Did you know we have over 7,000 languages around the world?
As such, UNESCO calls for multilingual education to unlock learning and inclusion. However, about 40% of people lack access to language training. So, if you’re looking to learn a totally new language, you’ll do what it takes to get access and kickstart your learning.
Why not?
In the age of globalization, language learning is best for career advancements and business engagements. It’s also helpful for personal development, travel purposes, and more. But how do you go about learning a language other than your mother tongue?
Don’t worry—here’s a 30-day plan to kickstart your language proficiency from scratch. Read below.
Week 1. Laying the foundation
It’s hard to communicate in a new language other than your mother tongue—More so when learning a language as an adult. But whether you’re young or old, start by laying the groundwork for your language training. Having proper planning and enough preparation is key!
To get started with language learning, follow the key steps below laid out for the first week:
Assess yourself. Start by evaluating how proficient you are in a particular language. In this case, you’re just starting from scratch. So, weigh your strengths and weaknesses. Then, examine how you learn so you can identify and employ an effective approach to language learning.
Define your goals. What do you hope to achieve from your language learning? Why do you plan to undergo this training—for personal engagements, travel needs, or business purposes? Set SMART goals—objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based!
Plan your learning. Consider the learning method, timeline, and resources to streamline your language learning process. Are you looking to have formal or informal training? What steps will you take from the first to the last week of your training? What exactly do you need?
Gather all resources. Fret not, as language apps, reading materials, digital podcasts, and training modules are readily available. Some of these are even provided at your training center or by your language mentors. These resources can help make your learning process more efficient and effective.
Prepare yourself holistically: You should be mentally prepared to learn a new language and emotionally ready to rise above any challenge. You should even be financially prepared to fund your language courses/classes and invest in the abovementioned resources. That way, you do not need to avail yourself of a debt relief program to keep you financially afloat!
Starting from scratch can feel overwhelming, but building a solid foundation sets the tone for your entire language journey. With clear goals, the right resources, and a well-structured plan, you’ll be able to move forward confidently and consistently.
Week 2. Learning the basics
Almost everyone knows that English is the most widely used language globally. The other top five languages in 2025are Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, and French. But regardless of the language you want to develop and acquire, you must learn the fundamentals first!
It’s best to learn a language through cognates. However, there are other learning methods you can employ. So, here’s how to learn the basics from the get-go on the second week:
Study the key fundamentals. As with any language learning, you have to start with the alphabet—and its sounds. It’s like going back to kindergarten, where you have to start from scratch since you don’t speak the language at all. Remember how hard it is to learn a new language at the outset?
Establish your core vocabulary. This entails familiarizing yourself with the most basic words that make up a conversation you ought to know. Think of learning numbers, days, usual greetings, or common verbs used in a language. Knowing these basic words helps you get started with constructing sentences.
Familiarize survival phrases. After understanding basic words, it’s time to learn common phrases used in day-to-day conversations. Use those that allow you to communicate with others, whether for online communication or travel escapade. Think of visiting a new country and learning phrases to help you get by.
Practice actual pronunciation. Now that you know the basic words and phrases, you want to ensure language natives understand what you’re saying. It’s time to practice how to get good at pronunciation. What better way to do this than to listen to how natives speak and try your very best to imitate them?
Learn the basic grammar. It’s crucial to understand the standard grammar when it comes to the basic language. Here, you ought to understand the sentence structure and applicable rules. This will help seal the deal of your language learning before you take it to the next level!
Stanislav Khilobochenko, VP of Customer Services at MacKeeper, has his fair share of learning the basic language. This helps him engage with various stakeholders during business interactions.
Khilobochenko shares, “Mastering the basics of any language is like unlocking the first door to meaningful conversations. In my experience, learning simple words, phrases, and grammar rules has made a huge difference in how I engage with global stakeholders. It builds confidence, shows respect, and helps create stronger business connections.”
Week 3. Building the daily habits
When it comes to learning a new language, consistency is key. This requires you to establish daily habits that will help you hone your language skills. However, you must have constant practice, utmost dedication, and unwavering resilience in language learning.
Here’s how to build your daily habits for language learning in the third week:
Take your class regularly. Due to its streamlined learning structure, formal education is the most effective approach to language learning. You can either enroll in a language program or take an online course. However, attend your actual classes or take online courses consistently.
Set a self-study routine. It’s not enough to attend regular classes for your language training. If you really want to learn the language by heart, you must make a conscious effort to study it on your own. With all the available resources out there, language learning becomes painless and easy!
Practice the language daily. It’s been said numerous times that practice makes perfect. Have a mock conversation with your language mentors and colleagues, or converse with your family and friends using the language. Suppose you have no one to practice the language with; record yourself and speak out loud.
Expose yourself to the language. There’s no better way to succeed than to have language exposure. Engage on social media, watch TV shows and movies, and listen to music in that language. The more you get exposed to it, the easier, faster, and better you learn the language.
Go beyond speaking the language. To learn the language more, consider reading, listening, and writing. For one, read books in that particular language. Also, listen to the language itself and mimic the native expression. Finally, write a journal using the language.
It’s best to learn a language in a structured way, keeping track of what you study and learn. This not only keeps you organized but also allows you to use AI tools to turn your notes into study guides, insights, or extra learning materials—much like how contract management software uses uploaded data to generate helpful information.
Week 4. Taking it to the next level
At this point, you might have learned the basic language and developed your habits. Now, it’s time to take your language training to the next level. This is also a great way to break through intermediate language learning stagnation so you can see yourself progress and become proficient.
For instance, consider getting a job at a contact center, whether as a customer service or technical support specialist. BPO employers usually provide language training so employees learn how to communicate with their customers effectively and efficiently. They even offer contact center performance management to help improve not only your language skills but also your overall performance.
However, there are many other ways to advance your language proficiency. Below are some steps you can take in the fourth week:
Take advanced courses or classes. Consider taking the next step if you think you’ve developed and acquired the basic language skills. This is why the global language learning market could grow from $61 billion in 2023 to $300 billion by 2032 at a 20% CAGR due to the increasing demand for multi-language proficiency.
Speak with the language natives. Travel to a place where you can practice the language by talking to the natives. Or think of holding a successful video conference call with someone on the other side of the globe. Consistently talking with a native speaker is the best way to boost your language fluency.
Join speaking engagement activities. Think of joining an online podcast, public speaking, storytelling, or oratorical contest. Of course, you’d consider taking these routes if and only if you’ve mastered the basic language skills. And this approach is the best way to level up your language proficiency.
Monitor and evaluate your performance. First, set key metrics to measure your language performance. Then, take a language quiz, assessment, or challenge to check your proficiency level. By tracking your performance and assessing your skills, you know what areas to improve.
Focus on areas for improvement. Monitoring and measuring your language proficiency is one thing; improving your language skills further is another. If you want to take your language learning to the next level, you must be willing to learn more and grow further. There is no time for stopping or even slowing down!
Final Words
Learning a new language is no easy feat. Sure, you might have enrolled in online courses or language classes. However, achieving language proficiency lies in your hands—that willingness to learn, true dedication, utmost discipline, and constant hard work!
That said, consider our 30-day plan to jumpstart your language skills from scratch. Start by laying the groundwork and learning the fundamentals. Then, establish your daily habits for consistency in language learning. Finally, take your training to the next level for developed and acquired language proficiency!
But how do you get started? Leverage our Lingualift Method as a complete language learning program best suited for you. What are you waiting for? Sign up now for a free lesson!
