Using TED Talks To Learn Any Language

It's a lunch-break ritual: I grab my lunch and watch a TED talk. It's a chance to learn about something new, to listen to fascinating people - and, last but not least, to get a breather from the work before me. I love me some TED-related goodness. And the best part? You can actually use TED talks to learn just about any language. Here's how (the four ideas differ in difficulty, but they're all definitely useful).

Easy: Learn more about languages and learning

Even if you're doing it in your native tongue, learning more about education - or listening to stories about languages - can do wonders for your motivation and re-shape your learning style. TED is replete with talks about language, and they're by definition riveting and really useful.

The best option is to save them for the moments when you should be learning, but just can't be bothered: everybody has those, and so will you! So the next time your inner voice rebels against revising Spanish verbs, listen to Erin McKean's dictionary talk. It will still be language-related research (if you believe it hard enough), and it may even inspire you to get back to your flashcards afterwards!