Language has an enormous influence on our everyday lives. Communication is a vital part of business and collaboration with individuals around us. The ability to use multiple languages is a sought after skill. With a recent survey revealing that the best time to learn a second language is before the age of 6 or 7, many would-be language learners may be deterred from giving a new language a try.
It is never too late to enhance your language skills. The basic principles of learning a new language are easy to grasp for anyone with a bit of hard work and motivation.
More and more adults are taking up the challenge of learning a second language, and for good reason. There are many benefits to learning a new language as an adult, most of which we will explore in this blog post.
Why learn a second language as an adult?
There is some debate over whether it’s more beneficial to learn a second language as a child or an adult. Although there have been several studies arguing for either case, the truth is that learning a second language has its pros and cons at both stages of life. What we can categorically say is that despite some misleading scepticism online, it is entirely possible to achieve both fluency and accuracy as an adult.
Adults have more freedom to enjoy the immersive experiences that make language learning more straightforward, such as booking a language exchange holiday, mixing with native speakers and practicing a language as part of their daily routines.
The technicalities of a language can also be better explained to an adult than a child. Whilst child language learners can ‘absorb’ skills more quickly, the higher levels of motivation possessed by adults make learning a language equally simple. As John Fotheringham, author of Master Japanese and creator of LanguageMastery.com, explains:
“In many ways, adults are actually better learners than children… If you’re motivated, you can learn any language, anywhere. It just comes down to some creativity, a little hard work, and leveraging technology.”
Our top tips for success
There are a number of steps you can take to make your adult language learning experience as successful as possible. Setting realistic goals and incorporating language learning into your everyday life is a great place to begin while you learn a second language at home.
You can also make the most of the language learning technology that’s currently available, such as apps and digital flashcards. Taking your language learning journey outside of the confines of your home is another must. Put your language skills to the test by buddying up with a native speaker or joining a language based community group.
Language immersion via an exchange holiday or homestay is a great option for those at all stages of their language learning journeys. Remember, age doesn’t matter. It’s how much you expose yourself to your target language and culture that counts.
