Reading aloud? Reading along.

It's free

Welcome, aspiring polyglot! Reading can benefit you in many ways. Not least of all in that you can modify it in so many ways that can contribute to your language acquisition differently. From reading aloud to reading along, active consumption of quality literature will enhance and accelerate your language acquisition. Not only that, but these strategies also improve your proficiency in your native language simultaneously. Best of all, reading is one of the most cost effective ways to expand your linguistic capabilities. Let’s talk about how.

Second hand bookstores

Second hand bookstores are incredible for finding hidden gems. Depending on the language you are learning, you could come across anywhere from 1 to 50 new books in your target language that all cost less than $5. While I am a huge fan of using technology to enhance your education, I firmly believe that physical media helps your brain encode the new information more efficiently and effectively. Sometimes being cheap can lead to finding hidden gems.

Along with bookstores, second hand shops in general are amazing places to find books you can use for your language learning. Check back frequently to see when things come in, you may even find that people who work at the stores are willing to keep an eye out for you and let you know when things that might fit your needs pop up in the store. One of the primary reasons I suggest things like this is because language education takes months, if not years. Reading off of a screen can get old quickly when that is the case.

Of course, if you are looking to include digital books in your cycle, that is always a good plan. Diversity of content and format will be important as burnout starts to set in over time. Relying too much on physical media can becoming disheartening because it can become cumbersome quickly. By the same token, relying too much on digital media can become frustrating because, while instantaneous, the information being consumed rarely sticks. Repeatedly looking for the same words you googled 10 minutes ago is endlessly frustrating.

Free audiobooks

That said, when it comes to audio input there is little that is more beneficial than digital access. YouTube, Audible, podcasts, any number of streaming services, all of these things are available to you. Going through what I call “YouTube University” is all you really need to cover your audio comprehensible input throughout your language acquisition. This is especially true for more broadly spoken languages, but you will be shocked at what you might find.

While many of the classics are available on YouTube, Audible might be a worthwhile investment. Reading out loud is good, I’ve discussed this many times and if you missed it be sure to check it out:

However, reading along can be equally beneficial, but for different reasons. Audio comprehension is a massive uphill battle. Especially for languages like English and Spanish where the accent, vocabulary, and tempo can change depending not only on country, but region. Reading along with different orators can help your brain develop the ability to parse words and make separating words from sentences far easier.

Of course, this is ultimately a crutch similar to subtitles, but when you are getting started, and even well into your language acquisition, this technique can help immensely. Now if you can’t find your book of choice you have the opportunity to grow exponentially in your language acquisition. Though most people would never do it, recording yourself reading aloud, then reading along with your recording, is revealing and helpful.

You will hear your slip ups better than you hear them when you are speaking with other people. The pause button is always available for you to hear exactly where you mess up or, more importantly, where you flow well, allowing you to replicate it. Over time you will see and hear your own progress which is far more encouraging than trying to remember without reference where you were weeks or months ago. A written and recorded history will always serve you better than your own memory. Especially when you are feeling particularly beaten down.

Investing in yourself

Education generally means investing in yourself. While I try to provide tons of free content and ideas for how to find more, at the end of the day, sometimes it is worth spending some money on yourself. The problem is that universities have absolutely destroyed this perspective after making so many people pay so much money for such little return. Not to mention the cost of books that are “required” for the university student education.

I would never tell you to buy a book that I don’t think you would ever touch again. There are many problems with the university system, but the textbook scam is among the most egregious, especially within the foreign languages departments. In all my time I had one professor who got it close to right, and she was the French literature professor. For my classes, we focus on two things: does the student like the book and does the book exist in both native and target language.

That’s all. With that we are able to develop a comprehensive education plan based on the student’s interests using a book we know for a fact there is a non zero chance of being revisited by the student. Of course there need to be stipulations based on goals, but if a student says they love Harry Potter, we read Harry Potter. If they love Lord of the Rings, we read Lord of the Rings. Series, in fact, are especially good for this method because they allow for near indefinite continuation after classes or during independent study.

Parallel text books offer the unique experience of having both languages available so that you can check yourself in real time. We lean heavily on parallel text books where possible and I cannot recommend them highly enough. This is especially true when thinking about books you have not yet read. Anything you haven’t read yet is worth having at the very least both copies of during your studies.

Trying to follow along with a story you don’t know and learn a language you don’t know is counterproductive at best and a reason to give up at worst. Start with stories you know so you can focus entirely on the language. Once you advance in your language skills you can move on to learning new stories in your new language. Of course, if you are chomping at the bit to get rolling reading new stories, start small and build up from there.

Conclusion

No matter where you get your books from, surrounding yourself with literature you actually appreciate is crucial. Not only for your foreign language development, but for your continued intellectual advancement. With more and more people choosing to outsource their thinking, making the choice to sit down with physical, or digital, media and improve your cognitive skills will set you apart from the rest.

It is easy to let apps do math for you. Almost everyone uses apps to avoid boredom. Too many people are willing and ready to outsource their language learning to translation apps and accessories. Choosing to do these things yourself improves your cognitive security and bolsters your creativity in the long run. It will be difficult, especially because it necessitates that you make the choices day in and day out. But you can do difficult things and be great. So do some difficult things and become great. I am rooting for you.

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Additional Resources

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