5 Poor Excuses For Not Learning a Foreign Language

Written by Steve Kaufmann - 34 Comments
Categories: self education

ikea.jpgWe all have the ability to learn to speak more than one language. Throughout history, whenever languages co-existed in close proximity, people managed to naturally communicate across the language divide. They had to. That is still true today. Where different languages brush up against each other, people have no trouble learning another language and using it, whether it be children selling souvenirs in the market, or business people in international meetings. This is true in Asia, Africa, America and Europe.

We don’t need a special gift for language learning. Doing so is natural to us all. Today, in the Internet and information age, we no longer live in isolation, linguistically or culturally. The opportunity to engage with other languages is greater than ever.

So why don’t more people learn other languages, especially in North America? In part it is because of the seven common misconceptions about language learning, which confuse people. There are also five common excuses for not learning a language. But are they valid?

1. I am not interested in languages, I don’t need them

Is this really true? What if you could do it for free, free of cost and free of effort?

I sold encyclopedias door to door, almost 50 years ago. My door-opener was, “if you could get a complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica, free of charge, would you be interested?”. That often got me in the door. Parents could visualize an encyclopedia to share with their children. Once I explained that it was not free, “but for less than you spend on coffee or cigarettes…,” I was usually shown the door.
I use the same question with reluctant language learners. “If you were guaranteed to learn to speak another language, without a lot of hard work, would you be interested?” The answer is usually “yes”.

Many people who say they are not interested, would really like to speak another language. Some may even have heard that language learning is excellent stimulus for the brain. But too often the image they see is one of tedious study. They do not have the experience of speaking another language. They cannot visualize the feeling of satisfaction that this brings. So in many cases the interest is there, it is just a matter of getting started.

2. I would like to learn but I cannot seem to get started

Sometimes the goal of fluency in a language seems too far off, and difficult to envision if you have never done it. It may be better to set a short term goal to kick-start your studies, to “get your feet wet” and overcome this inertia. “L’appetit vient en mangeant” say the French, “appetite comes with eating”. You just need to create the incentive to take that first bite.

Why not plan a trip to another country, and make it your goal to learn enough of the language before going, so that you can communicate and really enjoy your stay? Or, if you cannot do that, you could promise yourself that you are going to read a book, or watch a movie, in the original version. Maybe you have a friend or relative whom you want to surprise by speaking in their language. If you can make that first step, inspired by a short term goal, and if you study in an enjoyable way, you will be surprised how addictive and satisfying language learning can be.

3. I have tried before but gave up

You are more likely to continue if your language study is meaningful and enjoyable. For most people, languages classes at school were a chore, and few students graduated speaking the language they were learning. Nowadays you have more options.

Go to google and check out the many podcasts and online courses available for learning languages. You can also find blogs and forums and social networking sites, all dedicated to language. Once you get good enough in the language, you can search your iTunes directory for leading podcasts and blogs in different languages, on travel, technology, modern culture, or whatever you are interested in. You can also buy audio books in various languages via the Web, and in many cases the texts are also available for download at sites like Gutenberg.

With your MP3 player, you can listen over and over to things you find interesting, while absorbing the language. I recommend you to use those sources that have both audio and transcripts. That way you can read and use online dictionaries in order to understand what you are listening to. You need not get bogged down in grammar and drills. You will be surprised how fast you learn when you are enjoying yourself.

4. I am just not disciplined enough to study on my own

Then by all means get a tutor to help you with your learning activities. You can find tutors for most major languages on the Internet. A good personal tutor can be one of the best investments you make, providing you with feedback and encouragement.

You do not need to spend hours a day with your tutor. A few hours a week, or even one hour a week, can be enough to keep you on track. You can arrange times that are convenient, and talk to your tutor via voice over Internet, from wherever is most convenient. You avoid the travel to and from class, and on the Internet it is easy to cancel or change your tutor whenever you want.

5. I can’t afford the cost.
It need not cost that much. Here are some suggestions on the kinds of investments you can make to increase the effectiveness of your studies, based on my own personal experience.

 

Purchases Cost
MP3 players
(I have both an iPod shuffle and a regular iPod, but you may not even need to buy one)		 $200
Ear phones
(I have regular earphones for driving, sport earphones for exercizing, and sound suppression earphones for airplanes and when my wife plays the piano)		 $200
Small reference grammar and dictionary
(I usually buy both, but this is optional)		 $40
Audio books
(I love audio books and usually buy them, but you can find many good audio books at your library)		 $100
Books
(I like buying books, usually the texts of the audio books I am listening to, but you can use the Internet (Gutenberg.org) as well as your local library)		 $100
Videos
(You may have to pay for DVDs in the language you are studying if not available at libraries. These are not necessary but I find them stimulating.)		 $100
Internet access per year
(You may be paying for it anyway)		 $200
Tutoring costs per year
($50 per month is a good average)		 $600
Total $1540

If you follow my model, your total cost for a year of study could amount to as much as $1,540. In all likelihood, however, it will be much less, if you already own an MP3 player, have Internet access, and do not go for the many earphones, audio books, DVDs etc. that I use. You can find audio books and other material at libraries and there is a lot of language help available on the Internet, free of charge.

