Advantages of studying a language abroad

If you have the opportunity, it is well worth your while to spend some time in a country where its spoken. You could take a course in an language school, take individual lessons, or combine your studies with other activities such as sports, cooking, dancing or wine tasting.

While it is possible to find opportunites to use your foreign language in your own country, it’s probably not possible to immerse yourself completely in it. When you study abroad you can hear and see the language all the time, taste the food and drink, watch the way the people interact, and experience other aspects of life. You will also have plenty of opportunities  to practise speaking the language with native speakers, and to practise reading signs, deciphering menus, and understanding announcements. When you frequently see and hear things in context, it’s usually easier to guess or work out what they mean.

The longer you spend in a foreign country, the more proficient you’ll become in the foreign language, as long as you study and practise use it as much as possible. Even spending a week or two is beneficial.