Learning foreign languages is exciting and fun however, there are so many things to consider when you are learning foreign languages. We are all aware that learning a language other than one’s native tongue can help reap a lot of benefits in the future yet since there are so many tips out there, we should consider which ones that work for us – or do not!

Many people attempt to learn foreign languages and succeed, some try lo learn and then eventually fail. However, one of the keys to be able to learn languages is to keep learning, and keep trying until you succeed. So many language learners halt in the middle of the process because of sheer frustration either for lack of progress in learning the target language, or lack of motivation and support from family and peers.

If you are among those language learners who have seen bleak skies towards a multilingual future, you better not fret because you have other options to keep you going! If there are do’s in learning foreign languages, bear in mind that there are don’ts too!

Here are some of the don’ts in learning foreign languages:

• Don’t quit when your progress seems slow. You have to realize that learning languages does take time and if you don’t learn as fast as you ought to, don’t be frustrated and then throw in the towel right away. Learning foreign languages takes more than just skill but also your concentration, determination, and will to learn. Just imagine your target foreign language as a seed that is planted in your brain which is the soil. You have to water it frequently for the seed to grow into a sturdy plant. If you can’t see the plant growing as fast as you expect, you should bear in mind that even though it is not growing the way you want it, there are roots beneath the surface that will help you in the future!
• Don’t listen to the “nay sayers” around you. While you are still on the early stage of language learning and you make mistakes in spelling, pronunciation, and other stuff, you might have a hard time coping up especially if there are negative people around you – don’t listen to them! Don’t allow them to get into you and discourage you from continuing to learn your target language. When you give them a chance to win over your determination, you will never learn your target language at all! As much as possible, have a strong will to learn what you want to learn and it also helps if you surround yourself with people who are supportive of your goals.
• Don’t be pressured with time limitations. Time is essential in learning a foreign language and you should be aware that you should give time in learning your target language. What should you do and how much time should you spend on such an endeavor when you have other things to do and commitments to work on such as schoolwork, your job, or your family? If you are not on a language program in a language school, you should be aware that there are ways to help you improve your language skills on the go! When you are in your car and stuck in traffic, you can brush up on your listening and speaking skills by listening to and doing exercises with a language CD or tape. On your free time you can also read a language book or do exercises with language software on your computer or laptop! There’s so much you can do just be creative and determined to learn!

Those don’ts mentioned above are just few of the things you should avoid when you are learning foreign languages. Keep them in mind so that you will know how to persevere with language learning!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 12:37 pm and is filed under Languages and Society, Learn Languages. 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.