When I look at the language learning community online I am constantly impressed by the sheer volume of hope and optimism I see there. People are excited to be learning new languages. For those of you who are feeling charged and ready to learn your language of choice, Awesome! This post is not for you. Come back when you need boost!
For those of you who are struggling, you've come to the right place.
Look, let's be honest. Learning another language is hard, really hard. Daunting, in fact. Everyone who learns a new language has periods of time where they struggle to find motivation and/or desire to keep going. So if you are feeling down about your learning, you are not alone and what you are feeling is completely normal!
On that same vein, give yourself a break! What you are trying to accomplish is a big deal! You are learning a language that is capable to expressing the entirety of human experience, and that is awesome! However that big picture can be very overwhelming. My advice for combating the problem of feeling overwhelmed by the vastness of what you are trying to learn is to keep your vision narrow most of the time. One way to do that is to set both short and long term goals.
I'm actively learning two languages right now, French and Norwegian, with Norwegian being more active because I am still building a foundation. In French my long-term goal is to attain DELF Certification in French. However my short-term goal in French is to master question phrases so I can access new information in French without reverting back to English.
In Norwegian my Long-term goal is to be able to read Norwegian literature, but I can barely do that in French, so that goal gets too overwhelming if I think about it too much. My short term goal in Norwegian is to get all my completed topics on Duolingo up to 3 crowns, and to finish the Introduction to Norwegian II class offered by FutureLearn and the University of Oslo.
So, to Sum up all those words... If you are feeling overwhelmed by what you are trying to do, set your sights nearer to you. Set smaller goals.
I am a language learner who falls into the category of a person who picks languages due to interest and not "usefulness". I have a hard time thinking about learning a language simply because it looks useful on a CV, which is why I have not learned Spanish, Arabic, Korean, or Mandarin. In the US these days, those are the most desirable languages for job-outlook. Contrary to what some people say, there is nothing wrong with the choice to learn a language that is not "Desirable". If someone tells you "Maybe instead of learning Norwegian you should learn Spanish instead." Tell them to kindly butt out.
I would guess that a person who picks a language to learn simply because it looks good on a CV is less likely to successfully learn that language than someone who chose a language based on passion or interest. I have no research to back this opinion up, but I feel it is probably true. If there is Research out there about that please let me know!
Listen to me very carefully now, because if there is one thing I think every language learner needs to hear it is this:
The only person you need to validate your language learning choices with is yourself.
Put that on a poster and hang it on your wall. While I'm at it, here is another:
There is no such thing as a "Useless" Language.
The fact that you want to study the language you chose makes that language more dynamic and valid. Even if the language you chose only has one native speaker and you are the only person learning it, your language choice is important and useful. I absolutely hate it when I hear someone say that this language or that language is useless so why learn it.... Piss off! I want to learn Old Norse because its Awesome, and that is a valid reason! Any and every language you learn with expand your ability to view the world through the eyes of knowledge and empathy. It will make you a better citizen, and when you are visiting Rome and your friend can't read the Roman graffiti and you can he will wish he had studied Latin like you did.
Be proud that you are learning a new language! Don't hide the fact away like a guilty pleasure. You are amazing and so is the language you are learning!
Lastly I want to talk a little bit about handling frustration and hardship. When things get tough, what should you do? Everyone works differently, so specific methods will be different for everyone, but I will give you some pointers that have helped me deal with things when they get tough.
1) Don't deny the hardship - Tough times will happen, and I have never found any value in trying to deny that I am struggling. In fact for me denying the struggle only makes it last longer. Instead, acknowledge the fact that you are struggling. Hardships are a part of the human experience, and they give you an opportunity and a choice; do I stay in the dirt, or do I get up and step up to the plate?
Learning a new language, you are going to fall flat on your face. You are going to say something embarrassing. You are going to listen to someone talk only to realize you didn't understand a single word they just said. Rather than get down on yourself for those things, celebrate them! Mistakes are a huge part of learning and they are a sign your are trying.
2) Don't let yourself get bogged down - Admitting that you have fallen flat on your face is one thing, but for goodness' sake don't stay there! Never consider yourself down for the count.
3) Look out for yourself - Language Learning should be an activity that uplifts you even when it gets hard. However there are times when we all feel that the joy is gone from our learning. This is a hard line to walk so I want to emphasize caution, but don't burn yourself out. If the joy is gone, take a break! But again, don't mistake difficulty for burnout.
4) Focus on the positive - When things get tough, one thing that shifting your focus nearer can do is allow you to experience small successes. You should try and give yourself a reason to celebrate, even if the thing you are celebrating is insignificantly small. I will give you an example from my own life to illustrate.
I remember in 3rd grade we started really learning math beyond addition and subtraction. We also began learning to write in cursive script. Math and Cursive were two things I remember really struggling with as a 8-9 year old. I began, out of sheer survival instinct I think, to play a little game with myself when I was doing math or handwriting. In the course of my work if I wrote a particularly perfect example of a letter or number, I would give myself a 5 second brain break as a reward. I found that this would give me the motivation to finish my work!
It's something I just did, and I didn't think it was too significant until I was an adult. Now it's a big deal for me. When you struggle, find tiny ways to reward yourself for things you are doing, even if they seem minuscule or silly. Over time those tiny successes will add up to big gains in your learning.
I could go on and on about how to keep yourself going. For me motivation is the single most important thing for me to cultivate as a language learner. If I am motivated I can learn anything, and so can you!
So embrace your struggle and conquer it! Talk to people about what you struggle with. You will find that you are not alone in your journey and your hardship.