In today's world, knowing foreign languages is considered desirable, especially for business. After having studied foreign languages in college though I have to admit - it's not as helpful as everybody makes it sound and it doesn't necessarily make you popular in the workforce. But this particular knowledge does help in the long run - understanding other cultures and connecting with people from different nations does help making you emotionally intelligent and possibly more successful business wise (if you have additional expertise to offer along with the linguistic). No wonder that millennials want to teach their kids foreign languages even more so than their own parents did - globalization demands cultural openness.
The easiest way to achieve this is to move to another country. Like my parents did, who moved from Russia to Germany in 1996. I was nine years then and learned German organically, quickly and without an accent while keeping my Russian as my second best language. Despite some difficulties, it was a good decision for our family in terms of education, work, security and overall wellbeing. Moving to the States in 2016 was very different. My husband and I came from a wealthy, politically stable and prosperous county. It was not about financial or political security, but about experiences. The US offers beauty, adventure, an interesting culture and slightly different business possibilities than Germany and these were the ultimate reasons for our move. We didn't think much about our future child and its integration into American society. I knew it would be easier this time around. Because I was in possession of all the information needed - how to integrate while preserving one's background.
If you want your child to learn another language well, there are several possibilities. Say, your partner comes from a different background, let him or her talk to the child in their mother tongue only. If they are not comfortable with it because they prefer speaking English, ask their family to do so. Ideally, they'd take the child once a week, and not only talk in their mother tongue, but also show books and cartoons in that language. If they live abroad, have Facetime sessions with them where they explain the meaning of some objects, show pictures while you help translating. That's what we're doing. My husband and I speak German - it's the easiest and most natural to us. And when my parents visit us, they only speak Russian with our daughter. And right now, when they can't visit, they continue conversing through the phone very regularly. Integrating typical things from their country of origin makes it more cohesive - typical dishes with their proper names, celebrations and little traditions. This way the child will understand that it's not only about a random language that's hard to pronounce, but about a different life in another place, with fascinating people and their customs. Show photos from cities and landscapes, foods, clothes, animals, it all helps make learning fun.
If you have great linguistic skills in a foreign language and make no grammatical mistakes, consider occasionally speaking that language with you child. You can pick a couple hours a day, an activity (playing) or particular days, like the weekend. Shows in that language and other activities - listening to music, playing with the country's typical toys and talking about characters from that pop culture would be ideal. A trip to that country would certainly help in the long run. I used to be a firm believer that this system wouldn't work - you should only speak a language you know „perfectly“ with your child, that's what I read and experienced - otherwise, your mistakes get repeated, the child senses your insecurities, it becomes unnatural. But I changed my mind over time because I got to know people who taught their kids a foreign language (to them) and made great progress.
If there is no one from a different country in your life, consider getting an au pair. This young person will live with you, learn your culture, improve their English. In return, they could speak to your child in their language only. Their cultural background will be enriching for the whole family. And if the thought of a teenager living with you for a year is not for you, there is still the possibility of a foreign exchange program for your child. I did one when I was 17, I lived with a family for 4,5 months in California where I went to high school. That's how I learned English. My husband did an exchange like that as well and ultimately this allowed us to move to the States without worrying about a language barrier as opposed to my parents who moved to Germany without almost any German skills. How scary they must have been... And finally, if participation in that program is impossible, your „last hope“ is a college semester abroad! That's how I considerably improved my French - by living in Bordeaux for a semester. At this point and age it's much harder to keep that language though. You need to have friends from that country, to read books, watch movies, travel there regularly. But it is an unforgettable and extremely valuable experience.
Are you teaching your children foreign languages? What about yourself? Let me know!
Talk to you soon,
J.
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