With hours of sunshine, beautiful beaches and delicious cuisine it is certainly not surprising that Spain is a favourite holiday destination among us Brits. But despite the fact that so many of us choose to spend time there, there is still a huge percentage of people who can do little else but order a beer in Spanish.
Having had various conversations with lots of people who holiday in Spain, many of them hold the following view: whilst they would love to be able to speak Spanish, something is holding them back. And that something is fear.
Lack of fear is something we take for granted as children. We climb trees without thinking about the possibility we might fall and hurt ourselves, we put our hand up in class and say the first thing that comes into our head without paying too much attention to what other people think. Sadly, as we grow older, many of us lose this care free attitude.
As adults we worry a lot about others opinions of us, we view mistakes as negative experiences rather than learning from them. And lots of us avoid trying things we perceive as difficult or risky. Learning a language combines all of these fears and therefore leaves many afraid to even try.
There are so many benefits to learning another language. Apart from the obvious and the ones which people seem to focus on the most such as: opening up more job opportunities, improving your memory and communication skills, there are others which can actually have a profound impact on your attitude to other areas of your life. One example being that learning a language gives you the opportunity to practise a growth mindset. Understanding that when things go wrong you can learn from them rather than viewing them as a bad experience is something which many people struggle to do. Through learning a language you will make mistakes but will also realise that this is part of the learning journey and without those mistakes you wouldn’t be able to measure your progress.
Many people feel that they just don’t have the time to learn a language. But what they don’t realise is that their interest doesn’t have to mean buying 20 different grammar books and studying every night. It’s as simple as attending a course or learning enough to be able to communicate whilst on holiday.
Learning a language can be fun. Language learning has changed so much over the years. Not only has the actual method of teaching changed, with a much bigger emphasis on communication rather than grammar but there are also so many different resources, apps, courses, books and blogs available. So you can easily find something which works for you. Whether you prefer working alone, by watching videos and completing exercises or whether you enjoy learning with others in a group, you will not regret it.
Ultimately, just trying to communicate in another language is enough. Not only is it incredibly rewarding, filling you with pride and giving you confidence but even if it isn’t perfect your efforts will be appreciated.
Let go of the fear and start learning a language today!
For information about our current ‘Holiday Spanish Courses’ visit our events page.