{"id":27023,"date":"2018-01-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-01-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/uncategorized\/speak-language-travel\/"},"modified":"2018-01-26T18:57:32","modified_gmt":"2018-01-26T18:57:32","slug":"speak-language-travel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/speak-language-travel\/","title":{"rendered":"Should I Speak the Language of Where I Travel?"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_15978\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15978\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-15978\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Language-title-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"525\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15978\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Should YOU learn another language?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>As someone who is fascinated by language, I always ask myself this question before I travel somewhere. Is there a way to get more out of this experience? Would knowing that language help me have a more fulfilling trip?<\/p>\n<p>To be honest, sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes it\u2019s no. These days, it\u2019s incredibly easy to learn a language; more so now than even 5-10 years ago. You have a multitude of options and resources at your disposal.<\/p>\n<p>And no, I\u2019m not talking about brushing up on your high school Spanish. I\u2019m talking about learning a new language with actual native speakers from that place you intend to visit. Because it\u2019s easier now than ever to connect with a native speaker and develop your language skills much faster.<\/p>\n<p>Before we get to answer the question of \u201cShould I?\u201d, you can ask yourself \u201cHow can I?\u201d. Although languages are still taught in schools, you can bypass all that boring grammar and those pointless exercises in order to advance to conversational levels in a matter of weeks.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most capable people I know and the most practical on the subject of learning languages is Benny from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentin3months.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fluent in 3 Months<\/a>. He has a list of handy websites he uses to learn a language, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.memrise.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Memrise<\/a>, a flashcard based learning site, <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.ankiweb.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Anki<\/a>, a great mobile phone app, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentin3months.com\/language-learning-podcasts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Innovative Podcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But is it worth investing the time? \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Dialects VS Official Language<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15979\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15979\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15979 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/languages-on-a-sign-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"629\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15979\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The many dialects of a country&#8230;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The official language of a country is where most people want to start. But it\u2019s not always the most reliable way to learn a language. Hindi is the national language of India, but depending on where you travel, Hindi could be considered a foreign language for many Indians.<\/p>\n<p>The advantage is that by learning the major official language, you will have access to a number of good resources. If the national language is popular, you\u2019ll find apps, websites, and maybe even local speakers in your city. But it\u2019s not what you\u2019d expect.<\/p>\n<p>By learning a dialect, or a localized language, you will have some trouble locating good resources online. There are even dialects among dialects. I am an English native speaker, but when I first travelled to Australia, I had a hard time understanding even my own language there.<\/p>\n<p>The benefit of speaking a dialect is that locals will be more enthusiastic to help you out if you try their language. They genuinely love it when you can speak a relatively unknown dialect as a foreigner visiting them. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Learning Key Phrases<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15980\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15980\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-15980\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/talking-phrases-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15980\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Throwing in a phrase or two might be more harmful than helping<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Should you learn key phrases? Maybe. It depends on what you intend on doing. I found that when I learned a few key phrases that just encouraged the people I was speaking with to respond in their language. I couldn\u2019t respond to them because I had only memorised that one phrase.<\/p>\n<p>It was horribly embarrassing. It\u2019s actually a lot easier, and you can spend almost the same amount of time learning the basic structure of the language (verbs, tenses, masculine\/feminine, pronouns\u2026etc). It will take you the same amount of time learning the structure as it would take to memorise a phrase, but you\u2019ll have a much clearer understanding of what someone is trying to tell you.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Speaking with the Locals<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15976\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15976\" style=\"width: 852px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15976\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/better-talking-with-locals.