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What’s so hard about learning a language? Every year, spurred by travel, ambition, or a New Year’s resolution, thousands of people decide to give it a try. Yet few succeed. Why? Often, I think, their focus is too narrow. They grab the first CD, tutor or book they see and set to work. That’s fine as far as it goes – which isn’t very far, for most people. You can increase your success rate by remembering these three words:
Goals Styles Strategy
Goals To achieve a goal, you have to set one first. What are your goals in the near term? If your starting goal is “Speak Mandarin with no accent!” you are almost certain to fail. I went to a Chinese buffet the other day with my friend John. He’s a 50+ year old guy who looks like Grizzly Adams. Heavy set, full beard, gruff yet kindly – the works. We walked into the restaurant and the hostess greeted us in halting English. John replied in perfect Mandarin. Jaws dropped. Eyes widened. Then a waiter came around the corner and John spoke to him in perfect Cantonese.
I thought, Damn! That is impressive. Indeed, that’s most people’s fantasy of language mastery. You’re with someone you want to impress, and when the opportunity comes up, words flow from you effortlessly. You look cool. Just like John. Or James Bond. But here’s the cold water down the back of your shirt: John has a degree in Chinese linguistics. He’s spent six months a year in China for the past 25 years. He has devoted his life to Chinese. You probably don’t the have time to devote your life to learning a new language. Who does? Just remember that your results will vary according to how much time and effort you can put into it. Approach the learning process realistically. You may end up as fluent as John. For now, though, it’s impossible to know whether that’s even what you will end up wanting. So dream away, but set a short-term goal that works for you, too, like “Learn to greet Spanish speakers, and tell them I am trying to learn Spanish.” Styles Everybody has their own style of learning. Some learn by listening, some by seeing. Others learn best by writing. Some people don’t feel comfortable speaking until they have had some practice. Others seem to have invisible ego armor protecting them, even though they butcher the words they are trying to say. (I admire these folks). There is no “right way.” Whatever works best for you is the right way. There are hundreds of ways to learn Spanish. One of my friends watches his kid’s Spanish learning DVDs. Telemundo is on most basic cable packages. Spanish speakers are all around us.
Many of the top language product suppliers evangelize their teaching method as if it were the one true faith. There can be no argument, in their mind, and no deviation. That’s a shame, because their customers only succeed if that particular method happens to be the best one for them – others simply waste their money. They also end up short-changing their customers, because by convincing them that the “XYZ Method” is the best and only way to learn, it may forever discourage those who do not respond to that particular system. I’m sure you’ve heard a friend or relative say “I just can’t learn Spanish.” Bull. You learned English, didn’t you? Academics and marketers alike often fail to realize that not everyone wants to be a linguist. A linguist once told me that if people didn’t follow a strict set of rules, they would have a much harder time achieving native fluency. Native fluency?! That’s like a piano teacher telling a new student that they’ll have a much harder time playing with the philharmonic if they don’t do it “the right way.” Yikes. Who cares? If your goal is to be fluent, you’re probably already living in a foreign country or enrolled at a University where you can major in that language. Sometimes people just want to be able to talk to their gardener. Maybe they want to go to Rome and see the Pope or show their clients in Singapore that they’ve learned a few basic greetings and can order a round of drinks. Whatever reasons there are for learning a new language, you can bet that most of them are due to a bit of curiosity, fun, and excitement. Only you know what works for you. So look for it, use it, and keep an eye out for anything else you might find useful. Strategy Don’t rely on just one product or avenue. There is a universe of language learning possibilities out there, some good, some terrible. You need to do your homework and piece together what works for you. Companies that sell products and services will tell you that their course is all you will ever need. Sometimes, they drive the point home by charging so much money that you can’t afford anything else. But one of the key components of learning a language is to talk to native speakers – not to just read books or listen to CDs. Become an extrovert. The first few times, it’s pretty frightening. But hold this thought in your head: If someone walked up to you and asked you in broken English “I want eat,” would you think any less of them? Of course not. You’d point down the road and say “eat there” or “go there” or something equally easy to understand. You would not think less of them.
You need to find a way to practice speaking to people as soon as possible. A friend of mine goes to a local Chinese market everyday after work just so he can say hello to the woman behind the counter. She has taken to teaching him new phrases. It’s working out well for him. When you show an interest in their language, they usually love it, and will try to help you. It bothers me to see people not try things because they will never be as good as people who devote their life to it. You owe it to yourself to at least learn a little bit of a language. Learning a language is an amazing experience. It gives your brain a workout. It makes you see the world in a different way. So set some short term goals, think about what learning styles have worked for you in the past, and take a look at your learning options. If you do these three things, I would bet good money that you will be impressing someone in the near future. Good luck! |
