In the last couple of posts we’ve focussed on some of the more academic side to learning a language, in the next few we’ll take a look at some of the nifty toys you can play with that can add a bit of fun to your learning while also giving you some really useful feedback on how you’re doing.

At the end of this series of posts, we’re going to be releasing a new gadget (and some other great new features) on BitesizedLanguages.com so make sure you read through to the end to find out what we have in store for you…

To kick things off let’s look at the simplest but one of the most revealing tools: the humble sound recorder.

Whether it is recorded through your PC, Mobile phone or MP3 player; one of the best (and cheapest) self-improvement tools is recording your own voice for playback. Working one-on-one with a tutor is of course ideal, however when that isn’t an option recording your own voice is surprisingly revealing. While you may cringe at the thought, here are 6 reasons why recording yourself speaking in a foreign language is great for self-improvement:

1. As most people know the voice you hear from within your head is not the same as that which others hear so it is impossible to be really self-critical when assessing your own pronunciation.
2. When you’re speaking your brain naturally skims over the bits that you are fumbling on so what sounds to you like poetry may actually be coming out in quite a broken fashion.
3. One of the things that often leads to the broken speaking above is relying on “safety words”, often things like “yes”, “no”, “ok” these are often words that are your default response to a question you’re still processing (to buy you time so you don’t feel silly). This isn’t strictly a singular activity but when practising with another fire up the recorder and listen for these habits – then fix them.
4. Recording your voice and then teaching yourself what you did wrong is an excellent way of improving not only your pronunciation but also your general ability, teaching is often the best way of learning.
5. It’s fun! Get over the cringe worthiness of your voice, laugh at your mistakes and then fix them. Whether you do this or not you will still have those habits so better to notice them, laugh about them and then fix them!
6. It’s (probably) FREE! All modern PCs & Macs, many mobile phones and MP3 players have recording devices built in (or accessible with a cheap microphone).  It doesn’t have to be Dolby quality, you just need to be able to work out your habits and weak points.

So, give it a try there really is no excuse not to!  Please do share your stories with us in the comments below, we love hearing from you.

Have fun!

Simon