Wanderboomer

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5 Fun Ways to Learn a Foreign Language Fast

Bonjour!

Right after posting my last blog in which I shared my desire to brush up on French this summer, my travel plans changed. Instead of visiting a French-speaking country perhaps, I’m off to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands instead.

Sooo I’ve decided to put my French on hold and switch language gears fast, not that I’m complaining! Since I’ve never studied Spanish and want to acquire a little of the local language before my trip, I’ve come up with a plan to maximize my learning time without stressing myself out. My goal is not to gain fluency, but to show appreciation and respect to  people in the local community. Here’s what I intend to do to get ready:

Listen to CD’s in the Car

This is the perfect place to practice, especially when no one’s in the car with me. I can see my daughter nodding her head in agreement right now. In the sanctity of my car, I can listen to the native speaker and repeat to my heart’s content without worrying that my pronunciation may obliterate any hopes for world peace.

Plaster Flash Cards Around the House

I’ll learn basic vocabulary by putting flash cards on my refrigerator (the first place I thought of), the bathroom mirror, the furniture, and the hamster cage, though I admit the odds are slim that I’ll have any opportunity to throw that last one into a conversation with my local hosts.

Eat in Latin American Restaurants

First, the refrigerator, and now restaurants. Are you sensing any theme here? But really, what better way to experience the local culture than through its food? And to be certain I know how to order, so that I end up with something close to what I think I’m getting, I’ll practice reading menus here first.

Play Latino Music

My love of music is eclectic, but this trip will give me a good excuse to pull out my opera, Florencia en el Amazonas, by composer Daniel Catan, as well as pop music by Marc Antony. See what I mean by eclectic?

Download an App for That

I’m still investigating which apps will serve my language learning needs best. For sure I’ll look for one of Latin American Spanish, though, to avoid the experience I had traveling in Brazil. I had purchased Portuguese tapes before my trip and had practiced diligently. But after seeing the look on my host’s face when I said a few of the phrases, I knew something wasn’t quite right. He asked where I had learned my Portuguese.  After I showed him my phrasebook, he replied: “Ah, but that is Portugal Portuguese, not Brazilian Portuguese!” Wouldn’t you know?

For me, the key to making this work is to seamlessly integrate my Spanish language learning into my daily routine – and have fun while I’m doing it.

How about you? Before you head off on your next world adventure, why not learn a few words and phrases in the local language to get the most out of your trip?

What tips do you have for learning a foreign language in a hurry?

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I Never Met a Foreign Language I Didn’t Like

That’s mostly true, though I do have an affinity for a few languages more than others. I love the spoken and written word in English, my native language, but I’m also drawn to French, Russian and Portuguese. And how can I leave out Italian when I love Italian food and Puccini operas so much? I can’t.

For me each language is a portal to an exotic, mysterious way of life so different from my own. Over the years I’ve studied several foreign languages, but fluency in any has eluded me. There’s a well-known joke in international circles that goes like this:

“What do you call someone who can speak many languages?”
Answer: Multilingual.
“What do you call someone who can speak three languages?”
Answer: Trilingual.
“What do you call someone who can speak two languages?”
Answer: Bilingual.
“What do you call someone who can speak one language?”
Answer: American!

Yikes. I never wanted to be that person. So I’ve learned a few basic phrases for various situations I might encounter when traveling to other countries, such as meeting and greeting others, learning how to ask where the nearest bathroom is, how to order in restaurants, and what to do in case of emergencies.

Of course, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. When visiting Paris, I stood in line next to a “Tours” sign outside Notre Dame Cathedral, planning to learn from an authoritative guide to enhance the educational value of my visit. I did think it was odd when the single line started climbing up, up and away, without a tour guide in sight, until we reached the top of the cathedral where several gargoyles were poised to greet us outside. Only later did I discover that “tours” in French means “towers.” Oh.

Reflecting back on that experience, I’ve decided the time has come to brush the dust off my French language books and tackle the language one more time. The question is: can we Baby Boomers truly master a second language at our advanced age?

Let’s look at the facts:

1) We’re motivated to learn, especially if we plan to travel to a place where the language we want to acquire is spoken.

2) We have more time on our hands, especially if we’re retired. But I’m not, and have no plans to for the immediate future. So where am I going to find the time to study French? I’ve enrolled in a self-paced, on-line program.

3) We have more disposable income, at least we did until the economy took a nose-dive. But . .

4) We’re resourceful and know how to find discounts. For this time around on my language learning, I’ve decided to sign up for a course with Livemocha. Why this program as opposed to others I could have chosen? Because of a special offer I discovered on Groupon. I can take a one week free trial and then take advantage of my two-month Groupon special.

5) We’re optimists. Okay, I made that one up. But we are, aren’t we? If we weren’t, why would we travel and seek out new destinations to explore? Because we hope something marvelous lies right around the bend, just beyond the horizon, over the next hill. Heck no, we’re not over the hill. We can do this!

Tell me, Wanderboomers:

  • What foreign language(s) do you still want to learn?
  • Are there particular phrases you’ve found helpful to know in another language when you travel?
  • Have any of you had any language mishaps, like mine at Notre Dame?

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Where in the World Are We?

I’m making one last ditch effort to engage my tween on our road trip back to Seattle. This time I pull out International Landmarks by educatedKid, a large deck of cards with photographs of 40 famous landmarks on one side and interesting facts and statistics about the landmarks on the reverse side. For example, who knew that the Sydney Opera House has the largest mechanical organ with 10,500 pipes? Or that the official paint of The Golden Gate Bridge is known as “international orange?”

