An obstacle that many
language learners eventually face is a lack of motivation, or drive to continue
learning a language. Oftentimes, many end up giving up learning their target
language altogether, or put it off to the side for enough time, that they
eventually end up forgetting everything that they had worked towards. My blog’s
aim is to help you boost your confidence, and motivation by giving you tips on
how to effectively approach learning a new language. Even though we all have
different experiences and learning styles, most of my posts can help you reach
towards whatever language learning-related goal that you have.
If you have felt that
you have been learning a language for a while, but have made little to no
progress with it, you are not alone. I know how frustrating it can be to not
understand what someone else is saying, or to tell yourself “I only understand
about twenty percent of what is being said on this show”. I have compared
myself to others endless amount of times, and have felt stagnant process. That
being said, there are easy solutions that can help you get back on track, and
that can help remind you why you started learning your target language in the
first place.
I am going to start
off by mentioning the three tips that the famous hyperpolyglot Alex Rawlings
gives in the video above, and will also give you some tips that I have found helpful
over the years.
1. Have fun learning the
language
Instead of learning a
language the traditional textbook way, find television series, movies, books,
YouTube channels, music, and other resources with which you can personally
connect, based on your personal interests. If you are mostly interested in the
cultural aspects of your language, then find resources that address cultural norms,
issues, and customs. If you are lucky to have a friend who is a native speaker,
then make sure to practice with him, or her.
What is most important is to not
make learning a language something to check off of a list. It should be part of
your everyday routine, and should be enjoyable. If you are finding that your
approaches are not effective, or are making you feel behind, then change them. It
is never too late to change your approaches. In fact, it gives you more motivation
to continue with a language if you are constantly finding new, interesting, and
relevant materials that pertain to your goals, your personal interests, and
your professional interests.
2. Treat yourself, travel
if possible
After finishing
studying for your French exam, or reviewing vocabulary, make sure to reward
yourself with something that you like. I personally like to treat myself by
watching YouTube videos for a study break, or by listening to some of my favorite
international music, as it helps to relax me. By giving yourself incentives, you
are more likely to want to put a certain amount of study, and effort in your
target language.
As time goes on, and
as you start improving in all aspects of the language, you can start thinking about
traveling to a country in which your target language is spoken. When you feel
comfortable enough to do this, you can more easily see the significant progress
that you have made by interacting with a culture that is associated with that
language, and by interacting with locals, and native speakers. This is
incredibly rewarding, especially if you are not learning a common language.
Locals love it whenever you take the time to thank them, or speak to them in
their native languages. In my opinion, and in many polyglots’ opinions,
traveling is the best way to completely immerse yourself into another culture
with the help of a strong foundation in its language. Who knows? You might end
up meeting some friends along the way.
3. Set realistic goals
This is one of the most
important pieces of advice that I will give you. We should set realistic goals
that can be met by a specific time of the year. The more specific your goals
are, the more likely it is that you will be able to meet them. An example of an
unrealistic goal would be wanting to become fluent in a language after one
year. Although that is a very nice thought, you cannot expect yourself to
master all aspects of a language in the beginner, intermediate, and advanced
levels after one year. You can definitely make a lot of progress in that amount
of time, but it is not the same as being fluent. On the other hand, examples of
realistic goals would be wanting to understand children’s books with minimal
help from a dictionary, or having a basic conversation with a native speaker
after a few weeks of intensive study. Once you think that you have successfully
met your goals, you can eventually make your goals more difficult, and more specific
to continue to push yourself to become a better learner.
4. Remind yourself why
you started to learn the language
Whenever you are
feeling unmotivated, or upset with your progress, or with what you are teaching
yourself, remind yourself why you started to learn that language in the first
place. This will help give you a goal to work towards, and reasons to continue learning
it. Some common reasons are to connect with other cultures, to connect with
family members or with friends, to increase global understanding, to travel, or
to be able to read books, or watch books in their original languages. If your
original intention changes, then make sure to either make a mental note of why
you are currently continuing to study the language, or write it down, so that
you have a constant, or a daily reminder about your new intentions.
5. Interact with speakers
of the language
I cannot stress enough
how rewarding it is to be able to have advanced conversations with friends who
have spoken your target language for their entire lives. Even if you make
mistakes as you are speaking it, or have to ask them to repeat words if you
cannot hear them well, the ability to express yourself in a sophisticated, and
in a complete way allows you connect to others’ hearts. It helps you understand
parts of their culture that could not be as easily conveyed in English, or in
languages other than in their mother tongues. Since I can personally connect
with international students whose first language is not English, I prefer to
speak to them in their native languages if I speak them. This has made them
feel at home, and has made them be appreciative of my efforts to take the time
and learn more about them.
All in all, no matter
which kinds of roadblocks or problems you are facing in your language-learning
journey, there are fixes for them that can help you have a fresh start, and a
new mindset. Getting rid of all of the negative energy, and pessimism will help
clear your brain, allowing you to make more progress. Remember that what
matters is not how fast you progress, but rather reaching your personal goals at your
own steady pace.
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