Things to do this summer - learn a new language with Marie
Congratulations to all those who have recieved their results this week, you did it! You now have the summer months to reflect and celebrate the hard work you've done for uni. If you're wanted to find new and fun things to do now your studies have finished, the university and the city itself have some great opportunities you can make use of while you're still here.
Whether you are looking for a new part-time job, wondering what to do around the city, how to keep fit or brush up on some new skills during the summer... we have everything planned out to help you make some of those decisions, whilst still having a good time. Summer often means it’s time to branch out and travel, or learn something new. If you are anything like me and like to learn new things, then I have something for you!
Did you know?
Did you know that LJMU provides free learning resources at the library to help you learn a new language? No? Let me explain really quick: you can access free learning resources, books, movies and materials to start learning a new language - from Arabic to French, Spanish to Chinese.
I often struggle with apps such as Duolingo, Babbel etc. Something that works for me is watching movies in the language I want to learn and watching YouTube videos of influencers or people living in said countries. Example: I’ve been learning Korean and what helped me was watching K-dramas and listening to some of the songs. I watched/listened to Youtubers who live in Korean just to have an insight and that works for me.
Benefits of learning a new language
Learning something new like a language can be daunting, but there are different ways to make it fun and as interactive as possible. If apps like Duolingo are more your thing, then you can do a 10 mins session every night before bed and start like that. If you are a visual person like me, movies are very useful.
As someone that would love to travel around and, having moved to two different countries so far, learning a language has been quite easy and fun for me, but extremely beneficial. I can communicate in Italian, French and English, so whenever I meet differnt people it is really nice to be able to understand and speak the language. A lot of the time, a native person appreciates when tourists can speak the basics, even if it’s to say ‘thank you’ in that language. People are often taken aback whenever they hear that I can speak other languages and it’s a great conversation starter. It also shows initiative and could be a good skill for future job opportunities.
By learning a new language, you will:
- Impress people around you, good conversation stater
- Improve your travelling experience by speaking the native language
- Discover a new culture and you are more open-minded
- Be more likely to receive good services or freebies abroad as a tourist.
So, now that you have some tips from me and the benefits, don’t forget to visit the library resources to start off and do something fun. You could get your friends to do it with you too. You can check out our 'things to do this summer' series with LJMU on our instagram, follow us for more updates.
Have an amazing summer and I hope you get to learn something new. Ciao!
