Best Way to Learn Arabic Language is Through Immersion in Palestine: So, you want to learn Arabic? Reading textbooks, making flashcards, taking classes in your home country, and listening to Arabic music and television programs can help you to learn vocabulary and grammar, but these methods can only get you so far in your language learning journey.
If you are serious about learning a foreign language, there is no way to pick up a language faster than through immersion. Studying, interning, or volunteering with the Excellence Center provides internationals with the opportunity to learn Arabic, specifically the Palestinian Dialect, through immersion. Living in Hebron, internationals will be exposed to Arabic everywhere they go. If you are eager to learn Arabic in Palestine, here are a few tips to get the most out of your language immersion experience.
For starters, participating in cultural gatherings will provide great exposure to new vocabulary, in addition to meeting new people. You will also be able to learn about your host country’s culture and values as you participate in these gatherings. Whether it is a wedding, a birthday celebration, or a dinner at a new friend’s house, we recommend that you take advantage of these invitations to be steeped in the Arabic language and Palestinian culture. It is here that you will also start picking up common, local phrases that people speak.
Another tip to maximizing your immersion experience is to read and think in Arabic. When driving or walking through Palestine, practice reading the names of shops and restaurants. Also, when you enter a kitchen, a house, a classroom, etc. try thinking about that corresponding vocabulary word in Arabic. Practicing vocabulary and starting to think in the foreign language will greatly benefit your learning. Reading the Arabic script as often as possible will also improve your language skills at a fast rate.
Depending on your level of Arabic, you may want to change your electronic devices to the Arabic language setting. Also, listening to music and television programs in Arabic will be another way to make the most of your immersion experience. Of course, staying with a host family will provide the most exposure to the language. At the Excellence Center, we can provide accommodations with a host family if that is something you – as a volunteer, student, or intern – are interested in. Female internationals will be required to stay with a host family and male internationals are given the choice to stay in an apartment unit located a walkable distance from the Excellence Center.
With all these tips in mind, the most important thing to do when learning a language through immersion is to remember that it is okay to make mistakes. In your home country, perhaps you do not have the same exposure to the Arabic language and Arabic-speaking friends. Take advantage of this opportunity to practice, make mistakes, and learn along the way. The biggest challenge for individuals learning a foreign language is to get past their fear. Be brave enough to cross this hurdle and simply try. You cannot learn without practice. Maybe, at times, you will try to speak in Arabic and it won’t make sense to the listener. That is alright! It is better than not trying at all. This is how you improve and this is how you take steps to mastering a foreign language.
When traveling to a place where you don’t know the language, the most natural thing to do is gravitate towards people who know your native language because it is comfortable. By all means, we hope that you connect with fellow internationals at the Excellence Center. There is something to be learned from everyone who works, studies, interns, and volunteers at the Excellence Center. Just keep in mind, if your goal is language learning, try to practice your Arabic skills even with other internationals and teachers. When you are forced to communicate with only Arabic, your language skills will develop faster than you can believe.
