The Secret To Learning Any Foreign Language: Spanish, Chinese, you name it

I learned Spanish when I was 22. I had graduated from college as a Math teacher and had no plans of ever being bilingual. I had taken 4 years of French in high school and hated it.

When I made the decision to study Spanish I was laughed at. (Just for reference, this was in 1982, a time when learning foreign languages wasn’t a big deal in the US). No one laughed maliciously, it was more a tone of “You’re time has already come and gone.” In other words, my age was a factor. Even my own family looked at me and wondered if I was wasting my time.

To make a long story short, I became fluent, got certified as a Spanish teacher and have been offered more jobs than I can remember thanks to being bilingual.

What did I think when people told me I had “missed the boat” as far as learning a foreign language was concerned? I usually got depressed and anxious. After all, I didn’t know anyone else who had learned Spanish after graduating college.

I was influenced by what others said. I’m sure others in the same position ended up quitting. Luckily for me, I didn’t.

A lot of time has passed since I learned Spanish. Nowadays, there are more and more people studying languages in Adult Ed. classes and online. Yet, I still hear a lot of comments from people who would love to speak another language but feel it’s too late.

When I ask them what they mean they usually come up with things like:

- your brain doesn´t capture language after a certain age.
- your brain can´t hear the language
- you won´t be able to make certain sounds

The list could go on and on. Unfortunately, when I ask them where they got their information, they don’t have an answer. They don’t know where they heard it but they are convinced it’s true.

Perhaps if they knew of the studies done by xxx which show that the brain is capable of all types of learning until very advanced ages, they might reconsider their position.

According to Dr. of xxx, learning in general does not have to be affected by age. Granted, there are some things we do better and faster as youngsters because we’re more open to the experience. Learning a foreign language is one of them. But science has never declared that the brain loses it’s ability to absorb and retain information just because of we’re no kids anymore.

And of course, the thousands of people each year that learn new languages without any regards for their age.

The real problem is the thoughts and beliefs people have concerning learning in general. It reminds me of the quote from Henry Ford, “If you think you can, or if you think you can’t, either way you are right.”

Is learning difficult? If you think it is, it is. Is learning a foreign language difficult? If you think it is, it is. Is age a factor in learning? Fill in your own answer.

Your thoughts reign supreme when it comes to achieving anything in this world. You have accomplished only the things in this world that you have felt you could accomplish.

So the question becomes, “Do you think you can learn a foreign language at your age?”

If your answer is “Yes!”, then you’ll be able to withstand the comments of others who are convinced you can’t. You’ll be able to continue to study even though it appears you’re not making progress.

If your answer is “Maybe”, you’re going to be susceptible to those around you and to the challenges that come with learning: finding the time, maintaining the discipline, studying even when you don’t want to.

If your answer is “No”, then you have a decision to make. Are you willing to think differently when presented with the facts?

There are many people who continue to hold onto their beliefs even though they are faced with boatloads of evidence to the contrary. If this is you, then my suggestion is to find something that you believe is possible and do that.

However, if you’d like to know the truth about age and learning, and in particular learning a foreign language, then read …

It is possible to change your thinking, your mindset, and achieve things you never imagined. Learning a language will just be the first achievement of many.

Communicating in another language is not an easy process but it is easier than you presently think. With the right mindset, you’ll be able to hang in there until you make it to the promised land.

It’s not age that’s the problem it’s understanding the process of learning.

Things take time.

When you plant a seed, a flower doesn’t bloom immediately. It takes days, sometimes weeks, before you see anything rise from the soil. The magic is in knowing that all that time things were happening under the soil that you couldn’t see.

The same applies to learning a foreign language. With the right mindset, you will continue to study even though it looks like you’re not progressing. YOu’ll continue because you’ll know, just like with the seed, that things are happening even though it seems like they’re not.

And age has nothing to do with the process. If anything, age should make learning easier. If you know that your brain is perfectly capable of learning until you’re old and grey, then you can use your experience to study more efficiently.

So make a decision today to eliminate age as an excuse for not learning another language. And get busy with your studies because once you learn a second language, you’ll probably decide to learn a third!

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This entry was posted on Saturday, August 4th, 2007 at 5:06 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.