Create a Foreign Language Immersion Environment (Step 5)

As most people say, the best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it.

To immerse yourself in a language is to be in an environment where you are constantly exposed to the language.

How does this exposure benefit you?

It forces you to practice the language all the time, and as a result, you just get better and better at it.

Now, traveling abroad is an option, but it's not without its complications and financial costs.

But luckily for us, there's a much simpler way which requires absolutely nothing but an Internet connection and a device to access it.

And on this page, I'll walk you through, step by step, the entire process of creating a foreign language immersion environment so that you can constantly improve your language skills from the comfort of your home.

In that process, I'll even explain how you can teach yourself a language.

How Do You Create a Foreign Language Immersion Environment at Home?

If you've followed Steps 1 through 4, here's what you should already be able to accomplish:

And now, you're ready for the final step: Creating a language immersion environment at home.

Here's how you can do this in a nutshell:

Dedicating 1 hour or more per day to practice with language partners
Changing the language of your phone and other devices you use to the target language
Changing the language of your social network platforms, apps and programs
Watching movies and TV shows with subtitles
Following people (on social networks) who post in the target language

I'm going to explain each of these in details on this page so that you can successfully make them a part of your environment.

Dedicating 1 Hour Per Day to Practice with Language Partners

As we saw at Step #1, allocating a time slot for practice every single day is both beneficial in terms of motivation and in terms of improving your language skills.

And at Step #3, we saw where to find language partners and how to maintain a healthy relationship with them.

That's all you need to start practicing. Really.

But you might be wondering:

"How am I expected to practice a language if I don't speak it yet?"

Well, I'm about to show you how that's possible and that anyone can pull it off. (I actually learned Portuguese from scratch this way.)

Learning a Language the Right Way with Google Translate

Maybe you've heard that using is a terrible way to learn a language.

And yes, if you've been using it for a while, you probably noticed that it can generate terrible translations.

It can, however, if used in a cautious way, be a powerful tool to learn a language.

But in order to do so, it is crucial that you use Google Translate mainly as a means of communication.

In other words, the translations Google Translate give you are to be used solely as means to maintain a back and forth communication with your language partner.

Now, you might be asking yourself:

"But how can you actually learn anything if you just use a translator?"

Well, here comes the important part.

You need to learn from how your partner actually uses the language.

For now, assume that he/she is using the language correctly.

As you get better, you'll probably have practiced with several people and you'll have learned to recognize mistakes and different language varieties.

Alright, now that you have an idea of how you'll use Google Translate, I'll show you how you can teach yourself a language with it.

The Process of Teaching Yourself a Language - Creating Grammar Rules

Since there will be no one else to teach you the language, YOU are the one who will be in charge of teaching it to yourself.

As I mentioned earlier, you'll learn mostly from the language used by the people you practice with.

These people are there to provide you with the needed exposure to the language and you must respond to this exposure by actively absorbing the information you receive and processing it.

As you start practicing a language with someone, you'll create the grammar rules yourself which will be based on your observation.

How can you create these grammar rules?

Each time your partner tells you something, you first translate it, if you don't know what it means.

Could that translation be inaccurate? Sure.

But that is beyond the point; with the context, you should have a pretty good idea of what your partner is saying, although not 100% of the times (we'll see more details on how to solve this later).

Also, I suggest you click on the audio icon to have an idea of the pronunciation:

After you've understood what your partner said comes the most important step:

You need to analyze it (the original text, not the translation).

Locate the subject, the verb and the object and notice where they are positioned in the sentence.

Note that, in the beginning, you may have to translate the individual words of the text to know what the subject, verb and object are, although you shouldn't need to do that for long.

Here are some questions you might want to ask yourself as you go along:

"Are the subject, verb and object always in this order?"
"If not, in which cases are they in different orders?"
"Is the subject always written with a special ending?"
"Does the ending vary?"
"Is the verb always written the same way?"
"If so, is there an extra word in the sentence to indicate the past tense and the future tense?"
"Are you noticing any special features to this language?"

These are the types of questions you should ask yourself every time you are exposed to the language.

The answers to these questions are in fact the grammar rules you'll be creating in your mind which will allow you to understand and speak the language without using a translator.

