Would a woman date a guy who speaks a foreign language? (ex. Spanish or French)

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Studying for an exam can be a nail-biting ordeal. However, foreign languages require a slightly different approach than many other subjects. Here are some tips that will help you score higher on your next test. Many of the tips can be applied to other fields of study as well.

Prepare Well in Advance

Don’t procrastinate until the night before a test to crack open your notes and textbooks. Careful preparation can save last-minute anxiety and pressure.

Even if you have a good command of English sentence structure and rules, you should purchase a comprehensive grammar textbook. An excellent knowledge of your own language will make any foreign tongue easier to learn.

Whether you find it on the internet or in a library, make sure that you have access to some foreign language prose. Short stories in parallel translation are an excellent choice. Spend a few minutes every day reading. Be sure to say each word aloud or whisper the words as you speak. This will reinforce foreign language speech patterns.

Familiarize yourself with the pronunciation and syllable emphasis of unknown words. To accomplish this, you must have a high-quality foreign language dictionary.

Whenever you encounter unfamiliar lesson material, skim through it and make mental note of new grammatical concepts and vocabulary. Then go through it again, slowly and comprehensively.

Prepare your written assignments as soon as you receive them. The time interval between preparation and due date will allow you to reflect on what you have done, making corrections and revisions, and thereby receiving a higher mark.

If you are experiencing difficulty with specific words or phrases, develop a mental-image jogger. For example, if you cannot remember that the German word for ‘crow’ (die Krähe) is feminine, think of a big black crow with large red lips and curly blonde hair. The more outrageous the image, the more likely you will be to remember the material.

Try preparing your own self-quizzes. The entire process is educational, and will quickly reinforce your learning.

Save every piece of paper handed out in class. What seems inconsequential at first may later prove to be of great value.

Capitalize on Empty Time

How much time do you spend watching television? Every hour of North American TV contains about 20 minutes of commercials. Don’t raid the fridge or daydream during commercial breaks – study! Amazingly, your brain will correlate these sandwiched breaks with material you are watching on the tube, and your learning will progress – even during the 40 minutes per hour of viewing time.

If you spend more than a few minutes every day on bus or subway commutes, be sure to take along some study notes. Even in ‘standing room only’ you can often accomplish a few minutes of effective studying with a clipboard and a few pages of vocabulary printouts.

Forget the Last-Minute Rush

Ensure that your notes are always up-to-date. Spending a few minutes daily hitting the books is much more effective than last-minute cramming. Not only will you be less stressed, but the knowledge is more likely to remain with you over the long term.

Reviewing notes just before bedtime works well. Your brain is adept at collating, correlating, and filing while you sleep.

24 Hours Before the Examination

The night before your exam, go to bed on time and get a good sleep. If you have some information rolling around in your head that is likely to keep you awake, jot it down and review it the following morning.

Just before you write your exam, eat a light meal that has a good combination of carbohydrates (for immediate brain glucose) and protein (for delayed glucose release). Try something like a whole-grain bagel with ham accompanied by a piece of fresh fruit. Go easy on the coffee and soda. A full bladder during an exam can be uncomfortable and extremely distracting. (Don’t forget to use the restroom before sitting down at your desk!)

Get organized – right now – and you will be rewarded with higher marks on your next quiz or test.

©Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author’s note below (with active links) are included.

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More and more software programs, electronic devices, and websites devoted to foreign languages are being developed daily. Why all the excitement? Why would YOU want to learn a foreign language?

Job Advancement – Get the Competitive Edge

Many large corporations and government agencies have positions requiring a second language. In a country like Canada, which is officially bilingual, someone who knows both French and English will have better employment prospects.

Travel

Travel to a foreign country can be exciting – and also very exasperating if you can’t understand the local speech. Many North Americans are somewhat egocentric in this regard, expecting to find English spoken no matter where they are. Although this is sometimes true in larger cities, don’t expect to find English-speakers in small communities.

Relatives

The world is a melting pot of cultures and languages. You probably have living relatives in other countries with whom you could communicate more effectively if you took the effort to learn at least a few words.

