Put Down Your Index Cards and Translate a Meme
Goal setting for adult language learners
If you ask a group of language learners about their goals, chances are nearly every one of them will say they want to become fluent in their target language. Press them for details — What is fluency? How will they know when they’re fluent? — and you’re likely to hear such a wide range of responses that you’ll conclude fluency isn’t a practical goal at all.
If you ask a group of language learners about their goals, chances are nearly every one of them will say they want to become fluent in their target language. Press them for details — What is fluency? How will they know when they’re fluent? — and you’re likely to hear such a wide range of responses that you’ll conclude fluency isn’t a practical goal at all.
The reason is simple: fluency isn’t a clearly defined and measurable concept. Sure, proficiency scales and assessments are available; if you have easy and affordable access to comprehensive proficiency testing for the language you’re learning, you can set a goal of reaching a specific ACTFL or CEFR level (none of which, incidentally, is called “fluent”). However, plenty of adult language learners would be turned off by the idea of preparing and sitting for a battery of proficiency tests, and many others are learning less commonly taught languages, for which testing may not be available in their geographic area.
I’ve taken a lot of language tests, and I can hardly remember any of the questions or the scores I earned on them. Here are a few things I do remember:
- The first time a native speaker was unable to tell from my French accent what my native language and country of origin were
- The first time the closed captioning stopped working on the telenovela I was watching and I still understood what was going on
- The first time I understood a pun in Irish — and the first time I came up with one on my own
When adult language learners in the United States express a desire to become fluent in their target language, they rarely mean, “I want to qualify for a Superior rating according to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.” Europeans, meanwhile, are likely to be familiar with the CEFR standards, because the straightforward, six-level framework is in common use: in some countries and industries, the levels may be specified in job descriptions or on a candidate’s CV, and language classes in European countries are often explicitly tied to CEFR levels. Even so, someone learning a language for personal enrichment may care less about their CEFR level than about subjective goals: feeling comfortable in conversation with a friend or colleague who is a native speaker, being able to express humor, navigating transportation systems with confidence, or enjoying a film in the target language without subtitles.
I’d argue that subjective, self-defined milestones like those provide clear and meaningful feedback on an individual’s progress as a language learner. This is especially true for those of us who are learning outside of an immersion program or traditional academic setting, instead cobbling together a language study habit from some combination of apps, classes, conversation circles, and consumption of target-language media. So much of the language acquisition process is imperceptible as it’s happening; between the constant search for new challenges and the trial-and-error nature of negotiating meaning, even a learner who is making rapid progress might not be aware of it.
Many of the milestones I’ve mentioned above are aha moments that you can’t plan for, but that merit notice and celebration. However, there are plenty of smaller goals you can set for yourself that will contribute over time to those breakthroughs. For example:
- If you communicate by text with a native speaker or fellow learner of your target language, try incorporating a new slang term or acronym every week.
- Follow social media accounts that share jokes and memes in your target language. You may not understand them yet, but with regular exposure, puns and target-culture humor will become more enjoyable.
- Try translating memes or short comic strips into your target language. Humor doesn’t always translate well, but sometimes it does, and you are certain to learn something in the process of trying.
- Take advantage of the subtitle options available on streaming platforms. You may be able to watch TV shows or movies with closed captioning from the language of the program, or even choose subtitles in a language other than your first. (For example, if you’re a native speaker of English, currently learning French, but you already have good comprehension skills in Spanish, give the Spanish subtitles a try.) Doing so can help you stay more engaged and notice details you might gloss over due to the ease of reading in your first language.
It’s also possible to offer yourself regular feedback about your progress:
- Choose a song or poem to memorize in your target language. Record yourself (I know, I know… bear with me) singing or reciting it the first time you start learning it and set the recording aside. Keep rehearsing it for several days or a few weeks until you have it memorized. Listen to that day one recording again and notice how much more confident and accurate you sound.
- Keep a journal in your target language, even if your current proficiency level or time restrictions mean you can manage only a short weekly entry. Set a reminder to look back at previous entries periodically — if you’re a beginner, every few weeks; if you’re an intermediate or advanced learner, every few months — and enjoy all the glorious errors you used to make. After all, the only reason you know they’re errors is that you’ve made progress!
For adult language learners, a “fluency or bust” attitude toward goal setting can create undue frustration and keep us from appreciating milestones in our progress. As an individual learner, consider taking an intentional approach to pursuing and celebrating smaller, clearer goals that you personally find meaningful.
