Why you're struggling to learn a language.

Language learning is all in the mind...or is it? Let's chat about what you might be doing that's actually making your language learning harder than it should be! Watch until the end for practical tips on how to change your mindset to learn languages better. 🤠#languagelearning #polyglot #motivation #mindset

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:30 50% of language learning is your mindset
01:22 Anxiety to speak a language
02:37 Fear to growth mindset
04:59 Grit and future goals
06:48 Practically working on your mindset
09:03 Connect emotions with your language learning

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[LindieBotes]

How much of language learning is mindset and how much is hard work?

[sambeawesome]

I wouldn't worry so much about your current set up, it's the content itself that matters, and the quality there is fantastic :) I'm at the intermediate plateau with one of my languages right now, and the thing that made the biggest difference for me was getting some concrete evidence of growth. When you're in that beginner stage, every new thing you learn, no matter how small, is a massive jump. But those leaps get smaller and smaller with each one, to the point where you can't really see them anymore. Recording myself speaking with my tutors, asking for their feedback, timing myself reading, a journal/diary like you said, etc. Anything that allows me to look back on it later to compare with where I am at that point is huge! (When I felt like my reading speed was stagnant, for example, timing it showed I was actually getting faster!) Changing up routines can help too. The same stuff can only get you so far when you're coming from beginner to intermediate. From intermediate to advance, it's the same thing. Great advice as always, thanks for all your hard work! :)

[edaumaysol]

I definitely feel the anxiety issue when it comes with Japanese. I've actually "started" learning Japanese almost 10 years ago. (I learned Hiragana and Katakana in 2013) but I'm still only a lower-intermediate or even arguably a beginner-level Japanese speaker. It took me a long time because I wasn't actively studying during that time. I've picked it up again recently and am studying everyday.

Yesterday I had my first trial lesson on italki. This was the first time in my 10 years of studying that I've ever spoken to a Japanese person (vocally). It's insane to think that I've had 10 years of opportunity to seek out or speak to people in my target language but actually it was 100% my own fears that got in my way.

I was able to understand probably 95% of everything she said but even so, my spoken Japanese was very very low level. The reason was definitely because I had no practice in speaking. Usually when I type in Japanese, I can go back and edit grammatical aspects that I messed up or change something depending on what I was aiming to say. The problem I have with speaking is that I can't do that, so I end up kind of scrambling my words around or taking a really long time to form sentences that are intelligible.

My only solution is to keep taking speaking lessons. Right now I'm aiming for once every 2 weeks. Later on, as I get more comfortable, maybe I'll go for once a week.

Good luck to everyone on their language learning journeys. Don't listen to everyone online who says you can learn something within 3 months, 6 months, a year, 2 years, etc. Everyone goes at their own pace. Of course it's possible to learn aspects of language in that time, but fluency is not a contest or a race. I'm 10 years in, but I still want to learn despite not getting as far as I "should have". I never want to give up, and neither should you !

[irishchocolate]

Stress can really hinder your language proficiency. I speak Russian. If I speak in front of a group of people or someone I consider important, I get so stressed, I even forget my English, let alone my Russian.
When I was in Ukraine several years ago with my wife(who is from Ukraine), she said my Russian was perfect. I loved being there and my stress was minimal. So when I needed my Russian, it was mentally available.

[jonathanshuman]

I've been learning Spanish for the last few years in school, and I think that my biggest roadblock currently is speaking. When I'm thinking to myself, I can talk in spanish with relative ease. The hard part for me is when I know that another person is on the other side of what I'm trying to say, and that struggle doesn't really apply to the other parts of the language learning process for me. I 100% agree that the fear mindset can block progress, and that a growth mindset can allow you to do better in the same situation. Great advice as always!

[Silviapalgi]

As a person with anxiety I really like this video. However, I feel I struggle the most with discipline. I am driven by motivation so when I’m busy or unmotivated I tend to give up easily. I’ve started learning Korean probably like 4 times now 🫣 it’s soo hard to make the learning a habit when there isn’t anyone controlling you. It’s like .. I will skip just today because I don’t feel like doing it and there’s no one who tells me I have to … I hate that I’m like this

[kateblais--]

I struggle mentally with language learning! Thank you for the advice and tips and I'm gonna work on my language learning mindset for sure!

