September 15, 2017
Writing is not an easy task, regardless of the language you are using. However, writing in a language that is not your mother tongue is twice as tough, since a foreign language includes a huge amount of new information you don’t know. In order to fully know and understand a foreign language, you must form a variety of skills. Writing is perhaps the most complex skill of all.
Why is this?
Even the most intelligent learner can struggle with writing in a foreign language. Even if you have the vocabulary and determination, you may lack the writing skills necessary to create the content you need.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to improve your writing in a foreign language. Here are 5 useful tips for writing in a different language than your mother tongue.
1. Read in the Foreign Language
Reading in the foreign language is a great way to boost your vocabulary and absorb the grammar skills. Many researchers point out to the benefits of reading in the foreign language, which makes this step a crucial one in your language development.
Fortunately, you are not limited to study books or complex texts in the foreign language. Just try to read what you like or even, everything you get your hands on. Something as simple as a newspaper article or even an instruction manual can boost your foreign language skills and therefore, improve your writing.
Of course, you won’t be able to absorb all the new information immediately after reading it. Your best trick here is to take notes and get back to them later.
This may be a bit time-consuming, but will do wonders for your writing skills.
2. Think in the Foreign Language
One of the biggest mistakes people do when writing in a foreign language is translate. If you try to translate your thoughts in the target language, you are much more likely to make mistakes.
The best way to avoid this from happening is if you think in the foreign language. It will take you a bit longer, but thinking in the foreign language will significantly reduce the editing time.
3. Get help
Getting help is one of the top ways to learn how to write in a foreign language. Yet, students are often too proud or ashamed to ask for help, even if it is from a family member.
Of course, the best person to help you with your writing is one who is native to the language you are writing in. If you know someone who speaks the language you are learning, ask them to check your content and point out to the mistakes you are making.
Most people do not know such people. Others do, but you surely cannot torture another person with your writing all the time. Fortunately, the writing market has become so popular nowadays, that you can get some professional assistance from a native writer at a very affordable fee.
As Janet Piercen, a content writer at Aussie writings says ‘Asking a friend to help you out is not the same as asking a professional writer. Your friend will not possess the necessary skills and experience to guide you on the right path. This can be detrimental to your foreign language writing skills’.
4. Practice Makes Perfect
None of our tips will help you if you do not practice writing. It does not really matter what you write. As long as you keep writing and trying, you will work on improving your skills.
Even if your content is filled with mistakes or completely irrelevant, it is something you wrote. Getting feedback on it and practicing continually is not only one of the most successful ways to learn how to write. It is something you absolutely must do if you want to write in a foreign language.
There are many ways to practice writing. Starting from something as simple as writing your diary in the foreign language or writing down your favorite recipes in it, to even translation of existing text and paragraphs – there are no limits as to what you can write. Also, no one is chasing you or grading you on practicing, which means that you can use as many tools as you want.
5. Value Mistakes
You probably wonder – why would I ever value mistakes?
In learning, mistakes are an opportunity, not a sign of failure. Everyone makes mistakes and, even if they are sometimes embarrassing, they are still a way to improve your writing skills.
Do not let a mistake discourage you or scare you from writing in the foreign language. Instead, start seeing them as a perfect learning opportunity. After all, that is what they are – your chance to identify the areas that need improvement.
Boosting your writing skills is hard, but not impossible. Implement these skills into your strategy and start writing like a pro in no time!
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