S3E34: Nobody has it all in language learning
Full transcript:
Good morning, happy Thursday and welcome to the Language Confidence Project, the daily dose of language courage for people who love languages, and those who really don’t, but have to learn one anyway.
And, in honour of the What’s In Your Inventory Workshop next Monday, all this week, we are talking about recognising the gifts that we have that can help us with our language learning, even if at first glance they don’t look like they’re language-related, don’t look especially helpful, or we felt better equipped at an earlier stage of our lives.
So today, I wanted to record a quick message to reassure you that the perfect language learner operating within the perfect language learning landscape, does not exist. Nobody has the perfect self, the perfect brain, the perfect circumstances at any given time, but the tools they do have can vary on a daily or hourly basis.
So I was thinking about what the true archetype of a language learner would look like, and here’s what I’ve come up with. I’m sure you will be able to add more things.
The ideal language learner has
1. The bilingual, multilingual upbringing, ideally in non-related languages to provide a solid basis for learning languages from several language families
2. Enough financial security that you can buy or sign up for whatever you want
3. Lots of spare time to study
4. Plenty of headspace and complete ownership of our own time, with nobody making demands of you
5. A quiet, calm, comfortable place to work
6. A brain and a body that obediently go along with whatever you tell them to do
7. An international environment where they come into contact with lots of languages every day
8. A good support system or community
9. The passport, job or visa that lets you move to a country that speaks it
10. Good memory
11. Good ear for languages
12. The super logical brain to spot all the patterns
13. Good concentration span
14. An innate love of the language learning process
15. Social confidence
16. The confidence that they have a gift for language learning, or just learning full stop
17. Unwavering faith in the process
It’s so easy to think that any one of these things, especially the one you feel you lack the most, is the magic key to unlocking your language learning.
But the thing is, it’s not true. The thing that you want the most on this list, someone lese has it. And they’re still struggling with their language learning. And that person that you think has a great memory and a great ear for languages? She’s looking at someone else with a better memory and a better ear for languages. And that person, she’s finding workarounds for something else.
I think if there’s one takeaway from this episode, it’s that having the tools for success, and feeling like you have the tools for success, are two completely different things. And while a lot of us focus on getting more things off that list through tricks and hacks and doing all the things we do to level up in life, it’s also really worthwhile from time to time to look at what we have working for us right now and make sure that we aren’t letting anything valuable fly under the radar.
And I know that not all items on this list are equal. I know some of them are really high value, and that the lack of some of them can be really debilitating. I’m not downplaying the advantages they can give.
But what I really do want to say today is that while your set of challenges and obstacles in your language learning is unique, having challenges and obstacles really isn’t, so don’t let it tell you you’re alone in this. We all find language learning hard sometimes, because language learning is a difficult thing that pulls on almost every aspect of your life. And recognising and accepting the unique set of traits and circumstances you have, as well as acknowledging that some of them are temporary, can be so important in carving your own path as a linguist. And that learning how to really put each of those things to good use is such a turning point in feeling like you’re in control of the language learning process, and that you’re working with yourself and not against yourself.
You have so much to give, language learners, and you’re doing an amazing job. Keep going, keep slowly chipping away at your language, and you will get there.
And just a reminder that tickets are now on sale for the What’s In Your Inventory Workshop, which is a two hour, super relaxed and informal online workshop where we mix journaling and discussion to really dive into how our personality, experiences and current life circumstances can work for us in our language learning. It’s taking place next Monday, so Monday 27th February, at 7pm GMT, which is 8pm Central Europe and 2pm Eastern Standard Time on Zoom, there are ten spaces available, and Tickets cost £28. All language levels are welcome, even if you haven’t quite started yet or you’re taking a break. You can find more details about the workshop and how to sign up in the shownotes, or check my bio on Instagram at @teawithemily and I would love to see you there. Have a wonderful day, and I will see you back here tomorrow.