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Questions about
Spain?
Write to David at:
dbolton99b@yahoo.es
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How long will I need to learn
a
foreign language? |
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A
couple of years ago, a Spanish girl, about 20 years old, answered one of my
ads for English
classes. She had a very low level of English, but had decided that she now
wanted to learn it
once and for all. During our initial conversation, she asked me straight out:
"How long will it take me to learn English?"
I admit that I was speechless for a second (and this doesn't happen very
often!). I replied: "Well, if you have a photographic memory, an excellent and refined sense of
hearing, a profound
knowledge of the grammar in your own language, an IQ of at least 150, and if
you are willing to work on it for no less than 8 hours a day, you'll be speaking fluently in
less than a month!"
That "less than a month" part was probably what put the delighted smile on
her face, but then,
looking more serious, she asked: "And if I don't have all those qualities?"
I answered: "Then
you're probably looking at a few years, that is, unless you decide to spend
this summer in England or America, in which case you'll progress more quickly."
Obviously, mastering a
foreign language has much to do with our natural talents. Years ago,
I read an article about the German Grand Master of Chess, Robert H・ner. It
seems that he had to go to
Hungary for a tournament, but unfortunately, didn't speak the language. No
problem! He bought
himself a good book, boarded the train, and when he arrived in Budapest
after an eight-hour
jouney, he could speak Hungarian more than well enough to get by.
Of course, Herr H・ner almost no doubt does have a photographic memory, an extremely high IQ, and so on.
I myself have nowhere near the mental
brilliance of a Robert H・ner (if my accomplishments, years ago, on my
college chess team are any measure of this), though I am
certainly not without talent
as far as language learning is concerned.
The truth is, I think most people can pick up another language in a year,
as I did with Spanish, if
they go about it the
right way (see my article: "The absolute best way to learn a language
quickly"). Not that it
can't be done in less time, for I feel it can, especially if you are willing
to spend more time in a foreign country. On the other hand, if you are unwilling, or unable to
spend any time at all
in a country where your target language is spoken, it will probably be
very difficult indeed to
reach fluency within a year (unless, of course, you have the opportunity to
converse
frequently with native speakers of that language while staying in your own
country - something
most of us would find either very difficult, or very expensive, to arrange).
A key concept here is "commitment". Have you really committed yourself to
learning a foreign language fluently? If so, you will take the necessary steps, including
making a financial
investment, to reach that goal. Here in Spain, I have known more people than
I can count who have said they really want to learn English, but who then do not "walk the walk":
they skip classes,
stop learning completely whenever the holidays come around, don't take the
time to memorize new
vocabulary words, and so on. Personally, I would rather not even start than
try to progress like
this, for it's a sure path to frustration and perhaps even
eventual failure.
Of course,
in many of these
cases, those people only want to learn English because they think
it would help them get
ahead at their job (or find a job, should they be unemployed); what they're
lacking is passion,
so it's only natural that they don't make a serious commitment to their
supposed "goal". When
such people ask for my advice on how to proceed, I will often tell them to
forget it - that is,
until they are seriously willing to do what it takes to learn. If not, why
waste time fooling yourself into thinking you are really progressing, when in fact your lack of
dedication is
slowing down progress almost to a halt? If the day comes when they feel that
now, they not only
think they "should" learn English, but are truly enthusiastic about doing
so, it will then be the right time to start, with all the zeal at their disposal.
That's when
progress will not only be
rapid, but will seem practically effortless. That's when they will be able
to learn more English,
in a single year, than they had in the previous five or ten years, while
they were engaged in a half-hearted, and therefore
nearly futile, effort to learn.
Make a commitment to your goal, and follow through on it with enthusiam,
even obsession: that's
the surest ticket to learning a foreign language in record time!
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