Do you want to travel? Do you want to have less trouble explaining yourself in different countries?
Learn. Languages.
Is it hard? Not as hard as you think it is. Just a couple of tips to follow.
(Refer to the previous article to get what and why I’m taking about in here..)
#2 I do not like grammar, why would I need it
My dear reader, I do not even know what to say to that. That is stupid? No offense, but how are you planning to learn It if you do not want to learn some basic rules?
Someone would say that everybody knows that grammar is important. Well, I have heard too many people say that “Yeah, I’d like to speak it but I don’t feel like spending my time on learning grammar”. Snobbish as I am – people have to speak it well. Seriously. Maybe sometimes I am overreacting but today we have a tendency to care less and less about the mistakes we make in both our native languages and foreign ones. I am 100% old-school on the matter. Yes, some Brit would say at this point: “Let me count the number of mistakes you have in the current article”. Again, as I’ve said – we don’t get to be pure native level. But why not try our best to reach the level where we don’t mix up such things as “remind” and “remember”?
#3 I can make it just by going to classes
That might have been Rule #1 as well. Well, one thing is when you have to learn a language – at school, for instance. And you’re not interested in it. At all. That is actually also something I want to discuss in here. Long story short – if you’re in class already and it is paid for, and you have to pass it somehow. Why don’t you try to enjoy it? Learning languages is fun! Believe me. Just give it a chance, you won’t regret it. I’m always trying to encourage people to learn languages even if they’re at the “I am working full-time, I’ve got no time for it”. And by “it” they mean anything. “I cannot make it to the gym, I’m working full-time”. “I’ve always wanted to take dance classes but I guess now it’s too late, I’m working full-time”. Bullshit. There are 24 hours in a day. Say, 8 you are at work. 8 you’re in bed. You have as much time left as you spend “working full-time”. Please, do not lie to yourself at least. People around you can buy it, but you should understand that it is just a stupid excuse. Oh, I could write a full article or a book on this matter. I’ll just say – The more you’re doing, the more time you find to do it. Keep this in mind, please.
Sorry about my digression. Back to schoolkids/students. If you’re at school and they “make you” learn a language. Take advantage. First, you might later on become one of those (90%) of people who “got no time for it”. Second, you NEVER know what life’s got for you. One day you might be saying: “Why would I learn German? Why do they make me do that? It was supposed to be Spanish, I want it!!” And in a couple of years you’d be happy somebody taught you how to write badass official letters in German (that seemed to be so useless back then), as you’re a manager of a start-up that is constantly facing people who understand this kind of language only.
#4 Going to classes is not enough. I should also do my homework and it’ll get me somewhere
This case is even worse than the one described above. The main difference is that such folks believe that have it under control. Coming to classes – getting new material – doing homework – learning the material – coming to classes. Language learnt.
No, no, and no. I wish it worked this way. If you’re a beginner or just a really bright student – it might work this way for a while. But to bring the language to a really high level.. You need to watch news in it, switch your favorite series to the original, read books, newspapers. And, of course, talk. We’ve discussed the last part before. But as for watching, listening and reading – do not underestimate it. That is nice to come to the stage where you know – I was about to say all the grammar stuff, then realized it is not really possible anyway – enough grammar to be able to express yourself without thinking too much of articles, tenses and so on. But to get any higher – and by “higher” I mean closer to a native – you have to be constantly exposed to the language. And it has to be coming not only from your teacher. A friend of mine was complaining that she doesn’t understand everything her new Spanish teacher says because she used to have Latins only and he’s Spanish (or vice versa). And she’s at a high level already. No use in learning Spanish if you don’t get Argentinians, right?
Read, listen, watch.
#5 Put some effort to getting a better accent
Coming from my Moscow Stage Linguistic University experience: it is possible to get rid of the accent. Yes, it is. It is hard, it takes time and effort. But we all should learn one and for all – there are ways to do that: even at a Moscow school, there are semester-long classes “Perfect British accent”. No, I haven’t taken them – I was actually going to but then I got a chance to go on a study abroad semester (I’m happy I didn’t do that – that is a different story though).
If you don’t believe me that it is doable in general – think of spies for instance. They have to learn the language up to the level when it is absolutely impossible to tell them apart from the locals, right? And, please, don’t you tell me those are movie spies, such a thing doesn’t exist in the real world. Really? Sure?
Well, what I am saying is not that we have all to find those spy trainings to speak perfect accent free languages. What I am saying is that if we all consider it possible to get less of an accent and if we spend some more effort on the first pronouncation lessons when we start out with a language. And later when natives – trying to help us – tell us how to get some things right we’d listen to them. Then our English wouldn’t sound so Russian, Spanish or German. And that would be a nice thing. Why? That is a question that has 1000 different answers to. Think of it. Decide for yourself whether it is worth it spending 4 years learning German to come to Berlin and to get people answering you in Russian in a supermarket once you’ve just said one sentence judging by your accent. For me it is not. But I speak English with an Eastern European accent, German with a mix of French and Dutch, French with an English/Russian one and Spanish.. Well nobody told me yet what my Spanish sounds like. Probably because I have never tried to communicate with a native – because I’m not following my own Tip #1.
Be better than the author of this article and use every opportunity to speak a language if you really want to master it. My goal is to be fluent in 6 languages by 25. I am not sure it will work out given that I was accepted to a crazy time-consuming Master’s in Management. But we set goals not just to reach them. We set them to get better, to develop. Winning is a great feeling, but playing a great experience.
Cheers,
Elisabeth