Learning a new language is an enriching experience that can greatly benefit your personal and professional growth. However, successful language learning requires concentration, a suitable environment, effective time management, clear goals, and consistent motivation. Keep on reading to explore five practical strategies on how to learn a language at work.
Table of Contents
- 1. Concentration: What should you do before you learn a language at work?
- 2. Place: Where at work do you learn best?
- 3. Time: When at work do you learn best?
- 4. Goal and duration: What is your learning goal and how do you organize your learning time?
- 5. Motivation: How do you stay excited to learn?
- Ready to Learn a Language at Work?
1. Concentration: What should you do before you learn a language at work?
Successfully learning and practicing a new language is directly affected by your ability to concentrate. Effective language learning requires uninterrupted concentration. Find the right environment to positively influence your concentration.
Is your computer a central part of your work? If you learn with Babbel on a desktop, it’s better to close your email or log out of your company intranet. If you use an internal chat program at work, you can turn on the “do not disturb” mode while you’re learning.
In everyday life, your phone is also a common source of distraction. We suggest putting your phone away completely or turning on airplane mode. If you’re learning with Babbel on your phone, you can download your lessons beforehand and then learn offline in airplane mode. Alternatively, you can learn online without interruption with the “do not disturb” mode on your phone.
To help you stay focused learning during your lesson, let your manager and colleagues know that you have to concentrate. That way you have their understanding and time to learn a language without being interrupted. For transparency, it’s also useful to mark your learning times in your work calendar. Also, prepare yourself mentally for learning so that you can get started right away.
2. Place: Where at work do you learn best?
Depending on your office space, it can be difficult to find an ideal place at work for learning. To help you find a fitting learning space, we’ve put together this checklist.
Are these typical learning scenarios possible in your learning space?
- You can use Babbel comfortably on the device of your choice.
- You can practice pronouncing words or sentences out loud.
- It’s quiet enough for focused learning.
- You have relatively few distractions from your coworkers.
- You can stay there long enough to complete your lesson.
- You can connect to the internet in case you want to learn online or download lessons for learning offline.
- For Babbel Live: You have access to the internet to start the video session for your live language course.
Keep an eye out for these requirements when you’re looking for the right place to learn a language. And don’t worry: You can still learn effectively even if only a few of the requirements are met.
Based on your requirements, there are a few typical learning spaces that work well: phone booths, free meeting rooms, quiet working rooms, seating corners in open-space offices, hot desks — but also your own desk.
3. Time: When at work do you learn best?
At Babbel, three-fourths of our employees prefer practicing their language in the late afternoon. The time varies between 4 and 6 o’clock, but it’s clear that they can concentrate best when the most important tasks of the day are finished and the work day is almost over.
Neuroscientists also recommend this time of day for learning because you leave the office to go home right after. This generally involves some physical activity, and the combination of focused learning followed by movement promotes anchoring the newly acquired knowledge.
If that doesn’t fit with your work, then follow this principle: Choose your favorite learning time and stick to it — whether it’s every day or three times a week. Only with regular learning can it develop into a habit and, like brushing your teeth, at a certain point seem completely natural.
4. Goal and duration: What is your learning goal and how do you organize your learning time?
Babbel’s recommendation is to learn for 15 minutes three times a week. How long a session lasts depends on whether you want to finish a lesson (ca. 10-15 minutes), followed by the Review Manager to practice what you’ve already learned (another 5 minutes), or whether you get an online video session through Babbel Live or Babbel Intensive (30-55 minutes). You can choose how often you do a learning session, what features you use, and what lessons you use from the beginning.
The flexibility of our language courses allows for a great deal of control and responsibility. Did you know that 90% of companies particularly value the flexibility of digital learning? At Babbel for Business, we combine flexibility with goal-oriented efficiency.
On request, we also create learning plans that lay out the relevant courses for your learning goal. So make sure you know what goals fit with your company’s goals. Your learning progress is available to you and is shared with your company in usage reports.
The Magic of Big and Small Learning Goals
Are you still unsure about how much and what you should aim for to improve your language skills? With a clear, realistic, and motivating plan, you can successfully reach your goal. It’s important to set both big and small learning goals. The reasons for language learning are diverse, as is the motivation and your learning goal. Consider why you want to learn a language and what you want to achieve with the new knowledge.
