The argument
Is travel really good for learning a language? Of course it is, right? We’re surrounded by the language. We hear it everywhere. We see it on signs. Everything reinforces what we’re learning. It’s obviously great.
But is it?
I actually think it’s not a very effective way to learn.
In this video, I want to be radically honest about two things: why travel—especially travel to major tourist destinations—is actually NOT a very good way to learn a language. But I also want to be transparent about the limits of learning through comprehensible input and what my recent trip to Corsica revealed to me.
Obviously, I teach through comprehensible input on this channel, so I clearly believe in its effectiveness. But on my trip to Corsica, I was confronted with a hard reality. Can we really learn a language to a high level when we don’t live in a country where it’s spoken? And are there certain things we simply won’t learn if we’re not surrounded by the language in everyday life?
Stick around, because there is an important qualification to all of this.
As I said, maybe it’s controversial, but I’m arguing that travel is NOT a good way to learn a language. Sure, travelling might motivate you to learn the language once you’re there. But if that’s the only time you start learning it, sorry—you’re never going to pick it up.