Have you ever accepted that you just aren't going to get any better in a certain language?

I don't mean you've completely given up on your target language, but more like just made peace with the fact that the level that you're at is as good as you'll ever get, at least with only self study.

I just came back from a short trip to Southern Germany and found out I was seriously overestimating my language skills. Initially I thought I was around level B1 since I've been self studying on and off since 2013, as well as for almost everyday in the 7 months leading up to the trip. However, I came to realize that even A2 was pushing it, and if I wanted to get any better, self study alone wouldn't cut it. I need some formal instruction even though I like to think I'm naturally gifted when it comes to language learning.

Now, I managed to make myself understood at all times thanks to my focus on pronunciation and accent, but I'm nowhere near fluent as I'd like to be. If I don't have the perfect grammar template and right vocabulary in my head, I won't even bother trying to get my point across. This has led to me listening a lot more than I spoke. And while I didn't understand everything that was being said, I still contributed to the conversation at certain points, which might have led people to believe I knew more than I said I did. Had tons of listening practice though because people almost exclusively spoke German around me, so I can't really complain.

Since English is my second language, I tend to compare any language I learn to it. I'd previously thought I could learn any language I was interested in and reach a fluency level comparable to the one I managed to reach in English. However, I'm not so sure anymore if that's a realistic goal. As a matter of fact, there are some conditions that I simply can't recreate when I'm trying to learn another language. So I think it's safe to say that no matter how hard I work on my German, it might never be on the same level as my English. I would be just shooting myself in the foot if I kept aiming that high. And you know what? For once, that's OK, I don't need to have almost native level fluency in every language I speak!

submitted by /u/nomadskills
[link] [comments]

from Nok aba ɗaw | Languagelearning https://ift.tt/2PzW874
via Learn Online English Speaking

Comments