Stealth Learning In The Field

This practical activity helps you deal with daily situations in a foreign environment and prioritise the learning of the language being used around you.

Who is this for?
Any level beyond beginner.

What do I need?
A smartphone or any other discreet recording device. Optional: Skype.

By the way, if you want to learn a new language fast, while focusing on communication rather than stressing about grammar, using the right method is key.

My courses teach you through StoryLearning®, a fun and effective method that gets you fluent thanks to stories, not rules. Find out more and claim your free 7-day trial of the course of your choice.

This activity is beautifully simple and is directly relevant to whatever situations you find yourself in while using the target language.

1. Take an activity that you find yourself doing regularly in the target language – ideally one that you find challenging and where you perhaps don't always understand everything that's said to you:
– buying a coffee
– renewing your commuter pass
– making a restaurant reservation
– asking about alternative sizes in a clothes shop

2. Go and do it as normal and record the whole thing on your phone (all smartphones come with voice recordings apps). I find that the best way to do this is to set the recording running beforehand, then place your phone (face down) on the counter inbetween you and the other person. This way you get decent recording quality and the other person doesn't know you're recording the conversation! You can do this with phone calls too (a really valuable exercise) by making the call itself on Skype on your computer and using your phone to record.

3. Listen back to it and identify anything that was said to you that you didn't understand. Listen repeatedly and try to transcribe it word for word. Don't worry if you don't understand some of the words – start by identifying individual sounds and build it up from there. Words will eventually emerge.

4. Take what you've transcribed to a native speaker and have them check it, explaining any language that you still don't understand.

5. Then, have them listen to what you said on the recording and suggest how you could say it better.

6. Commit it all to memory and practice – especially the corrections of what you said.

7. Go back to the situation of the original recording and do it all again from the beginning. Be sure to brush up on the language you've studied before you go back in!

For added challenge: transcribe every word of the recording, paying close attention to the small details. Choose a more challenging context – how does applying for a credit card over the phone sound?

Too hard?
Start with the most familiar situations, like ordering a latte from the local Starbucks. Skip the transcription stage. Instead, play the recording to a friend and ask them to explain the bits you didn't understand.

Repeat, ad infinitum!

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.