How to Stay Motivated While Learning a New Language

Learning a new language can be a rewarding adventure. However, it is not an easy task, as it requires regularity and a lot of work. Thankfully, there are many ways to stay on top of your game when it comes to language learning. Here, experts from Lingomee.com share some tips with you about how to keep motivated while studying a new language.

Set Realistic Mini Goals

To speak a language communicatively you need a few months, or sometimes years, of regular practice. That might feel overwhelming, especially if you are just starting. This is why it’s worth setting small goals that can keep you motivated.

For example, you can set a goal of learning 50 new words per week, or having a short conversation in a new language, or even practicing language 5 minutes every day. After finishing the task, you will feel instant gratification: maybe you didn’t get to the native level in a year, but you are on the way there. Step by step to reach your ultimate goal.

Schedule Your Learning Time and Stick to It

Whether you are learning a language with a private tutor, through apps, or with a handbook, you need to schedule time when you learn and stick to it! It is always hard to find time for learning. It might seem that you are very busy, and while sometimes it might be true, very often you might waste your time watching Netflix or scrolling Instagram.

Sit down and think about the realistic time you can spend on learning a language. Is it 5 minutes every day? Or maybe four 30-minute sessions a week? Whatever amount you choose, try to make it your routine – write down in a calendar the days you are going to study, and try to do it, no matter how tired or busy you are. This way, you can build healthy a habit that will help you to stay motivated.

Find Language Learning Buddies 

Sometimes it’s easier to stick to the practice when you have someone who can hold you accountable. Having a learning buddy is a great idea! You can motivate one another to learn and even improve your skills by practicing the language while talking with one another.

If you don’t know anyone who is learning the same language as you, you can try tandem language learning or search for language learning groups. It’s a great opportunity to improve your skills, stay motivated, and also meet new people. Perhaps they have similar learning goals as you and you may become good friends.

Make Your Learning Interesting 

Trying to memorize new words, complicated grammar rules, and the structures of sentences can be tiring. To not lose your motivation, add an extra spin to your learning. Watch your favorite series in the original language, play around with some language apps, or try to read a simple book. This way, you will connect learning with fun and your studying session will become more pleasant.

The Evolution of Translation and Interpretation Throughout History  

Introduction

Since the beginning of the human connection, there has been a need for translation, whether for emotional, commercial, or survival reasons. Building bridges between nations, their residents, and their own governments depend heavily on communication. However, effective communication can only happen when the persons involved can comprehend one another. And translation is the only way to establish a meaningful conversation.

Throughout history, there have been a variety of ideas on translation, which provide information about how, when, and where translation has been applied. The word “translation” was derived from a Latin phrase that means “to bring or carry across.” 

Today’s culture, science, literature, and consciousness all require translators. According to one of the most widely recognized theories, a poem called The Epic of Gilgamesh, which was initially written in Sumerian and translated into a variety of Asian languages, was the earliest translation ever discovered. The first ideas in the field of translation date back more than 2,000 years. Since that time, it has changed over the years to become translation as we know it today.

The Evolution of Translation

Since agreements between different nations and ethnicities needed to be established, it is believed that traders were the main force behind successful translation. Over time, the focus of translation changed from just dealing with legal and financial issues to also covering subjects of culture, art, and religion. Translation began in the eastern world more than a century ago. A well-known saying from the Zhou period attributed to Jia Gongyan reads, “translation is to replace one written language with another without changing the meaning for mutual understanding.” 

This shows that the necessity for and knowledge of the significance of efficient translation principles existed even 3000 years ago. Even the most sophisticated computers cannot compare to a human translator, but what they have been able to do is use cross-checking software to guarantee translation consistency.

First Translations 

After The Epic of Gilgamesh, the very first poem to be translated, one of the first examples of localization occurred when Chinese translators transformed Buddhist ideas from India into aspects of Chinese culture that would appeal to the intended audience. At the start of the 20th century, Yan Fan introduced western thinking, culture, commerce, and technology to China, while the majority of the translation’s concentration had been on religion. 

The majority of Chinese translations before Yan Fan were mostly influenced by Japanese. Up until the latter half of the 20th century, there were two fundamental barriers to translation: the small number of direct language pairings, which required frequent use of pivot languages, and the inconsistent quality of translators. Computers revolutionized the industry in the latter half of the 20th century.

Simultaneous Translation

Simultaneous translation is among the most common methods of translation. Recent advancements in the translation profession involve simultaneous translation. It is now the translation method with the greatest global recognition. The main difference between general translation and simultaneous translation is that the latter is carried out by an interpreter. When interpreting simultaneously, the interpreter must translate what the speaker says as the speaker is speaking. 

