It has been over three years since I opened this blog, and I have become used to writing in English, which is my second language. Let’s talk about the effective learning method from my personal experience.
How to master a second language
Sometimes, we want to master a second language. It broadens our perspectives and enables us to experience other cultures.
However, we often struggle with learning it. There are many grammars, words, and rules we don’t understand, and the motivation doesn’t last long.
That makes us pursue efficient learning methods.
Today, I will introduce how I have written this blog in my second language for three years. It may help you try new things lightly.
Making it a part of your basic activities
From my perspective, the most effective way to master a second language is to make it a part of your basic activities, such as production and creation.
Ultimately, a second language is a means, not an end. Associating with fundamental daily activities is the most efficient.
In other words, the motivation to learn a second language always decreases over time. It requires other activities that you can do energetically.
For example, try creating your products in your second language. You will master it, whether sooner or later. Its learning speed depends on the enthusiasm for the creative activity. The motivation to learn the second language doesn’t matter.
Since it can be translated with AI, it would not be a critical problem to create your products in the second language first.
Learning language vs. generating texts in another language
Learning a second language is different from generating texts in that language. The former—learning another language—is a logical activity, while the latter is a single task.
In my case, I wanted to use English rather than generate. I was also getting bored of improving my native language. Since using unfamiliar tools can refresh our senses, I have become able to tackle my blog with a fresh perspective. Although I often struggled to use it properly and felt frustrated, that also provided me with room for improvement.
After all, I love improving something from a long-term perspective. When I feel I have reached the limit of my growth, I stop the activity and look for new possibilities. Although such a lifestyle causes a loss in the short term, it enriches us in the long term. I accepted the superficial inefficiency.
The second language provided me with a new enjoyment. Reading novels and comics in English has become a part of my daily fun.
My current tools
I use several tools to write this blog and improve my English. They are as follows:
- QuillBot Grammar Checker: My main editor. It points out mistakes in the text and scores the text level. I am using it with the free version.
- ChatGPT: This is my grammar teacher. I use it to have my sentences, which scored poorly on QuillBot, corrected.
- Grammarly: My final grammar checker. I do one final modification with this after finishing an article. Since it points out even the smallest details, it is too distracting to use as the main editor.
- Microsoft Translator and DeepL Translate: When I cannot think of the English sentences directly, I use them. Since Microsoft Translator is not wise and provides simpler translations, it would be more effective to learn English. When I want to paraphrase, I use DeepL, which is a more flexible translator.
Instead of having AI write articles for me, I have it correct the low-scoring sentences that I wrote myself.
I began to use translation more frequently when I didn’t know how to describe it in English. The translator is one of my teachers.
Conclusion
Anyway, that is my current learning and writing style.
My most effective way to master a second language is to make it a part of your basic activities, such as production and creation, in my opinion.
Ultimately, a second language is a means, not an end. Associating with fundamental daily activities is the most efficient.
This perspective may help you try new things lightly.
Thank you for reading this article. I hope to see you in the next one.
