Learning German as a Mature Student
A Fun Way to Learn More about Yourself
I am a linguist at heart. Love for languages is part of my identity. It’s even part of my Medium profile description. Ever since I was a kid in the Soviet Union my parents told me: if you want to travel and see the world, learn English. Being able to travel the world was an important value and a luxury for a person in a country as closed as the Soviet Union. I grew up wanting to work and travel across borders, learn cultures, see countries, and study the dimensions that speaking a foreign language offers.
English speakers often don’t see a need to learn foreign languages as they can generally make themselves understood anywhere. I am however a firm believer in that once you can speak to the locals you get a whole new augmented reality as if you put on 3D glasses: you can browse local web sites, use different search engines, find extra hotels, hidden routes, untranslated recipes, local magazines, songs, jokes, TV programs and much more.
As I learned French and Spanish, a new world opened up to me. It was a world filled with Mediterranean holiday destinations, films, magazines, and music. With the combined powers of these two languages, I could easily adapt to Italian.
I watched and understood Brazilian soaps until a friend told me that they were speaking Portuguese rather than “a funky Spanish dialect that no-one taught me” as I took it.
Surprisingly, my Roman languages never led to any work. Even though I was educated to be a reporter in French language or a political simultaneous translator. I used French on vacations, made friends, went to a French clinic where I entrusted my pregnancies and newborns to French doctors and my teeth to a French dentist. All while conversing with them in French. I even dated a French guy for 6 months at one point. Earlier this year I was close to being transferred to France for work but was made redundant. You can say that France for me has so far been a way to spend rather than earn money. But I don’t lose hope to one day I would live and work in France. Or maybe live in France and work remotely?
Ironically, work took me to the countries where I didn’t speak the language. I spent six years of my life working for a Norwegian company, one year working for a Swede, and three last years I worked for a multinational headquartered in Munich, Germany. I never wanted to live in Scandinavia. I appreciate the people, the food, esthetics such as design, architecture, and nature. The way of life just isn’t mine and its expensive.
With the time on my hands due to my recent redundancy and love for languages, I decided to turn my attention to German. I have several times wanted to learn it especially during my many visits to the office and for vacations. Also, I can picture myself living in Germany. Learning German opens up 4 new countries for a closer inspection as the language is spoken in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein. And all these places are close to my beloved France, should I miss the esthetics.
The lockdown has given me a blessing and a needed push. It showed how valuable it is to travel and be flexible with where you live. I also became more open to the idea of remote learning, seeing my kids study via Zoom. I got rid of the stigma that learning a language is something that has to happen in a classroom in a group.
I was finally convinced to start when I saw this inspirational quote: How old will I be when I learn German? Exactly the same age as if I don’t.
What was double interesting to see was how learning a new language at 44 years of age in 2020 is different from learning a language at 19 some 25 years ago. This is how and why.
- Well first, I employed the teacher of my son from school. I had no son 25 years ago! I gathered that my son’s school teacher was the best choice. She would have the correct knowledge of grammar and I know she is traveled and modern. I still remember the horror of coming to England and realizing that the English I learned in school were nothing like people spoke in London. We have 3 lessons a week and a lot of homework.
- As a mature student, I have a more varied list of associations, things I have heard or seen. I can draw parallels with English vocabulary, French grammar, and hone in on the phrases I heard during conference calls with real Germans.
- My teenage sons get annoyed when people of my generation talk at length about not having computers or the internet when we were younger. They think we brag. But it’s true! Studying with the internet is so much different! I no longer spend hours looking for words in a big fat dictionary. I use Deepl Translations, Wikipedia, and all sorts of web resources to help me understand and write in realistic language. I don’t think that’s cheating as I still need to memorize the words myself.
- I was concerned that my memory would be not as it was 25 years ago. I noticed that with age I would forget things that my bosses told me to do. I thought that was down to the memory. Now I see that my memory is fine. I just didn’t like what the bosses told me and forgot about it.
- A funny thing that I experienced as a mature student which is a little immature. I pay for my studies myself and know why I want to study. Still I sometimes secretly wish that something goes wrong and the lesson gets canceled.
“You got yourself a real school experience simulation!” commented my 15-year-old.
6. sAs a student in 2020 as opposed to 1995, I did a Facebook important event status saying “Started to learn German”. Why did I do that? I needed to strengthen my identity after it took two blows earlier this year when I got fired and divorced. My Facebook friends updated statuses to reflect their cool new work positions. Others reported getting engaged or married. I decided to brag about my big step and commitment. A public report that I am learning German adds accountability. I got 121 reactions, which is a lot for me, mainly likes, many hearts and shocked emojis, and 45 comments. Some comments were encouraging “you’ll be fluent in 3 weeks”. Others were skeptical “why on earth would you want to do that!?”
Learning is fun and interesting. Whatever your age, learning a new language can offer a closer look at other countries, closer relationships with its people. Or, you may just want to bring the experience of being in student shoes again.
