Speaking in a foreign language is intimidating. Being afraid of judgement is natural. From the very first word you learn up until you’re fluent, there are different challenges along the way. At the beginning you may struggle with pronun- ciation, then forming a sentence, then expand- ing your vocabulary. Once you have the basics covered, you begin to notice a whole other world of interpreting expressions, understanding col- loquialisms, distinguishing dialects, and so forth. The process of learning never ends when it comes to languages. Don’t let this discourage you! Use it to your advantage and always stay curious! If you want to challenge yourself, take city tours in the language you’re learning! My goal, is not to become a literary genius but to be able to communicate ideas and express feelings with minimal struggle. In just two years, I went from knowing absolutely nothing in German to a solid B1 level but after moving to Germany, I felt like I was on a rollercoaster because some days I would have great conversations and other days would be full of misunderstandings and discouraging interactions. It took a while to get accustomed to the speed of native speakers and come to terms with the fact that daily tasks require more energy simply because I need to operate in a foreign language. However with persistence and courage, it’s only up from there.
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FEBRUARY 2020 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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