When trying to ascertain how well you’re doing in your language acquisition goals, it makes sense to measure yourself. Problem is, fluency is an ability that’s difficult to measure. What exactly do you use as a yardstick?
- Tests. Take all tests available on your language training program. While far from perfect, it is a good gauge about whether you’ve properly absorbed lessons.
- Interactions. How much smoother are your interactions now, compared to one week ago? How about one month ago?
- Feedback. Ask people who would know, such as your teacher or primary resource person, how well you’re doing. Again, this is far from an ideal measuring stick, but it’s a great way to learn how far you’ve gone.
- Vocabulary. For me, the best way to measure your fluency is to count how many words you know. The more of the language you can use, the better you should be able to communicate. According to some studies, gaining facility for 1,000 words in a language should allow you to interact positively in 80% of situations, making it an extremely good gauge for quantifying language ability.
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