To Speak a New Language We Just Need STAF

 

 

You think you will never be able to speak a new language fluently? Think again.

It is true that as adults we have limitations compared to children, or teenagers but, not the limitations you think. Adults have limited time, responsibilities, work and other personal circumstances. However, the biggest obstacle is the misconception that children are fantastic language learners while adults are somehow poor learners. This is just not true, except probably, when we consider having a native accent, which can mostly be achieved at a young age. Everybody has an accent, but as long as the pronunciation is good enough for others to understand, you will be able to communicate effectively. Also, children acquire the native language because they are surrounded by it intensely; children are not being tested or are afraid to make mistakes or sound foolish. Children learn a language because they have to. If a child is born in an English-speaking family, he will speak English but if he has to move to Germany at the age of 5 or 6 he will definitely have no choice but to speak German.

We adults, after we make a deliberate decision to learn a language, with the right amount of time and the right plan, can perform even better than children. Studies have shown that most polyglots have learned their many languages after the age of 20.  It is true that adults don’t have the same amount of time or are exposed to the new language compared to children but we have many other capabilities that can compensate and even surpass many other young learners. We adults can understand and use patterns and structures and apply them rationally and correctly. With attention and repetition, we can know much more vocabulary than children do, we can create our own ways to master the language, we learn differently but we can be fantastic learners too!

A language is an ability, not a profession, and abilities are learned through repetition, repetition, repetition; like playing the piano at the Carnegie Hall, remember how to get there?

So how to get to speak Spanish fluently? The answer may vary because everybody learns differently, and students’ circumstances vary a lot, however, as adults we all have a way to master any language with the right conditions and the right amount of time.

We need STAF System, Technique, Attitude, and a Facilitator.

A System

Think of your own particular circumstances and set up a group of things that, working together, will keep you connected to acquiring the language. For example, if you travel a lot or have more than one home, buy several copies of your books, dictionaries, verbs lists, etc., and keep copies everywhere. There are literally thousands of language learning apps, find one that you like and start enjoying it, get your only Spanish small notebook or start one on your mobile notes app, if you are attracted to a song or singer in Spanish get his music with lyrics, if your employees or colleagues speak Spanish practice the word or phrase of the day, etc., etc., in other words, use all the mechanisms around you to expose yourself to the language as much as you can when you can.

A Technique

Be creative, learning a language is something you can do virtually anytime, anywhere. It is said that when the student is ready the teacher shows up. You can look at the objects around and name them, describe in your mind or loudly what you are doing at the moment, try to sing a song in Spanish even if you don’t understand each and every word. One of my students uses only Spanish to talk to her dogs. Use voice assistants available, they translate immediately for you.

The Attitude

What is the right attitude to learn an ability? A positive joyful attitude. Know that you can do it. Remember you can learn anytime, anywhere as long as you keep an open mind and a positive attitude. Mistakes are a normal part of any learning process, in fact, learning a language like any ability is a trial an error process, so take it easy and remember that anything worthwhile takes time. The right attitude will help you relax, remember more and focus more. The right attitude will make the learning process enjoyable and produce better results.

The Facilitator

Most people don’t read manuals; they are boring and confusing; except for the engineers who wrote them. Something similar occurs with textbooks; grammatical explanations and terminology are not part of our natural way of speaking. A facilitator, call it a spanish tutor, a teacher or a coach, can tell you in simple words and right away how a tense is constructed, discuss cultural aspects of the language or answer your specific questions and through deliberate and intentional conversation, help you use the language in real life situations, discussing the topics that you enjoy talking about. Also, the facilitator is a real person with whom you agree to meet on a regular basis, creating the commitment to come back and stay in the learning process.

With STAF we can master Spanish or any other language we want; let’s make a conscious choice and take the deliberate steps to acquire it. Contact us today to learn about how you can join our Spanish lessons online.