The more you'll have researched the features of the target language at Step #4, the more easily you'll be able to come up with such questions.

Then, when you'll have created a basic set of rules, put them into action and try to speak the language without using a translator.

Try to remember some of the words your practice partner used and try to express your own ideas with them.

You may make some mistakes at first, but as you observe how your partner speaks, you'll notice how to correctly say things and improve for the next time.

And most importantly:

Go for vocal conversations as soon as you've created a basic set of grammar rules.

Why?

Because having vocal conversations will increase your language skills faster than by just exchanging written messages.

Possible Communication Issues During Practice - How to Fix Them

Remember that Google Translate is a very imperfect tool.

So, when you're practicing with your partner in the target language, sometimes you'll say something that your partner won't understand at all.

Sometimes, the opposite will happen.

How can you avoid this?

You can do so by verifying the translations.

Next, I'll explain several techniques for checking your translations and, if they happen to be incorrect, I'll show you how to find the correct translation.

Back-Translations - Hacking Google Translate to Get Accurate Translations

One thing I often do when practicing are back-translations.

When I doubt one of Google Translate's translations in the language I'm practicing (quite a common occurrence, believe it or not), I translate it back to the language I originally translated it from, again with Google Translate.

If it comes back a word with an entirely different meaning, I'll know that I have to keep searching to find the correct translation.

And if it's just a single word in a short sentence that's the issue, I'll isolate that word and put it back into Google Translate on its own.

But that's not all...

Below the translation box, there'll often be a list of possible translations for the word I just inputted (the list is only available for translations involving English):

From that list, simply pick the most suitable word.

Translating To and From Another Language

If none of the possible translations suggested by Google Translate are suitable, I can try to translate from another language.

The best part about this?

You don't need to be fluent in that language to use this technique, you just need to know the word/term in question.

I'll explain...

For example, I, knowing French and English, usually use Google Translate from English (by preference) to Portuguese when there's a word in Portuguese I don't know.

The word in English I'm trying to translate may have several possible meanings, so the output in Portuguese might be the incorrect one.

The solution? Translate that word from another language (French in my case).

Indeed, it could be that in French, there's one word only for that specific meaning, so inputting that word in French will give me the correct output in Portuguese.

You can even use this technique in the opposite scenario in which your partner tells you a word in his/her language and its translation in Google Translate doesn't make any sense.

Just use Google Translate and translate this word into some other languages you are familiar with, in order to know what it means.

Checking the Word in Google Images

If you're not familiar with another language and re-translating the word did not bring you success, then there are still options for you to check if a translation makes any sense.

If appropriate, what I do sometimes is I type a word or a sequence of words from the translation into the search field of the Google website and then I click the Images tab directly below the search field:

If the images generated in the results correspond to the translated word or sequence of words, then you know that the translation made sense.

That's a cockroach alright!

You can do the same thing when you're not sure about the meaning of a word your partner tells you in his/her language.

In any case, the images generated should give you a good idea of what that word means.

Using Wikipedia to Translate a Technical Term

If I am dealing with a technical term and I want to translate it into a language I don't know very well, I sometimes enter it into the search field of Wikipedia in the language I know and try to access an article that has the same name.

If I do find it, I then select the language (if available) I want to translate it to on the left-hand side of Wikipedia:

Wikipedia article language

This changes the language of the article and in the title of the article in that other language, I find my translation.

Now to double-check it, I enter it on Google Translate and translate it back to a language I know and if it translates back to more or less my original technical term, then I will know that the translation was correct.

Taking it a Step Further, do a Google Search

The final technique I'll explain here involves doing a search on Google. This is mainly to check if a sequence of words is written correctly, whether it is a product of a translation or of your own mind.

Here's how you can use this:

Step #1: Translate a sequence of words

First, translate a sequence of words into the target language with Google Translate. Let's pretend that you are unsure about this translation.

Make sure that you translate a short sequence of words and not a whole sentence, since, when you'll use it to do a Google search thereafter, you might get too few search results, or perhaps none at all if you've used a whole sentence.

Step #2: Put this translation in quotes on Google

In the search field on Google, type this translation in quotation marks and hit Enter. Take note of the number of results that this search yielded.

