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How do you motivate yourself to keep studying??

June 29, 2012
12:41

joshkaasik

Washington D.C.

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Forum Posts: 39

Member Since:
July 18, 2011

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I assume many people here have the same issue I do.. I'm not quite lucky enough to have endless motivation and fascination for learning languages. I love languages, and they truly are fascinating to me.. but actual study seems so far removed from the things that fascinate me about language. I still manage to be motivated about half of the time, but the other half is just an intense struggle, no matter how interesting I find the language.. So I'm wondering what all of you do for motivation to keep studying?? =)

Native:

Estonian,

English --- Learning:

Spanish (currently: advanced beginner/low intermediate) --- Want to learn:

French,

German,

Italian,

Swedish --- Skype: josh-israel --- Google+:estogettingfluent@gmail.com--- ---Feel free to add me on skype or to critique or comment on my occasional posts on my blog! http://estogettingfluent.wordpress.com I'd love to get in contact with some fellow language learners for support.

June 29, 2012
12:56

Jennifer

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Forum Posts: 38

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June 1, 2012

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Good question. I don't know how people motivate themselves when learning languages which seem really removed not just from daily life but from any life they'll ever have (here I mean people who choose to enrich themselves with extremely obscure languages.) I think then they just have to have endless fascination or some sort of amazing level of focus.

As far as learning major world languages… I've found that 1.) having an end goal and 2.) (if this is possible) spending time around the language are big motivators.

So, I want to take the TEFaQ French proficiency test for Quebec immigration in the fall, and pass at a high-intermediate level. I actually want to move to Montréal (I lived there as a graduate student at an English-language university) but even if I didn't have that goal, I think I would sign up to take a proficiency test. Having that concrete goal is motivating.

Also, I am fortunate to be in pretty close proximity to a large French-speaking population – the Canadian border is about 3 hours away from me by car, and Montréal is about 4.5 hours away. It's not hard to go there for a weekend. (Although, I am learning using "standard French" materials which are quite different from Quebecois French.) If you can't go to a place with native speakers, try something like meetup.com to find language groups. Most places seem to have groups who meet over drinks or meals and speak in their chosen language. I haven't done this yet, but I plan to. I think knowing that I will need to be able to converse in the language (and not embarrass myself!) is motivating.

Finally, I set up a comfortable and functional study space, which seems like common sense, but I didn't have it before. I'm using Rosetta Stone in addition to books, and sitting at a desk is really key. (Also, I know a lot of people don't like Rosetta Stone, but I am finding it effective and I think it's more "fun" than many other methods I have tried in the past. The fact that it's fun keeps me coming back for more.)

Speaks: