Hacks for learning a language faster (during the pandemic)

6 min readOct 22, 2020

Even tho the language barrier has been easier to be broken down by the advances of technology, most of us had or are still trying to learn a language to overcome this barrier, either because of a job or even for personal matters. However, there is no denying that the COVID-19 pandemic not only shifted all our lives including our learning process but also motivated us to learn and create new ones.

I was never the best student in language classes, so whilst I was frequenting an English course (pre-pandemic times) I adopted a learning system outside of classes that got me a proficiency level of English C2. So since my quarantine started I decided to adopt the same system (adapted to our new pandemic lifestyle) in order to learn Spanish without any classes and it turned out to fit quite well with other languages.

I won't say this hacks might work with everyone, and some are pretty obvious, but sometimes we need a little reminder and a push from others so we can reach our goals in more dynamic and practical ways to develop your language skills quicker than just with the traditional methods during pandemic times.

1# Subtitles and Doubling Tv Shows

For those who already own a streaming account, using subtitles in the idiom you are learning can be a great source for understanding the articulation of words and even expand your vocabulary.

According to a study conducted by Talavan (2006, p.51) “ It can lead to a whole new attitude towards foreign language learning in general, and English as a foreign language in particular, in terms of an easier overall acquisition and a friendlier and more pleasurable learning approach.”

Change your Netflix subtitles and if possible your audio too. Font: Netflix.com

Extra Tip: “Language Learning with Netflix” Google Extention

This free Google Extention offers you the possibility of comparing the original audio and text with the language you are learning by choosing to display two types of translations in the subtitles.

2# Talk with Natives

This can be tricky and difficult to do but the speaking skills can only be improved by actually, guess what, actually speaking.

This will quickly improve your ease of talking instead of just speaking out loud for yourself and the internet has come to provide us with a range of apps to make it possible for the ones who don’t have means of talking with natives or proficient speakers. Search for forums of your interests, go out in tinder dates, go to Meetups, find Facebook communities, just try to extend your social network.

Extra Tip: Tandem

Guilty as charged, as an UX/UI designer, I feel that this app could have a better interface, but one can’t deny the advantages of actually finding other people with the same goal as you, by previously allowing you to share your learning progress with others and the topics you want to talk about.

Why do I recommend:

This app allows you to correct your partner’s texts messages
You have a direct translator in the input box
You can send Audio and make video calls
You can see the references from learners in other user’s profiles

What I Disliked about it:

You are only allowed to translate it 3x then it’s premium content
The interface can be messy and it’s difficult to manage and orientate yourself.

3# Keep a Vocabulary Journal

No, I’m not talking about a notebook for all the grammar you have learned, it’s about owning a pocket journal for you to write down each and every word that you find in books, websites, tv that you don’t know and have just learned.

I‘ve owned a vocabulary journal for 7 years and it has proved to be the most efficient method to increase vocabulary if you don’t apply it on your daily basis because lets be honest, unless your memory skills are above average, you will not recall that peculiar word in 2 weeks.

A pocket-size notebook is always more handful allowing you to catch every opportunity to extend your vocabulary.

Extra tip: Page Organization

I organized my pocket journals in the following page order to easily find them again later: Expressions; Phrasal verbs; Verbs; Nouns/Adjectives.

Yes you can add one or more categories but I recommend you to keep the list short, or as it gets complicated and also befuddling after some time.

4# Read the Penguin Readers Collection (English only)

I’ve always tried to keep reading every day during my dead times, but there is one publisher which will always be on my heart.

The Book Collection from the Peguin Readers, were specifically re-edited to English language learners, providing us with book offers divided by the level of linguistic knowledge so you can actually start from the easiest books to the most advanced level and at the same time feel proud in these small achievements.

https://www.penguinreaders.co.uk/

5# Learn song lyrics and sing

I suck at singing, really it’s horrible, but I can’t deny the feeling of release which provides me. I also never pay attention to song lyrics, but I've noticed that actually previously studying the lyrics and then listen to them improves not only or vocabulary but also your listening skills, and If you are feeling brave, try to sing to them, it requires good articulation and will even refine your speaking and accent.

Extra tip: Find an international artist

It can be tricky to find songs to listen and sing if you are not learning English, but there is a ton of artists out there with amazing songs to fall in love with. For example, when I was learning french I discover the pop singer Angéle, and not only did I learn her lyrics and failed to try to sing them, (success is only possible when you allow yourself to fail) but also managed to find one of my favourite artists, try going to the Spotify charts list of the country where the language is spoken.

6# Free Online Courses

Yes, unexpected!! Even tho, I couldn’t be quiet about it and one should always take advantage of all the resources there is out there, personally, it takes some doing to actually finish a language app/online course without finding it boring after some weeks of use and then eventually give up. However, I’ve done extensive research on that matter and it would be a waste if didn't share it with you. There is a lot of offers out there, paid or free but here is the list of all free online language courses website I could find:

Final Note: Don’t take languages courses for granted, because the motivation and effort you put are the ones who will make you reach your goal, it’s no easy peasy but leaning a new language can be quite interesting, you just have to make the most out of it!

Hope these tips will help you create a more dynamic learning process, Thank you for reading!

How About you? which hacks can you share with us?

References:
Talavan, N., 2006. Using Subtitles To Enhance Foreign Language Learning. [online] researchgate. Available at: <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/28178514_Using_Subtitles_To_Enhance_Foreign_Language_Learning> [Accessed 22 October 2020].
Home page image: Cottonbro: https://www.pexels.com/@cottonbro