Step #3: Put your next best guess in quotes on Google

Try to come up with what you think is the correct translation. Similarly, perform a search on Google with this sequence of words and take note of how many results you have obtained.

Your guess can be as simple as changing the word order if that's what you're not sure about.

Step #4: Compare the number of results yielded by each

Now, compare the number of results you obtained from your guess with the number of results you obtained from Google Translate's translation.

If both yielded a low number of results, you should keep searching for a suitable translation. However, if one of them yielded a significantly higher number of results than the other, then the translation with the higher number of results is likely to be the correct or more accepted translation.

Concrete example with a short sentence in Portuguese

Here is an example of a short sequence of words that I want to translate into Portuguese:

"He quickly opened the door"

Google Translate gave me Ele rapidamente abriu a porta as a translation, which I should definitely question.

I inputted this into the search field on the Google website and did a search which gave me 970 results.

Then, I tried instead my next best guess as to what the translation should be: Ele abriu a porta rapidamente which gave me 3090 results, which is over 3 times more results than the translation Google Translate gave me.

Also, every time you do a Google search, make sure that you look at the results you obtain below to ensure that they show exactly the translation, not only part of it and not in two different sentences.

Note also that you don't need to be able to guess what the translation should be; if you enter ANY sequence of words on Google that should be popular and it returns very few results, it is likely incorrect or unfavored.

When comparing translations, however, the translation with the higher number of results usually means (but not necessarily) that it's most likely the correct or preferred translation.

By the way, a native speaker of Brazilian Portuguese told me that the translation "Ele abriu a porta rapidamente", with the more results, is indeed the preferred one and that the other from Google Translate with less results isn't.

Things to Keep in Mind While Practicing

Regardless of the results of any of the techniques I suggested so far, you should never assume with a 100% certainty that a translation or something you formulated in the target language is both accurate and grammatically correct.

The more you practice, however, the higher the degree of accuracy and grammaticality you will be able to achieve when speaking this language, and also, the less you will need to use Google Translate to communicate.

Here are a few key things to keep in mind during your practice:

Don't just find one practice partner...

..and rely on him/her to be there to practice with you whenever you're available to do so.

In most cases, it's extremely easy to get in touch with someone to practice a language with.

Make an extensive use of language exchange and dating websites. Don't be content with messaging just a few potential practice partners; message tons of them. Try to get about 7 solid partners (one for every day of the week, if you want) and if one of them decides to bail on you, just replace this partner.

Don't be shy to have vocal conversations.

In fact, you should try to have vocal conversations as soon as possible.

Why?

Because you won't learn to speak a language by just writing, reading and listening, you have to put yourself out there and practice.

Trust me, I've studied German in school for several years, and although I knew the grammar very well, I could barely speak the language, because I had never dared to have conversations with people in German.

Don't be scared to make mistakes and look like a fool.

If you're scared, you shouldn't be. It's perfectly normal and expected for a language learner to make mistakes.

Tell yourself that every time you talk, you get better and that this is all that matters.

So, perhaps you'll have mispronounced many words on your first exchange with your partner, but don't let that bother you because next time, you will come back improved.

Besides, you may even be fortunate enough to stumble across someone who will willingly correct your pronunciation and try to show you how to pronounce some sounds correctly.

And last but not least...

Don't rely on anyone but yourself to teach you the language...

...since we are learning languages on our own here.

In this next section, I will tell you about the other ways to immerse yourself further to maximize your learning.

Watch Movies with Subtitles

Watching TV

A great way to learn a language is to watch movies with subtitles.

And the good news is that this can easily be a part of your immersion environment.

From now on, every time you want to watch a movie, try to watch it with subtitles.

Now, that could be one of three options:

Watch a movie in a language you understand with subtitles in the target language
Watch a movie in the target language with subtitles in a language you know
Watch a movie in the target language with subtitles in the target language

The First Option

The first option is good because you get to learn the grammar and how to write in the target language. However, it's lacking in that you don't actually hear any of the pronunciation of the target language.

The Second Option

Now, the second option, in my opinion, is the best. As you read and understand the subtitles, you can listen to the spoken language. It actually teaches you how to say the things you're reading, in the target language.

The Third Option

The third option is used to learn how the language is pronounced, but it's also some good exposure if you already understand the target language to some extent.

