What is language immersion?

“You will never understand one language until you understand at least two.” — Geoffrey Willans

Let's start by clarifying: diving into a foreign language. What does that mean? Think about how many times a week you try to study a foreign language. Some people attend courses three times a week for an hour and a half. Others try to dedicate an hour every day. Everyone has their own method, but the essence is the same—most of the time, we use our native language.

The immersion method in language learning implies that the student is immersed in the language environment and receives instructions in class in the language being taught. In other words, when a student is learning, for example, English in a country where it is the primary spoken language and is “surrounded” by native speakers, without the opportunity to use their native language, this is full immersion in the language environment. This means that in everyday life, the student also uses English, honing their skills. The student has no other choice but to express their thoughts in English.

How does the immersion method in language learning work?

You book a language course in a region where the language is native to most residents. For example, English in the UK or French in France. As a result, you receive daily practice that is not limited to the walls of the language center.

Let’s look at an example. You are learning English in England. You wake up in the morning and have breakfast with your host family. You will definitely greet the other foreign students living with you. Your roommate will talk about yesterday’s trip to the cinema, and you’ll be asked about your plans for the evening. Classes haven’t started yet, but your first lesson of the day has already taken place. After leaving the house, you discover that your public transport pass has expired. While buying a new monthly ticket, you exchange a few words with the cashier, and then buy coffee at the nearby café, specifying that you’d like milk added. The second lesson is complete. And there will be dozens of such lessons throughout the day.

Immersion in the English language environment occurs due to the need to constantly understand and speak English, including in everyday situations. The international mix of students ensures that immersion language courses provide the necessary results. After all, a Russian is unlikely to expect a Brazilian to speak Russian, and a Japanese student doesn’t assume that a Pole speaks Japanese. No, students will communicate with each other in English.

In everyday situations—shopping in a supermarket, traveling by public transport—you are also practicing. Moreover, it is beneficial to live with a local host family during your English immersion course abroad.

Is immersion in English beneficial?

Yes, but you cannot avoid obstacles, which we will discuss below. The experience of language immersion is effective and allows you to make progress in a relatively short period. For information on where and how to find immersion courses abroad, contact us for a free consultation. It is important to find a good language school abroad that will help you move to the next level of language proficiency.

Is it possible to learn English from scratch using the immersion method in 2 months?

Unlikely. Also, keep in mind that each student has different levels of motivation, memory, and linguistic abilities. One student remembers new words quickly, while another takes longer. Additionally, the language learning programs themselves vary.

Obstacles to language immersion

While the method is considered effective, it is important to be aware of the possible obstacles you may encounter:

• Lack of basic knowledge;
• Avoiding communication in the foreign language;
• Fear of making mistakes.

Let’s discuss each obstacle in more detail.

• It’s difficult to start speaking fluently with a native speaker after just a couple of weeks if you only know the English alphabet. Begin learning the basics at home, and once you reach an acceptable level, consider taking language courses abroad, particularly immersion courses.
• If you are studying at a language school abroad but constantly use your native language in everyday life, the effect of such education will be less than desired. If students of the same nationality prefer to communicate only with each other during breaks between classes and spend their free time together, it is understandable from a psychological standpoint. There’s nothing wrong with meeting new people from your hometown and becoming best friends while abroad. However, this approach reduces the effectiveness of studying a language abroad. There can be no talk of language immersion if you are only gaining knowledge within the school building.
• It’s important to find a balance: don’t speak too often in your native language, but don’t completely refuse to, so that you feel psychologically comfortable communicating with fellow countrymen.
• Everyone is afraid of making mistakes—mispronouncing words, mixing up word order in a sentence. This is understandable but ineffective in terms of learning. Mistakes are unavoidable, so just change your attitude towards them.
• If you worry and think that your classmates will look down on you, you won’t be able to overcome this. Try to take mistakes lightly. You made a mistake, but now you know how to do it correctly. No one expects flawless pronunciation or writing from a beginner. Besides, we make mistakes even when speaking our native language, so it’s not surprising to do so in a foreign language. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Even when using the immersion method in language learning, mistakes are inevitable.