This is Part 2 of a three part series on learning English. To read the first article in the series, click here.
Making Mistakes is Normal
Does learning a language have to be so stressful? Actually no, not at all. When we shift our perspective a little and look at other cultures and their language learning attempts, we will find that learning can be done without so much stress.
For example, while many Taiwanese are working hard to learn English, so have many non-Taiwanese also begun to learn Mandarin or other languages. Interestingly, if you observe carefully, you will find that many people learn these other languages with a keen sense of interest and passion, rather than taking learning the new language as an obligation.
For example, when they do not understand Chinese grammar and a large number of words, they will start to talk to people in Chinese, even if it is only some very basic words, such as “thank you”, “hello”, “my name is XXX”, etc. They will try to speak quite often to practice, and even if they make a mistake, it doesn’t matter, because in their view, making mistakes is normal in the process of learning a language.
Learning A New Language to Have Meaningful Conversations with People — to Understand a New Culture and Perspective!
In addition, they understand that the ultimate purpose of learning a language is also to have a different communication outlet, and a new window into another society and culture. Therefore, it is really important for them to be able to use a new language to communicate and have meaningful conversations with different types of people, rather than to learn precise grammar and a large number of words simply for exams or tests.
So it doesn’t matter if some details are wrong, as long as the other party can understand. Imagine what a difference this makes when it comes to making learning a new language! It becomes an interesting pursuit of knowledge. They want to understand a different culture, rather than learn the new language out of obligation, which makes it quite stressful.
(to be continued)
About Sensay: Sensay is an AI-powered platform that makes English speaking practice and assessment easy. Our mission is to help K-12 English learners worldwide love and find joy in speaking English.