Learning another language is not as difficult as they made it in school. Modern language education is easy and fun.

I would stay with Spanish – it is one of the easiest languages for an english speaker to learn. italian is not too bad – it is still part of the same family. I would avoid Russian – it is a completely different language family and you will probably find it too hard – until you have mastered spanish or italian, then you will have the confidence for Russian.

1- Go for the language you’re most interested in. You can always set priorities, though.

2- You should attend classes. As a teacher, I can assure you nothing can substitute the work done by a professional, qualified teacher. And let me tell you, this is totally essential.

3- Motivation –
a- Use the language as often as possible.
b- Keep record of your own progress. For example, how many words you learn a day.
c- Plan on rewarding yourself when you become near fluent with a trip to a country where the language is spoken. You can start by saving right away by keeping all the quarters and dollar coins you’re given.
d- Try to make friends who speak the language. If not possible, try to find people who are learning it and schedule regular meetings with them, and you might even start a club.
e- Watch TV and movies in the language. First try using captions and you’ll notice you’ll find yourself checking whether the translation provided is accurate or not! It’s fun.
f- Read, read, read but remember to choose topics you’re interested in.
g- Get yourself a little notebook you can use to record the language you’d like to learn or for translations where you’re riding the subway or the bus.
h- If you drive, play music in Spanish to get used to the sounds of Spanish. You can also use an IPod.