{"id":2654,"date":"2023-04-19T16:13:06","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T16:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.annika-zang.com\/?p=2654"},"modified":"2024-02-28T09:40:27","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T09:40:27","slug":"the-1-thing-that-successful-language-learners-do-differently","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.annika-zang.com\/en\/the-1-thing-that-successful-language-learners-do-differently\/","title":{"rendered":"The 1 Thing That Successful Language Learners Do Differently"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 1 Thing Successful Language Learners Do Differently<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Summary:\u00a0<\/span>Efficient language learners focus on expressing what is relevant to them in the language they are learning, rather than relying solely on what they are taught. By asking themselves what they want to express today and finding ways to do so, such as through conversation, reading about their interests, and writing, they can retain words more effectively, save energy, and gain confidence in their language skills. Learn more about how to implement these effective language learning tools.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Living abroad or signing up for intense language courses can be a fantastic way to boost your language skills.<\/strong><\/p>

However, I know people who\u2019ve been living abroad for years and, in spite of taking courses regularly and really making an effort, haven’t reached fluency yet. On the other hand, I also know people who\u2019ve never been abroad and have some impressive language skills.<\/p>

This made me realize that our efficiency in language learning is not all about our circumstances. Having the chance of living in an immersive environment is a huge advantage \u2013 but it doesn’t give us a free ticket to fluency.<\/p>

There\u2019s no need to say that each person learns differently and that there’s not only one way to do it right.\u00a0 However, I spotted one major difference between successful and unsuccessful language learners.<\/p>

The unsuccessful one relies on what they\u2019re taught.<\/strong><\/p>

\u2013 which is not uncommon, because this is how we\u2019ve been taught to study in our school system. The teachers are the ones who determine what we learn, and we follow them.<\/p>

But the problem is this: If we rely solely on what we\u2019re being taught in a language, we\u2019re more likely to<\/p>

  • loose interest because what we\u2019re taught is not always what we need or want<\/li>
  • forget new words: Studies have shown that our brain is more likely to retain words that are relevant to our lives<\/li>
  • become frustrated: As we\u2019re not focusing on what\u2019s important, we don\u2019t see our progress as clearly, which impacts our motivation and confidence<\/li><\/ul>

    For instance: When I first took Serbian lessons, one of the verbs I had to learn was \u201cto go fishing\u201d. How often do I use the word \u201cfishing\u201d in our daily life? Probably never. This word had zero relevancy to my life, so I immediately forgot it.<\/p>

    So, what does the successful person do?<\/strong><\/p>

    There’s one question that successful language learners ask themselves:<\/p>

    What do I want to express in this language today?<\/strong><\/p>

    Rather than relying on what we’re being taught, we can ask ourselves: What would I tell a friend today? What’s been on my mind lately? What am I up to today?<\/p>

    By asking ourselves what we would like to express today and finding ways to do so, we focus on things that are really relevant to us. That way, we\u2019re more likely to retain words we\u2019ve learned, we\u2019re saving energy, and we\u2019re gaining confidence by seeing progress more clearly.<\/p>

    Let\u2019s call it \u201clearning from the inside out\u201d. Here are my favourite methods to do so:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    1. Take Conversation Classes<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    My level was not even A1 when I started taking conversation classes in Serbian.<\/p>

    I didn\u2019t understand anything of what my teacher was saying and I could barely express what I\u2019m working as or what I\u2019m up to. But I tried anyway.<\/p>

    Casually chatting with my teacher in really bad Serbian about life, job and everything else was a fun challenge in which I could see my progress week by week.<\/p>

    I learned new words by explaining to my teacher how I raised 6 cats on a bottle, how I got lost on a hiking trip in a forest in Montenegro, how I felt about living with 13 people in Uruguay, and so on. And this gave me a wide range of very broad vocabulary, without ever having to memorize long lists of words.

    Learn more about my conversation classes with my teacher Lellah here:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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