with immersing yourself in the language as well. For me personally, the flashcard power machine Anki plays a significant role in my language studying- I would be a shell of myself without it. However, it’s through engaging and interacting with the language in its most authentic form that all of the grammatical concepts and vocab that I study begin to take root and establish themselves in my mind.
This Sounds Good & Fun, But, What’s The Benefit?
The benefit of using content immersion in your language journey is that you’re constantly exposing yourself to the language in its most pure and authentic form. Furthermore, you’re consistently engaging with it in new and various ways to bolster and build upon your existing foundation of knowledge. It’s simple to learn a fixed expression or idiom in its plain form. But, to encounter it in the “wild” as I like to say, gives you a new context and a new environment in which to use it, and more importantly, remember it. Even if you can’t remember with 100% certainty a phrase, word or grammatical structure, if you stumble upon it while watching a video from your favorite Youtuber, I guarantee that it will seem familiar and you’ll have a pretty good shot at remembering the meaning from context. Better yet, I’d be willing to bet seeing it in the “wild” and interacting with it has built another association in your brain and will help you remember it next time! When you begin to immerse yourself in your language daily, you’ll begin to create actual real-world associations in your brain of everything you’ve learned on your own from books and other traditional study methods.
Content Immersion Tips & Tricks
Consume Your Interests
Have you ever thought about why you remember some things and not others? Usually, if you’re interested in something, you’ll be more inclined to pay attention and remember it. It’s important to utilize this and find content that revolves around your interests! You will be much more likely to stay focused and engaged with whatever you’re doing if you’re enjoying it, so why wouldn’t you bring this into your language journey?
Immerse Slightly Above Your Competency
This tip is usually overlooked and may not seem obvious at first, but is very important. It’s crucial to be immersing yourself in content that is slightly above your level in a language. Personally, I like to aim for around 85/90% comprehension level. Engaging with content that is slightly too advanced for you keeps the brain actively engaged and focused. It’s easy to become distracted if something is too easy for you, and also can be too demotivating and not efficient, to be interacting with content that is too far over your head. The sweet spot is to understand most of what you’re interacting with, but not quite all of it. From here, you will learn more and keep yourself actively engaged and present.
Incorporate Visual Content
While I like to read and feel that reading is an insanely good way to learn a language, I love to watch Italian TV series and movies! While we do a lot of communication with noises from our mouths (words) we do even more communicating non-verbally through the use of body language. By engaging with a lot of visual content in your target language, it’s possible to learn the underlying tones and signals that people send when saying certain things. You learn that while there can be 10 ways to say something, there are really only 2 ways to say it in a specific context.
Be Consistent & Stay Active
You don’t need to actively study a language every single day to keep learning and polishing your skills. A lot can be accomplished simply by interacting with your language in a minimal way, the key is to be consistent and do it daily. Some days you have more free time than others, but, I assure you that you can find even 10/20 minutes a day to read a little, watch a video or listen to some music or a podcast in your target language.
