3 hacks language learners often miss
Use these to feeling more fluent
The “feeling” of fluency
I’ve been writing about this a lot recently. Just because you objectively have a certain level, it doesn’t mean like you feel like you do. In general, people think they are less fluent than we actually are.
So how do we “feel” more fluent?
That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?
Hack #1: The identity shift
You have an identity. We all do. The current version of you is not fluent in another language. Therefore, no matter how good you get you may still view yourself through an old, unproductive lens.
Who do you want to be like?
It may help to have a role model; someone who speaks the language natively that you want to be like. Emulate their speech. Copy it. Be like that person. I have done this in every language I speak and it gives me a native edge.
Hack #2: Change your vocabulary
This a big one, especially for anyone who has a base level in their target language. You have a habit of speaking a certain way. Your felt fluency is anchored by that manner of speaking. In order to feel like you have “levelled up,” level up your vocabulary. Make a conscious effort to use words/phrases you typically wouldn’t.
I personally copy phrases my language role model uses.
Hack #3: Change your accent
In 2018, I was in India. Native Gujarati speakers told me that while my pronunciation was perfect, my intonation was off. Something about the way my voice went up and down made it clear that I wasn’t born and raised in Gujarat.
So I worked on it.
I first listened to native speakers a lot. Then I tried to imitate the overall flow of how they spoke so I could sound like them and, as a result, feel like them.
100,000 fluent speakers/year
That brings the advice portion of this blog post to a close. Let’s move on to an update on my newest project. I’ve been working to gain clarity on how to help 100,000 people per year reach their fluency goals. I felt so muddled...but not as much anymore!
The first thing I was struggling with was logistics.
How do I help so many people? Group classes? A coaching program? Something else? And how do I track the number of people who hit their fluency goal?
The second thing was pricing.
It took me 2 years to come up with a way I felt comfortable pricing my private lessons. In the end, I found it was best not to have a fixed rate. I instead speak to people, craft personalized solutions for them to reach their goal, and price it individually. But what a nightmare to do that individually for 100,000 people! That’s impossible.
I am 1 step closer to solving both problems.
In terms of logistics, I believe there are 4 ways I can help people to reach their personalized fluency goals:
Social media content
Self-study tools
Group classes
Private lessons
Tracking the number of people who hit their goals is easy.
In any private or group classes, I can have an exit survey. If someone uses a tool or feels that my content was the primary driver in hitting their goals, they can message me. Anyone who I was able to help that deeply usually ends up messaging me to share their gratitude anyway. I hear from them regularly.
I also have solved my pricing problem.
I will still maintain my current stance of having no fixed rates, but instead of only crafting personalized 1-1 fluency solutions, I can also craft personalized group solutions. As an example, let’s say I do an orientation call in a group format with 25 people. I can still interact with everyone, get a vibe for what kinds of solutions people need, and provide quotes accordingly. It may be free, many tens of thousands of dollars, or anything in between. That’s how my quotes end up working now.
What’s next?
I think my landing page has to be optimized from my social media accounts. Where is the first place I want new people to go? Where am I linking out to? I am considering sending people right to my calendly page, though I am also considering my website. I am not sure. I need to sort that out.
After that…
I think after that it’s all about getting the word out there. More networking. More content. Get on more podcasts. More self-study tools.
Let’s see what tomorrow brings!
Thanks for reading 😊
Azren
Calgary Language Nerds owner
https://azrenthelanguagenerd.com