DIU Blog

5 simple ways to develop language skills on your own

Have you ever found yourself stuck in the middle of the infamous Dhakai traffic jam while traveling to the language center where your parents got you admitted? Have you ever found
yourself frustrated with the body odor of the person sitting next to you on the bench your language center was kind enough to offer? Well, life could have been simpler had you been given a choice. A choice that ranged from high levels of dependency on those sites mentioned above to complete reliance on yourself- a self-paced journey where the possibilities are somewhat infinite. Here are some quick ways you can implement to start your ‘solo’ journey towards linguistic excellence-

Mobile Applications: Have you heard of Duolingo? Well, more than a hundred million people downloading the software from Google Play Store ajnd making it the number one grosser from the education section communicates the strong word of mouth from the end users. You can learn thirty five languages with interactive features and opportunities to practice through story reading and conversation comprehension as you cross the different levels they call leagues. Other than Duolingo, Memrise and LinguaLift is definitely worth
checking out.

MOOCs(Massive Open Online Course): Will the courses designed for the masses satisfy your linguistic needs? It probably will. Platforms such as Coursera, Skillshare, Ten Minute School, and GoEdu provide a wide range of free courses from- ‘English for Everyday Conversation’ to ‘Business Communication with impact’ for free. Moreover, you have opportunities to attend online assessments past the course and avail certifications to utilize in front of interview boards completely at will.

Online Forums: Heard of Quora? You probably did. Quora happens to be an online forum currently with three hundred million users across the globe. Online forums as such could severely develop your ability to communicate with strangers. Reddit and GameSpot could also be considered as online platforms to develop for the intermediate language learners of the century.

Books: If you associate with the term ‘book-worm’ this is probably the best way…..scratch that, the only way out. If you look for those in the online libraries you will be in luck. Did you know that platforms such as Rokomari offers digital copies these days as well? You could also travel all the way to Nilkhet and smell those books right off the shelf. Some books even come with CDs these days. What’s stopping you? Probably this month’s pocket money? Head there right from the bank on salary day.

YouTube: You probably spend more time on Youtube than with your friends. Have you
considered the website to be your language teacher? Plenty of channels including BBC
Learning English, Jennifer ESL presents ample opportunities to develop your language
from the comfort of your home. Of course, the chances of assessment are slim on the
platform but you still have a lot of websites to test those fancy phrases you just learn,
don’t you?

Writer: Sakib works as a lecturer and language instructor at Daffodil International University. He is highly biased towards dolphins and penguins.