Language learning is a simple process, but if you're making any of these mistakes, then you're
seriously slowing down your progress. Hi guys! My name is Connor and I make videos about everything
travel and languages. Today, we're going to be talking about seven common language learning
myths that are preventing you from achieving your language goals. These tips will be especially
helpful if you're just starting to learn a new language. But even if you're at an advanced level,
then they might cause you to reconsider some of your study methods. I know that at one point or
another I've made every one of these mistakes, and that's why I'm convinced that they're so
important to talk about. Without further ado, let's get started! All too often people make
their first mistake in language learning before they even start by not having a clear motivation.
Nearly everyone has at least some desire to learn a foreign language, and we're constantly told how
learning to speak a foreign language will open doors that otherwise would have remained closed.
The problem with relying on a generic motivation like this to propel your language learning
is that they offer little incentive to keep working and make it easy to give in to temptations
and give up. Specific motivations can be used to form attainable goals that offer a clear path to
success. For example, if you decide that you want to learn French because you like French cinema,
then you can use this motivation to form a specific and attainable goal. Say, being able to
watch your favorite French film with subtitles in eight months. Similarly, if you decide that
you want to learn Korean because you have Korean family members, then you can make a goal to have a
two-minute conversation with your relatives after six months. From here, you can create a study plan
that targets this goal and over time adjust your study plan if it's not helping you reach your
goals. Whereas without a clear motivation you have nothing to base your study around. Another
mistake that will prevent you from achieving your long-term goals is failing to establish a
schedule. Unlike with a job where you'll be fired for skipping a day at work or showing up late,
there's usually no short-term consequences to skipping a day of language study or not being
consistent in your efforts. But failing to establish a schedule sets you up for defeat
in the long run because language learning will fall to the bottom of your list of priorities,
and on days when you aren't feeling particularly motivated, will completely disappear. However,
sticking to a schedule will ensure that you stay on track to meeting your goals. This is especially
important as a beginner when you haven't yet made language learning a part of your daily routine.
Of course, schedules are not permanent and can be modified anytime to meet your needs.
In a busy week, you can trim back the time you spend learning languages to focus on more
pressing projects, and on weeks when you have lots of free time you can increase the time
you spend studying languages to use your time more productively. Just by nature planning out
a schedule, you'll be able to fit in a few extra minutes of productive time each day.
As I explained in my Top 5 Language Learning Myths video, a few extra minutes of productivity each
day, or on the contrary a few wasted minutes of productivity, can add up to huge amounts of time
in the long term. Obviously, after committing to a schedule for language learning the next
step is to decide which tools you'll use in your study. However, choosing the wrong resources is a
common way in which people sabotage their language learning goals. Probably the most common situation
where I see this mistake in action is when I talk to my friends that are casual language learners,
or just read some of the comments on my YouTube videos. The story usually goes something like
this: the person in question has been studying a language for 1 year, 5 years, or even 10+ years,
however despite all the time and effort that they've invested in the language
they still feel completely helpless when it comes to having a conversation.
But when I actually ask them what they're doing to study they invariably tell me things like
taking language classes, using Duolingo, following workbooks, or watching YouTube videos.
All of these resources are great by themselves, but if your goal is to actually be able to speak a
language, then your study routine has to include resources that improve your speaking skills.
This could mean online language tutors. language exchange partners, or even just a friend who
speaks your target language. Since everyone has different goals and learning styles in language
learning, useful resources vary from person to person and what works for someone else might not
work for you. Phrase books are well suited to tourists who just need to learn a few survival
phrases, while graded readers are good for beginners looking to improve their reading skills.
Just myself, I use vastly different resources depending on which language I'm learning and
why. For example, I encounter Spanish and Italian speakers much more frequently in my daily life
so improving my speaking skills in those languages is a much bigger priority for me. But currently,
I mostly use French to read French books, so to that end I spend most of my time using flashcard
apps to expand my vocabulary. Another language learning mistake that is pretty widespread is
not taking the effort to learn pronunciation. Of course, no one expects you to be able to speak
another language accent free, but being able to reproduce the basic sounds of a
language is a necessity to being understood and progressing to a more advanced level. Not only
can studying pronunciation improve your listening comprehension, but it's also especially important
for beginners to dedicate the time to learn proper pronunciation since it only becomes harder to do
once you've been studying a language for years and have already ingrained bad habits into your mind.
Probably the biggest language learning mistake and the one that sets casual language learners apart
from polyglots is the fear of making mistakes. It makes sense that someone would be afraid of
making mistakes, either out of embarrassment or perfectionism. But in the long run,
being afraid of making mistakes will only hurt you, since it will prevent you from getting the
practice you need to progress to the next level. Making mistakes is a natural part of the language
learning process and one that polyglots take advantage of to grow and expand their vocabulary.
Simply put, if you never make a mistake, then you'll never realize what you don't know and what
you've maybe misunderstood along the way. Besides, most people discount the fact that they...
Most people discount the fact that they even make mistakes in their native language.
I mean I don't know if it's just because I'm stupid, but I feel like, personally,
every sentence I make in English I either spell something wrong, forget what I'm trying to say,
or completely choke on my tongue trying to put the words together. Another mistake that's similar
to the fear making mistakes, probably because it's coming from the same place, is the fear of
practice. Nowadays, whenever I'm out in public and I overhear someone speaking a language that
I'm trying to learn, my eyes just lock on and I go straight over and try to start a conversation.
However, this is something that I really used to struggle with when I was just starting out with
language learning. This fear could be one of the hardest single things to overcome, but once you
overcome it it's incredibly rewarding. If you are afraid of practicing with native speakers, then I
find the easiest thing to do is just start out slowly. First through exchanges over text, then
with a language tutor, and finally approaching someone in person to start a conversation.
It really helps to go into a conversation just focusing on what you're going to say
in that opening phrase instead of the entire conversation, since you might overwhelm yourself.
My last major language learning mistake, but one that's especially prevalent here on YouTube, is
comparing yourself to others. With so many videos with people claiming to speak an insane number
of languages, or to have learned a language in an incredibly short period of time, it's easy to find
yourself comparing yourself to others--especially before you've even started language learning.
However, all these internet polyglots fall into two categories. First, you've got the
bullsh*tters, who just memorize a few phrases in each of the languages that they claim to know.
Then, second, you've got the ones that have actually achieved what they claim, but only after
dedicating the better part of decades to their craft. Obviously, someone who's just starting
out with language learning doesn't fit into any of these categories, so it doesn't make sense to
compare yourself to people in either of them. If you've enjoyed this video, please hit that like
button and let me know in the comments about the biggest mistake that you've made in your language
learning journey. If you want to stay updated about future videos on travel and languages,
go ahead and subscribe and hit that notification bell. Thanks for watching and see you soon!