The Best Language Learning Hack…No Teacher Ever Taught You

Five foreign languages in, thought it was time to share the best way I’ve learned each. How? A pocket notebook.

Here’s the way to build vocabulary in the easiest way:

1. Get a pocket dictionary and carry it around with a pen. (Note: Using your contacts in a smart phone is another way, though somehow typing on a phone isn’t as effective as writing words down).
2. Each time you hear a new word or phrase, first write its translation on the right side in your native language (we’ll use English in this essay).
3. Find a way to remember the new foreign word. Think of a mnemonic device. For example:

— nyaman (“comfortable” in Indonesian): Think about a guy lying on a beach in the Caribbean saying “ya man!”

— kawaii (“cute” in Japanese): Think about the good-looking island of Kauai in Hawaii. Putting them together: KAuai haWAII.

— mubarak (“congratulations” in Urdu): Think about former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak raising a wine glass to say “congrats” (ok, a cheesy example but it worked).

4. Then once you’ve put the foreign word in your flash memory using the mnemonic trick, and your memory will hold onto it for five seconds, write it in the left column (we’ll see later why left side is best). Write it slowly and clearly, for writing it quickly and sloppily will make it harder to remember.