Entrepreneurship, Determination and Language Learning: The connection
Entrepreneurship, Determination and Language Learning: The connection
Here we are, day 18th of 2017!
Ask yourself what you did for the past 18 days – were they blurry or clear, happy or sad, productive or passive..?
Did you work on your Russian language skills?
I would like to dedicate this post to two things: one is language learning, and the other one is entrepreneurship.
You are about to see why these two go hand in hand, and are closely related to determination.
This New Year brought a lot of clarity into my life and I am, more than ever before, determined to improve my Russian. Below are two additional resources I am using to help me in learning Russian.
1.Immerse yourself in the culture
While in Moscow/St. Pete/Riga, find yourself some Russian friends. Meetup.com is a useful tool for finding near by activities you are interested in, and that are related to language exchange – even though you’re not a local. Another site where you can learn more about a place you do not know is called Like a Local. I am currently living in Moscow, and I’m lucky because there are 20 million people in this city. Even though it was pretty scary at first, now I am thriving in its size. Read up on tips and tricks from the locals, find a Meet Up taking place near you and in a public place, take your pick among the groups available and go!
Best way to immerse yourself in the culture is to go out and spend time with the local people.
Plus sides: You will meet new people, practice Russian, explore the city, gain confidence.
Negative sides: You may not like the people or the place first time you attend a language exchange. But, you are free to leave any time you want and try another one. You tried, you now know what you didn’t like, and you can move on to the next one.
2. Internet is a Language God
Use the wast universe of knowledge at your disposal. A well done homework – by this I mean thorough research, starting with a simple search engine entry can uncover the vast horizon of information at the touch of your finger!
When it comes to finding right tools, I’d suggest Wiktionary – Викисловарь. Most of the entered nouns/verbs/adjectives are listed along with all possible conjugations in every form that may come to mind.
There is also a word of the day option, and an all Russian description of the word you are interested in – hence, you learn multiple words and phrases only by searching for an unknown word.
Plus sides: You expand your vocabulary, it’s free, it offers detailed explanations about grammar rules as well.
Negative sides: Since it is a Wiki tool, and is created by volunteers – not every entry is complete and detailed.
The Connection
How is Language learning related to entrepreneurship?
When diving into a new (ad)venture, whether it is your new business or a new language you are studying – to begin is the most difficult part. Second hardest is to persist.
Ultimately you have to:
- Diligently dedicate time to this new project.
- Find the appropriate tools.
- Find help and motivation, which is in my experience best found in people with similar interests.
- Finally, you must be determined to persist.
Both, starting your own business and learning a language, are a process and a project you consciously take on and make a strategy for realisation. Likewise, both make you smarter and more desirable in the job market.
Basically, learning a language is an individual entrepreneurial venture where you have millions of ways to be innovative.
What are you waiting for: Be a determined Entrepreneur!
This post was brought to you by Maja, currently studying Russian at Liden & Denz
