Learning a new language in our adulthood can be a challenging and sometimes frustrating experience. Make sure that you are mentally prepared for the journey ahead and be ready to assess all of the different options at your disposal. You don’t want to suddenly find yourself sitting in a ten student classroom where your trainer asks questions and you have to come up with the right answers. Or, even more irritating, you don’t want to throw in the towel each time you make a grammar faux-pas or use the wrong pronunciation.
Language learning should be useful, effective, engaging and – why not – enjoyable.
Here is the first of six common mistakes you should avoid in order to get the most out of your language learning experience:
- You bought one of those expensive self-study programs available on audio/video files, computers, devices etc. You reached chapter three and then stopped using it. – Enrolling in a self-study program is the ultimate mistake most of us can make hoping that it could save us time and money. We proudly purchase the program believing that we can study a new language by ourselves, whenever we have time, wherever we feel comfortable and without having to commit to a class. After our initial enthusiasm, we reach chapter three and start making simple excuses such as “I had a busy day, I am tired tonight or I will study tomorrow”. Too bad that tomorrow quickly becomes the day after tomorrow, then two days after and then two months after… until we almost forget that our self-study language program is still sitting on our desk, laptop or tablet. The truth is that self-study programs are extremely difficult – in some cases impossible – to follow when you are already conducting a busy lifestyle with a full time job. Enrolling in a traditional course with a trainer is much more feasible and productive. You can always choose an online or conventional class as long as you make sure that for each lesson you have a commitment with your trainer to look forward to. Nothing will ever replace the experience of learning a language with a highly qualified and skilled trainer.