Make Your Own Personal Dictionary

Make Your Own Personal Dictionary

If you can get your hands on a dictionary, a bilingual one or a target language only dictionary, you'll be in the clover when learning English or another foreign language. Be sure to highlight new words you need from reading through a short target language magazine or newspaper article. But if a dictionary in your target language is non-existent or unavailable, you can make handy little flashcards with today's group of words on one side and their meanings in English (or your Mother tongue) on the other side. Tuck a few of these in your pocket or purse to quickly refer to as you go through the day's activities. You'll pick up essential vocabulary on a daily basis. In scant weeks you'll be using your flashcards less and less as you internalize the new vocabulary. When the first batch is "learned", start another batch.

Remember, they say that you can never be too rich, too thin or have enough foreign language vocabulary.

Foreign language learner and British ex-pat Kate Peckitt now living and teaching in New Zealand relates, "When I was trying to learn Finnish it was just so different. I started making up one of those little spiral-bound note pads with new words and phrases from everywhere - from street signs to supermarket and store aisle labels, names and just anything I ran across in the course of my day."

Be sure to include frequently-used phrases and useful sentences on your vocabulary flashcards too. Write grocery lists, appointments, diary entries, to-do lists and reminder notes in your new language. Keep at it. "Slow and steady always wins the race", as Self-Improvement Guru Anthony Robbins quotes adding, "Most people over estimate what they can do in a year and they under-estimate what they can achieve in a decade or even a lifetime."

He adds, "Most New Year's resolutions fail because people tend to want to do it all overnight."

Remember the tale of the Tortoise and the Hare? The key to success is taking small, but frequent and consistent steps.