For many people, learning a foreign language seems like an impossible mission.
And people who speak two or more languages are often considered as superheroes,
with some sort of special powers or gifts. On the other hand, some successful
language learners explain that learning languages is rather easy and quick.
So, what's the truth? Is learning a language really so difficult?
Or is it super easy and quick as some other people say?
In today's video, I'll give you my honest opinion to answer these questions.
Let's start with something really easy and quick to do:
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Let's get started! The reason why so many people struggle to learn
a second language is that they approach the learning process the wrong way.
Starting from their desk at school, they use the exact same method for learning languages
that they do for other academic subjects, like geography, history and literature.
But learning a language is above all a skill that we need to develop.
In that sense, language learning is closer to math and other scientific subjects,
because you need to turn your theoretical knowledge into practical skills.
For example: we can compare solving problems and manipulating numbers for math, and combining
the building blocks of a language, such as words, to turn them into sentences for language learning.
If we change that perspective and figure out that learning a language is above all a matter of practice,
then it will definitely be easier to do.
But let's be honest: although this change of perspective will help you a lot,
it will not give you confidence and fluency overnight.
The truth is that learning a language is kind of difficult for the majority of us.
Let me give you 3 reasons why:
First of all, learning a language takes time. Of course, it depends on your goals,
but let's say you want to achieve a high-intermediate level to work and study abroad.
This process can take at least a year, if you start from zero, and for some
difficult languages, like Chinese and Russian, can last several years.
Keeping your level of motivation high for such a long time is a real challenge.
Second reason: a foreign language is by definition unfamiliar. We are used to speaking
our beloved mother tongue without the slightest effort, but at some point
we'll have to try to express our ideas in a language that is not that familiar.
Many of us are not ready to accept the fact that it might take quite a long time
to master the language we are learning.
Third reason: to learn a language, you need to speak it. And that's scary.
Sooner or later, you'll have to open your mouth and try to speak in the language you are learning.
At the beginning, you'll realize that you lack vocabulary, that you hesitate a lot and...
big surprise: you don't understand everything you hear. For many people, this can be really scary.
It makes them feel awkward or even dumb. Learners need to overcome a variety of obstacles,
such as perfectionism, shyness, lack of self-confidence, fear of being judged, and so on and so forth.
Okay, so learning a language can be challenging and quite hard, but that does not mean that
you cannot do it, or that you need superpowers or special gifts to succeed.
What you really need is a good dose of motivation, some organizational skills
to make sure you study on a regular basis, a lot of patience, and effective methods
and tools to make sure you get some results as quickly as possible.
Having already learned several languages in the same language family, I kind of forgot about the
difficulties and challenges that true beginners face. But then I started learning German,
and for the first time in many years I experienced how it can be scary
to not be able to understand the person I'm speaking to,
or the feeling that there are so many words and expressions I don't know.
So, if you are struggling right now, I know how you feel.
But learning a language is also easier than ever nowadays.
Let me give you 3 reasons why learning a language is actually easier than you might think.
First: today, we really have a lot of choices. Podcasts, mobile apps, online courses, free learning material...
You just need to find the resource that best suits your needs. Technology has also made
language learning more effective, because today we can use smartphones and computers
to memorize new words faster. For example, using the Spaced Repetition System.
Second: we don't need to travel to practice a language.
When I started to learn languages on my own, the only way to practice your speaking skills was to travel
or to move to another country. Skype did exist, but it was hard to find language partners.
Today there are tons of services that connect people with similar goals,
so you can practice your speaking skills from the comfort of your own home.
In addition, it's very easy to watch movies in your target language,
or to read newspapers from any part of the world.
You can work on different language skills without wasting any time or spending a dime.
This leads me to another point: learning a language has become cheaper than ever.
Many resources are free, or at least cheap enough that they are accessible
and you can use them whenever and wherever you want.
You don't need to travel across the whole city to go to a language class,
or you do not need to book a specific time slot every week to practice.
Everything is at your fingertips. And anytime is a good time to practice.
In another video about how much time it takes to learn a language, I explained that
the difficulty of learning a language really depends on your goals, your availability,
the language you have chosen and the amount of motivation you have.
Watch it to get more details about how much time and effort it might take you. The link is below.
So, learning a language is not so easy, but it's not too hard either... it's somewhere in between.
But I have no doubt that nowadays, everyone, and I mean everyone, can learn one or more languages.
That's all for today. See you next time!
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