A few years ago, I started working as a medical intern in a hospital with only a limited understanding of Hebrew. As a doctor, you cannot hide behind a computer screen until you improve speaking in a foreign language. Every day you need to use language to communicate with your patients and other team members. It would have been better for me to learn Hebrew gradually, but sometimes life puts you in a situation where you must keep swimming to survive. And not just to keep swimming but also to do it fast. Prior to my internship, I studied only the basics of the Hebrew language at home, followed by two courses at the University of Haifa (levels B to C, non-medical Hebrew). Stepping into an intern’s job was challenging, but everything was manageable. During this experience, I learned a number of tips that can assist you in learning a foreign language faster.

1. Rethink Your Thoughts To Transform Perspective

Learning a foreign language comes with one major hurdle – being afraid of sounding stupid or slow. Mistakes are inevitable, and they are a part of the learning process, but everything improves with time. Also, I cannot guarantee that you will be as smart or fast as you are in your native language. The only thing that depends on you is thinking. Try to change your perspective because I can assure you that having a limited vocabulary in a foreign language can be advantageous. During challenging moments, I am always trying to remember what my colleague from the Hebrew class once told me: limited vocabulary may be your strength since you wouldn’t rely on medical jargon to communicate with your patients. And he was right. At that time, my knowledge of specialized terminology in a foreign language was inadequate, so I had to use simpler terms that were easier to understand for my patients, as well.

Limitations force the speaker to simplify the language and avoid using complex terms, making the language clearer for the listener. However, the ability to explain complex ideas in simple terms requires a deep understanding of the subject matter. Therefore, the newbie will expand his professional expertise by speaking a foreign language.

Albert Einstein said:

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough”

2. Protect Your Unique Story: Don’t Let Others Undermine Your Experience

While starting to speak a new language, you must not only overcome your fears and problems with self-esteem but also overcome other people’s reactions. Most people are kind, but sometimes due to a stressful environment, personal temperament, or previous encounters with language newcomers, they may react impatiently to your progress. You may encounter both productive and unproductive criticism and sometimes receive unkind looks, but keep taking care of your business.

Back then, when I heard stories of others who had to leave their internship after internal medicine and emergency medicine cycles, I was discouraged from starting my internship early. This was due to my limited vocabulary. Despite the fear and doubt, I was grateful to have support from my family and continued with my plans which in the end were fulfilled. During my journey, I learned to be more patient and to communicate more respectfully. Now that I am aware of how it feels, I try to cut it short subtly and respectfully so I can concentrate on higher-value tasks.

3. Preparation is the key to success

As you learn the language, set a high goal to achieve maximum proficiency within a reasonable timeframe. However, there are other significant preparations you can make to support your efforts. One famous quote about the importance of preparation is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu.

“Every battle is won before it’s ever fought.”

This quote highlights the importance of preparation and planning in any competition. It is much easier to achieve your goal when one is fully prepared and has thought through all the possible outcomes. The following are a few personal hacks you can use to improve your foreign language skills quickly.

1. Study Relevant Documentation
   If possible, obtain and study samples of the paperwork you will encounter daily at work. For example, I studied the medical histories of my family members. Analyze the abbreviations, popular international terms, sentence structure, and conjunctions used. Practice using the correct conjunctions to improve your flow and try to adopt the style of your colleagues.
2. Utilize Free Time for Analysis
   During any free time at work, dedicate it to analyzing available paperwork, conference materials, and presentations by your colleagues.
3. Practice Summarization
   Try summarizing patient cases or any information you need to present, even if you don’t actually have to present it. Set limitations for yourself in terms of sentence count or time. This helps you save time, develop your sentence structure, and provides you with the opportunity to practice your newly acquired language skills.
4. Look for Patterns
   If you are familiar with the job, you can create conversation templates with a focus on yes/no questions. This can be helpful at the beginning, but keep in mind that it may not always work. I created pre-planned templates for each body system based on patient complaints, which I used daily at work. Over time, the templates were modified to suit my needs until they no longer served me.
5. Learn Only What You Need to Know
   When learning vocabulary, focus on terms that you’ll actually use at your work to communicate with your colleagues or to write documentation, as required. Use the internet to find lists of the most frequent words in a specific language. Here is a link for the 10,000 most commonly used words in Hebrew.
6. Immersion is Essential
   Stop speaking in any other language and focus on communicating only in the language you’re trying to learn. My cases were always presented in Hebrew, even when I was allowed to present them in English. This was challenging, but speaking is the only way to improve your skills.