[happyplaceknitsandsews]

You make a really good point. I think in the language youtube community there's so much pressure to be speaking fluently immediately because of all the click bait. We only see the result, and we think oh well they learned it in 2 months, 6 months, 1 year, and I've been trying for over 4 years and I'm still an advanced beginner. (me lol) Its a long journey

[thursdaysstar]

when i first started korean i was so scared to speak because i didn’t want to make mistakes/i had such a strong fear of not sounding “native” or “natural” enough. the thing that has helped me tremendously is just getting out there (like the vid says) and speaking as much as i can everyday. hilokal is amazing for this!! i literally owe all of my speaking skills in korean to hilokal 😭 even now sometimes i cant express certain ideas perfectly, but it’s the confidence i’ve been able to build from all the speaking experience that has helped me so much. HWAITING

[e-genieclimatique]

in brief:
The video delves into the mental and emotional aspects of language learning.
1. **Introduction and Background**: Lindie starts by addressing the importance of mindset in language learning. She emphasizes that 50% of language learning success is determined by one's mindset.

2. **The Mental Struggle**: Lindie shares that many of her coaching clients express feelings of stagnation after reaching an intermediate level. Some even experience intense anxiety when faced with speaking situations, to the point of feeling like crying.

3. **Personal Experience**: Lindie recalls her own struggles with Korean, where she felt immense pressure to perform and be perfect. She discusses the fear mindset, which can hinder language learners from speaking and practicing.

4. **Growth Mindset**: Lindie introduces the concept of a growth mindset, where failures are seen as opportunities for learning and growth. She contrasts this with a fear mindset, which can be paralyzing.

5. **Recommendation**: Lindie recommends the book "Grit" by Angela Duckworth, which discusses the importance of perseverance and passion in achieving long-term goals.

6. **Practical Tips**:
- **Acknowledge Growth**: Reflect on past achievements and recognize how far you've come.
- **Track Progress**: Use a language journal or diary to document daily language use and progress. This can serve as a motivational tool.
- **Connect Emotions**: Document feelings and emotions related to language learning. Recognize patterns and work towards turning negative feelings into positive growth opportunities.

7. **Conclusion**: Lindie encourages viewers to share their experiences and struggles with language learning in the comments. She also acknowledges the video's quality and promises improvements in future content.

Overall, the video emphasizes the importance of mindset in language learning and offers practical tips for overcoming mental and emotional barriers.

[buunuki]

すごく参考になります😊



これからもいろいろなビデオを楽しみにしています〜！

[sarahcox]

Thanks for this interesting perspective. I find my mental state with language learning is a real roller coaster of emotions. Some weeks I think I’m doing really well and have reached a really advanced level with the language, other weeks I have a conversation lesson and I completely freeze up and can barely speak. It really plays tricks with my mind. It can be so frustrating!

[Alicia-zfnq]

I really liked how you compared the fear and the growth mindset. It reminded me of how last year when I went to visit in-laws in Germany, I really struggled with speaking German because I hadn't studied it since secondary school 10 years ago. I was convinced that because I wasn't very good at it in school, I would mess up any German I would try to speak and so I let that stop me from even trying. Then earlier this year I started learning German (with Duolingo so I haven't learnt that much yet) and when we visited Germany again a few weeks ago, I was confident because even though I hadn't learnt that much yet, I could at least try to get as far as I could with what I had already learned. Turned out that that little bit of confidence was enough for me to have conversations with family in a mix of German and English when I got stuck! Funnily enough, people at the restaurants struggled to understand me when I read aloud my chosen meal from the menu, but all the sentences I had to produce myself, those went really well and I had barely any trouble understanding anyone. So it was mainly my mindset that hindered me from speaking some German and not my skills

[wypimentel]

Your camera is really good, we are at 2023, I think any modern smartphone does the job quite well, so I have nothing to complain about.

[ciri_riannon]

This video was extremely motivational and inspiring. Thank you so much ❤

[dealerofgame]

this is me haha I compare my self to other ppl progress and feel bad about it. and I forget how much progress im making

[meadow]

I loved short 5 minute vocab exercises that *could* lead to more study if I wanted, but if not, I at least refreshed my brain everyday

[cleanthe]

The video and audio quality are very good, don't worry 😃👍
Thank you for all the advices that you give us, always helpful and motivating :)

[wypimentel]

I just learned something new, I didn't know there was a difference between diary and journal :)
Many things you said here Kató Lomb wrote about: "Always believe you are a linguistic genius, blame the language, the book but not you!"
And diary/journal was recommended by her, very important for the active fase (write/speak).

[coolbrotherf]

Growth mindset is such an important thing for any skill. Unfortunately, it's treated as this secrete knowledge that people don't learn until they really try to commit to things and look for why they failed. I bet if kids were taught from a young about learning from failure instead of using fear of failure for motivation, people would be more productive and successful. I learned about it only like 3 years ago trying to get better at video games of all things, but it's helped me in my education and language learning so much. Before I was so scared of failure that I never tried because I didn't want to fail again. I could have really used that knowledge back in highschool.