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"852\" height=\"480\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15976\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ask for what you want in THEIR language<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The unfortunate part of speaking a language is that you have to get it wrong. In fact, most experts advise that you start speaking the language you are learning on Day One. Yes, even before you really know anything at all.<\/p>\n<p>It will be slow, painful, and probably make you want to retreat back into your familiar language, but it\u2019s much more productive to speak with a local to learn the way that they would say something. Even better, when you travel, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">live among the locals<\/a> to immerse yourself in the language each and every day.<\/p>\n<p>Not in the country yet? No problem.<\/p>\n<p>There are plenty of sites that allow you to connect with a native speaker of the language you want to learn, and you can talk with them over Skype. It\u2019s free, it\u2019s a good way to learn more about the place you\u2019re travelling to, and you can even make some great friends.<\/p>\n<h2>Further Study<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_15977\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-15977\" style=\"width: 603px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15977 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/GPA-language.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"603\" height=\"645\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-15977\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">a major part of the GPA language course<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Let\u2019s say that you\u2019ve decided that you want to pursue it. You want to delve into the language because you will be spending enough time there for it to matter, and you think it will significantly enhance your experience abroad. Where do you turn?<\/p>\n<p>One approach that seems to be gaining momentum is the <a href=\"https:\/\/growingparticipatorapproach.wordpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Growing Participator Approach<\/a>. You learn with both a native speaker and a speaker of your language. In the first 80 hours of the course, you actually don\u2019t get to speak at all. You simply respond by touching, listening or obeying actions spoken in the native language.<\/p>\n<p>Practitioners of this course swear by its methods and how advanced you can become in the language of your choice. And because you are working with local speakers, you can learn any language you want without finding any different resources.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re only going to be somewhere for a few days, it might not be worth investing your time into learning a new language like <a title=\"Villas in Spain\" href=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Catalan<\/a> or Swedish. But if you think that you\u2019re ready to dive into a culture, there\u2019s no better way to understand somebody than to say it in their mothertongue.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ClubVillamar\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15562\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Follow-Us-on-FB-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[caption id=\"attachment_15978\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"840\"]<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-15978\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Language-title-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"525\" \/> Should YOU learn another language?[\/caption]\n<p>As someone who is fascinated by language, I always ask myself this question before I travel somewhere. Is there a way to get more out of this experience? Would knowing that language help me have a more fulfilling trip?<\/p>\n<p>To be honest, sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes it\u2019s no. These days, it\u2019s incredibly easy to learn a language; more so now than even 5-10 years ago. You have a multitude of options and resources at your disposal.<\/p>\n<p>And no, I\u2019m not talking about brushing up on your high school Spanish. I\u2019m talking about learning a new language with actual native speakers from that place you intend to visit. Because it\u2019s easier now than ever to connect with a native speaker and develop your language skills much faster.<\/p>\n<p>Before we get to answer the question of \u201cShould I?\u201d, you can ask yourself \u201cHow can I?\u201d. Although languages are still taught in schools, you can bypass all that boring grammar and those pointless exercises in order to advance to conversational levels in a matter of weeks.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most capable people I know and the most practical on the subject of learning languages is Benny from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentin3months.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fluent in 3 Months<\/a>. He has a list of handy websites he uses to learn a language, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.memrise.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Memrise<\/a>, a flashcard based learning site, <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.ankiweb.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Anki<\/a>, a great mobile phone app, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fluentin3months.com\/language-learning-podcasts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Innovative Podcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>But is it worth investing the time? \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Dialects VS Official Language<\/h2>\n[caption id=\"attachment_15979\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"840\"]<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15979 size-large\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/languages-on-a-sign-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"629\" \/> The many dialects of a country&#8230;[\/caption]\n<p>The official language of a country is where most people want to start. But it\u2019s not always the most reliable way to learn a language. Hindi is the national language of India, but depending on where you travel, Hindi could be considered a foreign language for many Indians.