Education

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Essentials

Expat language learning

Whatever your attitude to language learning, intercultural specialists all agree that learning the language of your new country of residence is a crucial step to understanding your adopted culture. After expat language training, doors will open for you—you’ll be able to deal with your own administration—and you’ll feel happier and more at ease in your new environment. Your French might not be perfect, but it will go a long way in Belgium, for example. Check out our articles on learning languages such as ‘How to be a polyglot’. Invest in a good dictionary that translates from your native language to that of your host country and vice versa, and make an effort to learn the language. Stimulate your interest through reading about the local culture in English—see book reviews on Expatica’s Arts & Culture channel. Read our language tips articles written by experts and expats alike such as ‘Getting to grips with German’ and ‘Surviving the language learning curve.’

Finding an expat language course

Find the right language course for you—read Expatica articles on finding a course in your adopted country. Find out if your local government subsidises courses for expats to learn the loca language, or if your employer finances language training. Otherwise, simply select a local expat language course. Check out Expatica’s A-Z listings for Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK for a selection of language schools near you.

Raising children bilingually

Children take language learning in their stride, and any anxiety about learning a new language is generally felt only by parents. Check out Expatica articles such as ‘Raising children bilingually’, ‘Ya te digo: My child learning Spanish’, and ‘Language issues for expat families’, which offers strategies for multilingual families.

Expats learning the local lingo

Learning the local language is a favourite topic for bloggers, so check out Expatica’s Blogs & Photos channel. In ‘Oye, rubia: The language of love’ one blogger in Spain asks how important it is to speak your partner’s language and in ‘What is 'headache' in Italian?’ a German-language teacher puts herself in her students' shoes: learning a foreign language. In ‘Dutch proverbs’, an expat blogger in the Netherlands gets to grips with a selection of common, though sometimes baffling Dutch expressions. Go to Expatica’s Forums to see if you can pick up expat language learning tips, or simply wallow in the fact that others are facing the same uphill struggle as you. Persevere! You’ll get there in the end.

Leah talks with Jennifer Niejadlik, Richard Morris and Graham Jackson about learning Dutch. Recorded in the Wintergarden at NH Grand hotel Krasnapolsky, Amsterdam. Produced in collaboration with Expatnl.com.

01/07/2009 Thoughts on language and the 'Great Belgian Divide'

"Gradually, foreign sounds find nesting places in your vocabulary and once entrenched, it becomes hard to remember what it was like before they were there."

17/02/2009 Practical French: Chez le coiffeur

Even fluent French speakers sometimes have to ask: Comment dit-on…? Our practical French teacher gives you some vocabulary for getting life's ordinary tasks done. Today's lesson fills in the blanks on getting your hair done.

28/01/2009 Germans reopen debate over language purity

CDU politicians approved a resolution -- despite Merkel's reservations -- calling on the German parliament to enshrine the German language in the constitution.

Visit our country sites

Expat language learning

Expat language learning

Expat language learning

Finding an expat language course

Raising children bilingually

Expats learning the local lingo

Languages - Essential Articles

07/07/2009 Expat Voices: Learning Dutch--part 2 (video)

01/07/2009 Thoughts on language and the 'Great Belgian Divide'

17/02/2009 Practical French: Chez le coiffeur

28/01/2009 Germans reopen debate over language purity