Before reading this blog post, I wanted to share some news with you: I’ve decided to start a new chapter in my career and I’m asking for your help. I would appreciate it if you:
Visit https://azren.me to read more about my professional goals
Contact me if you happen to know anyone who would be interested in partnering with me on my new venture
Thanks so much!
I recently came across a few videos on YouTube about how not to do something.
This is, naturally, the opposite of the how-to videos we’ve all watched at some point in our lives. Here’s an example of a video that I watched called How to Ruin Your Life in 2 Minutes.
I’ve found that watching these types of videos to be insightful. Maybe it’s just me, but I personally find it easier to think of what I shouldn’t do than what I should do when it comes to solving a problem. Once I’ve established what I definitely should not do, figuring out what I indeed should do starts to become obvious.
In today’s blog post, I will be sharing a number of bad ideas about how to become fluent.
My hope is that this helps orient you in the right direction. Send me an email or comment on this post letting me know either way if it was helpful or not. I’d be curious to see the feedback.
If you do find this blog post helpful, forward this to another language learner you know :)
Without further ado, here are a number of ways you should not approach learning a language.
20 Ways to Guarantee You Won’t Become Fluent
Spend 5-10 minutes a day on Duolingo and tell yourself that it’s enough to become fluent
Frequently think about learning a language, but never actually do anything about it
Use resources that are way below your current level
Use resources that are way above your current level
Never actually talk to anyone in the language you’re learning - just read and listen for the rest of your life
Only rely on grammar drills to learn how to speak grammatically correctly
Be so critical of yourself that you freeze up anytime you get the chance to speak in another language
Avoid all situations that make you feel uncomfortable, but would definitely help you progress in your target language
Start studying a language for a few months and then switch to a new language. Rinse and repeat for years.
If you’re taking classes, don’t pay attention. Let your mind wander.
In fact, number 10 works no matter what method you’re using - don’t give the resources you’re using much of your attention
Tell yourself as often as possible that you’ll never be fluent
Pick an awkward time of day to spend on language learning. For example, if you hate mornings, make sure you wake up at 5am and squeeze in a 1-hour study session before getting ready for work.
Dwell on how long it’s taking for you to progress toward fluency
Spend as little time as possible on language learning
Don’t do any research at all about effective ways to learn a language. Just listen to the biased advertising of the first company you come across that convinces you that you can learn a language quickly and easily with their product.
Whatever product you purchased in step 16, don’t finish the entire curriculum. Even better: buy it and never use it at all.
Do the opposite of what I said in step 16: spend all your time researching effective ways to learn a language, but don’t spend much time on implementing any of the strategies you learned about while researching
After you follow step 18, be sure to get overwhelmed with the sheer number of methods/resources and dive into a mindless activity that numbs the anxiety
Only read and write in your target language. Never listen or speak. Do this from day 1 for maximum effect.
If you think I missed any pieces of advice on not becoming fluent, be sure to let me know by contacting me. Also, as a reminder, I am starting a new chapter in my career. Visit this website to learn more. Email me if you know anyone who can help me with my new venture.
Azren
https://azren.me