I think the way you have described is excellent. Also, learning by reading is very good. You can gradually build-up your vocabulary that way. Speaking the language regularly with a native speaker is the best way in my opinion.

IELTS task 2: The reason for learning a foreign language

Write about the following topic:

Some people say that the only reason for learning a foreign language is in order to travel to or work in a foreign country. Others say that these are not the only reasons why someone should learn a foreign language.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

In recent years, more and more parents make their children start to learn a foreign language from a young age. There are many benefits of being able to speak a foreign language. As a result, the reason for studying a foreign language has been widely discussed.

Some people believed that the only reason for learning a foreign language is to travel or to work in a foreign country. Language is always useful, especially when it comes to traveling and doing business. In other words, working and traveling cover 80% of the needs of speaking a foreign language. In this modern era, it's easy for people to travel around and work in different countries, and that's the reason why people need to know a foreign language.

On the other hand, people disagree with the view that learning a foreign language is only for traveling and business. There are many other reasons for picking up a language other than one’s mother tongue, for example, learning the culture of another country. If you know a foreign language, you can read the first-hand material of a certain topic or research without translations. In fact, sometimes there are misunderstandings in translation. Moreover, learning a foreign language can be only an interest. It's interesting to know people’s way of speaking in a country by learning their language. For example, the Japanese are always polite to each other, and this phenomenon can be easily recognised from their language.

In my opinion, I think traveling and working in a different country can be the main reason for people to study another language. However, it's not always the whole story. I started learning English when I was in the first grade of primary school, and English has helped me a lot with traveling and studying abroad. Nevertheless, I started learning Korean two years ago because I enjoy watching Korean TV series and I want to watch it without the subtitles. To sum up, language is useful in many aspects, especially in traveling and working, but that's not the only reason to learn a foreign language.