What I mean by using this phrase is that you cannot see progress without “pain.” Not physical pain in this situation, of course, but overcoming mental challenges that you set for yourself. In this language learning theory of mine, which I’m sure is built in my head from other sources, I believe that to learn the fastest, which is necessary when you’re an adult in the adult world, you need to constantly be challenging yourself. However, getting the motivation to overcome those challenges is the tough part. It’s the part we agonize over, the point where it’s either you make it or you break it. In the case of language learning, you either reach the point of fluency, or you learn maybe a handful of phrases then never pick it up again. Anybody who has even dabbled in this hobby can understand that. Travel phrase books are proof of that, they’re a perfect way to learn in a pinch when you have absolutely 0 motivation to learn until fluency.
Time is the key when it comes to acquiring deep knowledge of a language. Without spending hours of time actually building your skill in another language, you will never truly reach the endgame which everybody desires. And I put emphasis on actually because here’s where I bring the street smarts into the book smarts: you need to struggle to increase your skill and we need to overcome our anxieties in order to progress. And since I’m casually writing this post anyway, I’m going to list out some tips I’ve learned so far instead of going full essay format:
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Decide on one language to learn, and stick with it. You need to commit. Most people, unless you make language-learning a part of your career or you get serious about the hobby, don’t have time to get intimate with multiple languages at once. Especially because to retain the knowledge that you’ve learned, you need to actively be using the language. Luckily it’s like riding a bike where you’ll never truly “forget” something when the memory bond in your brain is solidified enough. However, you will basically be re-reading a book you’ve already read before. You already know what happens in the story, but you do have to physically put the time in reading it again. Some people are really good at learning and maintaining multiple languages and they’re called polyglots, but not even the most experienced polyglot can claim to be fluent in every single language they have learned about. It’s fun to be one, though, because language learning does have a fun side too.
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There will be a point where you reach a plateau, and you shouldn’t panic. In the beginning of learning about a language, it might seem super easy and doable, especially if you start with beginner material. (By the way, you SHOULD start with beginner material, there’s no point in diving straight into the deep end of the pool on your first day of swimming lessons). This has been found to be because since you’re encountering so much new information, everything seems “fresh.” There will be a point though where everything seems to get, well, stale. The first language learning hurdle, when you get to around B1-B2 so I’ve heard, might take some time but it’s doable. However, the second hurdle after that just seems impossible. There’s entire cultures of countries where people speak the language to learn about, idioms and expressing abstract concepts, understanding different accents, and more. And this is the part where, to save the most amount of time possible on your treacherous journey, you need to get uncomfortable. You need that, sweet, sweet i m m e r s i o n. And when I say immersion I’m not talking about what Rosetta Stone claims is providing immersion, but actually taking that leap of faith and making mistakes in another language by talking to people (aka you gotta prove yourself out there, kid). When you speak you won’t be confident at first and that’s what you can “hack” to get better, faster. If there was a way to create 1 language learning program that encompasses everything you need to learn the fastest with the least amount of effort, then there would be no need for multiples upon multiples of different language learning software. Unless doing it out of the goodness of their heart, the creators of language learning specific resources need to make a profit, so you can spot businesses trying to make a quick buck by how outrageous their claims are.
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Now, this isn’t to say those who learned without immersion did it the “wrong” way because there really is no wrong way to learn something. Everyone learns things in their own way personal to them and there’s no way to teach that besides doing it. However, unless you’re an actual genius, you need time and exposure to learn something. A lot of time and exposure. And what better way to get that than by speaking to other speakers of your target language, consuming material made by speakers, and by forming special bonds with things from the culture of that language? I won’t go over this point in detail since it was already done in this TedTalk which I recommend watching, but building off of that, forming special memories associated with the words will help you much more than reviewing flashcards or pouring over translations. I know about this personally. My Japanese still sucks because I only learned through translations, never actually forming my own sentences whether out loud or written.
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Talking with others in a language you’re learning is anxiety-inducing. And that’s good. Finding a kind enough person to try to understand you anyway and fix your mistakes is a literal blessing. This is why finding a specific language learning partner is so important. The easiest way to do this would be to hire a tutor, like on iTalki. It’s even better if you can forge a legitimate friendship by meeting people on Discord servers or HelloTalk for example, which can be tougher. Of course there’s always the most effective but dangerous strategy which would be to drop yourself into a country or community with native speakers with nobody else there to help you navigate your new life. It definitely gets you results, but at what cost?
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Vary your sources! There are so many great resources out there for free, you just need to put the effort in for searching for them. You will need to ask people from other cultures to show you the good stuff, and you should seek out other learners so they can recommend which resources to use.
Making mistakes is vital to learning. It's a common piece of advice, but for good reason. You will see your progress improve at such a rapid pace when you take the risk of embarrassment and put yourself out there. It's easier said than done and I need to practice it myself, but getting to a point where you can communicate on a native level in another language is amazing and worthy of respect. Not to say we should hold successful bilinguals on a pedestal that we will never be able to reach, because that just fosters resentment and lack of passion. Rather, we should copy the strategies of these successful learners to one day be able to call yourself one of them.
I hope everyone reading can make cool memories using their target language and I hope my ramblings were useful to someone. Good luck with your studies!
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