If the destination for
your move abroad is a country where English is not the primary language,
overcoming communication barriers will be one of the biggest challenges that
you'll face in your new home. Fortunately, you can help make the transition
easier by getting a head start on learning the official language prior to your
move.
Before you begin
considering ways to learn a new language before moving to Europe, it's
important that you take into consideration the way that you learn best. Do you
tend to remember images, or is it sounds or conversation that stays the freshest
in your memory? Is reading a book helpful for you to master a new concept, or
do you learn better through activities? Whether you learn visually, aurally or
through "doing," there are ways to help you effectively learn a
foreign language to prepare for moving abroad.
Visual Learners
If you learn best
through pictures or reading, purchasing language-learning workbooks can be a
big help. As you begin to develop a basic understanding, build up to reading
newspapers and books written in the foreign language and look up unfamiliar
words to broaden your vocabulary.
Aural Learners
For those who learn
best through hearing, language learning CDs and MP3s are often helpful. You can
also accelerate your learning by watching movies in the foreign language and
listening to popular or traditional music with lyrics written in the tongue.
"Doing" or Tactile
Learners
People who are
"doing" learners typically get great results through online or CD-ROM
courses that combine activities with language lessons. You may also want to
join a conversation club or cultural club here in Australia to meet others
studying the language or native speakers.
Formal courses in
foreign language can be valuable to all types of learners. As a part of our
European relocation services, Chess Moving can help you find language courses
in your new home country or here in Australia. If you are relocating because of
employment, your company may even be willing to pay for all or part of the cost
of formal instruction or self-study foreign language resources.