You’ve done your homework and found yourself a quality language software to study French (or Chinese or Dutch or whatever language you want to learn). You drew up a plan, created a schedule and stuck to it — you’re progressing along quite well.
There’s just one problem: you’re scared as hell to use the new language.
We all feel scared at various points in our lives. But if you let your fears get the better of your language acquisition, your progress will be all that much slower. Here are some ideas to help you get over this hump:
- Start small. Practice the language in small doses. You know, like going to Chinatown and engaging the store clerk with a question in the Chinese (if you’re learning that); or hitting a local ethnic restaurant and greeting the owner in the target language.
- Stick to scripted lines. Canned lines make it easy to use the language in the real world, since it saves you from having to think on your feet (and if you’re afraid, freezing up when trying to think is not uncommon). Memorizing a bunch of phrases to use eases you into conversations until such a point that you’re comfortable enough to improvise.
- Practice online. Find people to talk to online. The lack of face-to-face pressure helps some people go into interactions much more relaxed, allowing them to use the experience as a first step towards real-world conversations.
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