There
is a saying among sports coaches: If you are not becoming better, you are
becoming worse. In learning foreign languages, however, many believe that they can
reach a plateau and remain at that level for the rest of their lives.
For
some, this is something positive. They say: I have learned enough. My level is
now good enough. I do not need to attend more language courses, nor train
specifically at home.
For
others, this is something negative. They say: Even though I make great efforts,
my pronunciation/grammar/vocabulary does not improve.
My
personal theory goes like this. In our native languages, the older we get, the
more words we can understand. However, for most adults, the older we get the
more negligent and less flexible we become in the way we formulate our
sentences – compared to the time we were at school. This is why, often, schoolchildren
speak more beautifully than their parents do. As we become older, we settle for
our own comfort zone: our family, friends and job. We adapt to the way they
speak. Moreover, we become less able to adapt to other people´s way of
speaking.
Language
learners often look for general trends about what other learners can or cannot
do. If there is a plateau effect for most students or not. The question is
totally irrelevant, since everybody is an individual. Even if 99,9% of other
students have reached a plateau, and are able to maintain it, it does not mean
that it will be your case. Therefore, you need to get objective data on your
personal situation. You need to establish some objective indicators, measure
yourself over time, keep track of the results and analyze trends. Almost no
language learner does this.
What
could you do?
·
Record
regularly samples of you speaking freely.
·
Write
regularly improvised texts (a journal, comments on anything).
·
Try
to establish the number of mistakes, ideally according to categories and
subcategories: spelling, pronunciation, syntax, declension, vocabulary, style).
·
Introduce
those numbers into a spreadsheet (Excel, or any other program allowing for
statistical analysis).
·
Try
to discover your strong and week areas.
·
Plot
graphs for each indicator over time.
Then
you will have both the answer if you are really stuck, and in which areas you
need to improve specifically.
The GO Method
“I have been living in Germany for years.
I have gone through all the levels and sustained the necessary exams.
Nonetheless, I still make too many mistakes as to get a serious employment in
my profession.”
It is easy to start a foreign language. It
takes only practice and living abroad to get fluent. To learn the last (!) 5%
and to speak without mistakes, however, you will need completely different
approach.
The GO Method helps you get rid of your
chronic grammar and pronunciation mistakes by applying psychology and
principles of quality management.
We offer corrective courses for some
languages, as well a general system for improving your use of any language. We support
companies in improving the language proficiency of key employees.
Gerhard J. Ohrband
Psychologist and polyglot from Hamburg
/Germany (*1979). Married, one son. MA in psychology from the University of
Hamburg. More than 15 years of experience as a university lecturer in
psychology as well as a consultant for UNICEF, Terre des Hommes, IOM, the EU
and private companies. Coordinator of the GO Method network, with
representatives in more than 90 countries worldwide.
Contact
Send us an e-mail: Gerhard.j.ohrband@gmail.com
If you want to save time in learning a
foreign language without a teacher, please check out my book “The GO Method”
on Amazon.
