How to Immerse Yourself in a Foreign Language
Nothing leads to fluency in a language like studying it in a country where the language is spoken.
Nothing leads to fluency in a language like studying it in a country where the language is spoken. If you prefer a package deal that includes classes and housing, search for a formal program. StudyAbroad.com, for example, lists overseas language programs on its site (click on “Program Type,” then “Intensive Language”). Prices vary widely, but you can expect to spend at least a few hundred dollars per week on instruction and lodging, potentially with a host family.
Living abroad but forgoing the structure of a program may save you money. For example, Barbara Pagano, of YourSabbatical, who spent several weeks studying Spanish in Nicaragua, researched schools while at home, then visited a handful of them after she arrived in Nicaragua. She ended up hiring an instructor in Granada, who charged $5 per hour, and she lived in rentals during her stay.
If you can’t leave home, consider enlisting a native speaker to practice with you. Find someone who wants to sharpen his or her English and be both a student and teacher. At www.language-exchanges.org, you can search for a partner to chat with you using Skype.
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Lisa has been the editor of Kiplinger Personal Finance since June 2023. Previously, she spent more than a decade reporting and writing for the magazine on a variety of topics, including credit, banking and retirement. She has shared her expertise as a guest on the Today Show, CNN, Fox, NPR, Cheddar and many other media outlets around the nation. Lisa graduated from Ball State University and received the school’s “Graduate of the Last Decade” award in 2014. A military spouse, she has moved around the U.S. and currently lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two sons.