As anyone who is multilingual can tell you, learning a second language can be a highly rewarding experience, giving you access to an exciting new world of social, professional, and cultural opportunities. As you increase in fluency and confidence, you’ll find yourself better able to communicate and share experiences with people from across the world, building important intercultural connections and developing a more global perspective.
Learning a new language can also be challenging, as you build a new vocabulary from the ground up, learn how to apply unfamiliar and sometimes complex rules of grammar, and develop a familiarity with the more subtle aspects of a language that don’t easily translate through books or in-class lessons.
For those interested in learning Italian, an immersive study abroad experience in Rome can be the ideal way to acquire and practice these new skills.
Immersion Allows You to Practice Every Day
One of the keys to learning any new skill is simply to practice. While taking regular classes at home in an English-speaking country can certainly be a good way to start building up the basic grammar and vocabulary of a foreign language, it’s hard to improve quickly when you’re only practicing your new language skills one or two hours a day, a few days a week, with large gaps in between. By immersing yourself in Italian life and culture, you can maintain a regular practice schedule without even trying, learning new words and honing your language skills every time you go to buy groceries, explore the city with friends, or visit the many local galleries and museums.
Immersion allows students to practice their Italian every day
Improve Your Italian with Real Conversations with Native Speakers
Real-world experience with native speakers is key when learning a new language. If you want to become truly fluent, the best way to do so is to get out and experience how the language is really used in day-to-day life in Italy. This allows you to develop a better idea of the contextual clues that help you understand when different words and expressions are used and what they mean, to pick up on the slang and colloquialisms common to native speakers but often omitted from formal language training, and to practice your pronunciation with those who actually speak Italian as a first language.
When you study abroad in Rome and interact with real Romans, you’ll have ample opportunity to practice the language, picking up on all of the subtleties that can only be learned through firsthand experience.
Build Your Confidence When You Study Abroad in Rome
Another important aspect of becoming fluent in a new language is building up your confidence. Getting plenty of practice with native speakers is important, but without the confidence to test out your language skills in unfamiliar situations, you might find it hard to get that practice and to improve.
Italian learners studying at American universities in Italy will find that immersion helps them quickly grow in confidence, as they use their newly acquired language skills to navigate the streets of Rome, chat with locals, and take part in Italian cultural life. Instead of nervously wondering whether you’ll be able to pronounce a word correctly or be understood by a native speaker, immersion gives you the confidence that comes with real experience.
You’ll build your confidence quickly when you study abroad in Rome
Would you like to study abroad in Italy and boost your Italian language skills?
Contact John Cabot University to learn more.
