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Many of us are counting down the days until our summer vacations, and some of us even plan to hop across the ocean to visit an international destination for a little R&R. While seeing the sights and absorbing the sounds of another country, you may wish to speak with the locals. There are many reasons why learning some key phrases in the language of your destination can help enhance your visit and help you navigate the area more efficiently.
A big part of international travel is immersing yourself in a new culture, and an immersive experience is also a great way to learn a new language. Quinn Taber, CEO of Immerse, has brought immersive Metaverse technology to the world of language learning, proving that virtual reality (VR) can be used to cultivate human connection and pioneer immersive language learning in a vibrant Metaversal environment.
Why should you learn a new language?
No one expects international travelers to become fluent in their destination’s language overnight, but learning key phrases can help you interact better with locals, save money, and even keep you safe in a foreign land.
Learning some important and helpful phrases will make your travels far easier and likely more enjoyable and memorable. If you can ask a local where the bathroom is, how to get somewhere, or how much something costs, you may avoid awkward interactions or getting lost in an unfamiliar area.
When traveling internationally, it’s essential to avoid making culturally insensitive faux pas and to make an effort to connect with those around you who live in the place you are visiting.
Your motivation for learning some or all of a new language is unique to you — people have their own individual motives for expanding their language abilities. Whatever your reasons, getting a solid foundation quickly, before you embark on your international adventure, can be achieved with the help of completely immersive language learning experiences in VR.
Increasing your vocabulary quickly
There are many ways to learn a language, but if you simply want to pick up on a few phrases to make your vacation more enjoyable, there are a number of tips and tricks to get you communicating in a new language in short order.
Immersion
The more you use a new language, interacting with speakers and spending time in environments where the language is used, the better and faster you will learn. This is precisely the goal of the Immerse platform, where live instructors use AI and VR to teach people language through virtual activities, such as visiting a store or going out to dinner. The more a person can practice what they have learned in real world applications, the more what they have learned will stick.
Start simple
Learning the key phrases you will need while in a foreign country should be tackled first. Learn how to ask where the bathroom is, how much something costs, or how to get someplace. Learn simple phrases like “Hello,” “Goodbye,” and the ever-useful “Thank You.”
Read, write, and speak
Speaking the language you are learning whenever you can helps make it a bigger part of your day-to-day life. You should also try to read books in the language, starting with children’s books until you get more familiar with the language. Writing in the language can strengthen your communication skills as well.
Make use of learning tools
Tools like Immerse and other language learning apps and podcasts can help you with your language immersion because they can often be used while doing other things anywhere you may be.
Other language learning apps exist and have allowed many people to start learning a language in their spare time or pick up a few phrases to help them during an international visit. However, Immerse is the first language learning tool that is a full metaverse experience, leveraging the latest technology to help people learn.
Tech tools help language learners
Taber discovered the need for immersive, technology-driven language lessons while visiting refugee encampments in the Middle East. “As I met with aid workers, entrepreneurs, and refugees, I learned that language learning was actually the biggest blocker to their development,” he explains. It became Taber’s mission to seek out a way for people to easily, quickly, and fully learn a language — whatever their reason for learning may be.
After becoming interested in VR and the world of language learning, Taber returned to the US from the Middle East with a fire lit. After raising capital and building his initial team, he launched the first-ever VR language learning tool. Through connections with some of the world’s largest language learning organizations, Taber has been able to spread his VR language tool worldwide.
“During the pandemic, Immerse went from ‘nice to have’ to ‘mission critical,’” Taber explains. Like many tech companies, Immerse found its footing with people who needed connection to live learning experiences even as the world was shutting down. As VR and the metaverse continue to grow, language learning’s place in that world is being pioneered by the work Immerse is doing.
With all the tools available to help people acquire a new language, learning key phrases quickly before a planned international vacation has never been easier or more accessible. So, before you dust off your passport and start envisioning yourself hobnobbing with folks across the pond, dive into learning a bit of their language. It will significantly enhance your international traveling experience.
