Expats In Lockdowns Can Use Spare Time To Learn Local Languages

Making the most of your unwelcome lockdowns by learning the local language.

For expats going stir-crazy as lockdowns drag on, turning an essential imposition into an advantage by learning the local language is the best idea. New arrivals in the vast majority of favourite expat locations worldwide usually place learning the local language high on their priority lists, but a good number give up after a few months of lessons. For some, it’s because there are so many other fun things to do, and for others it’s simply too much like being back at school!

If you’re a UK expat and have decided on France, Spain or Germany as your haven, you’ll possibly have a few years’ lessons behind you already, as these three languages have traditionally been on the curriculum in British public schools. However, for those expats living and working in Asian countries such as Japan, China or Thailand, it’s a totally different issue as grammar, alphabets and the cultural aspect of the languages are all vastly different and very hard to master.

Perhaps one of the only positive aspects of the covid-19 crisis is that lockdowns and curfews wherever they’re imposed give expats loads of free time with nothing to do except wish it was all over. Even those who’re working from home during this crisis will have more time to themselves, and putting it to positive use can at least make the shutdowns and curfews seem more acceptable. Nowadays, the majority of world languages can be learned online, with local online language schools happy to sign up those who genuinely want to turn their boredom to good effect.