Do I Have What It Takes?
Of course you do! You have learnt one language, haven't you? Now learn two! But you can't learn a language by osmosis: you have to devote some time to it, and show some determination to get beyond a basic pidgin.
It's a natural ability
Learning a language shouldn't be difficult. Infants do it without trying - and appear to enjoy the process. Language-learning seems to get more difficult with age, but that's partly because we close off our natural ability to absorb language. Instead, we start analysing, questioning, translating - allowing our overactive brains to get in the way of instinct.
Impatience
Also, as we get older, our expectations increase: we seem to want to be able to go from first steps to mastery in a matter of weeks - rather than the eight or more years that it takes a child to learn its first language. We know what fluency in our own native language delivers, and we want that mastery in our second language as well - now! But seeking mastery and perfection will only lead to frustration. Instead, look at it this way: there are countless stages along the path to mastery, each of which is a valid goal in itself.
Your goal
First and foremost you should ask yourself:
- Why do I want to learn another language?
- How proficient do I need to be to achieve that goal?
Examine your intentions
Here are some of reasons why you might want to learn another language; each requires a slightly different approach and level of commitment:
- To have a basic knowledge of a language for use on holiday.
- To become more proficient in the language of a country where you travel frequently.
- For business travel.
- To study abroad.
- To live and work abroad.
- To speak to the new love of your life, and to his/her friends and relations.
- To speak the language of your forebears.
- For the pure pleasure of being proficient at another language, and to be able to appreciate better its literature and broader aspects of culture.
Work out which of these best matches your goal, then choose the best path to reach it.
Getting started
There are countless ways to learn another language. You can dabble in the basics by reading a phrase book, or even just the 'useful phrases' section at the end of a guidebook.
The next stage up is teaching yourself by means of more structured teach-yourself books, CDs, DVDs and Internet courses. This method allows you to choose when and how you learn, but requires considerable self-discipline and determination.
You may be more likely to succeed by attending a specialist language-learning course, or arranging one-to-one tuition. Courses cover every language level, from beginners to advanced levels of fluency and technical language.
But nothing quite beats going to the country where your chosen language is actually spoken, and getting as much hands-on experience and practice as possible.
Dealing with frustration
In language learning, you will constantly come up against the limits of your language abilities: your failure to enter into a proper conversation beyond market-language; that compliment you wanted to pay, but just could not find the words; the witty quip that you could not produce; the punch line that went wrong. You want to be fluent - bilingual even!
Think of this frustration in a positive light: it is annoying, but it is also the goad that will keep you working at improving your skills. And remember also that we are rarely as fluent and eloquent as we would like, even in our own language.