Here's What Language Immersion Is (And What It Isn't)

Amazing 😮. The explanation is undebatable , as a French speaker, I had the idea that learning English implied necessarily to be in an English speaking country, after your sharing, this stupid idea has vanished. Thanks for the light.

So my question is: there’s a language I want to learn. It’s not common and it’s spoken not written down. (so I obviously have to do a lot of listening)
It’s not easy to find content in that language on youtube but it’s possible.

So as a complete beginner how do i immerse? . How can I in your words more or less interact with the language when I don’t even understand it in the first place or speak it?
How do I start?

Very intesting who you explain emmersion into russian. At the moment I am learning Russian.

Simply put and easily understood. Thank you.

I loved the last part of this especially. I think it takes a while to accept that the ‘other’ language is just, in fact, a way to communicate with people. Certainly, that was my experience after moving to Spain. And, thanks too. I’m always thinking things like - oh, I must change my computer settings one day - etc. There’s only so much time in the day! As you say, it’s better to get out and live. I do disagree with the section about having the language on in the background, though. Or at least I have read one study which recommends this, amongst many other things, of course. You won’t absorb the language, as you say, but your brain (apparently) will become more accustomed to the sounds.

Thank you for another good read. I just came home after 2½ weeks in Spain. I went there to improve my Spanish, which I started learned 3 weeks earlier. However, in retrospect I realize that I would have learned more Spanish had I stayed at home. While in Spain I was too busy exploring the country, visiting historical sites and so on, so I actually practiced less than I did while at home. Lesson learned. :)

Next time, Stefan, try doing what one of my friends does, if you have the cash. Try doing an ‘immersion’ programme, preferably that has a short course attached to get you started. Then spend the rest of your visit meeting up with the volunteers on that programme and hanging out with them. And, when you’re not doing that, go to the theatre or on Spanish-speaking tours. You won’t understand everything, of course, but your listening will certainly improve, if nothing else!

You quoted Inigo Montoya, I love it!!

I loved that too!

Agreed that the term is somewhat overused and often used to mean entirely different things. Even in your comment, Chris, it’s not clear what you mean by immersion. From the context I can see you mean just plopping yourself in a foreign country, but maybe others would read it differently.

I’m really glad that something is being said about this. I’ve always disagreed with the statement that you need to be in a foreign country to master a language. It always seemed clear that individuals making this statement were not language learners. Then again, what if these non-language learners are actually polyglots who happen understand the term ‘immersion’ as “engaging with native speakers” rather than “immersing oneself in virtual learning, podcasts and books.”

What a pickle.

Thanks for providing a new definition, Donavan.
-Shana Thompson

p.s. love the visual about cologne and auros. The idea of floating in a sea of language is pretty cool....if only we were all giant sponges!

I totally agree with this post Donovan!

Interestingly though, most of the people who believe truly in immersion are outside the language learning community, i.e. not language learners.

When I tell people I want to learn ex. Chinese next year, they say; Oh you are going to China? And I have to explain why learning a language and going to the country are two separate things. Of course it could be beneficial, but it’s not automatic by any stretch of the imagination.

Awesome article. Having been living in Australia for almost 4 years, the most progress I have achieved for learning English happened when I stayed in the homestay. Like what u have said, being able to live my daily life with another language, or immersed in, is the best way to improve it.

Hahaha, “shhhhh, immerse”.

It’s great to see the immersion illusion being shattered in more ways than just going to the country.

Thanks for shedding some light on this often misunderstood topic. I found that when living in a country broadly speaking there are really three different levels of immersion. Firstly, the most common form and most easily obtainable is daily life immersion. This means that going to the shops, buying food at restaurants and other general daily errands can all be conducted through your target language. I have found as a beginner it’s easy to make rapid progress at this stage and it really makes you feel as if the environment is doing your language ability wonders.

After this, the next level of immersion is social immersion. Although many expats live in a country for a long time they actually never reach this stage and it is crucial to becoming fluent. It is quite easy to fall into a foreigner bubble, or often a group of local friends who all want to speak English with you. Depending on the culture you are in it can often be very difficult to integrate socially.

Finally, the last level of immersion is workplace immersion. Most expats never reach this level as they are often employed in jobs where English language of the workplace (e.g. English teacher or working for a multinational company). The problem is that to break into a job which requires you to use your language skills usually means you have a high level already and in fact such jobs don’t always pay as well as jobs that just require you to use English. So very few expats (English speaking) actually ever fully immerse themselves when living overseas.

When I was in Taiwan I found that I could deal with my daily life quite well. Trying to immerse myself socially proved more challenging and although I did my best most of my social life was still conducted through English. After 4 years I never got to the level where I could use my language professionally.

So even as an enthusiastic language learner I was never really fully immersed in the true sense of the word. So in a sense, if you want to be truly immersed even while already in a country you really need to fight for it.

I hope that photo is not of you immersed in the Nile.

Red Sea ;)

Good God, yes. You have no idea (wait... you do) how difficult it is to explain that immersion isn’t taking a quick dip into the language pool, out of which you come magically fluent. A week in the target country, crammed up in a classroom from 8 to 2, hardly stands for what it really is.

I think it’s something you really can’t understand until you experience it in the flesh.

Thank you for a very useful clarification. Perhaps we could invent a new word : “ intermersion” !