“The best time to start doing something was a year ago.  Failing that, today will do” – Seth Godin.

I believe the same is true for learning languages.  The desire to start a foreign language usually comes about from some unexpected inspiration – you make a new friend from overseas, you hear a sexy accent, you gorge yourself on some delicious food in a French restaurant (hence the picture – sorry, French speakers), or something else.

Turning that desire into reality comes down to just one thing:

Strike while the iron is hot:  use the inspiration to commit to trying to learn the language then and there.   If you wait, the inspiration might fade away into the background until you see your friend again, hear that accent, or go back to that restaurant.  If you really want to learn, don’t wait!

The commitment doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming.  There are a stack of actions you can take – miniscule or major – to kick-start your domination of the language you want to learn: Read the rest of this entry →

“I really want to learn [foreign language].”

I see this on a lot of to-do lists and goal summaries.  Being a self-confessed language geek, I love seeing this on lists… but where to start? Here are a few basic steps you can take right now if you’ve been wanting to get started but haven’t pulled the trigger.

The good news

Getting started is the biggest hurdle.  Sure, actually learning the language, memorising vocabulary, understand grammar and the myriad other things involved will also keep you amused:  but getting started is the first challenge.  Why is this good new?  Because once you start, if you really make an effort, you’l love it so much you won’t look back.

What you can do right now:  commitment-phobes and OCDers (like me) all welcome

In no particular order, here are some steps you can take today if you’ve been wanting to get started. Read the rest of this entry →