I once sat with a guy in Guatemala. For over 30 minutes we talked about our lives, our families, where we came from and where we were going. The funny thing is that we didn’t actually speak each other’s language! He spoke Spanish, and I didn’t.
Ever wonder why some people seem to learn a language quickly? They seem to have it so easy. Do you wish you had their skills? Here are the secrets:
Step 1 does not start with memorizing verb tenses, it starts with audacity.
Fearlessness
People who excel in language learning are not afraid to look stupid in the other culture. They jump in and try to speak as soon as they have a word or two. They mess it up, switch back and forth between languages. They are loud and boisterous. They try!
Miming
Nothing beats playing charades when you are learning a new language. Act everything out. Order a ham sandwich at a restaurant by oinking like a pig. Wave your arms around. Point. Do all the things your mother told you not to do when you were four-years-old. Be brash.
Immersion
Make it so you have to learn the language. Take away all of your supports. Place your life in the hands of others. Join a family in the local culture who does not speak a word of English. This crash course will develop your vocabulary at an astounding rate.
If you can get over your fear of appearing like a fool. You will dramatically improve your ability to learn another language much more quickly than you can imagine.
Here is the fun part! Want to be amazed at how much you can understand even when you don’t know the language. Take 3 minutes to watch this video.
Start the video and immediately turn OFF the closed captioning at the bottom of the window (click the cc button). See if you can follow the story even when you don’t speak the language!
How will you be learning the language?
Mark Crocker
p.s. Don’t forget to rewatch the video with the cc button on as well!
