Does Mastering a Foreign Language Seem Like an Insurmountable Challenge? – A Few Insights on Overcoming One’s Barriers

Photo by Mateusz Zając

Mastering German has been a trial by fire for me and it motivated me to share with you some of my observations, as a person who is both a language teacher and a language learner and who stumbled from the same hurdles you might find yourself dealing with when learning a foreign language.

We all know the right things to do but putting them together, well that’s another matter. My best piece of advice? Imitate kids! Now let’s break this vague statement down and take a closer look at each step of this idea. Buckle up and read on!

1. Let go of your attachment to making progress. Progress is a by-product of devotion to what you‘re doing and being consistent. So instead of waiting for the results, trust that what you’re doing makes sense and try to focus on the PROCESS instead. Which brings us to the second point…

2. Make the learning process fun! Nobody wants to add another chore to their already inflated to-do list. Nor is anyone usually willing to impose extra pressure on himself/herself. My work consumes the bulk of my time and energy and I know how hard it is to roll up your sleeves and pore over books after a long day.  So here’s my advice: do things you would do anyway but in a language you want to improve. Pick a book (+ audio book!) that you wanted to read anyway and get the English version, or Italian, or any other language that you want to learn. It‘s going to be way more interesting and you‘ll find the extra energy when the topic is interesting for you and you want to delve deep into it. You‘ll be much more willing to go the extra mile and look up the new words. So personalize your learning and make it RELEVANT to you. As an example, I’m about to start reading the  German version of the Who Moved My Cheese book, which has recently caught my eye: Die Mäuse Strategie für Manager.

3. Mistakes are part of the process and should not stop you from immediately trying to apply the language you are learning to real life. This one is extremely important. It’s OK to make mistakes when learning (in fact it’s necessary). Don‘t wait till you’re perfect; such a goal is unfocused and it’s easy to get sidetracked and lose motivation. Strive for the “good enough” and make it a habit to use your newly acquired knowledge right now.  When I decided to work on my German and elevate it to business level, I took the plunge and quit my job to self-study German nearly all day long for four months. Although I was far from perfect, this was enough to get a job in which I was actively using German. This experience was by no means comfortable and on many occasions I had to bluff my way through… but I was learning at work and, most importantly, it gave me tremendous motivation to improve and keep my eye on the ball.
Obviously it’s not necessary for you to go out on a limb and quit your job. You will benefit from simple  things like setting your computer and your phone to the language you want to learn, compiling your shopping list or singing along to the songs in your new language  😊

4. Use the ‘Shadowing Technique’ and speak like a pro! This one is my favorite and I base my teaching sessions around it. There’ll be a separate post on this one so let me just lay out the basics for now: read, listen, and speak at the same time, just like a simultaneous interpreter! All you need is a head set, an audio track and a transcript. Simply follow the speaker word-by-word and try to imitate the flow, rhythm, and accent. Language barrier? Gone with the wind! Guaranteed.

5. Get involved in a community in which the language is used. I can’t stress how important this last one is. Find ways to get to know people who use the language you want to practice. Join a Facebook group, make virtual friends with native speakers, try to visit their country, find a historical figure you admire and read about them…

The more personal you make your language experience, the better. Chances are you’ll soon fall in love with your new language and from there, learning happens on its own without you even realizing it! 

Author: Helena Zając 

www.btl-languagestudio.pl 

GLOSSARY: 

 

Insurmountable - nie do pokonania
Trial by fire - wyzwanie
Buckle up - brać się do rzeczy
Inflated - tu: obszerny
Roll up one's (my, your, his, her, our, their) sleeves - zakasać rękawy
Pore over sth - ślęczeć nad czymś
Bulk - większość czegoś
Delve deep into sth - zagłębiać się w coś
Go the extra mile - poświęcić się, żeby coś osiągnąć
Catch one's (my, your, his, her, our, their) eye - przykuć wzrok, zwrócić czyjąć uwagę
Look up - znajdować, wyszukiwać informacje (w słowniku, komputerze)
Get sidetracked - odchodzić od tematu
Take the plunge - podjąć ważną decyzję
Keep one's (my, your, his, her, our, their) eye on the ball - być czujnym, obserwować sytuację
Go out on a limb - wystawiać się, ryzykować
A Pro -  profesjonalista, zawodowiec