Even if you did spend $1,540 for the whole year, that is what thousands of foreign language learners spend every month at intensive language courses. You can do just as well on your own. And if you manage your finances well, you might just have enough money left over for that trip you promised yourself to start it all.

This is the second in a series of three articles on language learning by Steve Kaufmann. Steve is a former Canadian diplomat and has had his own company in the international trade of forest products for over 20 years. Steve founded The Linguist Institute Ltd. in 2002 to develop a new approach to language learning using the web. The new LingQ system for learning multiple languages is now available. Steve also maintains a blog on language learning.

Image by Zoom Zoom.

  • http://joelfalconer.com Joel Falconer

    Good post, mate. You know one thing I always find funny, in a sad kind of way? There are some ancient, dying languages with fewer speakers than say, Klingon. It’ll be a pity when those are lost and all we have to show for it is that tacky marketing gimmick of a language from a television show that’s long been done.

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  • http://www.adviceforyou.org.uk/blog/ uk student

    Great post! You’ve really captured the practical aspects of deciding whether to study a foreign language. I’ve covered a lot of the more academic reasons for learning a foreign language and you’ve really nailed the practical motivations on the head. Really great article.

  • Pieter

    Personally I’ve gotten into learning japanese when my life entered a dark spot last year. All I did was listen to audio lessons you could get online (for free) on my mp3-player. Not only can I now understand some japanese, it really helped calm my mind and keep me focussed on getting back in the sun, so to speak. Not counting japanese and my native language, I speak three more languages and the minority language of my home-area and it has been usefull on countless occasions. Just try to order diner in a restaurant in Luxemburg in english and you’ll understand.

  • http://getinternationalclients.com/how-a-third-culture-kids-natural-cross-cultural-vision-can-power-your-international-business-expansion/ Cindy King

    Hi Steve,

    An interesting read. I think some people are more “open” to learning languages.

    I speak 2 foreign languages fluently and have “spoken” about half a dozen other languages at other stages in my life.

    What I notice is that most people who do speak a foreign language have very distinct views on what is best to do, etc.

    Everyone has their own individual experience…what’s mine?

    Find someone you want to get to know and want to communicate with…who does not speak your language and also wants to talk to you.

    The communication with gestures, empathy and taking a step towards the other person’s culture is an important part of “language learning”. It also takes the drudgery out of the “hard” part.

    I have met many people who can speak a foreign language “mechanically” without connecting with the people they ar communicating with.

    Is that really what it’s all about?

    That’s another article…

  • http://www.letutor.com Spanish Class

    Great Post Steve. I don’t always agree with your posts but I value your efforts and what you have to say. http://www.letutor.com

  • http://www.pickthebrain.com Peter

    I come under #3 – I have tried to learn French and Mandarin but gave up.

    I remember going to France when I was 15, and the 6 months leading up to that trip I was so motivated to learn the language. So I definitely agree with your suggestion to create an incentive.

    I also agree with another one of your points – modern technology is making it easier and less expensive to learn a foreign language. I think I will give it another go :)

  • http://heartandcraft.blogspot.com Ritergal

    I’ve learned enough of three different languages to keep myself fed and sheltered. My reason for not developing these languages (or others) to the point of fluency didn’t appear on your list: I have nobody around to speak them with. Studying on my own will only take me so far.

    With sufficient effort I could probably find people, but they do not exist in my normal sphere of activities, and lacking mutual interests that would bring us together normally, we are unlikely to have enough in common to keep a relationship going. Just meeting to speak a language isn’t enough. You need content that’s compelling to both!

    So, alas, because I’m an overachiever in what I already do and obsessively busy, I’m likely to remain a slacker in the area of foreign language development.

  • http://www.lingq.com Steve

    Ritergal,
    I agree that it is not necessary to try to chase down native speakers just to practice your language with them. Language exchange sites do enable a lot of people to connect and enjoy each others company but is not for everyone.Communication needs to be based on a genuine desire to share something.

