Leveling Up: It's All About Perspective

There are two kinds of language learners: the adventurous and the cautious.

The adventurous go out there with a couple words and sprinkle them around, laugh and learn. These learners are loose and having fun trying to get people to understand them.

The cautious either decide they cannot learn or hole up in their homes with software, workbooks and the latest solution to language learning. The cautious are afraid people will think they sound ignorant or silly and hope to wait until some magical amount when vocabulary clicks into sounding suave and clever. Unfortunately this works for so few people that we can safely say it takes a little adventurousness to level up in language.

 The truly interesting thing is everyone eventually feels like they are stuck in the level they are in. I have many, many students who can speak the language but feel they are lacking something. That fear of not getting anywhere and even the blanking experience not going away, this is a good thing!

Before we go any further let's clear up a serious misconception. Accents are hot! They are exotic and downright sexy. Only xenophobes dislike accents; everyone else is simply tickled by them. When you think you are butchering the language, the native sees someone who is being endearing, someone brave enough to sound silly in order to respect a culture and a people. You become a little bit of a hero each time you go out on a limb and try out the language--any language.

That said, in order to level up your intended language it has to become, not a secondary appendage, but part of you. You need to wrap yourself up with the culture and people and leave behind who you were before. To become fluent you need to become a new you.

There is no one way to do this; it can happen in subtle and quiet ways or you simply slam into it one day. My mother used to say the best teacher is the bedroom. What she meant was that falling in love with a native is the fastest way to become fluent. You become immersed in family and culture on a whole other level. For those of us with a mate already, don't fret, there are lots of other ways.

Embrace the Blank

The fact that you feel stuck means that you are in the process of leveling up. Every time you blank it means you've pushed yourself beyond a saturation point, and that is how the cerebral muscle grows. Each time you experience these moments; your brain is busy restructuring and becoming more efficient. The brain needs to focus and then defocus in order to organize thoughts properly. Artistic expression, exercise and meditation are powerful ways to allow your brain the time for restructuring.

Musically Minded

Music is an incredible and personal way to connect with the language. If you think "Spanish" music on the radio is the only sound out there, you have so much to explore, it is exciting. There is Latin American and Spanish music in every genre imaginable. Start searching for the kind of music you like in Spanish and you will find a whole world of people who love the same sounds as you. To take it to another level, find videos with lyrics and sing along. This helps immensely with perfecting your accent.  Music and singing allows you to practice tone and rhythm before you even understand the language, that is muscle memory that comes in very handy later on.

Arts Connect Hearts

Any genre of the arts can create this connection: Latin America and Spain are big, varied and very creative. Any kind of artistic expression you love in English can be found in other languages and cultures. Read a book, watch a play, see a movie--just a few suggestions for making language learning fun and engaging. When we explore the arts, we explore the heart and voice of its people.

Perspective is Everything!

Language learning is about perspective. It is about how you see the world and yourself. The more playful we are the more engaged we become. Surrounding yourself in culture and people is the single most powerful way to become fluent. Each mistake, each simple encounter that becomes hilarious because of misunderstanding is a big win and a crucial part of getting to the next level. Enjoyment and engagement go hand in hand.