I’ve always been a language dabbler, which means I like to explore and learn a little of every language I come across. French, Latin, and Russian made up my language adventures when I was in high school and college. My language learning didn’t get serious until I boarded a one-way flight to Taipei, Taiwan with the goal to immerse myself in Mandarin Chinese and become fluent.
Screech! I hit the brakes soon after starting my new life in Taiwan. Why? Because fluency doesn’t happen in a day, a month, or a year. I learned that just because I was living in a Chinese-speaking country and had a private tutor did not mean my head would automatically be filled with Chinese and I would soon be speaking in full sentences. No, Alex. It doesn’t happen like that, I quickly realized. Time living in the language, consistent studying, personal motivation, and experiential learning were all ways that I grew as a language learner. It required work that wasn’t bookwork or memorization. Did I become fluent in Chinese while living in Taiwan? No. But did I discover more about my own language learning process? Yes.
Fast forward three years to my life in Spain, where I learned to put my new understanding to practice. I read children’s books, graphic novels, and even food labels in Spanish. Actually, I read almost anything printed in Spain. I went to concerts and listened to Spanish music daily. I typed new vocabulary words into an ever-growing list in my phone and interacted with my flatmates, supermarket employees, and baristas in my simple Spanish as much as I could. I became an active listener and added words and phrases to my language bank at the doctor’s office, at the farmer’s market, in the bakery, and on the train. Granted, Spanish is much easier than Chinese for an English speaker to learn. However, no language is impossible, and the key for me was to keep my eyes and ears constantly open for language as I learned in fun and authentic ways.
So what’s the point of my story? First, language learning and fluency doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient with yourself and the process. Second, sometimes it’s helpful to close your books and interact with the target language through experience. Go out for a cup of coffee and listen to what other people are saying. You might learn a new word or two. Third, interact with the language in a way that motivates you. Do you work on your computer a lot? Change your system settings to your second language. Do you like to watch sports? Start streaming games of your favorite sports in your second language. Here’s my final question for you: How are you going to tailor your language learning to match your needs?
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