How Paris Hilton Can Help You Learn a Foreign Language

Paris Hilton can help you learn a foreign language. It sounds preposterous, doesn’t it? But, it works! It has worked for me, and I believe it can work for you. Not convinced? Let me explain.

First go to any search engine, and find an online dictionary for your target language. For instance, if you want to learn French, find an online French-English English-French dictionary. You can find a good one at
Wordreference.com
. In fact, that same web site will provide you with Spanish-English English-Spanish, Italian-English English-Italian, and several others. Just select which dictionary you want to use, and you’re all set. If you want, look up a few basic words like I, you, he, she, man, woman, etc. Keep this site open in your browser window.

Next, open a new browser window or tab, and use your search engine to find newspapers in the country where the population speaks your target language. For example, enter the words “France” and “newspaper.” You will get back a list of web sites that have links to online newspapers in France. Go through the list and see which ones most resemble a gossip tabloid. Keep this window open. Why use a gossip rag? Well, they all run similar stories, and they use simple language. What better for a beginner?

Now, open a third window or tab, and go to any English language tabloid (The Sun at
TheSun.co.uk
is excellent) and read up on Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Victoria Beckham, or any other celebrity. Once you know the latest gossip, go back to your target language tabloid. You’ll see many of the same stories. Since you already know what outrageous thing Paris had done lately, you can figure out what the words mean in your target language. For any words that give you trouble, you’ll have your online dictionary handy to consult.

As long as Paris, Britney, and all the other “celebrities” keep up their antics, you’ll have a supply of stories and new vocabulary. After you master the gossip rags, you can move on to mainstream newspapers. If you stay with the International News section, you’ll find stories that appear in all the world’s newspapers, and you’ll already know what they cover. Honestly, politicians and world leaders provide much the same fodder for news as Paris and Britney do. Just keep applying the same process.

Just think, now you can read trashy gossip tabloids for educational purposes!