Multilingual conferencing is made simpler by this form of interpreting, which makes good and accurate communication easier. Knowing that they can effectively connect with other delegates, participants may speak freely in their native tongue. Like any other translation process, the stimulation translation requires special simultaneous translation equipment. And, for the users to have a good experience the quality of the equipment matters.

The Future of Translation

The future of translation is quite exciting because of how quickly processing power is growing and how much information is being uncovered globally. People are trying to speed up the process and evolution, even more, every day with voice searches such as Siri or Alexa. Whatever direction it takes, one thing is for sure. There is never going to be an of need for high-quality translations in this globalized society.

Conclusion 

Translations and translators have helped in the advancement of societies all around the world throughout history. Today’s translators have access to a variety of resources, including the internet and computers, to help with the translation process. As the globe grows more linked through the economy, education, information exchange, and trade, translation services have also taken on a significant amount of importance in society.

About The Author

Freya is a Math teacher, Yoga enthusiast, and a beloved mother of three lovely daughters. She is always looking for ways to grow and help others around her thrive through self-learning, meditation, and physical fitness. When she is not teaching or spending time with her family, Freya regularly writes on topics related to self-improvement and women empowerment

How Cross-Cultural Communication Drives Workplace Success

 

Cross-сultural сommunication is the interaction between representatives of different peoples, including verbal and non-verbal aspects of communication. In the modern world, to face the need for intercultural exchange, it is often not necessary to leave the home country. Today, economic globalization has led to many companies having their branches in various countries and, accordingly, recruiting staff around the world. Almost all companies have foreign partners, and often engineers have to consult or carry out joint projects with foreign colleagues.

 

Why study intercultural communication?

A multifaceted cultural businessman knows how to find a common language with representatives of different races, age categories, sexes, social conditions, and lifestyles. He can successfully motivate them and conduct business in a culturally heterogeneous environment, taking into account other countries’ characteristics, including their national and cultural aspects.  Let’s take for example you want to expand your company in China and with the services of a China company register firm you want to establish your company there. In order to become a multicultural businessman there, you will need to build relationships with representatives of a wide variety of cultures. This intercultural communication skill is also essential because large organizations often hire people with work experience abroad for leadership positions.

Suppose a businessman can develop a sense of culture. In that case, he will understand some of the nuances in the tradition that will help him build closer relationships with people who have cultural roots different from his own. Developing a sense of culture takes time, as does developing intuition. You will need to combine your own experience and long-term observations. A businessman who has a keen understanding and awareness of culture develops an excellent ability to lead the most diverse groups of people necessary for a business. After all, the more people with different opinions and experiences, the better it is for your company. Knowing various cultures, mastering intercultural communication, a businessman, thereby, raises his authority in the eyes of his subordinates.

 

Don’t neglect professional services

Everyone benefits from using professional services to translate materials for your expatriate employees. You should consider working with a translation services company for guaranteed results. Do all this without considering intercultural differences; you can create conflict situations when all employees must work on a common cause to provide business with products and services during demand. It would be a good idea for representatives of other countries who work for your company to translate vital documents into their native language. With all the knowledge of the English language and the ability to speak and read in English, it would be much more convenient and pleasant for labor migrants to receive critical information in their native language.

The issue of translating documents into their native language also applies to foreign companies that have localized their production on the territory of an English-speaking country. Of course, it is convenient for them to have staff who speak, read and write in English. Still, it is not difficult for them to make several important documents and instructions in their native language to facilitate the employees’ work in these companies. Doing so would be one of the signs that multicultural people in business and executives run companies. Many such examples show that intercultural communication is very important in modern business.

 

An example of successful intercultural communication

At one time, Germany was well prepared to receive the Turks and integrate them into its business. The Germans learned to write instructions and rules and “draw” them in icons, signs, and comics that did not require knowledge of the German language. It was not easy to do this, but as pedantic, consistent, and hardworking managers, the Germans achieved success when they got down to business.

The United States of America is also an unsurpassed master of intercultural communication, from where a similar term came to culture and management. The country has also been and will be multicultural, multicultural, multinational, thus making significant progress due to the synergy from different approaches to solve its problems in business. Coworking spaces are also on the rise right now especially because it enables people of different work positions and backgrounds to work together.

 

Conclusion

The leader must be prepared to perceive the differences that arise to communicate with representatives of a different culture successfully. If there is a need to develop business abroad or attract foreigners to work in industry, there is a need to communicate with representatives of other cultures and nationalities. Intercultural communication is of great practical importance for business. Its knowledge and understanding help a business person to start a successful business with foreigners.

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About The Author

Freya is a Math teacher, Yoga enthusiast, and a beloved mother of three lovely daughters. She is always looking for ways to grow and help others around her thrive through self-learning, meditation, and physical fitness. When she is not teaching or spending time with her family, Freya regularly writes on topics related to self-improvement and women empowerment.