    My interest in languages right now is more selfish. I am quite content to enjoy works of literature in Russian, the language I am studying now, for example, without feeling any great desire to seek out people to talk to in Russian. I am communicating with the great writers of the 19th century who are available in audio books and free in print from Gutenberg, from where I can import them into LingQ. I listen in my car, while gardening and doing the dishes, so I fill in a lot of available time and enjoy my studies. My brain just gets more and more used to Russian.

    Of course if I hear the sounds of Russian in a shopping mall or somewhere, that person may just be fair game for a Russian attack from me.

  • greg

    I am in the minority.
    I believe we do not need more than 4 languages. English, Spanish, 1 Chinese, and throw in something else.
    If we were to eliminate most of the languages, we as people of earth will have more in common, communicate better, etc… That would lead to less war, more happiness, enjoyment, etc…

  • http://www.lingq.com Steve

    The former members of Yugoslavia mostly spoke the same language. That did not prevent war.

    It is not up to anyone to decide how many languages “we” need. Languages, like any other cultural product, including food, religion, political institutions, philosophies, ideologies, art, music, etc, are the natural creations of human minds. They will arise, flourish, compete for space, influence each other, and evolve. They are all marvels and in a way we share in them all, to the extent that we share the world with our fellow humans, present past and future. These examples of human creativity should neither be suppressed nor artificially preserved.

  • greg

    “They will arise, flourish, compete for space, influence each other, and evolve.”

    You forgot “Die”

  • greg

    Also not sure what you mean by “Yugoslavia mostly spoke the same language.”

    The three official languages of Yugoslavia were Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, and Macedonian. Serbo-Croatian has an eastern and a western variant
    ….
    In order of usage, Yugoslavia’s most significant minority languages included Albanian, Hungarian, Turkish, Bulgarian, Romanian, Italian, Vlach, Czechoslovak, Slovak, Ruthenian, and Gypsy.

    http://www.country-data.com/cgi-bin/query/r-14802.html

    So they have at least 15 languages in Yugoslavia.

  • http://www.lingq.com Steve

    Most of the combatants, the Croats, Serbs and Bosnians,spoke dialects or variants of the same language, i.e. had no trouble understanding each other.

  • Tom

    $1540? Would you mind fronting me that? Your list is about $1500 more than I can afford.

  • Bill Chapman

    I would like to argue the case for learning Esperanto, the planned international language. It is an easy-to-learlanguage which belongs to no one country or group of states. Take a look at http://www.esperanto.net

    Esperanto works! I’ve used it in speech and writing in a dozen countries over recent years.

    What do you think?

  • http://www.lingq.com Steve

    It is quite possible to do it for nothing using public libraries, especially if you own an MP3 player and a computer and have high speed internet access.

    But, to answer your question, no, I will not “front you” for your leisure activities and do not expect you to front me for mine.

  • Tom

    Oh well. I had to try. And, no, this never works!

  • Irene

    I think some people can be afraid about the price of 1.500 Dollar. But it is not nessesary because these are tools for a profi.
    A non-profi can buy a microphon/headset for 20 Euro, MP3 player for 80 Euro or less.
    You mentioned that a learner can find a lot of articles as free.
    A Learner can come to LingQ and there work as a beginner for free.
    Then, after the first step, he or she has fun and want to speak. Now comes the time for more investment for taking part on conversations but is not too expensive and all is dividable how it is fitting for each learner.

  • http://myfrenchtools.com Sara M

    Your post reflects some of my students. I am a French teacher and I hear those 5 excuses all the time!

    On the side, I am learning Russian and I do not intend to spend $1500. There is tons of free resources online! Penpals, dictionaries, language tandem (exchange), online grammar and verbs conjugaisons, cheap online private or group lessons, free tests, exercices etc etc.

    If you are really serious about learning a new language, motivation is key!
    If you can find an online mentoring group, you should join! I am part of a russian group and we meet everyweek online. It has been very helpful.
    They help you set precise objectives.

  • Ana

    I totally agree with you, Sara. The Internet is an endless source of material, there is virtually no cost at all. I wouldn’t take mp3 players, phones or internet connection as part of the cost for learning languages, because I already had them for other purposes. And I believe everyone who uses computers nowadays have most of these things too.
    But I’m envious of your russian group. I would love to have such a regular discussion group in English, but I think it’s very difficult to find 2 or 3 people with the same interests and time schedule. How did you manage that?

  • Ana

    I disagree Tom, it works! I’ve doing this for 10 months. During this time, I improved my English *a lot*, and have included French in my studies. I have no intentions nor the desire of stopping spending the last 2 hours of my night in language learning. It simply became my hobby, and this is the key for the whole thing to work.

