For new shortwave listening hobbyists. You can often make an
identification more quickly if you
can identify the language being used. While it is not an absolutely
foolproof technique, it is helpful. Some countries, such as Britain and
France, transmit programming in the languages of their target audiences.
Some stations transmit programs for countries and organizations who cannot
afford the same kind of facilities for themselves, so a separatist movement
in a place such as Ethiopia or Somalia may send their broadcasts
pre-recorded for transmission by way of another country such as Britain or
Russia who have transmistting facilities that are capable of reaching all
around the world.

Some countries use shortwave the way we use medium wave. Brazil is a country
that uses shortwave to reach its most distant inhabitants with news, sports
and weather. Their signals may not be the strongest, but they can reach all
the way up here in Seattle. It may take a bit of listening over a period of
time to make the identification given listening conditions, but eventually
you should be able to score.

It can take a while to appreciate the difference between Japanese and
Korean, but they are sufficiently distinctive. African languages such as
Arabic and Swahili are frequently used in Africa, but then so is French.
Many nations that are now independant were colonies of european countries
and they learned to speak the language of their colonizers, so when France
broadcasts to countries they once colonised in Africa, they will use French.
An interesting language used in the Phillipines is Tagalog which is a native
language that is sprinkled with foreign words immediately recognised,
including English.

Pick up a copy of Passport to Worldband Radio. They post the schedules of
just about every shortwave (HF High Frequency) broadcaster in the world
showing graphically which language they use and what power output as well as
the timeslots they use and the origin of the broadcast. In addition they
post news about receivers and accessories as well as the latest trends. They
also discuss receiving conditions and review equipment so you can make an
informed choice of receivers and equipment.

I hope this little tidbit will be helpful.