Every language is a door. Learn even a little of one, and a place opens up to you in ways a guidebook never manages: the shopkeeper who lights up when you try, the joke you finally understand, the menu you can read without pointing.
When I lived and worked in Japan, language was how I learned the country. I learned the language through curiosity - asking about different foods at street stalls, where Tuxedo Sam was located in the enormous Sanrio shop, finding the word for bike when a host sister and I were laughing at an absurdely parked one. Years later, our daughter Lillie learned French at our kitchen table while dreaming of Paris, alongside the crepes, the films, and the stack of library books. Language learning starts long before the plane does.
Here you go: our best articles on learning languages, learning them abroad, teaching them, raising multilingual kids, and the stories languages carry.
Language learning tips that actually work
Where to start, and how to keep going when motivation dips (it will).
- Ten Tips for Learning a Language, Part 1: Tips 1-5
- Ten Tips for Learning Languages, Part 2: Tips 6-10
- Top Ten Tips for Learning a New Language
- Learning a Language: 7 Great Ways to Stay Motivated
- Building Language Skills with a Foreign Penpal
- The Best Approach to Language Study in the United States
- Language Learning & Teaching: Linguapolis
Learn a language abroad
Immersion is the fastest teacher there is. These pieces cover where to go, what to expect, and how to handle the moments when words fail you.
- The Best Ways to Learn a Language Abroad
- Learn Spanish in Spain: Immerse Yourself in Culture and Perfect Your Language!
- Studying Abroad and Learning a New Language
- Study Abroad in China: Business, Culture, Language
- Language Learning at Vaughan Town
- Learning a Language Enhances Your Travels
- How Language Barriers Impact Students Studying Abroad
- Overcoming Language Barriers
- Bridging the Language Gap
- When New Speakers of a Foreign Language Are Reluctant to Converse
- #StudyAbroadBecause You'll Learn from a Thousand Teachers and Smile in a Hundred Languages
And because every learner has a story like this: The Case of the Fire Chicken (and other hilarious foreign language follies). Then, for your pocket, Thank You in Thirty-Five Languages. Start there. It is the most useful phrase in any language.
Tip: Learn hello, please, thank you, and excuse me before you go. Those four words, offered with a smile, carry you further than you would believe.
For language teachers
Practical ideas from educators in classrooms around the world, whether you teach at home, abroad, or online.
- Preparing Yourself to Teach a Language Abroad
- How to Teach Languages Online
- Navigating Language Barriers: Innovative Methods Educators Use Worldwide
- Why Teach English as a Foreign Language?
- How to Teach English as a Foreign Language
- Panel Discussion Part One: Teaching English as a Second Language
- Panel Discussion Part Two: Teaching English as a Second Language
- Bridging the Humor Barrier: Humor Competency Training in English Language Teaching
- Supporting Students with Speech and Language Challenges as a Teacher
- How to Overcome Language Barriers in Academic Essay Writing
- CARLA: Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition
Raising multilingual kids
The earlier the better, and it is never too late. (Yes, really!)
- The Benefits of Dual Language Education
- Developing the Language and Literacy Skills of Preschoolers through Mentorship: The Jumpstart Program
- US High School Scholarship Program NSLI-Y Promotes Language Study
- Foreign Language Resource for People with Disabilities
Language, culture, and identity
A language holds a people's history, humor, and way of seeing the world. When a language fades, so does a piece of that world. These are some of my favorite pieces on the site.
- Learning a Foreign Language and Intercultural Understanding
- Punjabi Language
- Wahnapitae First Nation and Loss of Language in the Culture
- How Did the English Language Come to Be?
What language are you learning right now? And where do you dream of using it?
Jessie Voigts, PhD, is the founder and publisher of Wandering Educators.
This article was originally published in 2008 and most recently updated in 2026.