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Must-Try 10 Memory Boosters for Language Learners
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10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Aug 19, 2014

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Think your memory isn't good enough to learn a language? Think again, and try these 10 memory-boosting tips that will help you learn a language faster and retain it longer.
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Page 1: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Must-Try 10 Memory

Boosters for Language Learners

Page 2: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

When it comes to languages,

your memory is like a suitcase.

Image © Gideon | flickr

Page 3: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Image © Shockingly Tasty | flickr

You want to fit as much in there as you possibly can.

Page 4: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

But you also want to be able to access the contents quickly

and easily.

Image © body_pixel | flickr

Page 5: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Fortunately, there are a few things everyone can do to optimize how they pack and unpack a language within

their memory.

Image © Cea. | flickr

Page 6: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

CHUNKING

Page 7: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

The average person can store between 4-7 items in their short-term memory at any given time. Push that limit with

the chunking technique.

Image © InSapphoWeTrust | flickr

Page 8: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

By grouping together several smaller items into one larger,

more meaningful item, you’ll be able to store more

information.

Image © InSapphoWeTrust | flickr

Page 9: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Focus on learning meaningful chunks of a language as a whole, rather than dissecting and

memorizing the individual parts.1

Page 10: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Take the expression “to pay out of

pocket.”

It may seem easier to break it down into its parts, but that

will not help you establish the meaning. It’s better to

learn idioms and collocations as whole

chunks.

Image © danielmoyle | flickr

Page 11: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Image © certified su | flickr

The more chunks you acquire, the more you’ll begin to recognize grammar patterns.

Page 12: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

MNEMONIC DEVICES

Page 13: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Paint vivid illustrations in your mind to link a new

foreign word to its meaning in your native language.

Image © katerha | flickr

Page 14: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Image © brunosan | flickr

Take the German word for parachute: Fallschirm.

Page 15: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Image © William Warby | flickr

The word looks and sounds a bit like “fall chimp,” which presents a unique, memorable visual. Next time you need to think of the German word for parachute, you’ll picture a chimp in freefall!

Page 16: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

TAKE A HIKE

Page 17: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Improving your memory isn’t all about creative brain tricks. Lifestyle changes, like exercising more often, have considerable effects on brain health.

Image © timtak | flickr

Page 18: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Exercising one hour a day, three days each week reduces the cognitive and biological

effects of aging and improves memory.2

Image © Ed Yourdon | flickr

Page 19: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Get out there, go for a walk, take a hike, ride your bike, or join a gym. Take care of your body, and your

memory and language skills will follow.

Page 20: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

CATCH SOME Z’S

Page 21: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

While on the subject of lifestyle changes, getting a solid 7-8 hours of sleep each night

works wonders for your memory.

Image © Morgaine | flickr

Page 22: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

While you sleep, your brain commits new information into your memory through a process called memory consolidation.3

Image © Elaine with Grey Cats | flickr

Page 23: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Newly learned material, such as a list of vocabulary words, is very vulnerable at first.

Memory consolidation strengthens connections in the brain, preserving new information to be

used when you wake.3

Image © thebittenword.com | flickr

Page 24: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

So catch some z’s and give your brain a chance to store that new language-y

goodness you’re learning.

Image © ingodibella | flickr

Page 25: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

DON’T CRAM

Page 26: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

If you’re learning for a specific deadline, like

before a test or a trip overseas, you may be tempted to cram the night

before.

Image © liewfc| flickr

Page 27: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

If you’re learning for a specific deadline, like

before a test or a trip overseas, you may be tempted to cram the night

before.

Image © liewfc| flickr

DON’T!

Page 28: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Image © cstrom | flickr

Cramming too much information at once forces you to commit it to your short-term memory instead of

your long-term memory, from which it could be pulled much later on down the road… like when you

actually need it.

Page 29: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

You may be able to regurgitate the words for

50 fruits and veggies on a quiz the next morning, but

that information will disappear shortly

thereafter. When you actually need to buy

bananas at the market someday, you may find

yourself at a loss.

Image © keepon | flickr

Page 30: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Language learning is not a race. Take it slow

and learn (and review!) only one new grammar rule or a

dozen vocab words at a time.

Image © IvanWalsh.com | flickr

Page 31: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

FOCUS

Page 32: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Even if you’re a great multi tasker, language

learning requires

extreme focus.

Image © Jeffrey Beall | flickr

Page 33: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

No matter how much sleep you get or how creative your visualization techniques are, you’ll never remember what you’re

learning if you don’t pay attention to it in the first place.

Page 34: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Avoid studying in distracting environments. Turn off the TV, put in ear plugs, shut the door to your office, turn off your phone, close the blinds, and just focus.

Image © Emilian Robert Vicol | flickr

Page 35: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

RELATE NEW TO OLD

Page 36: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

When learning a new word or grammar rule, think about how it relates to parts of the language you already know.

Image © katerha | flickr

Page 37: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

By establishing a connection between newly learned information and existing memories, you can increase your chances of remembering it.

Image © Bruce Guenter | flickr

Page 38: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Relate new target language terms to terms in your native language.

For example, the French expression “quand on parle du loup” (speak of the wolf) is used the

same way as the English expressions “speak of the

devil.” There’s an easy connection to establish this new expression in

your memory.

Image © Serge Melki | flickr

Page 39: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Or, relate new target language terms to target language terms you know well.

For example, the Spanish word for “scarecrow” is espantapájaros, which is

much easier to remember when you relate it to the more common Spanish words

“espantar” (to scare) and “pájaros” (birds).

Image © Peter Pearson | flickr

Page 40: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

SAY IT OUT LOUD

Page 41: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

According to a study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology4, speaking a word out

loud improves your ability to remember the word by increasing its distinctiveness.

Image © SparkCBC | flickr

Page 42: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

That doesn’t mean you can read an entire passage out loud and memorize it. That approach lacks that distinctiveness we mentioned. But voicing the key

words will help you remember them.

Image © photosteve101 | flickr

Page 43: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Considering you’re learning a new language, practicing your speaking and pronunciation skills is a must, so this really kills two birds with one stone!

Image © darrenleno | flickr

Page 44: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

TEACH

Page 45: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

One of the best ways to make sure you understand a grammar concept that

you’ve been studying? Try explaining it to someone else.

Image © Tulane Public Relations | flickr

Page 46: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Teaching language concepts to your child, friend, or sibling gives you an opportunity for active repetition, and it’s a big confidence booster.

Image © udeyismail | flickr

Page 47: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Not to mention it gives you someone to use the language with! This relationship will help you

build fun, lasting memories of learning the language, which will also improve retention.

Page 48: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

RINSE AND REPEAT

Page 49: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Here’s the truth you may not want to hear:

Page 50: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Here’s the truth you may not want to hear: (Are you ready for it?)

Page 51: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Here’s the truth you may not want to hear: (Are you ready for it?)

REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!

Page 52: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Yes, that requires a lot of effort and time on your part. But repetition moves information from short-term to long-term

memory. So don’t take that flashcard from the stack until you’ve used it successfully several times.

Image © xikita | flickr

Page 53: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

Use these 10 techniques to pack your memory

well. That way you’ll have the language with

you on your next trip overseas, where you

can put it to good use.

Image © emmamccleary | flickr

Page 54: 10 Must-Try Memory Boosters for Language Learners

For more advice on all things foreign language, connect with Transparent Language:

www.transparent.com