By Andrea Wilson
Learning languages are challenging. It has been said children learn languages easier than adults do. Adults can have more mental barriers to learning. My biggest mental barrier to learning Spanish has been the fear of being wrong. I do believe that making mistakes is the best way to learn a new skill. However, when language is involved I have often had a fear of offending the person I was conversing with. Speaking to a native speaker added to my anxiety because I did not want to offend by saying the wrong word. The truth is, every time I have offended someone by saying the wrong word, I learned a vital lesson about the culture that I would not have learned had I remained quiet. However, being quiet out of fear is limiting, oppressive, and an adversary to growth. So how do I overcome this fear?
I allow myself the grace and the space to make mistakes, offend apologetically and learn. In the moments I have misspoken by conjugating a word incorrectly or using slang to at inappropriate moments, I have had the most success by receiving feedback and expressing gratitude. The hard truth for me has been accepting that mistakes are necessary for learning, and being willing to receive feedback leads to mental growth. Now that I have become fluent in one language, I want to become fluent in a third language. The fear of speaking is no longer a barrier for me. I have overcome that. My most prominent barrier to overcome is the barrier of impatience.
I am most impatient with myself when I feel I am not advancing to a certain level in my speaking. One of the biggest lies I have told myself is that I should be farther along than I already am. Learning take time because learning a new language is a journey that requires patience, and confronting the fear of making a mistake. Do you want more patience toward learning something new? Learn another language. Do not give up your dream to become bilingual.