I am teaching my dog to meow as I think it would help him having a second language 
ENGLISH SEEMS TO WORK IN MOST SITUATIONS IF YOU SHOUT IT LOUD ENOUGH
Moje vznĆĀ”Ć Ā”edlo je plnĆĀ© ĆĀŗhoĆ ā¢Ć ĀÆ.
I hate jellied eels and hovercraft are too noisy.
We are lucky being born in this fair land (well it used to be) that English is considered the real international language throughout the world so we have no need to learn a second language because all intelligent people from other lands can speak ours. Good or what?
What methods do people find best for learning another language? Obviously living and working in amongst other cultures probably helps the most, but what about when youāre on your own - tapes, radio, newspapers etc? Over the years Iāve become reasonable at French, basic at German and Dutch, but would like to get better in all of them. Iāve tried Linguaphone courses, but seem to hit a bit of a wall with them - Iāve recently tried listening to foreign radio stations using the TuneIn app, which seems to be working a bit better.
I did try learning Russian a few years ago, but that just melted my brain!
I usually find I can read it and speak it better than I can understand speech, so the radio idea is probably the better option for me, what about others?
Gary
raymundo:
I hate jellied eels and hovercraft are too noisy.
We are lucky being born in this fair land (well it used to be) that English is considered the real international language throughout the world so we have no need to learn a second language because all intelligent people from other lands can speak ours. Good or what?
Not really. First, many intelligent people learn other languages as intelligent people from other country donāt think that English is only useful language. Depending in what areas of the world you want to travel, French, Spanish, Portugese or Chinese might come much more useful. I am at this very moment in Brno, in Czech Republic at the language school. There is about 150 really intelligent people from allover the world. Some of them donāt speak good czech yetā¦ If English was the only language I know, I would miss a lot hereā¦
Second: Learning language is not only learning the code. It is also learning the culture. Off course you Britons and your fellow English -speaking collegues from the USA are not interesting in foreign cultures - just compare how much space foreign affairs take in typical German or French and typical English paper - but actually that might come very handy, even if you deal only with intelligent peopleā¦ There is that opinion of British and American being ignorants, and I think this is related to this.
Three: Learning languages improves your brain. If you know more languages, you are less likely to have dementia or alzheimer in old age. Scientifically prioven fact.
Four: Learning foreign language and culture helps you to look at your own country and culture from outside, it is very helpful, all nations should sometimes stop and thing about themselves that way, even if they are so great as Britons like to think about themselves (but actually, if you looked at yourself from outside, you would notice, that you are just one of many nations and you have your goods and your bads as everyone else and that you are not creme de la creme of the human race. That would really help you in relations with foreign countries - but thatās just my observation).
Five: because you are so used to that eveything is in English, unlike the other nations who are always souronded by the foreign cultures, if you go abroad, you often land in a position of this poor bunny, who found himself in the central reservation of dual carriageway and is overhelmed by all that noises and informations surrounding him that its completely ununderstanble for him. I observed it many times and my English friends who live abroad also confirm that: if you get used to be surrounded by foreign language, you somehow filter the stuff you donāt understand. You are just used to that you donāt understand something and your brain automaticly deals with this. If you are not used to it, you perform much worse, as your brain is occupied with trying to understand. I got interested in this subject some time ago (after reading about someones adventures abroad on this forum) and I am currently researching it, so far it seems that my explanation of this phenomene is right)
Six: Translations are like woman: you have either faithful or beautiful. If you want to really enjoy culture of some country, you have to be able not only to deal with it in its original language, but also to be able to grab the cultural backgroundā¦
So in my view: if you are interesting only in that you can buy diesel and order your fish and chips in Spain, France or Romania, you donāt need any language other in English. If you have slightest interest about the world outside British Isles, the language will open the whole new world to you.
I speak four languages already (less or more) and I recomend everyone to learn at least one.
scaniason:
What methods do people find best for learning another language?
Personally I owe trucknet a lot when it comes to improving my English. Chatting in foreign language in the subject I am interested in, but in writting, so I can check dictionaries when in doubtā¦ I recomend this method.
Look up in facebook, you might find some language community in your area, they speak on facebook, but often also go to the pub together etcā¦
I have to say, Orys, if I could speak a language (even English 
) as well as you speak English, Iād be very happy! I take your point about local community stuff - Iāll give it a look.
Gary
I found it useful for learning Finnish