Do you still have nightmares of the Spanish textbooks and poorly-taught French classes you received at school? Fear not. Thanks to the internet, learning a new language these days can be both fun and accessible.
Social media, in particular, has helped to connect millions of language learners across the world. Whether you’re learning something popular such as German or more obscure like Faroese, you will find a wide range of resources to help you on your journey.
Here are some ways you can use social media to pick up your next foreign language.
1. Join Facebook Groups
On Facebook, you will find groups for almost every language imaginable. You will find communities of newly-moved expats who are looking to improve skills, as well as groups for worldwide learners. To get the most out of your experience, you should join both.
To find the right Facebook groups, you can do a simple online search. Alternatively, you can find what you’re looking for from within Facebook. To do this, go to Groups and search for your language. You will then get a list of communities matching these needs.
If you study at a local language school, you can also create your own group to connect with your classmates. To do this, Go to Groups > Create New Group. You can then edit the settings and start inviting members.
2. Make Use of Reddit
Reddit is a popular online forum that is a goldmine for language learners. You will find subreddits for both specific languages and general language-learning.
When you join a subreddit, you’ll discover a lot of useful tips and hints from other learners who’ve walked your path. You will also find a lot of memes that you will no doubt relate to.
To find a subreddit, go to the search bar at the top and type in your language. After the results have loaded, it’s worth joining both learning-specific groups and cultural ones to learn more about local customs.
3. Connect With Native Speakers
The best way to learn a language fast is by talking to people who already speak it. And social media can be a great place to find these speakers. You may need to reach out to a few people, but eventually, you will find someone willing to set aside some time to help you.
When connecting with native speakers on social media, focus on building a friendship first. If you’re in the same city as them, offer to meet them and pay for a coffee. For those further afield, offer to help them learn one of the languages you already speak.
The steps for these are similar on each social media platform. On Instagram or Twitter, follow them and send a message (if their privacy settings allow). You can take a similar approach on Facebook, though some people may be less willing to accept friend requests from those they don’t know.
4. Create Your Own Social Media Content
You don’t just need to consume on social media to help yourself learn a language. Try creating your own posts as well. Doing so will not only help you practice your speaking and writing; you might also discover new users to practice with.
You’ve got a lot of options when it comes to creating content. On Twitter, you could join conversations or write some of your tweets in your target language. With Instagram, you can write captions, create graphics and record yourself talking.
When you create your own social media content, you will also get feedback from native speakers. Besides that, you can also grow your portfolio and learn a few useful new skills.
5. Set Your Apps to the Language You’re Learning
Changing your phone settings is an easy way to get yourself thinking in your target language and comfortable reading it. You will also add dozens of new words to your vocabulary.
All of the big social media networks have in-app settings where you can change your language. On Instagram, for example, go to Account > Language. You will then see a dropdown of all the languages you can use.
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for (var i = 0; i You can also change all of your apps’ languages at once using your phone settings. Go to Settings > General > Language & Region. From there, you will see a list of every available language. Note that for smaller languages, you may not be able to optimize your account.
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for (var i = 0; i 6. Make the Most of Hashtags
Using and searching with hashtags is a powerful way to find more users in the language you’re learning. By using a variety, you can connect with and consume the content of both native speakers and other learners.
To find the type of content you’re looking for, think about what other learners will use. You can also find native speakers’ content by searching for existing topics in any given country. Often, you can find these on trending posts and articles.
To search for hashtags, use the search function on whichever social media app you’re using. You can also click on posts that use them and find the results all laid out.
7. Follow Accounts in Your Target Language
Every interesting account you follow in English also likely has an equivalent in your target language. These might be massive publications, or they could be everyday speakers who are more comfortable creating work in their home language.
You should also see if your favorite magazines, sports teams, and music artists have accounts in your target language. Many of the world’s biggest sports clubs, for example, have accounts in English, Spanish, and more.
When following accounts in the language you want to learn, a good rule of thumb is to only follow those if you find their English-language content just as interesting. Otherwise, you’ll end up ignoring and unfollowing them again later.
8. Follow Language-Learning Apps on Social Media
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for (var i = 0; i Language-learning apps often have active social media profiles too. These are great for picking up general tips and relating to common struggles that everyone faces – whether they’re learning Norwegian or Japanese.
Some accounts worth following are Babbel, Busuu, and Duolingo.
You don’t just need to use these apps for consumption, though. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments. You might even make some new friends, even if they are learning a completely different language from you.
Make Learning a Language Fun With Social Media
So, there you have it. Now you’ve got more of an idea of using social media to help make your language-learning journey fun. While textbook work is still important, it shouldn’t be your only option.
Even if you can’t optimize the app to your target language, you will still find plenty of native speakers and fellow learners to connect with.
The key to learning a language with social media is to both engage and consume. When you do, you’ll find your experience more fulfilling and pick up words that the textbooks never taught you.