The majority of people think that learning a new language takes years of tedious grammar study, an infinite list of vocabulary words, and an amount of frustration that will ultimately cause them to quit before they can get too far.
This is the same reason that so many people never achieve fluency.
The true key to success isn’t a magical shortcut; it’s altering your perception of language from the very beginning.
Forget about Learning Perfectly and Start Speaking.
One of the most common mistakes made by new language learners is waiting until they believe they are ready to speak.
They spend months studying grammar, consume countless hours reading from books, and do many exercises but then when they actually meet someone who speaks the language they have been studying, they find themselves frozen with fear or anxiety (and possibly embarrassed).
Speaking is not the end result of years of linguistic study; speaking is part of learning to speak.
The sooner you begin to use your new language – no matter how incorrectly – the more applicable your language will become to real-world situations (instead of simply being something to be tested).
Every language provides a different view of the world.
Learning another language gives you access not only to a new means of communicating with other people, but also allows you to connect with their histories, traditions, humour, music and ways of thinking which you cannot directly translate into your own language. When you learn another language you are able to appreciate another version of the entire world than you will already know, and as such, many successful language learners will continue to learn multiple languages after their first one because they have had the opportunity to experience communicating across cultures; after their first experience of successfully communicating across a culture, the process of continuing to learn new languages becomes an exciting prospect rather than an intimidating experience.
Most people will be able to tell you a very similar story when they think back upon the language classes they took while in high school.
Countless years of study; hundreds of vocabulary words; countless grammar and vocabulary exercises; and yet, even after all that hard work, still having to think about how to order a coffee in that language can be completely intimidating.
The problem is not that language learning in a classroom setting is ineffective, but rather many of the traditional classroom programs are heavily focused upon passing exams, instead of teaching their students how to communicate with one another in a natural and fluent manner.
Most “real-life” conversations do not sound anything like the dialogue found within any language textbooks, as people frequently interrupt each other, use a lot of slang, speak very fast, and often do not use perfect grammar.
The primary focus of language instruction should be teaching students how to communicate within these typical conversational scenarios first.
Establish Your Own Method Of Learning
There are no two identical ways to learn something.
You may type down your vocabulary list.
You may visualize your vocabulary list.
You may listen to music while you are memorizing your vocabulary.
You may listen to a podcast, have a conversation or watch a movie involving your vocabulary before you can memorize it.
Developing your own method of learning that complements your personality will help you continue using that method.
Your ability to learn a language greatly improves when you are continually exposed to it.
Whether travelling or changing your daily environment to include additional sources of language, immersion in a language is an effective way to reinforce what you have learned.
Signs on the Street
Real-life conversations
Lunch or dinner menus
Podcasts
TV Shows
Music
All of the above help you to develop a familiarity and understanding of the structure and order of your target language without actively trying to memorize them.
That is why learning a language is so much faster after being around other people who use that particular language every day.
The Importance of Motivation Over Talent
Many people think they are usually “hopeless at language.”
In fact, most of the successful language students are not born with a talent.
What really motivates them is having a reason for wanting to study and learn the language.
They may want to travel;
They may love the culture of the country they want to visit;
They may want to improve their career.
Or they may want to stay in contact with loved ones living in another country.
Having a good reason for studying and learning a new language makes it easier to stay motivated during the hard work of studying, when there is little to no motivation to keep going.
Without motivation, even the best resource for learning a language can become just one more project that has never been finished.
Start with the Most Important Vocabulary First
A common mistake made by beginners is trying to learn too many random words at once.
You can say hello, introduce yourself, and say goodbye to someone without knowing the scientific names of everything in the world.
When it comes to using the language correctly from day one, you don’t need to say it in a fancy, literary way, and you don’t need to know advanced vocabulary when you order food.
Be serious about mastering the words you will need to use on a daily basis.
Learn how to greet people, ask questions, conjugate common verbs, count, follow directions, talk about food, and say very simple sentences and have very simple conversations before you ever try to master anything you will rarely use.
Grammar Shouldn’t Be Your Main Focus
Grammar is important! However, when adult learners focus on every little rule and don’t produce speech, they will likely slow their progress. Children do not learn to talk by memorizing a grammar book. Children learn to talk by listening, imitating, and making mistakes, and over time, they naturally start to see the pattern of how a language works.
Adult learners can adopt the same approach to learning a language. Learn just enough grammar that allows you to communicate well; then, through real conversations with others, work on improving your accuracy.
The Timeline of Progression Varies for Each Individual
Some learners become conversational in a few months, while others take longer. Your native language, prior experience, and your learning style will play a big role in determining how difficult it is for you to learn another language. Comparing your timeline to that of a peer is not usually helpful. Instead, you should only compare yourself to how you were the previous month. Minor progress will accumulate and become a huge accomplishment!
You Will Gain Confidence by Making Mistakes
Surprisingly, the confidence you will have in speaking the target language will most likely NOT arrive until you have made countless mistakes, not before. These mistakes might include mispronouncing a word, forgetting a vocabulary word, or using improper grammar.
While these instances make us uncomfortable, they create evidence that you are learning through practice.
The lessons learned through conversation will never be matched completely by any textbook.
Make Learning a Habit Every Day
Long hours of study are not always necessary.
Just twenty minutes of dedicated attention to your studies each day can yield substantial cumulative gains over extended periods of time.
Listen to a podcast while you commute.
Read an article before bed.
Put labels on items throughout your home.
Listen to your favourite show or movie with captions on.
Talk to yourself while cooking or walking.
Consistency typically trumps intensity.
Connecting is More Important than Experiencing Perfection
By definition, language is used by humans to communicate and therefore, create understanding between them.
Having a huge vocabulary is not important in order to establish friendships.
Having excellent pronunciation is not a requirement for enjoying your travels.
Having perfect grammar will not always yield meaningful communication with others.
Communication comes before anything else.
The other areas will get better as you practice communicating with others.
It will take time to complete your journey; however, for every new word that you learn will give you many opportunities to connect with others, see new cultures and view the world via an entirely different pair of eyes.
