The Real Key to Becoming Fluent in a Foreign Language

What is your level?

When you think about it, we are all language learners. And every one of us is at a different stage in our individual language-learning journey. So why is it that some of us are able to reach our coveted final destination — fluency, while others languish in frustration?

How is it that we all manage to learn our first language effortlessly, but when it comes to learning a second or a third, we struggle?

It isn’t because of the reasons you might be thinking. It isn’t because of laziness, lack of an immersive environment, or lack of talent. In my experience, success or failure in language learning usually has nothing to do with those things.

It doesn’t take a genius to become fluent in another language, and you don’t have to have superhuman discipline. Anyone can do it. You’ve already done it before, technically. So what is the real reason why so many learners don’t reach fluency?

It comes down to this:

To become fluent in another language, you must be able to do (and redo) two things: First, you must be able to correctly assess your level, and second, you must practice in ways that are suitable for your level and intention.

That’s it. I promise you, no matter smart you are or how much money and time you have, if you don’t know your level, and you don’t find level-appropriate ways to practice, forget about being fluent. Consider yourself doomed.

Ok, I’m exaggerating a bit. But believe me, I’ve tried everything when it comes to language learning: textbooks, apps, immersion, podcasts, osmosis, hypnosis, and ketosis.

Correctly Identify Your Level

How many people do you know that are constantly searching for the ‘best way’ to learn? Are you one of them? I’ve asked myself this question thousands, no, millions of times.

I’ve asked myself when I was a beginner learning Japanese in East Tennessee, I asked myself whenever I found myself watching peopl ein Harajuku, I asked myself when I started learning Chinese, when I literally moved to China, and even years later when I finally passed the HSK 6 test.

From beginner to advanced, this question of ‘how to really become fluent’ has haunted the back of my mind, demanding an answer. After years of reflection and a bit of trial and error, I’ve finally seen the importance of understanding exactly where you are in the language learning journey.

If you wanted to scale a mountain or navigate through a forest, what’s the first thing you’d do? You’d take out a map, right? I’m guessin’ you ain’t no Bear Grylls.

So, how are you going to navigate if you don’t even know where you are? It’s the same with language learning. You need landmarks. You need tests. You need some kind of way to ‘know what you know’ and to ‘know what you don’t know’.

You can use your intuition, but sooner or later your ‘gut assessment’ of your level is going to disappoint you. Especially when you reach an intermediate or advanced level of proficiency in a language, this will become all the more apparent because from intermediate onward, learning a language becomes quite literally like navigating a forest, a forest of grammar, vocabulary, culture, idioms, etc. If you don’t know where you are, you won’t know where to go.

Practice in Ways That Are Appropriate for Your Level and Intention

If you were just beginning to learn how to swim, would you just jump in the ocean? If you were trying to learn to swim the butterfly stroke, would you spend all your time swimming freestyle?

The answers to these questions are obvious, and most of us would know better when it comes to swimming, but for some reason, this isn’t the case when it comes to language learning.

I know from personal experience. How many times have you heard someone say something like: “I really want to improve my speaking”, but they spend all their time with textbooks. Or they don’t live in an environment with native speakers, so they will say something like ‘you have to live in that country’ or ‘you need a boyfriend/girlfriend’ who speaks the language.

If your goal is to improve your speaking, you don’t need full immersion and you don’t need to go on dates. You just need to assess what you are capable of speaking about and to what degree. And then focus on practicing the specific topics where you want to improve. It’s so simple, right?

It’s 2023. There are a million different tools you can use to practice with and it can all become overwhelming. But all you really need to do is keep asking yourself: “What’s my level?” “What tool will work for my level and purpose?”. That’s all you have to do!

Time and sweat courses are a given, of course, but, with a pinch of self-awareness, you will eventually find yourself in the promised land of fluency.

Happy learning!