The 8 Unexpected Perks of Learning a New Language

The ability to speak more than one language is a gift, but it’s one that doesn’t come easily. People are never lukewarm about their attempts to learn a new tongue. They’re either being forced to and hate it or they willingly throw themselves into the new linguistic exercises.

There is no in between. Here’s what you gain when you learn to love a new language.

1. A new way of looking at things.

A new language provides you with an untried lens through which you can view the world. From its grammar structures to new ways of constructing adjectives, languages operate differently from each other in how they go about describing the physical world.  

Learning these new methods, you force your brain to see the things from the point of that language. A new language gifts you with the ability to come at problems from more than one perspective. Aren’t you lucky?

2. Perseverance.

Learning a language is no easy feat — it’s a long protracted task on par with Hercules’ 12 trials. It’s trying for sure, but the results are undeniable.

Not only do you gain the ability to drop what you’re doing and throw down in a new tongue, you’ve also received a first class lesson in how to persevere to the end.

3. Ability to look inside the brain of a new culture.

Being proficient in another language gives you a front row seat for beginning to understand the way another culture works. From idioms to how people greet one another, language is the way in which cultures operate and how traditions are passed on.

By being able to understand the nuances of a tongue, you get a little glimpse straight into the heart of the culture that wields it.

4. A secret code.

Bare with me on this one. Yes, there are probably millions (if not billions) of people who can also speak the language you are learning. However, if you are learning it at school within a friend group where not everyone can speak it, then you have been given a secret code.

When you and your friends need to talk to each other about that uncouth faux pas your other friend just made, then your shared language is perfect. Your other friends may grow to resent you, but they’re just jealous.

5. Travel becomes cheaper and easier.

When you’re traveling in a different country it’s a huge asset to be able to speak that language. Not only will it save you tons of time, but it will save you money because you won’t ever have to consider using a dreaded tour guide.

Not to mention that traveling on your own in a foreign country using your hard earned language powers makes you feel like a complete bad*ss.

6. New friends from those previously inaccessible.

A new language gives you the potential to be friends with a whole score of people who you now have the ability to be conversant with. You didn’t even know how many besties you were missing out on! Revel in your new friends.

7. Access to new literature.

The same goes for literature. Yes, there are translated texts, but something is always lost in translation, or maybe something is gained… Regardless, a translated work will never be exactly the same as the original, and that’s okay.

Yet, when being proficient gives you the ability to experience the work in its undoctored form.

8. An appreciation for your mother tongue.

In the process of adventuring into a new language, you stray from your mother tongue. But from a distance, you’re able to see more clearly all the shades that make it beautiful.

The 15 Worst Words Ever

There are about a gagillion words in the English language, and 99.99% of them are just fine – you wouldn’t give them a second thought. But then there are others, like these 15, that just make us cringe whenever anyone says them:

Here are 15 cringe-worthy words, along with some explanations for why they might make you cringe:

  1. Moist: This word has become a popular target for cringe humor in recent years. Some people find the sound of the word unpleasant, while others associate it with unpleasant things like bodily fluids.
  2. Bae: This term for a significant other is seen by some as overly sentimental or childish.
  3. Fleek: This slang term for something being on point or stylish has become dated and overuse can make it cringey.
  4. Literally: This word is often misused to emphasize something, even when it isn’t meant to be taken literally.
  5. Irregardless: This is a non-standard word that is a combination of “irrespective” and “regardless.” It’s generally considered incorrect.
  6. Defintely: This is a misspelling of “definitely.”
  7. Pacifically: This likely is a misspelling of “specifically.”
  8. Impactful: This word is often misused as an adjective when “impact” is a noun. A more natural way to say it might be “impactful presentation” or “presentation with a strong impact.”
  9. Conversate: This is a perfectly fine word, but some might find it overly formal or pretentious depending on the context.
  10. Adulting: This term for taking on grown-up responsibilities can be seen as childish or dismissive of the actual challenges of adulthood.
  11. Mansplain: This term can be seen as overly critical of men explaining things, even if they are simply trying to be helpful.
  12. Basic: This term can be offensive because it implies someone is boring or lacking in taste or originality.
  13. Fetch: This word might be cringey because it was used in a way to mean “cool” in the movie “Mean Girls” and has become associated with trying too hard to be trendy.
  14. Sus: This abbreviation of “suspicious” is often used in casual online communication and might be cringey depending on the context.
  15. Cringe: Well, here we are! This word can be cringey because it draws attention to the act of cringing itself.

It’s important to remember that language is constantly evolving, and what is considered cringe-worthy can change over time. What one person finds cringey, another person might not even bat an eye at.

We know there are a lot more than this. Which ones did we miss that make you cringe?

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