Enhancing your Personal Learning Experience
1) Above all, enjoy yourself! Italian is a beautiful language so enjoy it. Don't dwell on what you don't know. Instead, rejoice in what you have learned. You won't learn Italian overnight. (Don't tell anybody but you won't even learn it in 10 days as some would suggest) It is a process that takes some time and the amount of time depends on how much you want to learn and how much you pour yourself into it. Below are a few ideas but really, especially if your goals aren't that ambitious (which is ok), some or all of these ideas may not be for you. Have a great journey in exploring this beautiful language! 2) Use multiple stimuli to learn Italian. For instance I use Rosetta Stone, about 3 different books, an audio only program, listen to Italian music, watch Italian TV and practice my Italian on my own and in group environments. 3) Our founder Vince gave me this idea. He suggested that when I find myself thinking to myself that I should attempt to vocalize in Italian what I was thinking. This did a couple things for me. First it was great practice and second it let me know what vocabulary I wanted to add so I could communicate everyday thoughts. Try it! 4) I love this one as I have found it to be most productive! Go buy yourself a Memo Book style Notebook (I recommend 4" x 6" or smaller so you can carry it in a back pocket or purse) When you find that there is a word in English you do not know how to say in Italian or a word in Italian that you do not understand, write it down and add it to a vocabulary list that you can study at a later time. I like doing this because I find I am studying words I use instead of words I don't (Don't get me wrong, it's great knowing that lavagna means blackboard but it just hasn't come up in casual conversation yet) 5) If you correspond via email or otherwise with those who are learning or are fluent in Italian then I encourage you to correspond with them in Italian. Write Italian words. I want to add a word of caution here. I know there are those reading this who use online translators like Yahoo! Babel Fish. (by the way - they do leave a little to be desired) However, if you are going to use them then do yourself a favor and try to write your correspondence first and then run it through a translator (Italian to English) so you can edit your correspondence. This will also help expedite your learning process. 6) Finally, if at all possible, take advantage of opportunities to learn. If you are a University Student studying Italian, that is awesome and I am jealous but if you are just an average person like me then take advantage of what is there like meet-ups, workshops, chats, software, books music, etc and this is where this is different from number 2. Do not be afraid to participate or try. Trust me, others will admire and appreciate a person blundering through this language in an attempt to learn and will more often than not, lend a hand and you will learn much quicker from your mistakes and make great friends at the same time. I want to conclude this section with a quote I saw on a sign of a fast food restaurant: "If it's to be, it's up to me". Evaluate what you want to learn and if you find you really want to learn Italian then get in there, find what works, be realistic about progress, enjoy the process and always, always when in an appropriate environment speak what you know in Italian, in Italian! Ciao e Buona Fortuna!If you have a tip or comment please email: Carlo