How Do You Practise A Foreign Language When You Can't Travel?

 

My Toastmasters club, BHA, meets twice a month, Wednesday evening, 1st Wed in the month, and 3rd Saturday afternoon, Singapore time.. Here I am, top left, visiting another toastmasters club in Singapore, Astro, but I have also attended other clubs in the USA, and the UK.

You can see me looking down writing my language evaluation.

1 Toastmasters

You could go to a Toastmasters Club, either in (your target language such as Welsh, or in English. Record what you say and translate it.

You practise introducing yourself on arrival.

(My name, city, why are you here - to practise speaking. )

Then volunteer to do a table topic, (minimum one minute impromptu speech), after listening to the others.

If you like the club, join the club for under 200 dollars

You get membership, meetings for a year.

A club mentor will help you write a four minute introductory speech about yourself. You pick a path and your first speech is introduce yourself. You can follow the Toastmasters Outline Worksheet. Who are you (name), where are you from (city and country).

I plan to do this with Chinese. I have done it with French.

I belong to four clubs, Harrovians in the UK, Singapore online, and I am a member of TCA in Singapore and PR for Braddell Heights Advanced.

Come along to my club BHA in Singapore to get the idea.

To practise your reading, look for a club whose website is in your target language and paste words you do not know into translate google or turn on the translate button.

2 Polyglot Page on Facebook

Ask for somebody who wants to teach their language and learn yours. If native speakers are not avaiable, look for a buddy who is learning the same language as you. Schedule 5 minutes a week, or five minutes a day to say a sentence or two on an agreed subject such as introduce yourself, my hobby, my country, ordering food in a restaurant.

3 Earworms

A Berlitz course. I have discs and the small print accompanying booklet in a couple of languages including Chinese.

Useful Websites

bha.learncool.sg

BHA on Facebook.

duolingo

duolingo.com

memrise

memrise.com

About the Author

Angela Lansbury is a British author who has lived in the USA.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Angela Lansbury teacher of English (advanced and English as a Second Language or English as a Foreign Language, French and other languages, aspiring polyglot.

Angela Lansbury, author and speaker. Member of many toastmasters  speaker training clubs and speaking contest judge.

Angela Lansbury, the author of 20 books including Wedding Speeches & Toasts, and Quick Quotations, has lived in the USA, Spain and Singapore. 

She  has several blogs and writes daily on at least two of the following:

travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Please share links to your favourite posts.