<\/p>\n<p>The advantage is that by learning the major official language, you will have access to a number of good resources. If the national language is popular, you\u2019ll find apps, websites, and maybe even local speakers in your city. But it\u2019s not what you\u2019d expect.<\/p>\n<p>By learning a dialect, or a localized language, you will have some trouble locating good resources online. There are even dialects among dialects. I am an English native speaker, but when I first travelled to Australia, I had a hard time understanding even my own language there.<\/p>\n<p>The benefit of speaking a dialect is that locals will be more enthusiastic to help you out if you try their language. They genuinely love it when you can speak a relatively unknown dialect as a foreigner visiting them. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Learning Key Phrases<\/h2>\n[caption id=\"attachment_15980\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"840\"]<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-15980\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/talking-phrases-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" \/> Throwing in a phrase or two might be more harmful than helping[\/caption]\n<p>Should you learn key phrases? Maybe. It depends on what you intend on doing. I found that when I learned a few key phrases that just encouraged the people I was speaking with to respond in their language. I couldn\u2019t respond to them because I had only memorised that one phrase.<\/p>\n<p>It was horribly embarrassing. It\u2019s actually a lot easier, and you can spend almost the same amount of time learning the basic structure of the language (verbs, tenses, masculine\/feminine, pronouns\u2026etc). It will take you the same amount of time learning the structure as it would take to memorise a phrase, but you\u2019ll have a much clearer understanding of what someone is trying to tell you.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>Speaking with the Locals<\/h2>\n[caption id=\"attachment_15976\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"852\"]<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-15976\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/better-talking-with-locals.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"852\" height=\"480\" \/> Ask for what you want in THEIR language[\/caption]\n<p>The unfortunate part of speaking a language is that you have to get it wrong. In fact, most experts advise that you start speaking the language you are learning on Day One. Yes, even before you really know anything at all.<\/p>\n<p>It will be slow, painful, and probably make you want to retreat back into your familiar language, but it\u2019s much more productive to speak with a local to learn the way that they would say something. Even better, when you travel, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">live among the locals<\/a> to immerse yourself in the language each and every day.<\/p>\n<p>Not in the country yet? No problem.<\/p>\n<p>There are plenty of sites that allow you to connect with a native speaker of the language you want to learn, and you can talk with them over Skype. It\u2019s free, it\u2019s a good way to learn more about the place you\u2019re travelling to, and you can even make some great friends.<\/p>\n<h2>Further Study<\/h2>\n[caption id=\"attachment_15977\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"603\"]<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15977 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/GPA-language.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"603\" height=\"645\" \/> a major part of the GPA language course[\/caption]\n<p>Let\u2019s say that you\u2019ve decided that you want to pursue it. You want to delve into the language because you will be spending enough time there for it to matter, and you think it will significantly enhance your experience abroad. Where do you turn?<\/p>\n<p>One approach that seems to be gaining momentum is the <a href=\"https:\/\/growingparticipatorapproach.wordpress.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Growing Participator Approach<\/a>. You learn with both a native speaker and a speaker of your language. In the first 80 hours of the course, you actually don\u2019t get to speak at all. You simply respond by touching, listening or obeying actions spoken in the native language.<\/p>\n<p>Practitioners of this course swear by its methods and how advanced you can become in the language of your choice. And because you are working with local speakers, you can learn any language you want without finding any different resources.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re only going to be somewhere for a few days, it might not be worth investing your time into learning a new language like <a title=\"Villas in Spain\" href=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Catalan<\/a> or Swedish. But if you think that you\u2019re ready to dive into a culture, there\u2019s no better way to understand somebody than to say it in their mothertongue.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ClubVillamar\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15562\" src=\"http:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Follow-Us-on-FB-1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":27027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[6727],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Should I Speak the Language of Where I Travel? - Club Villamar<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/speak-language-travel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should I Speak the Language of Where I Travel? - Club Villamar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As someone who is fascinated by language, I always ask myself this question before I travel somewhere. Is there a way to get more out of this experience? Would knowing that language help me have a more fulfilling trip? To be honest, sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes it\u2019s no. These days, it\u2019s incredibly easy to learn a language; more so now than even 5-10 years ago. You have a multitude of options and resources at your disposal. And no, I\u2019m not talking about brushing up on your high school Spanish. I\u2019m talking about learning a new language with actual native speakers from that place you intend to visit. Because it\u2019s easier now than ever to connect with a native speaker and develop your language skills much faster. Before we get to answer the question of \u201cShould I?