Escaping Language Anxiety

Whether it is learning a new language or singing a new song in front of an audience or performing a dance on stage, we all feel a sense of anxiety. Even seasoned performers get nervous and have butterflies in their stomach when they go on stage. What seems easy to do when we are alone becomes anxiety-inducing when someone else is in front of us.

One of the big thresholds a language learner has to overcome is to speak in a conversation. A range of feelings and apprehensions fill our minds. Will the other person understand my accent? Will I be mocked if I make a mistake? Will I be able to understand a question or comment from my conversational partner? Such fears arise even if one is in a language class with fellow students you know and the teacher asks you to respond to a question. These fears are very natural but one has to get past them to succeed and enhance your language abilities. 

talk to locals to learn the language

Here are some techniques that one can employ to overcome language anxiety in a classroom and on the street.

In any setting an important weapon against anxiety is preparation. It is very useful to first practice by speaking aloud by yourself and then practice with a friend who may also be a language learner or someone who you feel comfortable with. 

  1. Make a list of situations or locations where you want to try out your new language skills. These could be: i) going to a cafe; ii) shopping for groceries; iii) taking public transport; vi) asking for and giving street directions; etc. They could also be topics being covered in a classroom if you are taking a language course
  2. Develop a set of words and sentences that you wish to speak in a conversation related to the set of topics you have identified. Since you don’t know what may come up, use your imagination to create a range of language content that may come up. Make sure polite greetings and requests are part of such a language content. 
  3. Write the vocabulary and sentences in your own native language and then use language books or online translators or AI tools to get a translation in the language you are learning. 
  4. Have imaginary conversations with yourself – first silently and then aloud. Initially you can use a written out set of question-answer sheets (or a computer screen with the conversation content) and simply read out the new language you are learning. After a few such practice repetitions try to speak out without looking at the written content. 
  5. Speak out aloud when you are alone and after several repetitions when the words flow smoothly record yourself speaking. After hearing yourself you can improve your enunciation some more. Ideally you want to speak at a rate similar to what you use in your native language i.e. without any hesitation and in a manner that words flow smoothly rather than each word being said out as a disjointed entity.
  6. Most importantly forgive yourself if you make errors. Language learning, especially speaking in real time with another person, is very challenging. With enough practice you will learn the language. Different people learn at different rates so don’t feel dejected if someone who started out with you is already talking to people on the street while you are struggling. Eventually you will also get to fluency.

Since repetitions and practicing by yourself is very important, why not use Encore!!! Language learning app. You can use the app in bilingual mode (your native language and the new language) or turn off the native language and use it in the monolingual mode. Any content can be added to the app’s library to customize the content you wish to learn. 

Craft custom online language lessons with Encore!!!

With the included content in Encore!!! App and the new content you add in the MyEntries of the app you can:  i) Make a playlist ⇒ ii)  choose number of repetitions ⇒ iii) choose pause between repetitions ⇒ iv) play the playlist and then v) “listen-speak out-repeat” when you are by yourself. Periodically use the TEST function to verify how much of the learnt information you have retained.  

Encore!!! App use will greatly enhance your ability to speak out loud and help you overcome the anxiety that comes with speaking in a new language.

Author: Dr. Jasprit Singh, President Gurmentor, Inc.

A Learning Company https://gurmentor.com

Professor Emeritus, Electrical Engg. & Comp. Sci. and Applied Physics

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

How to Use Contents in this folder

Download Encore!!! and elevate your language learning to the next level

*The Android version is in the beta test mode - it is free for all the languages. Being in beta mode the version is still being worked on and may not work with all Android devices.