  • Tom

    I wasn’t referring to this method. I was referring to the ploy of asking someone to pay. I left out the word ploy in my original response.

  • Ana

    Come on, Steve, you are scaring people with this $1500 “kit”… rsss…
    I spent more or less $80-$100 at LingQ the last 10 months, and only recently I went to a $39 account, but it was basically for fun and I not strictly needed at all.
    My husband has been studying some English and Spanish for free there.
    I already had the mp3 player and the headset, and I think they are wide-spread general use tools, not things that one buys just for language learning.
    Books, grammars, dictionaries, they are all just out there in the internet to be used. I never needed to pay for content.
    In summary, believe me, people, nobody needs to be as wealthy as Steve Kaufmann so to learn languages… ;)

  • Ana

    ok, sorry for the misunderstanding… anyway, this cost is highly overestimated, see my comment below on this (nr. 15). ;)

  • http://www.lingq.com Steve

    Ana and Sara and others,

    I only mentioned the $1,540 per YEAR since there are many people, many tens of thousands of people, who spend that amount per MONTH intensive courses. I see them doing ESL here in Vancouver.What do you think is the real cost of a university language course?

    Of course you need not spend very much. I was just trying to add up what you could spend, if you really wanted to go first class, so to speak. Three sets of ear phones, two MP3 players, etc., buying rather than renting videos and audio books and books, a tutor or coach giving you lots of personal attention. You really do not need to do that, and most of you have MP3 players and internet access.

    By the way I lost my exercize ear phones and bought a new set from Roots for $14, the best earphones yet for all purposes. I also believe the iPod shuffle at $55 is the best buy for active language learners. I mean for $70 you have can set up a language lab. And yet universities are investing $$$$$$ in sophisticated language labs. Tax-payers money at work!!

  • http://www.lingq.com Steve

    Ana,

    Many tens of thousands of people spend $1500 per MONTH for intensive language courses at schools. I see them at ESL schools here in Vancouver. What do you think a university language courses cost to put on?

    But on the Internet you do not need to spend that amount. I just put up an idea of what you could spend. but most people have an MP3 player, internet access, and do not need extra earphones etc. Lost of things are available free.

    But even if you wanted to go first class, with your own private tutor, you need not spend more than this, and you can spend a lot less. And you will probably do as well or better than at the university language class.

    After two years of part time study on my own I am reading and listening to Russian literature in the original. At many North American universities, in their Russian program, they do these in translation, even after three years of study.

  • Tom

    Perhaps you can take those things out of the equation, but there are people (like me) who don’t have an MP3 player or a mobile phone or their own computer (I’m typing this on a friend’s MacBook). Right now, a lot of that is beyond my means — even using a computer at a library is a bit of a stretch if only because I can’t get to the library during the day and when I can the computers are all in use.

  • Irene

    I laughed loudly by reading Ana’s reply (the wealthy Steve).
    But now I understand what Steve would say with his calculation.
    I think the costs are excuses.
    The most important point for learning language is the motivation how is mentioned before from Sarah, and the will to learn with a goal and last not least a little discipline.

  • http://hubpages.com/hub/learn-languages-online-and-make-money joe

    nice post, I would also point out, another possible motivation for people using web 2.0. they actually can not only get a lot of resources for free but they can even make money out of it just by teaching their native language.
    I wrote a post about this issue:

    http://hubpages.com/hub/learn-languages-online-and-make-money

    thanks

  • http://www.onsimplicity.net Sara at On Simplicity

    Ack! All my excuses are gone! I just love the idea of working my brain in a way that it hasn’t been worked in years (like you mentioned in #1). I have to imagine there are some sweet side brain benefits to learning a language beyond the actual skill.

    I know for a fact that the local library has resources for at least five different languages, so I think it’s just a matter of setting aside a certain amount of time each week and making it happen.

    Thanks for the kick in the drawers!

  • Mikorka Kalman

    Kató Lomb, famous Hungarian interpreter once said a foreign language is the only thing that is worth being learnt even a little. If you only know a little chemistry you may blow up your house, or if you only know to play the violin a little you torture your audience. But it is endeed worth knowing only 200 hundred words of a foreign language. This really sounds encouraging. :)

  • http://www.edufire.com S A M

    I understand the points you gave for some not wanting to learn a new language because I fell into a couple of those categories myself…the money and I’m not determined enough to learn a language on my own. A few months ago I started to use http://www.edufire.com and I think my feelings have changed. It’s not all on my own with this site and it’s much more affordable than other avenues I have looked into in the past.

  • Nick

    Je remercie! Tu nous offres tres bon (reasons) apprendre des langues.

    Ok, I tried.