Building Confidence In Languages

Building Confidence In Foreign Languages

Learning languages is a fun and enriching experience that opens many opportunities for culture exploration, personal growth and career opportunities. Many language learners struggle with self-doubt and avoid making conversation due to fear of making mistakes. Below are some tips to help you build your confidence and improve your speaking ability.

Realistic Goals

Sometimes our confidence can be shaken if we struggle in a speaking situation. It is important to understand that language proficiency comes with repetition and that the learning process takes time. Everyone will have their own reasons for learning a language and it is important to understand that the process is often complex, especially if this is your first experience of learning a second language. Determine what level of fluency you really need for your goals; an intermediate language level could be sufficient to meet your needs.

Embrace Mistakes

You are going to make a lot of mistakes – embrace them and perhaps joke about them with your talking partner. Accept any feedback or corrections as an opportunity for growth and improvement. If you recognise that you’ve made a mistake, keep going. It’s very likely that the listener will have understood your point anyway. Not only will this process help you learn faster, but you will also develop stronger empathy for people who are learning your own native language.

Regular Practice

language theory and grammar are important, but putting your skills into practice is perhaps even more so. The more practice you have at speaking, the more confidence you will develop. Building a supportive community of like-minded people that you can practice your language skills in provides a safe environment to develop your proficiency. If you find it difficult at first, try talking about a subject that you love and have a lot of experience in that you can share with your language partner.

Immerse Yourself

All language learning begins with listening. Simply absorbing language sounds and words through podcasts, books, TV shows, radio stations and other speakers helps to train your ears and pick up the nuances of a language. If you have the opportunity, travel to a native speaking country or take part in a language exchange. Avoid using your native language and embrace the local culture. Only through immersion can you pick up the mannerisms and idiomatic expressions that make up a language.

Avoid Perfection

In the flow of a conversation, are you struggling to remember that word that you wanted to say? Or perhaps you’re wondering how your pronunciation is coming across? Don’t get hung up on the technicalities of being perfect. If you get stuck, try to think of another way of expressing what you wanted to say. The aim with your speaking practice is to become a better, clearer communicator, not to be technically perfect.

Enjoy The Learning Process

Finally, the most important aspect of all is to have fun learning. Whatever your reason for learning a language, find a method that you find most engaging and stick with it. Don’t forget to celebrate your successes and be kind to yourself along the way.

If you are interested in studying languages, Oxford Open Learning offer the chance to do so in French, Spanish and German, with links to pages with more details shown below. You can also Contact Us.