In this article you will know 7 strategies that will show you that learning another language is not impossible.
As an entrepreneur, to learn another language It will open doors for you and increase your chances of success. As you already know, English is the predominant language in the business world; Thus; most of the texts and studies on entrepreneurship are in that language.
Despite the fact that we know the importance that this has for our professional future, we put it aside due to its difficulty; Well, we think that we should speak it perfectly when the most important thing is that we have the ability to communicate.
It is very true that the best way to learn is traveling. However, you can advance on your own.
For this reason ModoEmprendedor brings you some tips so that you know why to learn another language It’s not as difficult as you think.
Learning another language is easier than you think with these 7 strategies.
1. You don’t need to know 100%.
It is not necessary that you learn the language 100% to start practicing. In fact, you don’t know your mother tongue 100%; so focus on mastering the most important words and grammar rules.
In this way you will learn the minimum bases to start taking the risk of having conversations. From then on everything will flow.
2. Don’t worry about your accent.
Do not pretend to speak with the native accent of the language you are learning. Although it is not impossible to do, it will take time, practice and a lot of dedication. Keep in mind that you have spent a large part of your life speaking your language and you have your own accent.
The really important thing is that this does not stop you. If you are in another country learning the language, people will understand that your native language is different and, on the contrary, they will appreciate the fact of sharing with another culture.
If you’re ever embarrassed by your accent, think about this:
How well can an Irishman or a Frenchman speak Spanish?
Do you think they will do it with the appropriate accent? Surely they will have the same difficulties as you, don’t you think? So the important thing is that you lose your fear and practice.
Your accent makes you unique and is often sexy to others. Don’t be ashamed of him.
3. Transform your environment to practice.
Change the language of your mobile devices, just listen to music in English, watch TV in English, practice with friends, if you don’t know people who can help you, there are thousands of platforms where you can contact people from other countries who need to learn the language that you already know
For example http://www.italki.com/partners. You can also watch movies without subtitles, or if they do, try not to read them.
There are several alternatives. One of them is the DUOLINGO application and web platform https://www.duolingo.com/. Where you can practice your pronunciation, reading, writing and listening in different topics and in a very didactic way.
Another is ANKI, a system that makes it easy for you to memorize anything. You can check it here https://ankiweb.net/shared/decks/.
4. It doesn’t matter if you’re wrong, it’s part of learning.
The fear of being wrong is one of the biggest obstacles, but it is clear that learning a new language and practicing it will surely make mistakes. So what do you do? give up? Or learn from the mistake and keep improving?
You will be surprised how people in other countries are respectful and correct you in a very polite way.
When have you seen a child stop saying something for fear of being wrong? Fear not, making mistakes is ABSOLUTELY normal and it happens to ALL of us.
5. Age is not an excuse.
Don’t tell my mom I wrote this. She gives me between frustration and laughter whenever she says “feisbú” instead of “Facebook”, and motivating her to learn English is practically an impossible mission.
She, like many older people, have in her head that they are no longer of learning age. Expressions such as: “now for what”, “I’m not for those”, and “that’s for young people”; They are very common.
However, a study at the University of Haifa in Israel, led by Ferman and Avi Karni, found that adults, in controlled environments, are better at learning languages than children. The results were revealed in the International Congress for the Study of Child Languageand in Montreal, Canada.
6. Get motivated.
As with many other goals in life, having a motivation is essential, because if you don’t know why you do things, you may give up halfway. If, on the contrary, you know that in a year you have an important business trip, your whole body and mind are predisposed to learn and you will surely achieve the objective.
7. You can learn at your times.
Technology allows us to distribute time as we please. Before, you had to go to an academy at a certain time. In strategy #3 we talk about some tools with which you can learn at the times you choose.
In addition, there are other alternatives such as OpenEnglish through which you can learn without leaving home.
And remember, if you are really interested in creating your own business, you can read our book “How to create a company while working: Discover how to manage your time, manage your money and motivate yourself while creating a company and working for another” , where you will find all the information you need to found your own company, without having to leave your job.