Immersion means to dive into something. To immerse is to be surrounded by something, perhaps even to bathe in it! So, what is language immersion? It's the experience of surrounding yourself with your target language. In your case, to listen to and read English without translating from your mother tongue.

“Great, I guess. So why is it so special?”

The value of immersion lies in the confidence it builds in you. When I did my teacher training, we had the chance to learn a language from the very beginning. My classmates and I didn’t even know what language it was! We had 4 lessons where our teacher only talked in… Swedish, as we found out later! We had to follow instructions, listen-and-repeat exercises, and more. Our teacher supported us by slowing down, repeating clearly, and using gestures. In 4 lessons, I thought I worked out the meaning and sound of about 25 words. It felt amazing!

When I traveled to Indonesia, in the four weeks that I spent there, I learned about 100 words. There were some very special moments of connecting with people by speaking the language. I met a guy on a boat. We did a language exchange and I was thrilled! And I had less success in France because the people that I stayed with spoke English. That was my mistake. I lacked the courage to stay with people who only speak French. I would have learned more if I had truly immersed.

When I came to Japan, I started to work in my mother-in-law's tofu shop. I had to learn how to do my job in Japanese. I learned the same way that I learned Swedish - by observing people's actions and trying to understand the meaning from the context. My mother-in-law let me listen to audiobooks whilst I was working. I sometimes listened to podcasts, YouTube channels (audio only), and MP3 files of Japanese dramas and anime. When I got home, I practiced my reading, and I used the dictionary and flashcards to help solidify my new vocabulary. I listened to Harry Potter at least three times in Japanese and I read all the books once too. This was the perfect material for me because I know the story in English and it was easy to follow.

The value of immersion is in giving your brain the chance to make connections based on being exposed to the language. Not just learning about the language, but being immersed in the language. This is the way to develop real confidence in English.