\u201d, you can ask yourself \u201cHow can I?\u201d. Although languages are still taught in schools, you can bypass all that boring grammar and those pointless exercises in order to advance to conversational levels in a matter of weeks. One of the most capable people I know and the most practical on the subject of learning languages is Benny from Fluent in 3 Months. He has a list of handy websites he uses to learn a language, including Memrise, a flashcard based learning site, Anki, a great mobile phone app, and Innovative Podcasts. But is it worth investing the time? \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Dialects VS Official Language  The official language of a country is where most people want to start. But it\u2019s not always the most reliable way to learn a language. Hindi is the national language of India, but depending on where you travel, Hindi could be considered a foreign language for many Indians. The advantage is that by learning the major official language, you will have access to a number of good resources. If the national language is popular, you\u2019ll find apps, websites, and maybe even local speakers in your city. But it\u2019s not what you\u2019d expect. By learning a dialect, or a localized language, you will have some trouble locating good resources online. There are even dialects among dialects. I am an English native speaker, but when I first travelled to Australia, I had a hard time understanding even my own language there. The benefit of speaking a dialect is that locals will be more enthusiastic to help you out if you try their language. They genuinely love it when you can speak a relatively unknown dialect as a foreigner visiting them. \u00a0 \u00a0 Learning Key Phrases  Should you learn key phrases? Maybe. It depends on what you intend on doing. I found that when I learned a few key phrases that just encouraged the people I was speaking with to respond in their language. I couldn\u2019t respond to them because I had only memorised that one phrase. It was horribly embarrassing. It\u2019s actually a lot easier, and you can spend almost the same amount of time learning the basic structure of the language (verbs, tenses, masculine\/feminine, pronouns\u2026etc). It will take you the same amount of time learning the structure as it would take to memorise a phrase, but you\u2019ll have a much clearer understanding of what someone is trying to tell you. Speaking with the Locals  The unfortunate part of speaking a language is that you have to get it wrong. In fact, most experts advise that you start speaking the language you are learning on Day One. Yes, even before you really know anything at all. It will be slow, painful, and probably make you want to retreat back into your familiar language, but it\u2019s much more productive to speak with a local to learn the way that they would say something. Even better, when you travel, live among the locals to immerse yourself in the language each and every day. Not in the country yet? No problem. There are plenty of sites that allow you to connect with a native speaker of the language you want to learn, and you can talk with them over Skype. It\u2019s free, it\u2019s a good way to learn more about the place you\u2019re travelling to, and you can even make some great friends. Further Study  Let\u2019s say that you\u2019ve decided that you want to pursue it. You want to delve into the language because you will be spending enough time there for it to matter, and you think it will significantly enhance your experience abroad. Where do you turn? One approach that seems to be gaining momentum is the Growing Participator Approach. You learn with both a native speaker and a speaker of your language. In the first 80 hours of the course, you actually don\u2019t get to speak at all. You simply respond by touching, listening or obeying actions spoken in the native language. Practitioners of this course swear by its methods and how advanced you can become in the language of your choice. And because you are working with local speakers, you can learn any language you want without finding any different resources. &nbsp; If you\u2019re only going to be somewhere for a few days, it might not be worth investing your time into learning a new language like Catalan or Swedish. But if you think that you\u2019re ready to dive into a culture, there\u2019s no better way to understand somebody than to say it in their mothertongue. &nbsp;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/speak-language-travel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Club Villamar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ClubVillamar\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-01-05T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-01-26T18:57:32+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/talking-phrases.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Club Villamar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ClubVillamarEN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ClubVillamarEN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Club Villamar\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/speak-language-travel\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/speak-language-travel\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Club Villamar\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/603e65b5e4bf24837757a4b58cfe7b62\"},\"headline\":\"Should I Speak the Language of Where I Travel?