How do you keep it going?

I lived in Russia and studied Russian for several semesters in university but just when I felt like I was finally making some head way, life got overwhelming and classes for my degree program conflicted with my beloved Russian courses. I haven’t lived near many people I can continue using the language with and so it has now been years since I have been actively using and studying Russian and I feel I have lost a lot. So how do you keep it going? How do you hold on to your languages?

Christina,

It can be tough when you don’t live in an area where your “other” language is spoken. There are 11 Russian tutors on Edufire, though – I’m sure some of them would be able to help you keep it alive!

Good luck!
~Sandra

This might sound like an off-the-wall answer but the way I’ve been able to keep my spanish up to par for 16 years is by attending church services in spanish… sounds funny but it’s worked for me. I get to listen to someone speak in what is usually their native tongue for at least a couple of hours each weekend and then I talk to people in the congregation afterwards to practice… you can call it divine inspiration. ;)

Sandra ~ Tutoring is great, I just need to channel into the Russian community here and make some friends so I can practice in between sessions =)

Antonio ~ That is fantastic! I would totally go to church in another language, and that would be perfect for my Russian if there was one of my faith nearby that I could attend. But I don’t think that is feasible for me.

haha that’s a such great idea Antonio! I wish you luck on your progress in Spanish as I can see you’re working very hard! :)

Great idea Antonio! The Catholic church I grew up in slowly drew in more Spanish people so that one of the masses each week was done in Spanish. That became the mass that my Mom and I attended—it was beautiful!

Kristin

Where I live every Catholic Church has at least one Spanish Mass and we have an all Spanish Parrish. Unfortunately it’s a bit of a political football but the population is here to support it.

I think that the expression, use it or lose it puts it best. I was hopeless at learning Spanish in Canada, but here in Spain I am learning so much. Using it for 15 mins a day is one way to keep the language fresh in your mind. I have many other pieces of advice for keeping your language going. I’ll put together an article with all my tips and suggestions and post it on my website at: www.helping-you-learn-english.com/advice.html

Great idea about attending Church in your target language. I think the key is using the language to do something else, not just studying the theory.

I like the church idea! Too bad I’m not Catholic. I just try to read in Spanish because I’m not good about practicing with my Spanish-speaking friends. I also watch silly telenovelas. lol They are kind of fun if you get the right one. Not sure if there are Russian ones though! Maybe you could rent a bunch of movies. Other than that I did have to answer the Spanish calls at my last job, but that was pretty basic.

I love watching movies in Spanish. ET cracked me up, lol. Spanish TV works too, reading in spanish, come to eduFire and practice. ;-) There are many ways to keep it up, too bad I have let it go for many years. I have a renewed interest though and hope to get up to speed and maintain what I learn here!

I hate watching movies dubbed over. I’d prefer to watch movies made in their own countries. I watched quite a few American films in Russia and it drove me nuts to hear the English in the background. It was too distracting!

I love it. Not only is it educational but it cracks me up. My kids get a giggle too!

What about reading? Has anyone had successful experience keeping up their second language by reading? This is largely how I have learned Spanish to begin with, so I’m hoping to continue to improve and maintain my Spanish by reading. I read Spanish several times a day for about 15 minutes each time. I mostly read a side-by-side Spanish/English bible, various novels in Spanish and non-fiction books in Spanish.

Reading is great to learn vocabulary and grammer but I have found that languages don’t “sound like they look”. I could read and write German very well but when I got to Germany I was lost until I learned how to listen to it and how to correctly pronounce it.

When I read in Spanish, I always try to do it out loud. My pronunciation is pretty good although I’m sure I’m probably making some mistakes I’m not aware of. I also listen to Spanish books on tape, and my biggest problem there is the speed. So far I am still missing a lot with the speaker speaks quickly. Some speakers speak a little slower and I do much better with those who do.

That’s why I like watching DVD’s with the subtitles – it helps me make the connection if the speaker is going too fast for me.

Reading is great for maintaining your vocab. I wish I would do it more! My main problem is speaking fluidly, even though I understand everything. Sometimes I feel like a kid that grew up with parents that only spoke a foreign language, but that spoke back in English. So, while I can watch TV and listen to conversations effortlessly in Spanish, I struggle to tell stories and explain things in the language. I’m not a very good story-teller in English either (my native language), so I really think it has to do with how I am.

I agree with Sandra…that really helps me when the movie/show is subtitled! It helps me relate what the spoken words sounds like and what they mean in English

And using headphones while watching movies is great too. You can really hear so much better that way.

I’m also learning that keeping up with a new language everyday is very important to “keep it going”…living in San Diego it’s easy to speak Spanish daily with friends, family and co-workers; as many people here speak the language.

I hear that Stephanie! I used Spanish a lot when we lived in San Diego, and I was still working outside of the home. I have gotten rusty though being out of San Diego, and becoming a WAHM, lol.

Tina