Genealogy Research

Some of your ancestors probably spoke a different language. If you plan to search old genealogical records, you will be more successful with at least a basic understanding of your ancestors’ language(s).

Understanding Your Own Language

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, ‘Wer fremde Sprachen nicht kennt, weiß nichts von seiner eigenen.’ or ‘Those who don’t know foreign languages know nothing of their own.’ Learning a foreign language will give you a much better understanding of English. Your knowledge of English grammar, vocabulary, verb tenses, and sentence construction will improve when you tackle another language.

Self-Actualization and Challenge

If you’ve already been everywhere and done everything – perhaps it’s time to tackle something new. What could be more challenging and rewarding than immersing yourself in another language?

Opera, Poetry, and Prose Appreciation

Artistic works written in a different language often cannot be fully appreciated when translated into English. This is especially obvious when listening to poetry. If poetry is translated into English with a preserved rhyming scheme, the meaning of the poetry is almost always altered. Being able to listen to the original language – with its subtle tones and nuances – will lend to a greater appreciation of the artist.

Culture Appreciation

One can only truly comprehend a foreign culture if the language is also understood. Exactly what is ‘Bratwurst’ or ‘Calvados’? And what about foreign films? Wouldn’t you like to be able to watch something with subtitles – and skip reading them?

Invigorate the Brain

Adults benefit from the brain stimulation produced by language training. Seniors who tackle a foreign language show improved brain function over a period of time. Students who learn foreign languages as children score better on academic tests. There is also evidence to suggest that they may be more creative and resourceful when faced with solving complex tasks.

Learning Teaches You How to Learn

The self discipline and study habits acquired through successful acquisition of a foreign language can be applied to many other aspects of your life.

Studying Abroad

What better way to learn about a country’s culture than to study there? This requires an excellent command of the local language.

Communicate With Someone Secretly in Public

Imagine chatting in public with a friend about something private, knowing that only your friend understands!

Make Online Penpals and Friends

The internet is transforming our world into an intimate global village where you can chat via e-mail, forums, live chat sessions, and audio/video feeds.

Impress a Date?

In closing – male or female – you will make points with your bilingual date by learning a few important words. If your date doesn’t speak a foreign language, he or she will be impressed by the enchanting allure of intimate expressions in one of the ‘romance’ languages.

So – what are you waiting for? Get learning!

©Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author’s note below (with active links) are included.

Becoming a qualified Italian language teacher for foreign students requires a strong preparation and a continuous update. Therefore, it is necessary to attend courses which can improve teachers’ skills and certify at the same time their proficiency.

Just from teachers’ demands who wish to have a complete preparation on teaching Italian as a foreign language, it was born the idea of School Leonardo da Vinci, leader figure in Italian teaching to foreigners, to create a very interesting training course: the Intensive Course of Basic Training for Italian Language Teachers teaching Italian as a foreign language.

Next Intensive Basic Course will start on June at School Leonardo da Vinci in Milan (June 1st-12th), Florence (June 15th-26th) and Rome (June, 29th – July, 10th). The course lasts 70 hours (54 lessons of theory and 16 of practice) and is divided into six lesson plans created to face the several and different participants’ needs.

A part of the course will be entirely dedicated to a specific module in preparation for the exam aimed to the Ditals certification achievement, a diploma issued by the University  for Foreigners of Siena, which certifies the ability level of the teachers of Italian as a foreign language.

In the spirit of providing Italian teachers the most effective ways to put in practice the last innovations in the field of foreign language teaching, this course is based on teacher’s direct observation of classes with different linguistic knowledge levels, encouraging in this way the research of the most appropriate methods and materials for teaching activities.

In addition, to meet all the needs of several foreign teachers of Italian language, this course is included in the projects SOCRATES Comenius/Grundtvig III of the European Community.

The Intensive Training Course therefore, is oriented towards everyone who chose to become a teacher of Italian as a foreign language and want a complete and updated training which the contemporary foreign language teaching requires.

All the information about the courses, such as Dates and Prices, are available on the website of the Italian Language School for foreigners Leonardo da Vinci.

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