If you know much about LAL School, you know that we put a massive focus on our students experiencing the culture of Cape Town and spending time with native English speakers. This not only ensures you have an amazing learning vacation, but also helps you learn to speak English faster and more effectively. Being able to speak a language and actually communicating in that language can be very different, and LAL is here to bridge that gap. Keep reading to find out exactly how learning culture helps you learn a new language.
1. Courtesies and manners differ between cultures
This is one of the most important reasons to get to know the culture of the language you’re learning. When it comes to manners and common courtesy, there are different practices all around the world, and a lot of them are language related.
For example, when you are asking for something in English, you would say, “Please could you pass me the salt.” In English, it would be considered very rude to say, ‘Give me the salt,” whereas in other cultures it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for the salt in this way. If you belong to one of these other cultures, you might translate what you would say at home directly into English and give a native English speaker the impression that you’re angry or don’t like or respect them.
English culture also differs depending on where you are in the world. If you’re in South Africa, the word ‘pants’ refers to a pair of trousers, whereas in the UK, it means underwear. This is not the kind of misunderstanding you want to have at a job interview or a first date with a native English speaker.
2. It puts the language you’re learning into a context
Learning about the culture of your target language will also help you put that language into context. If one of your colleagues is also a friend, you wouldn’t talk to them in the same way at work as you would out at dinner together.
The same rule applies within language learning and visiting different countries. Learning a language in context means that you’ll know that in South Africa, the word ‘now’ or ‘now now’, doesn’t mean immediately. It means within the next few hours. Some words you learn out of context in a classroom might be offensive or inappropriate in certain other contexts.
Language learning in a cultural context doesn’t only prevent you from causing misunderstandings, it also means you get to get in on local humour and communicate more meaningfully with the new people you meet.
3. Learning culture helps you think in your target language
If you read our recent article about how to become fluent in a new language, you’ll remember that a big part of this is being able to think in that new language. It is difficult to constantly translate back and forth in your head during a conversation or while watching a movie, where the pacing is faster than yours.
Learning about culture can help to accelerate building this skill because so many things in culture and about culture cannot be translated. There will be some things you will only saw in English, and never in your own language, and you will think of these words and phrases in English. You will be able to use these pieces of language more naturally and creatively, helping you move towards fluency even faster.
In conclusion, it is possible to learn English in the classroom or with a textbook only. But by the end of that experience, you will only leave with a long vocabulary list and some templates for putting those words together. Learning local culture and spending meaningful time with native speakers is essential to learning any new language fully. LAL School offers a unique experience where language learning happens alongside a vacation in Cape Town. You’ll spend time in class learning the basics, as well as out there enjoying local experiences and engaging with local speakers. To find out more about the courses we have available, click here.