For instance, you can focus on learning numbers in one session and weekdays in the next, or even learn specialized vocabulary related to a specific topic. Also, plan for review sessions.
How long and how often should a study session ideally be?
From research, we know that our brain can process new information continuously for only about 15 minutes. Based on this finding, the duration of a lesson in Babbel is also set to 15 minutes. This way, new language learning content is optimally introduced, and the invested learning time per session is kept efficiently short.
For your company, this means that effective language learning can be ensured through short study sessions. In addition to the 15 minutes needed for a new lesson, allocate some time for a review session in the Babbel app. Language experts recommend a study session lasting a total of 20 to 25 minutes.
When planning the time for workplace language learning, consider consistency. From a didactic standpoint, we know that regular focused learning sessions are essential to success. Why is this knowledge crucial? In order for information to be transferred from short-term memory to long-term memory, the brain needs to be exposed to this information regularly and over an extended period of time. For learners, this means that they truly learn a language only when they engage in regular study sessions for a certain period.
5. Motivation: How do you stay excited to learn?
For anything new, we start off highly motivated, proud of ourselves, and achieve initial small successes. But then it happens suddenly or gradually: motivation fades, you don’t have time to study, priorities shift, and the once-chosen goal no longer seems as important. What remains is a sense of guilt for not reaching your goal, and you feel validated in thinking that you simply don’t have the knack or talent for learning a new language.
However, there are important guidelines that can help you stick to and achieve your resolutions:
- Evaluate your learning goal
Have you chosen a realistic, small learning goal? Set your learning goal for a specific period and always set small milestone goals that are easy to achieve. For example, if you want to improve your business English skills, focus on a specific area that is particularly important to you. If your goal is to improve your skills for participating in discussions, a realistic target would be to learn words and phrases that help you express your viewpoint. Importantly, don’t set too many expectations for yourself. The goals you choose should be within reach! - Consider how you will deal with temptations or obstacles
You have a small learning goal in mind and are determined to achieve it. But what happens when predictable obstacles arise? What could these obstacles be, and what alternatives do you have? Create a plan B in advance and don’t let these obstacles derail you. - Don’t be deterred by setbacks
You have a goal in mind: to complete one lesson in the Babbel app every day. However, for various reasons, you didn’t manage to do so last week. Don’t let that discourage you! If you missed a few days, don’t worry, just start again. When you ultimately reach your main goal, no one will ask if you learned every single day. Every activity counts and brings you closer to your goal! - Talk to others about your goals
Perhaps it helps to discuss your goals with friends, colleagues, or family members. They may be able to support you or at least regularly inquire about your progress. However, be aware that this tip may not be suitable for everyone. If involving others creates too much pressure for you, focus on other motivational strategies. - Find like-minded individuals at work
Why not try a language lunch, where colleagues come together during lunch breaks to engage in informal conversations in the target language? This way, you can make connections with like-minded individuals and motivate each other! - Don’t spread yourself too thin
Focus on what’s essential. Choose only one or two key goals when you learn a language, give yourself some time, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You don’t have to try to accomplish everything overnight and completely disrupt your life in that regard. What’s important is that you are honest with yourself and set realistic goals. Consider your resources carefully and, as mentioned before, don’t take on too many (big) learning goals at once. - Enjoyment and variety on the home stretch
Learning a language is a great challenge and can be fun. Engage in learning activities that bring you joy. Read in the target language, listen to music or podcasts, solve crossword puzzles, cook a recipe in the target language, or find someone to practice with. There are no limits to creativity! - Reward yourself!
Have you achieved your goal? Fantastic! Then it’s time for a reward: a glass of wine with friends, a long walk in the forest, visiting an exhibition you’ve wanted to see for a long time, or dining at a particularly good restaurant. Do what you feel like doing and what brings you joy!
Ready to Learn a Language at Work?
By implementing these tips for concentration, environment, time management, goal setting, and motivation, you can optimize your language learning experience at work. Remember to tailor these strategies to your individual preferences and learning space, making language learning an enjoyable and rewarding part of your daily routine.
For more tips and tricks on language learning, visit our website.
Do you want to get started with corporate language learning?
Take your first steps to find the right learning strategy for your company with our eBook “The Ultimate Guide To Language Learning.”