\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-05T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-01-26T18:57:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/speak-language-travel\/\"},\"wordCount\":1000,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/speak-language-travel\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/talking-phrases.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Spain\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/speak-language-travel\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/speak-language-travel\/\",\"name\":\"Should I Speak the Language of Where I Travel? 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- Club Villamar","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.clubvillamar.com\/blog\/spain\/speak-language-travel\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Should I Speak the Language of Where I Travel? - Club Villamar","og_description":"As someone who is fascinated by language, I always ask myself this question before I travel somewhere. Is there a way to get more out of this experience? Would knowing that language help me have a more fulfilling trip? To be honest, sometimes the answer is yes, and sometimes it\u2019s no. These days, it\u2019s incredibly easy to learn a language; more so now than even 5-10 years ago. You have a multitude of options and resources at your disposal. And no, I\u2019m not talking about brushing up on your high school Spanish. I\u2019m talking about learning a new language with actual native speakers from that place you intend to visit. Because it\u2019s easier now than ever to connect with a native speaker and develop your language skills much faster. Before we get to answer the question of \u201cShould I?\u201d, you can ask yourself \u201cHow can I?\u201d. Although languages are still taught in schools, you can bypass all that boring grammar and those pointless exercises in order to advance to conversational levels in a matter of weeks. One of the most capable people I know and the most practical on the subject of learning languages is Benny from Fluent in 3 Months. He has a list of handy websites he uses to learn a language, including Memrise, a flashcard based learning site, Anki, a great mobile phone app, and Innovative Podcasts. But is it worth investing the time? \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Dialects VS Official Language  The official language of a country is where most people want to start. But it\u2019s not always the most reliable way to learn a language. Hindi is the national language of India, but depending on where you travel, Hindi could be considered a foreign language for many Indians. The advantage is that by learning the major official language, you will have access to a number of good resources. If the national language is popular, you\u2019ll find apps, websites, and maybe even local speakers in your city. But it\u2019s not what you\u2019d expect. By learning a dialect, or a localized language, you will have some trouble locating good resources online. There are even dialects among dialects. I am an English native speaker, but when I first travelled to Australia, I had a hard time understanding even my own language there. The benefit of speaking a dialect is that locals will be more enthusiastic to help you out if you try their language. They genuinely love it when you can speak a relatively unknown dialect as a foreigner visiting them. \u00a0 \u00a0 Learning Key Phrases  Should you learn key phrases? Maybe. It depends on what you intend on doing. I found that when I learned a few key phrases that just encouraged the people I was speaking with to respond in their language. I couldn\u2019t respond to them because I had only memorised that one phrase. It was horribly embarrassing. It\u2019s actually a lot easier, and you can spend almost the same amount of time learning the basic structure of the language (verbs, tenses, masculine\/feminine, pronouns\u2026etc). It will take you the same amount of time learning the structure as it would take to memorise a phrase, but you\u2019ll have a much clearer understanding of what someone is trying to tell you. Speaking with the Locals  The unfortunate part of speaking a language is that you have to get it wrong. In fact, most experts advise that you start speaking the language you are learning on Day One. Yes, even before you really know anything at all. It will be slow, painful, and probably make you want to retreat back into your familiar language, but it\u2019s much more productive to speak with a local to learn the way that they would say something. Even better, when you travel, live among the locals to immerse yourself in the language each and every day. Not in the country yet? No problem. There are plenty of sites that allow you to connect with a native speaker of the language you want to learn, and you can talk with them over Skype. It\u2019s free, it\u2019s a good way to learn more about the place you\u2019re travelling to, and you can even make some great friends. Further Study  Let\u2019s say that you\u2019ve decided that you want to pursue it. You want to delve into the language because you will be spending enough time there for it to matter, and you think it will significantly enhance your experience abroad. Where do you turn? One approach that seems to be gaining momentum is the Growing Participator Approach. You learn with both a native speaker and a speaker of your language. In the first 80 hours of the course, you actually don\u2019t get to speak at all. You simply respond by touching, listening or obeying actions spoken in the native language. Practitioners of this course swear by its methods and how advanced you can become in the language of your choice. And because you are working with local speakers, you can learn any language you want without finding any different resources. &nbsp; If you\u2019re only going to be somewhere for a few days, it might not be worth investing your time into learning a new language like Catalan or Swedish. 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