Learning a new language as an adult

As a child growing up in rural Ireland, in primary school we were thought English and Irish, when I reached my final year of primary school as a pilot programme, we were offered the opportunity to learn French. I really enjoyed it and it was the first time the teacher complimented me, I still remember how happy it made me. I then started secondary school or high school. I continued to learn English, Irish and French. The French was the same I had learned the previous year, so, I got lazy and didn’t do much as I already knew it. When it came to the point that I had to learn I had the same teacher for French and Irish which made it hard to learn either.

The story goes on and I studied French for 5 years and came out of my final exams with a mere pass. In university I took up Spanish, I did enjoy learning it but did not fully grasp it. Fast-forward a couple of years and I wish I had paid more attention in my language classes and invested in them, Irish included. So about a year ago, I decided to take up learning a language as it is one thing that personally annoys me as a native English speaker, we expect the world to accommodate us, this may not be the case but it how I feel about myself anyway.

So, I decided to start learning German, it is a language I had never learned and thought it would be better to start with something new. A year later, I have a handful of words but not much more. I thought that, maybe, it isn’t just my lack of time spent but that there are other reasons for not managing to grasp what some people find so easy. I decided to research it a little and share what I have learned.

What follows is a list of challenges an adult might face learning a new language;

1. A study done by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in America concluded that once a person is over the age of 18, they still can learn a new language but find mastering it to native proficiency is more difficult than someone younger.
2. It could be something to do with how our brains are wired. That some people are genetically at a disadvantage compared to others.
3. The method in how we learn, young people generally learn languages in a school structure where adults generally have other commitments, so try to teach themselves through technology such as apps.
4. We are more critical on ourselves and analysing our work and progress and expect ourselves to be knowing a language sooner rather than later.
5. We forget that learning is hard and it takes time.
6. As an adult, we can be more hesitant to start and to continue if it doesn’t go the way we expect it too.
7. As an adult, there is the tendency to think in our native language first and then translate which can cause frustrations in translating, it takes longer and grammar and vocabulary get mixed up.
8. We are afraid, for whatever reason and this hinders us from starting and doing well.
9. Lack of time and opportunity to take it on.
10. Set in our ways. Having the mentality that we don’t need another language or that we didn’t succeed before so we won’t now.

So, there is some of the reasons that you could or may have not been able to succeed before or have stopped yourself from trying, now I am going to give some tips on ways that might help you achieve learning a new language as an adult.

1. Know yourself, know why you want to learn a particular language, and know your limitations. Set yourself a goal, focusing on a goal will help prevent you from burning out or losing motivation. Make sure your goal is realistic, if you have a busy job, that takes up a lot of time, don’t expect to be fluent in a language in two months’ time.
2. Embrace the joy of learning, be like a child and learn like a child. If that means making yourself picture cards or making little songs to remember words, have fun.
3. Set yourself a motivational goal, by planning a trip to a country that speaks that language for just after your set time frame to learn.
4. Get surrounded by the language, if that means joining a language exchange programme where you speak with someone who wants to learn your language and they speak the language you want to learn. You have conversations but can only each speak in the language you are learning. It could also mean reading books in your new language, if you have a favourite book that you know inside and out get it in the new language and learn this way. Another thing you can do is watch programmes or movies in English but with the other language in subtitles and read them while you watch.
5. Spend five to ten minutes every day learning or reviewing words.
6. Use flashcards and post-it notes and stick them around your house, if it is on objects saying what they are, or new words or phrasing you are trying to practice and remember.
7. Focus and listen from the very start, even if you know some of the words already. (This is where I failed with my French!)
8. Keep a notebook and keep notes on vocabulary and anything else you have learned. This way it is easy to review when you want to.
9. Pick and stick to what method of learning is best for you, if it is face to face learning, through apps or online learning.
10. Be positive, there is going to be times where you don’t do well and this is great, learning is not meant to be perfect. It is going to be messy, keep a positive attitude and remember your goal of why you started this in the first place.

When you have started and are starting to feel more confident with your learning find a friend or a community of your chosen language and use this as a way to practice. You can also practice in everyday life, for example when you go to the supermarket tell yourself the objects you see in the other language and in your head respond to people in said language.

Now that I have found some ways that I can support myself in the quest of learning a second language I am going to get back to it, and use this time that we are at home more to motivate myself more. I wish you the best and hope these tips are helpful for you and for me. Happy learning.