How to prepare, record & upload a video entirely in a foreign language just after starting to learn it

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You can make a short video in a new language even if you’ve only just started learning it.

I made a one-minute segment of my video entirely in Turkish just a few days after starting to learn it. Preparing it gave me a concrete reason to rehearse the words, and the feedback encouraged me to keep going.

The reasons you might want to make such a video in your early stages include:

• Producing something and getting used to pronouncing the words
• Rehearsing a small set of useful words and phrases thoroughly
• Giving yourself a project with a real deadline rather than an open-ended intention
• Sharing your project with supportive people who can encourage you and offer corrections
• Creating something useful, such as a personal message, an introduction or a record of your progress
• Practising the mechanics of speaking before a live conversation

I make a lot of videos – before I started this blog I had a whole website to separate the 100 or so videos I've got on Youtube into different languages. One of those videos (about Burning Man) was picked up by National Geographic and shown on TV on Natgeo adventure in Italy, because I made it in Italian too.

Most of those videos are in documentary style with a voice-over, but these days I'm making more and more videos were I'm speaking directly to the camera.

People think it's super hard to make such a video and that you should wait until you're “ready” and speak the languages fluently. I say start as you mean to go on. Use the language now in as many ways as you can and you'll improve on your skills much quicker.

Waiting for a perfect “ready” moment can become another excuse not to try. I decide to be ready from day one, once I’ve prepared something small enough to say honestly and clearly.

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away with a native speaker for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

First week learning a language? Of course you can make a video entirely in that language!

Most videos I like to make are when I'm already comfortable in the language, which is pretty obvious when I'm talking live and unrehearsed with another person in Spanish and French (fluently), or Hungarian and Dutch (basic conversationally) etc. The majority of my videos are recorded because I am comfortable enough in the language to use it spontaneously without preparation specifically for the video.

However, on occasion I've made a video just after starting to learn to speak. I did this my first weekend really trying to speak in Thai, my first day learning ASL, and most recently, this week in Turkish. Each time I was honest about the preparation that went into making the video (saying that it wasn't spontaneous, nor could it be considering how I had just started speaking in each case!)

Making these videos gave each project useful momentum. Thai was the exception because I waited until my last weekend to make the video, which is why I now do this much sooner. The scripts also gave me a bank of thoroughly rehearsed vocabulary and phrases I could reuse later.

As well as this, I get incredible encouragement from people! It's so important to get this emotional boost to set you in the right direction. People who watch the video will congratulate you (as long as you are clear about what you did in the video, and are not bragging), and offer helpful hints so your next one will be better.

If you already have a phone or computer that records video, you can try this without buying new equipment. Here are the steps I recommend:

Setting up for recording

1. Use the camera you already have. A recent phone, webcam or camera is enough for a first video.
2. Prioritise clear audio and light on your face. Record a ten-second test, listen back with headphones and move away from wind, traffic or echo if your words are hard to hear.
3. Choose a safe location where you can speak without worrying about strangers, private documents or identifying details appearing in the background. A simple background is fine.
4. Keep the first recording short. Press record, say your prepared piece, then watch it once to check that the picture and sound are usable. You don’t need elaborate editing.

Preparing the language part

This is presumably the hardest part since you “don't speak” the language yet.

The useful shortcut is to prepare a tiny piece honestly rather than pretending it’s spontaneous.

Prepare it in advance.

Write, correct and rehearse the piece before you film it. Be clear that it’s prepared, especially if you’ve only been learning for a few days.

It's only cheating in the sense that you are breaking the “rules” that you should wait until that non-existent ready-day before doing anything ambitious.

So this is what I recommend doing to be able to produce a video similar to the ones I've made in my first week:

1. Choose one clear purpose, such as introducing yourself, describing your language project or giving a short tour.
2. Keep your first script to about one minute. A shorter piece gives you time to understand and rehearse every sentence.
3. Draft the target-language text yourself, using tools as references rather than copying output you don’t understand. Check every word and structure before you agree to say it.
4. Ask a teacher, tutor or exchange partner to correct your attempt. Request corrections to particular sentences, and respect their time rather than expecting open-ended free translation.
5. Ask for a natural audio model. A teacher or exchange partner can record it, and RhinoSpike still offers a reciprocal audio-request exchange. Treat any recording as one speaker’s model, not the only possible accent.

Practising speaking it yourself

1. So now you have the text and know what it should sound like thanks to the native! It's time to practise! Listen to each native-spoken sentence while reading the corresponding text and pay attention very carefully to what each letter and syllable sounds like. Then repeat it, aloud. Say it with confidence, not under your breath.
2. Do this for the entire text of several sentences. If there are tricky sounds that come up, then look into trying to mimic them as best as you can such as short-cuts to roll your R. Mimic every aspect of the native speaker; the loudness, precisely where the stress on words are, the musicality, the speed etc.
3. If you have time, record yourself reading the language (pure audio) and send it to a native to get some feedback on the most important things to change, or which part is not understandable.
4. It won't be perfect, but let's say you can repeat the text as well as you can now! It's time to commit it to memory!

Memorising the text

1. Simply reading on camera is not effective, you need to be able to say it from memory, or much more naturally. It looks more professional and it also allows you to develop your skills at saying these phrases at a moment's notice without having to scramble for your notes.
2. I use a combination of several famous anchoring memory techniques, combined with my favourite music-phrase-learning technique (explained in one of the free chapters of the Language Hacking Guide you get if you sign up to the e-mail list at the bottom of this page). So take the first word(s) of each sentence and assign an image to them of whatever comes to mind (the more illogical, loud and crazier the better). Here are some suggestions for how I use image association with foreign words. Make a story with these first words in the right order so you won't miss out on a sentence. This way you know where to start each time, based on what you have just said.
3. Now take each phrase and sing it out to the tune of some music you like, as described in the free chapter I mentioned. I do this to learn phrases in general, but it's very effective for learning components of a speech too. Sing it out several times, remembering the word and sound for each beat. After a few repetitions it should be applied to memory.
4. You should have the components ready to say the entire part of the video without any help from the paper. Start with the first word, think of how the phrase is sung out, and then simply say it. The singing is only for recall purposes, you don't have to actually sing on camera. (But that could be fun too!) Now you'll remember from the story you imagined what the second word is, and will recall the song also from that second sentence. Speak that out, and continue in the same way until you finish.
5. Do this a few times and you should have the whole text memorised. Now say it with feeling. Seriously – remember what you are actually saying – the content should come easier now and you can focus on the meaning so it comes across as much more natural. This last stage is crucial so the language becomes more natural to you rather than just memorising some noise.

Uploading the file

1. Record the prepared piece and watch it once before uploading.
2. Trim only what distracts from the message. A clean beginning and end are enough for a first video.
3. Choose the audience before you upload. You can keep the video private or unlisted if you want feedback from a small group rather than the whole internet.
4. Add accurate captions yourself or carefully correct the platform’s automatic transcript. Automatic captions regularly mishear new names, accents and foreign-language speech.
5. Check the title, description, thumbnail and privacy setting, then watch the uploaded version with captions on before you share the link.

And you're done! Embed it on your blog (making sure to enable subtitles) and share it with the world 🙂

The amount of steps I've included here are only for the sake of being as detailed as possible for people with all levels of familiarity. Let me know if I missed anything! Many of these steps are very simple and you can go through the whole process in an afternoon (plus time waiting for feedback from native speakers).

So give it a try! When you are done, I want to see your videos! Post links to them in the comments below to share them with the world 🙂 And if you have any other thoughts on this process, then share them with us!

Ready? Lights…. camera… action!