New students often ask me: how long will it take for me to become fluent?
This is a very difficult question to answer. Many factors go into a person’s ability to learn a language. I often discuss how long it takes my average student to achieve certain milestones, such as being comfortable in everyday conversations, or being confident in a business setting.
After I work with clients for a few sessions and get to know their learning styles, I can answer this question with greater certainty. There are five key factors that I believe determine how fast someone can learn a new language:
1) Age – the younger you are when you start learning a new language, the easier learning will be.
Young children learn new languages effortlessly because the developing human brain is a sponge for language acquisition, particularly from birth until age 5. From ages 5 to 12, one can still pick up a language easily enough to be taken for a native speaker, which requires an in-depth understanding of the language’s grammar and vocabulary and the absence of an accent. (People speak with an accent when their mouths are so accustomed to making the sounds and cadences required by their mother tongue that they superimpose their mother tongue onto the new language. In linguistic terms this is known as “mother tongue influence” or MTI.)
2) Previous exposure to multiple languages – students who have benefitted from such exposure already understand that there are many ways to refer to the same item or concept.
Many of my monolingual students struggle to conceptualize the seemingly “other” or “strange” way people refer to something in their target language. This does not mean that you cannot achieve fluency without previous exposure to other languages, but such exposure is definitely a benefit, particularly when your target language is in the same language family. For example, a student may have been in French immersion as a child and is now attempting to learn Spanish.
3) Memory – having a good memory is an obvious time-saver.
Some people have been gifted with better memories than others. That said, there are many study techniques that you can adopt to help you memorize the vocabulary needed to communicate effectively in your target language. You can visit my two-part blog series on memory to get some further ideas.
4) Effort – some people don’t realize how much effort it takes to learn a new language as an adult.
Learning a language is like working out at the gym – consistent effort is rewarded. Ideally, a student of mine will study four days per weak, 30-60 minutes per session outside of classroom time.
5) Motivation – time and again in my career, I have seen people who may have been lacking in other respects achieve amazing results because of their motivation!
Strong motivation might come from a business opportunity, a personal challenge, or love. Some of my highest achieving clients have specific reasons for wanting to learn. They care deeply and are eager for results.