The World Wonders on these cards cover 6 continents, 18 countries and 30 cities. A challenging activity for any of us would be to identify what we think the 40 landmarks are before even looking at the cards. Go ahead. I’ll give you two minutes to write down 40 world renowned landmarks. Ready? On your mark, get set, GO!

No fair peeking at the list at the end of this blog until you’re done.

Although the photography could be more appealing, the cards provide a fun way for both kids and adults to learn about the sites. The deck comes with a brief list of cross-cultural activities to expand upon the images and inspire further discoveries. I had intended to provide a link for the cards but alas! They’re no longer in print. However, I did discover an alternative: Rand McNally Schoolhouse World Facts & Landmarks Flashcards and Games. And this deck includes 44 world landmarks. Okay, you know what’s coming. Go ahead. I’ll give you another 30 seconds to come up with 4 more landmarks to add to your list. You did make a list, didn’t you?

You may wonder how successful I was in using any of these card decks to stimulate conversation with my tween on our road trip. Sigh. Not much, I’m afraid. But I like to think I planted a few seeds for thought and later discussion. And I learned something, too. That sometimes the best times together come from simply breaking out of our everyday routines and enjoying the drive in silence.

FYI ~ Here’s the list of International Landmarks through the eyes of educatedkids:

Arc de Triomphe                                           Pyramid of Kukulkan
Big Ben & Westminster Palace                  Sagrada Familia
Brandenburg Gate                                         St. Basil’s Cathedral
Catedral Metropolitano                              Sphinx
Colosseum                                                        Statue of Liberty
Eiffel Tower                                                      Stonehenge
Forbidden City                                               Supreme Court
Golden Gate Bridge                                       Sydney Opera House
Gondolas of Venice                                      Taj Mahal
Great Pyramid                                                Temple of Luxor
Great Wall                                                         Temple of Ramses II
Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests            Terra Cotta Army
Little Mermaid                                                Torii of Itsukushima
Moai of Rapa Nui                                            Tower Bridge
Mont-St-Michel                                              Tower of Pisa
Neuschwanstein                                             U.S. Capitol
Notre Dame                                                      Washington Monument
Parthenon                                                         White House
Pentagon                                                           Windmills of Holland
Phra Si Rattana Chedi                                  World Trade Center (references 9/11)

How many of these landmarks made your list? How many have you seen, Wanderboomers?

Leave a comment here to let me know how you did and to share your favorite sites.

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Pick a Card, Any Card

The Art of Travel Conversation scores an A+ on packaging design. You can’t help but be inspired by the beautiful art and travel words gracing the cover of this deck of cards. Comprehensive and sophisticated in their approach, Australian authors Keith Lamb and Louise Howland focus on “travel discussion that involves both serious thought and fun.” Clearly, the objective is not only to ignite conversation, but also to increase players’ knowledge and understanding of the world.

Topics include history, politics and geography, environmental awareness, areas of travel interest and creative pursuits. Each card contains three questions or imagination-starters, ranging in difficulty from elementary to advanced levels. The cards come with a 32-page booklet filled with tips for using the cards and an expansive section on word definitions, together with descriptions of places and landmarks, providing a strong educational component. The addition of three blank cards encourages players to generate their own questions based on their travel experiences or interests.

Though the cards are presented as questions that can be used with children as young as five, I find that they are best suited to those with advanced travel vocabulary and more travel experiences under their belt. Even though the first level of questions targets elementary-age children, younger kids will need adults to explain or rephrase many of the statements, quotes and questions.

Many thanks to authors Keith Lamb and Louise Howland for the opportunity to take these cards for a practice run.

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And We’re Off!

We’re heading down the highway from Seattle to Portland. It’s late in the day, and my goal is to have a pleasant enough trip with my reluctant tween in tow. I have a business gig on Friday and a birthday on Monday so Portland presents the perfect opportunity for a weekend getaway celebration. Except I seem to be the only one excited about getting out of town. Never fear, however. I’ve brought along a few different decks of travel cards to spark engaging conversation. My challenge is to figure out a way to have my daughter remove her iPod earphones long enough for her to actually hear what I’m saying. Hey – I can dream, can’t I?

Here’s what I brought along for entertainment: Travel Table Topics to Go, The Art of Travel Conversation and International Landmarks. Let’s start with the first one. I’ll talk about the last two card decks in separate blog posts to follow.

Travel Table Topics to Go is a series of 40 cards all related to travel that slip inside a plastic case. The cards are designed for ages 10 and up. The beauty lies in their simplicity. Each card has one question. Out of the 40 cards, 38 are presented as either Wh-questions (e.g. “What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen?”) or imagination-starters (e.g. “If you could trade houses with someone for two weeks whose house would you choose?” or “If you went on a volunteer vacation, who would you most like to help?”). Only two are presented as yes/no questions, a good thing since these have the potential to be conversation-stoppers rather than conversation-starters.  For instance, how do you think your teen would answer the question: “Have you ever had a psychic or out-of-body experience?” Uh-oh. On second thought, are you sure you’re ready to hear the answer to that question?


Hello fellow wanderboomers! I’m a Seattle-based travel journalist, specializing in fun travel adventures for the young at heart. My articles have been featured in Hemispheres, AAA Highroads Magazine and Northwest Travel & Life Magazine where I'm a frequent contributor. When this Wanderboomer isn’t traveling, I help global executives polish their personal and professional brand for long-term results.
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