In the end, though, it goes according to your needs.

So, perhaps for someone who finds exposure to the written portion of the language more valuable, then the first and third options might be best for them.

One last thing...

Don't hesitate to pause the movie if there's something you absolutely don't understand; quickly translate it to know what it means and then unpause your movie when you're done.

Watching movies to learn a language is both effective and at the same time it can be fun IF the movie is entertaining of course.

Change the Language of Your Operating Systems (Computer, Tablet, Phone)

Change the language of your devices

Changing the language of my operating systems is a technique I tried several years ago when I was learning Norwegian.

The result?

It helped me learn the language by getting some much needed exposure to it.

Now, let me start with a word of caution.

Changing the language of your operating systems has both benefits and drawbacks.

The main benefit is that it allows you to immerse yourself further and learn the language.

And a major drawback is that, at the beginning, you'll be slower at performing tasks on your devices.

Let me tell you about my experience so that you know what to expect:

Years ago, I installed Windows in Norwegian on my computer. As a result, for every operation I performed on my computer, the text accompanying these operations was in Norwegian.

Sometimes, I didn't need to read the Norwegian text because I already knew what it meant from memory of having performed that operation in Windows in English.

However, I still read the Norwegian text in order to learn from it and associate it with a meaning (a meaning which I knew from Windows in English).

So, just as with movies with subtitles, a connection in my brain was being made between the text in Norwegian I was reading and my memory of what that text meant in English.

And, some other times, I was dealing with less familiar operations.

I actually had to pick up a translator or a dictionary to figure out what the text meant, because I didn't want to do operations that would cause unwanted results.

As a downside result, switching the language of the operating system in the beginning made tasks on the computer more time-consuming, because I had to take the time to understand what the text meant.

So, again, be careful when using this technique; make sure you have enough time to do the tasks you intend to do on your computer.

Also, note that you can change the language of the operating system of your mobile devices (cell phone and tablet) and of the programs and apps you install for extra exposure to the target language.

Follow People on Social Networks

The last technique I'll show you is no less important because I'm sure that most of you use some kind of social network, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus, etc.

Why do social networks matter in language learning?

Because these social networks that you use on a daily basis are an important source of language; the flow of information on these networks is immense and it is easily accessible.

You can access this valuable source by following people on Facebook, Twitter and G+ who regularly post in the language you are learning.

In practically no time, your news feed will be bombarded with material in the language you are learning which contributes to the immersion environment.

How can you actually do this?

The procedure is slightly different on every social network, but the principles are the same.

Here's how you can do it on Facebook:

Step 1: Type a subject you're interested in Facebook's search field up top.

In this example, let's say we like dogs and we want to learn German. So, we'll type the German word for dog: Hunde.

Following people on Social Networks

Step 2: Click on the People tab and look at the results.

Step 3: Click on someone in the list who might post about dogs in German.

I chose this one:

Step 4: Scroll down and look at what kind of posts she makes.

As you can see, this lady regularly posts about something we're interested in and she does so in the language we want to be exposed to. So, we can have our cake and eat it too.

Step 5: Just click the Follow button and you're set.

Now, repeat these steps until your news feed shows a good amount of posts in the language you're learning.

Remember that you can also follow pages:

If you check the first result, it's a page that actively posts about dogs:

All you need to do is click Like and make sure you click "See First" under "IN YOUR NEWS FEED".

That's all there is to it.

In addition to following people, don't be afraid to change the language of the interface of your Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus to expose yourself even more to the language.

Putting Everything into Practice

So, from that point on, if you've followed the method offered on this website, you should be well on your way to success.

All you need to do now is to put in the hours of your free time and keep practicing.

Your skill level in a language just ought to increase toward your desired level.

However, you might want to take a look at this extra section of this website before practicing.

In this extra section, I am doing part of the work for you, which you can consider a bonus: I'm taking the method that I explained on this website and I'm applying it to individual languages.

I will not go very deep in each language, however; I will leave that for you to do.

What I am mainly doing is outlining several important aspects of the language in the hope that you become aware of them and be able to recognize other important aspects that you come across while you are learning the language.

Here is the list of languages to which I applied the method so far:

How to learn English on your own

How to learn English on your own

Enjoy!