Insider Guide.

Insider's Guide Travel

How to learn a foreign language

By Barry Farber

Farber, president of the New York Language Club and author of How to Learn Any Language (Kensington), speaks 26 languages.

The key to becoming familiar with a new language before a trip is to immerse yourself in the vernacular and not worry about perfecting the accent. Most locals, with the possible exception of the French, will love you for making an effort to speak their mother tongue.

i Speak up. Skip the grammarothat could take months to masteroand start speaking the language. Buy an audio course, such as Berlitz Rush Hour Express or Pimsleur, and enroll in an accelerated conversational class. In the airport, grab a phrase book in case you blank on common words like taxiI or bathroom.I

i Play mind games. Memorize in short spurts rather than long stretches. Keep Berlitz flash cards in your bag, or listen to one new chapter before work. It also helps to attach visual meaning to unfamiliar words. For example, good morningI in Hebrew is boker tov, which sounds like broke her toe.I