1 year in a foreign country vs 3 years of school study

I was thinking about this last night. If you were to choose between the 2, which would be the better option to drastically improve your skills in a language?

My thoughts:

Foreign country - You'll probably struggle at first especially when there's no one to teach you the technical side of the language. But you'll eventually get the language via osmosis and constant practice. 

School study - Gradual progression is a good benefit when you learn in a class. However relying too much on books can be detrimental as there are cases where guys who learn solely from books sound "unnatural" in the way they express themselves. 

I definitely choose 1 year in the country as you can always dig out books that will help you around the grammar, but it is way more motivational and thriving, since you don't even have a choice to think twice and hesitate, you just have to learn it if you want to blend easier. And it's a great challenge for some of us that love learning languages. I find that the whole setting and environment is a great boost too. Hearing it all the time is so helpful and it adjusts your brain to receive it more easily. You can also always hire a private teacher or a language exchange practitioner and improve and accelerate your language learning process. 

Regarding the other thing you mentioned, I think a student can sound "unnatural" due to the teacher that is teaching and the techniques he/she is using to transfer the knowledge. Some teachers are really dull and untalented/unmotivated and/or teach mechanically, not even enjoying what they're doing, so it's expected and normal that the "product" sounds "unnatural". But in a group, a teacher can't really focus on individuals so it's often normal that the teaching takes this course. 

The books aren't the enemy, the way we approach books and the activity we're undertaking is/can be. Books ARE designed to keep you motivated, amused, concentrated. That's what I believe. 

Great topic really! Great alternatives 

Mai wrote:

Regarding the other thing you mentioned, I think a student can sound "unnatural" due to the teacher that is teaching and the techniques he/she is using to transfer the knowledge. Some teachers are really dull and untalented/unmotivated and/or teach mechanically, not even enjoying what they're doing, so it's expected and normal that the "product" sounds "unnatural".

I think another reason why this happens is because some language learners tend to use the sentence pattern of the material they studied. this is not applicable to all study materials of course, but I've heard from some English learners in China that the books that they used had correct but archaic grammar patterns, and they really find it difficult to form more natural sounding conversations.

BTW, I'd take the 1st option too. Full immersion to language is the best way to improve in my opinion. :)

Living in a foreign country. Immersion is one of the best ways to learn and what better way to immerse than to live there. :)

Option 1, and you will be surprised of the progress you can do in even less than a year. My kids just spending 1 month in my country come back speaking a lot more. If they were to spent a year they can be at a fluent level.  

"An ounce of practice is worth more than a pound of theory"

"Reading 10,000 books is not as useful as traveling 10,000 miles"

"It is better to walk thousands of miles than to read thousands of books"

Right here in my country, we have some graduates of mechanical engineering who when presented with a faulty car for example,won't know what to do. Give that same car to a mechanic who didn't go to school but has been working cars his whole life, he'll fix it for you even with his eyes closed.

Long story short, experience is always the best teacher. I'd rather travel to a country of choice than bury my face in in a book.

 A friend of mine lived in Germany for one year. Now she is a tutor here and earning a lot of money. :)

I’d pick option 1. I have google,books. Having people speak a different language around me for one will push me to learn harder to be able to communicate.

I'd say it depends on what I'm allowed to do in either scenario. 

I noticed that there is a poll above so I answered there, and here is my explanations. I have chosen that because I believe I'll learn faster and better in that situation.

If there is a chance to attend a language course in the foreign country, I wouldn`t think twice about it 

It often happens so, however, that people go to the foreign country to learn/practice the language, but they get stuck within their bubble (e.g. chat only with the people from their own country) , which is not conducive to language learning. Another point, is if a person goes to the country to work there, and doesn`t have time to practice the language (say, they speak English in the office).

I believe it doesn`t make much sense to go to the foreign country with a zero level of the language. It is a huge challenge in all regards. I would rather learn the basics on my own, and then go to the country of my dreams to deepen my knowledge. This way, one year spent in that country would be spent most efficiently.

I studied Spanish for 5 years and got anA* but I have learnt more in my 2 years here in person than I ever did from books

Being in a foreign country and socializing, meeting people is always best. And always ask questions. Never shy away from asking how to say something. I learned so much that way.

Yes the biggest obstacle is not being afraid to askquestions

I'd personally prefer 1 year in a foreign country - more opportunities for practice. But having said that, it really depends on individuals. When I lived in China/Vietnam, my rule was, no English. I do know of several people who, when they go overseas, they simply form enclaves with people from the same country. In which case, I think it's probably best if they simply stayed at home.

meifeng wrote:

I'd personally prefer 1 year in a foreign country - more opportunities for practice. But having said that, it really depends on individuals. When I lived in China/Vietnam, my rule was, no English. I do know of several people who, when they go overseas, they simply form enclaves with people from the same country. In which case, I think it's probably best if they simply stayed at home.

I completely agree with the enclaves statement it is like that here in Spain little expat communities in concentrated spots and they barely speak more than please and thank you despite living here 20 years