Hello, and welcome to this week’s tip-of-the-week! If you’ve missed our previous tips-of-the-week, feel free to check them out here.
This week, we’re going to discuss ways to regularly improve your skills as a professional linguist, which will allow you to continually provide quality language services in all of your areas of specialization. They are simple and easy recommendations that are effective, which means you can include them in your daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly routines as painlessly as you currently enjoy your morning cup of coffee.
If you are interested in specializing in a new area, these tips will also help you. They are language-independent and do not require any particular area of specialization. Not ranked in any specific order, here are 5 valuable recommendations for continual improvement:
- Expose yourself to your second language daily. No matter if you have been speaking your second language alongside your first language since the day you were born or if you began studying that language in high school, you should make a point to be exposed to the language at least 15-30 minutes a day, in any form. I favor listening and speaking, since most languages are based off active communication, but any kind of language exposure on any topic is fine.
- Keep a journal. Whether you choose to keep a professional journal detailing your work goals and activities or a personal journal, writing regularly in your second language helps to sharpen skills by bringing attention to any deficiencies in grammar, word choice, and other forms of expression not regularly encountered in normal speech. This type of exercise benefits anyone, since writing things down aids in improving memory.
- Challenge yourself to improve. Read a wide variety of different materials daily to learn new vocabulary, and take part in online discussions on forums related to current topics in order to keep abreast of the latest news, trends, general thoughts, and different people’s opinions.
- Make a habit of listening to radio, watching television, and reading newspapers in your second language. If you regularly listen to a certain radio station, find an equivalent station in your second language. IF you enjoy watching certain TV shows, find similar ones from your second language’s country. If you enjoy keeping up with the news, do it in your second language.
- Challenge yourself with projects. Challenge yourself to occasionally take on projects that may be slightly outside of your comfort zone. You won’t know what you’re capable of if you never try, and by reading and writing on these topics, you are exposing yourself to the vocabulary and writing style used in this kind of material. Once you feel more or less comfortable reading and writing on a specific topic area, you may consider taking on a translation related to the topic. Start out with a shorter translation and see how it goes.
There you go. Five simple, easy, and convenient tips to continually improve your language skills that are as easy as enjoying your morning cup of coffee. What makes these tips so versatile is that you can sue them nearly anywhere: while getting ready in the morning, while relaxing over the weekend, while waiting at the doctor’s office, or as you catch up on the latest news or bestseller.
Do you have any additional tips for improving language skills? What advice do you have for other freelancers interested in breaking into a new area of specialization? We would love to read your thoughts in the comments.
