The Science of Remembering a Language

THE SCIENCE OF R E M E M B E R I N G

A LANGUAGE

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This is no secret, it’s just plain science.

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This is no secret, it’s just plain science.

(It’s not rocket science, though.)

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As time passes, we forget what we have learned.

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Just how quickly do we forget?

Data taken from H.F. Spitzer, 1939

You can forget more than three quarters of studied material in just

two weeks.

But you can fight that forgetfulness.

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But you can fight that forgetfulness.

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All you need to do is review!

Repetition and review moves bits and pieces of the language from your short-

term to long-term memory.

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This process is called rote memorization.

(It’s great for learning vocabulary!)

Before you review your brains out, consider these tips.

Review early. One:

Remember this graph? Look at how quickly the drop-off begins. It’s best to review what you’ve learned within 1-2 days of

learning it, then periodically after that depending on how well you know the word or phrase.

Review often. Two:

Reviewing once the day after studying is a good first step. Continue to review words and phrases periodically for

long-term retention.

Take breaks! Three:

Do not cram! Reviewing for 15-20 minutes every day will boost retention without causing burn out.

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Now that you understand the dangers of not reviewing, you may be asking yourself when, what, and how to review.

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This is where we can help, thanks to technology!

Transparent Language Online observes how many times you get a word right or wrong when learning.

The Learned Words and Phrases refresh system uses this data to does 3 things:

Remember which words/phrases you’ve

learned

Keep track of their status in your memory

Create opportunities for

you to review “stale” words/phrases

The more you demonstrate that you truly remember a word, the less often you’ll see it. Smarter reviewing, just like that!

Don’t forget to remember! Sign up for the free 14-day trial of Transparent Language Online and see just how much you

remember at the end.

START LEARNING