5 proven ways to effectively self-sabotage your language learning


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 my performance really be always improving, or is it more like in professional sports?

Here are 5 ways I observed with students – and myself - that habitually derail our learning efforts:

1.    Six months have passed, and I still cannot express myself freely in all situations. (Ignoring, that it really takes years)

2.    I always forget words. (Ignoring, that we also forget words – just think about names at a cocktail party – in our native language)

3.    I still feel uncomfortable while speaking to others. (Ignoring, that, also in our native language, there are lots of situations we feel uncomfortable in)

4.    I don’t know all words in the dictionary, yet. (Ignoring, that we know far from all words in our native language)

5.    I have a strange accent. (ignoring, that many speakers may care less about your accent than you think and, that there are many native English speakers with “funny” accents – to native speakers from other regions)

What do you think? Leave a comment below.

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Want to get rid of insecurity and bad feelings regarding the foreign language(s) you have already started to learn? Want to learn a new language, without going through various levels of standard courses? You feel you are making no progress?

Go to Amazon and grab a copy of my classic book ”The GO Method – breaking barriers to language learning”.

https://www.amazon.com/GO-Method-Breaking-barriers-language/dp/1973118688/ref=sr_1_1?crid=ZLMGYKR6PDY3&keywords=Gerhard+Ohrband&qid=1694099394&sprefix=gerhard+ohrband+%2Caps%2C239&sr=8-1

Get the first two chapters for free by subscribing to Gerhard's weekly newsletter, with advice and resources on selling in foreign languages. Just click here.

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Do you feel a bit insecure when doing business internationally, maybe even in a foreign language?

Profit from new strategies, insights and techniques that will make you use foreign languages more successfully in international business communication.

Get rid of fear of mistakes and blocks during trade shows, presentation and sales calls.

Gerhard Ohrband is a communication consultant, psychologist and author of 9 books from Hamburg/Germany. He speaks 11 languages fluently and assists individuals and companies in doing business in foreign languages.

 

 

 

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