I came to the USA about twelve years ago. I did not know anyone here, other then my family, nor did I speak the language. Even though I studied English hard for years in my native country I struggled to strike a meaningful conversation with anyone. The best way to learn English, or any other language for that matter, is to read as much as possible and more importantly to read it out loud. I used this method for years; I would read books, articles, comics or anything else I could get my hands on as long as it was out loud. This process helped me hear myself pronounce the words, phrases, and complete sentences. It also helped me understand phrases or words in sentences that individually would not stick in my head. I remember sitting in front of the TV for hours, just watching local channels to compare my pronunciation to the one used by actors or TV hosts. Hearing others speak the language helps you understand the words, combine phrases, and finally make up sentences or paragraphs. I spent countless hours trying to master the new language, having read many books, heard pre-recorded tapes, and watched TV. At the time I did not realize this but it was just a long preparation to get out to the world and actually use the newly acquired skills. Naturally, to my surprise, the first encounters with strangers proved that my knowledge of the language was very limited. It wasn’t the fact that my vocabulary was poor or that I haven’t learned how to properly pronounce words but rather that my nerves took over and I could not say anything that made sense. See, at the time I did not realize how powerful of a force social networking really is. It took me years of practice and work in a corporate environment where English was the only language spoken to really feel comfortable with myself talking.

Learning a language is as tough and time consuming task as they get. No one can tell you the key to learning the language or provide you with a secret ingredient. It’s a hard task regardless of what language you tackle so it basically comes down to the same things athletes, actors, and champions do – determination and persistence as major factors in achieving your personal goals.