BENEFITS OF JOURNALING IN A SECOND LANGUAGE LANGUAGE

Have you ever felt stuck in a point of the learning curve when learning a new language? At a point where you feel that you can’t move to a higher level of fluency? New vocabulary? Can’t remember them. New sentence format? Can’t seem to remember to apply it even after getting it. Well, journaling might be an activity you can try. The benefits of journaling, from reducing stress to tracking your goal reaching process, are known to many. So why not add an additional layer to that? Journaling in a language you are learning can help you reach fluency quicker. It may just be your solution to breaking through your learning slump.

1.Improves your vocabulary

The most popular way of studying vocabulary is by reviewing them again and again with index cards or a language learning app, but there is a large probability that you will not use or would rarely use some of those words in your daily life and everyday conversations. You would most likely want to learn the words that would help you talk in the tone that expresses your personality like your first language does. When you journal, you are free to write in whatever tone you want. It is not a formal research paper or proposal. Some people would use abbreviations and some would use slang. Most importantly, you are writing in your most spontaneous speaking voice when you journal.

This would lead you to identify vocabulary that you don’t know but would use in your daily life. All you need to do is search it up on the internet or use a Pleco dictionary and there is a new vocabulary in the collection. This will also help you better imprint the vocabulary to your mind because you are using it to create a sentence to express something meaningful to you. 

2.Tracks Progress

You are probably familiar with that stage where you feel unclear about your own skill level. You are definitely not a beginner but are you really considered intermediate? Advanced maybe? This is why assessment tests are invented. It is a measurement of your learning progress. Progress tracking will help you know where you are and what are the next steps you should take in your learning progress. Journaling is another way to track your progress. It might be even more efficient than tests because it tracks your progress in very short time spans (day to day for those who journal everyday). Realistically, it is also more fun and less stressful. Tests are usually a measurement of your progress for the past few weeks or months. If you do not pass the test, does that mean you have not improved at all? The answer would most likely be no. Your journal entries would show your evolution in vocabulary use and sentence structures. It will be the best evidence to reflect that you have absorbed what you had learned before.

3.Helps you stay motivated

Many people stop in the middle of their language learning journey due to the frustrated feeling of being lost and stagnant. They do not feel that they can reach a higher level in fluency. A most probable reason would be the lack of tangible evidence of improvement. As mentioned before, journal entries help you track your progress and demonstrate your improvement or non-improvement. It prevents you from getting lost and helps you identify what you are having trouble with (whether that be grammar, sentence structure, or vocabulary). It can help you get out of that learning curve slump by giving you direction. Identify the area where you need improvement by analyzing your journal entries and direct your focus in that area. Your persistence and determination will reward you in the end.

4.Helps you retain what you have learned

How many of you still remember conjugations you learned of French or Spanish vocabulary back in high school? I, in all honesty, do not remember much. This is due to the lack of use. When you don’t use a skill often, it is easy to forget or be rusty with it. Journaling is something that you do frequently (especially those who made it a daily habit). It lets you make use of what you learned and use it in your daily setting. This helps you stabilize your basics, which will make learning advanced level knowledge easier, and prevents what is learned from being forgotten.

5.You can write whatever you want

Your journal is for your eyes only. You would not be judged if you don’t use proper grammar. You are free to practice to your heart’s content. You can rant and curse all you want. Writing in a second language can be an added layer of security. Journals are very personal and most people hide it from others. But if you write in a language that people around you don’t know, it would be an additional layer of trouble for them to know what you wrote. (I mean even them opening an app to take a picture to translate what you wrote can buy you some time to get back your journal. But really . . . put it in a safe space. 😉

If you decide to give journaling a try, you might love it to the point that it becomes a habit or you might hate it. We recommend that you try it for two weeks before coming to a conclusion. You can write for as few as three minutes or as long as an hour. You can write everyday or every few days. If you do not like it, then do not feel the pressure to continue. The most important factor is to not be stressed about it. It should be a channel of stress release, not the other way around.

For those who are learning Chinese, you can check out our latest publish Journaling in Chinese! It is a pretty journal filled with Cantonese, Mandarin, or Taishanese prompts you can write about. It is perfect for those who want to try journaling but have nothing to write. You do not have to go in order of the pages. Whenever you want to write, just find a prompt you are interested in. No stress, just have fun.

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