Dave Baldwin

Learning foreign languages is a practice I highly recommend for every writer. I recommend, if possible, to put yourself into an immersive environment where people don’t speak one word of your native tongue. You’ll start to notice a number of peculiar things happening when you do this.

Speaking someone else’s language forces you to slow down your communication. You can’t just rattle off words at the speed of blabber. You can’t just put your mind on loudspeaker. Your mind has to stop and translate; at least in the early stages of language learning. This delay requires you to communicate the critical and substantial thoughts only. You will also begin to appreciate which words you actually need the most.

There’s a more subtle benefit to learning another language. The subtle differences in the way words are enunciated will force you to learn to push sounds through different parts of your nose and throat. They’ll force you to learn to physically produce different tones. It will also force you to listen more intently.

There comes a point, when learning a foreign language, that you realize how little you understand anybody – even people who speak your native tongue. You come to realize that people don’t listen to most of what you say, and you don’t really hear what they say. Real communication happens heart-to-heart, and when speaking a foreign language, you have no choice but to rely on this fact. You begin to think differently about all language.

In writing, the same heart-to-heart communication is equally essential. Your spirit has to be infused into every single word that leaves your fingertips. Putting your mind on loudspeaker doesn’t work on paper any more than it works in person. If you aren’t putting serious effort into the words you speak, why should you expect anyone to put serious effort into listening?

The process of learning someone else’s language requires you to exercise much more effort than most people typically put into their communication.  When you practice speaking and listening in foreign languages, you will naturally find yourself putting more effort into all of your communication. You can’t help but become a better writer with this kind of training under your belt.