Learning a foreign language is a big step. The prospect of studying and practising a new language can be daunting for any individual. With the fear of ‘getting it wrong’ holding the most confident person back on their language journey. There are numerous qualities that will help you become a better language learner, shyness, however, isn’t one of them.
Being shy can hold you back, preventing you from reaching your potential and learning new skills, such as honing your spoken and written foreign language abilities. Even shyness in children aged 10 and under can have an impact on academic success.
Whether you are learning as a teenager, child, or adult, being expressive and putting your language skills to the test in public is what effective language learning is all about. But this doesn’t mean that shy or introverted individuals have to put language learning on the backburner.
Use the following tips to overcome shyness when learning, and become a confident and charismatic speaker in a language you’ve always wanted to master.
Fill up on positive thoughts
It is the negative connotations that go hand-in-hand with speaking a new language that can often trigger extreme shyness and a lack of confidence. By thinking differently and turning these negative feelings on their head, you can take a more positive approach to language learning, whatever stage you’re at.
Start by highlighting what makes you most fearful or shy about speaking your new language. You may be embarrassed to speak in public to native speakers or feel that a lack of fluency or poor vocabulary holds you back.
Once you’ve highlighted these negative feelings, think about the positive things you could encounter when learning, using, or practising your new language. Language learners feel an enormous sense of accomplishment when speaking out loud, for instance.
By replacing your negative feelings with positive thoughts you can motivate yourself to move forward.
Set yourself small goals
Whilst most will remark that the goal of learning any language is to achieve fluency, celebrating the little wins is the key to successful language learning for those affected by shyness. Keep goals small and realistic, and feel good about achieving each and every one. Simply uttering a short sentence to a stranger in your new language is something to be proud of.
People are kinder than you think
Most people, including shy individuals, tend to think of the worst-case scenario in any situation. But practising your language skills on native speakers, or with a language exchange partner, isn’t so unforgiving. You’ll be surprised by how encouraging, enthusiastic and patient people are with beginners Travel expert Beth Whitman found this to be true when learning Chinese:
“The thing I found most encouraging practising Chinese in Taiwan was that even though people would sometimes laugh (and call me a moron no doubt) overall they were very tolerant and supportive. I’m sure I made a fool out of myself numerous times but people generally seemed happy that I was even trying to speak the language (and not expecting them to just bust out the English).”
Get yourself out there and put your language skills to the test, you’ll be amazed by the response!
Be patience throughout your journey
Learning a new language doesn’t happen overnight. Facing this fact early on and being patient as you progress and overcome shyness will ensure you have a solid foundation for success.
Learning another language isn’t a race. Time should be spent getting to know, not just the language, but the culture from which it originates. A deeper understanding of the culture will make language learning enjoyable and engaging as well as give you more confidence in your abilities.
A homestay allows you to learn a language, absorb the culture and enjoy a comforting, confidence-building environment. Find a homestay or connect with a language exchange partner to make language learning work for you.
