Break Language Barriers

In self-improvement and self-development, many of us have a hording or accumulative mentality: More skills, more life hacks, more insights. Often, the key is to just throw out mental clutter. As a psychologist myself, I am afraid to over-psychologize everything. Nonetheless, it is safe to say that more than 50% of our success of acquiring a new language depends on psychological issues: ·         Patience: Am I ready to wait years before expecting authentic fluency? ·         Self-discipline: Can I stick to a daily learning routine for more than 21 days? ·         Self-image: Do I really see myself as communicating fluently in foreign languages? ·         Risk-avoidance or tolerance: Am I willing to enter a conversation not being perfectly prepared? ·         Reactions to setbacks and failures: Should ...

Recently, I heard bestselling author Tim Ferriss mentioning that what helped him grow and experiment was that people around him, at that time, had so low expectations of him. It took the pressure out of the experience, because it gave him the permission to fail.  Typically, we want the people around us to be encouraging and telling us that they believe in us and in our potential. Psychological research on this issue is, of course, mixed. Why? Because, as with many other practical questions, the results depend on a number of factors. Whether people around us have high or low expectations of us is most probably not the only or even decisive factor. However, human beings have a preference for mono-causality. We want to interpret events by a single cause. Now, what can we say, based on research and personal experience? Yes, for some people, it may take a lot pressure from us, if we are not expected to be successful. This, of course, can take a wider spectrum of manifestations...

Especially in times of AI and apparently limitless free language learning resources, you may ask: What is the use of a language teacher? Every language teacher or instructor has an individual self-image. Many see themselves as administrating textbooks and dishing out exercises. Or as explainers. Personally, I view myself as a coach. What are the implications? In professional sports, no matter how good you are, you will always employ a personal or group coach. A coach fulfills many vital functions: -       Giving regular expert feedback on your performance, -       Helping you overcome psychological blocks, -       Pushing you constantly harder and out of your comfort zone. This is how I view the role of language instruction. However, for most language learners, especially beginners, the language teacher is more like a midwife. You employ the teacher to overcome initial difficulties, to pass a ...

Please answer in the comment section: Is this really a typical German thing? I thought it was typical German behavior. When somebody is presenting, in a class or at a workshop, the first and foremost question everybody seems to be obsessed with is to judge the speaker whether he or she is self-confident or nervous. If people give feedback after a presentation, the first reaction is to say, you made a bit of a nervous impression. I saw your hands were moving too fast, or you were frozen, you were trembling a bit, your voice was a bit insecure, and so on. So that's my personal impression. I would be curious to know your experience. Please write your country also in brackets after your comment. So first, is this really so? And then why is it so? I think it's first probably more or less universal. And it's for me the same thing as when people rate the way you're speaking in a foreign language. Most people give feedback first and foremost on your accent. You have a Germa...

There are of course lots of definitions of communication. There are lots of definitions of what good communication should be. Let me add one which is probably not very original.  It is inspired by classical economic literature, by the nature of exchanges. I like to see communication like an exchange of goods and services, a voluntary exchange like in barter or in selling and buying. According to classical economic authors, such an exchange occurs if there is a double coincidence of wants, if what I am giving, what I am offering, a good or a service, is for me less valuable than the thing I want to obtain from the other person. And for the other person it's the other way around. The thing they are giving me is less valuable than the good or service I am offering them. Therefore, by definition, after the exchange everybody is better off. If there's no double coincidence of wants then we don't enter into this exchange. We wait for somebody or something else. If we appl...

How often have you complained of being interrupted while you were learning something? While learning a foreign language, for example. Typically, we perceive interruptions as working against us. What if we could turn it around and transform interruptions into our most potent tool for learning a foreign language? I will give you three practical ideas how to systematically plan for productive interruptions. Let us first look at what the problems with interruptions are. The popular and scientific wisdom goes like this. You are engaged in a meaningful activity. After an interruption (like answering a phone call or text message), you may need up to 30 minutes to return to your full level of productivity. Why? Because part of your (limited) mental energy is directed towards processing the interruption. Especially if it was negative information. Only imagine: You just checked the news for few seconds and you saw your most hated politician, political party or even country do or sa...