Cultural immersion is the act of surrounding oneself with the culture of a place whilst also exposing oneself with the local language being spoken.
As language learners, we all know how beneficial a cultural immersion is for mastering a new language.
When it comes to learning Indonesian, using cultural immersion technique plus intuition reinforce the concept of “thinking in Indonesian.” They are wonderfully effective and have been successful where other methods have failed.
For some people who have the means and privilege of time and resources to “culturally immerse” themselves by moving to Indonesia, they are presenting themselves in a situation where they will have no choice but to think in the language being studied. In that way, by being discipline with your learning, you can also do that too.
Keep in mind that the objective is to improve your fluency in Indonesian dramatically in the shortest amount of time possible.
Indonesian language learners must “think” in the language before they learn the rules of the language a ka the grammar. By thinking in Indonesian, language learners use the intuitive part of the brain in order to speak. It allows them to naturally absorb a language before learning the logic or the grammar. Repeating what is heard allows the language learner to remember the language. This is the way a child learns to speak Indonesian before he or she can read it. They listen and repeat what it heard, all the while “thinking in Indonesian” effortlessly and unconsciously.
Traditional methods and techniques of teaching Indonesian to foreign-born adults have complicated matters. It is much more practical to have the language learners learn vocabulary and pronunciation before they learn grammar and formal rules of sentence structure.
Using the “cultural immersion” technique allows one to recognize and respect a person’s innate intelligence for listening and being able to copy what he or she hears. Copying a language is speaking a language. After conversation skills are mastered, the language learners can then be introduced to the rules of grammar.
Manoj, an East Indian man who sells newspapers every morning learned Indonesian without ever taking a class. He has been living in Indonesia for over thirty years, and if anyone were to ask him how he learned Indonesian, he would be quick to answer that he never attended a language school.
Instead of formal studies, he learned Indonesian by listening to the radio, watching television, and attempting to read the headlines of the daily newspapers. By using self-education and common sense, Manoj taught himself Indonesian, but it took him five or six years to feel comfortable speaking with native speakers. It is important to note that though self-study also can bear desirable result, the presence of qualified tutor of course aims to expedite the learning process. Your Indonesian qualified tutor will have to be knowledgable enough to provide you with other resources that you can tap into outside your tutoring hours.
If you are really serious about improving your Indonesian, know what learning method that work best for you. Many language learners skip this part and dive straight into the learning process. At Think Bahasa, we always highlight the importance of learning Indonesian in a way that is effortless to the language learners. It is important to know what learning method is most suitable to you, and then tailor your learning approach accordingly to bear the most result in the most efficient manner.
If you don’t know yet what method works best for you, try to experiment learning with different resources. Be honest to yourself at how much learning hours you can totally pull off in a day. A 15 minute learning time daily works, if that’s all the timing that you have. Top it up with an hour of tutoring once a week. The key is consistency – always, just like when it comes to mastering any other skills. Consistent practice is needed. Often times the presence of a tutor will give you the extra push and motivation that you need to keep yourself discipline and accountable.
Another tips is: integrate learning Indonesian into your daily life.
What do you like to do? Do you like to listen to music as you’re doing your daily chores? Have you thought about listening to Indonesian music instead?
Do you like to read? Why don’t you try to read Indonesian books to spice up your learning? Do you like to cook? Have you tried to cook using recipe books written in Indonesian?
Do you like to watch news? Try to tune in into an Indonesian radio station or Indonesian TV channel.
Another good question to ask yourself: What habits do I already have? How can I integrate my learning Indonesian into my daily habits? Do you like to check Instagram when you’re commuting? Have you thought of using Instagram to learn Indonesian while on the-go?
Do you like to watch Youtube videos before you go to bed?
Discover: what’s fun for you when it comes to language learning?
Do you find it thrilling when you’re putting what you’ve learned into practice? You can try to find Indonesian friends online or in person through your local meetup groups.
Do you find it satisfying when you’re watching Indonesian movies and you can follow along the story and the conversation?
8 Indonesian Movies to Watch for Indonesian Language Learners
Let’s get started then! After you’ve read this article, surely you’ve gained some ideas on what you’d like to try on doing. Share with us on what you plan to do!
