pep talk

What’s the biggest obstacle you face in learning a new language? It’s not a cognitive one. It has nothing to do with intelligence or mental capacity. The biggest obstacle is an emotional one.

Most people find learning or functioning in a new language HUMILIATING. You feel self-conscious and embarrassed. You’re ashamed when you make a gaff. Your confidence goes down the toilet. You feel like a small child again. Things five-year-old native speakers can breeze through easily, you trip over like a clumsy buffoon.

To succeed in learning a new language, you don’t need a strong brain, you need a strong ego. Relax. Who cares if you mess up? In Italian we say, “Sbagliando si impara” – mistakes are the best teachers. Never pin your self-worth on the speed and ease with which you pick things up. Chi va piano va lontano. You’ll get it in time.

Always remember, it took you four or five years to learn English as an infant. Why should a second language take less?