Keeping a Journal will help you learn new languages faster

Who doesn’t want to learn new languages? In the era of globalization, knowing a foreign language is not only important because it helps you make connections while you travel, but also because it leads to progression of one’s career.

That being said, language learning is not an easy endeavor. You need to organize your activities in a system, which will keep you committed to practice every single day. This is where the language journal is useful. Also, consider reading How to Learn a New Language Quickly and Efficiently.

Are you wondering how journaling is related to language learning?

Gemma Gaten, a content writer at BestEssays, explains how she used this method:

“I decided to start learning German although I had zero contact with the language before. It’s a challenging language, to say the least. So I had to think of a method that would force me to stay committed. I opted for journaling. I started writing daily entries and that really boosted my memory. Plus, the journal showed my progress, so I never got disappointed.”

How the Language Journal helps you learn New Languages better

• First and most important of all, journaling helps you set goals. When you have goals, it’s easier to stay committed to a goal, knowing that you make steady achievements each day. For example, you may set goals to learn ten new words per day and two grammar rules per week. You may also set this goal: daily practice of 10 minutes for 40 days in a row. After that, language learning will become a habit. Needless to say, you won’t just set the goals. You’ll write daily entries in your journal, so you’ll note down your progress.
• The journal will keep all new words and phrases you learn in a separate section. When you need a reminder, it will be easy for you to find it there.
• The journal will witness your progress. When you compare your latest entries with the early ones, you’ll evaluate how much you’ve learned. That’s a strong motivating factor that pushes you to carry on.
• Journaling gives you a chance to work on your mistakes. Read your older entries. Maybe you didn’t notice the mistakes then, but it’s more likely that you’ll see them now.
• Clearly, the journal helps with your writing practice. That’s an immensely important part of language learning. When you become a better writer, those skills will translate into your overall communication in the foreign language.
• Journaling is a daily responsibility. It will help you focus. When you get the thought of giving up, it will prevent you from listening to it. Journaling takes no more than 10 minutes per day. It’s not a challenging activity, so you’ll push yourself to do it.

Only Proper Journaling Supports the Language Learning Process

Now you know why journaling is important for the language learning process. Now, let’s focus on the how. There’s a right way to do this.

Start by Setting Goals

You’re not fluent in the foreign language yet, so you may do this part in your native language at first. Leave a significant section of the notebook for this part. You’ll start with simple goals, such as learn 5 new words every day. With time, you’ll progress to more challenging goals, such as write one essay per week. You’ll break up your goals into monthly, weekly, and daily achievements. You’ll have a plan that will keep the process organized.

Maintain a Section of Words and Phrases

The next section of your journal will be dedicated to the new words and phrases you learn. This will be your personal dictionary. Whenever you learn a new word, write it down. At the beginning, you may translate the words in your own language. As you make progress, try defining the words and phrases in the language you’re learning.

Have a Grammar Section

This is where you’ll write and explain all grammar rules you learn. You won’t be rewriting entire paragraphs from a textbook. You have to try to comprehend the rules and explain them in your own words.

Word Building Part

Biology, biologize, biological, biologically – that’s called word building, and it’s one of the most interesting aspects of language learning. Keep a separate section for practicing word building.

The Section of Shame

Kidding. There’s no shame in this. Making mistakes is part of language learning. No one ever walked through this journey without making mistakes. Successful language learners, however, recognize their mistakes and stop making them. That’s what this section will be about. Keep track of your mistakes, whenever you notice them in your old journal entries or someone warns you about them.

The Practice Section

Yes! You may practice the language online. When you write words and sentences in the journal, however, you’ll be more focused. Handwriting makes you think since you don’t have the autocorrect feature catching and fixing your flaws. Write sentences or short text in this section every day.

The Actual Journal

So this is a journal, after all. Treat it as one. In this part, you’ll write about your day. Maybe you won’t be able to write much when you start learning the language, but you’ll keep building up. These daily entries will keep you motivated to learn new words. Most of all, they will help you to start expressing yourself in the foreign language. That’s how you become fluent.

You probably assumed you’ll need a huge notebook for journaling. Well, you may get a really big notebook, but you may also get separate notebooks for different sections. You’ll keep one for new words, grammar rules, and mistakes, and another one for practice and journaling. It’s your choice. The important thing is to organize the journal in the right way, so you’ll always find something when you need a reminder. Check out Setting Goals for Language – Learning Program.

 

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