In order to master a language you need to understand its grammar, style and dialect. And this is not all. What is imperative is to comprehend the message and context of the statements of the language you wish to master. Therefore memorizing the words or only concentrating on the grammar will not help you develop language proficiency.
You can start with translating and converting the text to the target language. The key lies in the fact that you should love and learn the target language to its depth. If you are learning Chinese, reading Chinese books or watching Chinese plays can really help in developing your Chinese language skills. Reading about Chinese history and reading biographies of famous personalities is another area that could be explored by a learner. Mastering a language usually starts with translating the language.
Get a notebook or use notepad software. Start reading the first paragraph of your text. Translate every word you don't know and write it down in your notebook or write them down on note cards. These will be included as your vocabulary. You can use this as your sole source, or you can add it to existing vocabulary lists. I prefer to use it in addition too because I like to learn the basic words with word lists that you might not find in a newspaper or book but would often use in everyday conversation.
You first need to get reading material in your language. If you are brand new to the language, you will need to do this too, just don't get too much. All you need for now is either one book or one newspaper. If you buy 5 Chinese novels, most will probably sit on your shelf for a while. Even just one copy of a newspaper will last you a while. If you are using a newspaper, try to go through sections that interest you so that you can learn vocabulary terms you may use. For example, if you have no interest in technology, don't spend time in the technology section because you will be learning words that are useless to you, at least in the beginning.
In addition to vocabulary, you will use your reading to learn grammar. When you see a word you don't understand, try to figure out if it's a verb and what conjugation it's in. Translate the sentence in the correct tense, don't just understand the words.
Finally, use your translation to master the language and improve your comprehension. You need to be able to construct sentences and understand sentences in order to really learn the language. When you speak English, you do more than spit out words, you carefully place them together and make sure they are comprehensible. You need to understand this in your new language as well.
