It would be nice to acquire a new language and become fluent at it.
However, when starting out, the journey ahead can be very challenging and would require serious dedication and commitment.
But what if you have warning signs ahead? If you had someone who could tell you what to watch out, would that be helpful to you?
Here are the top 10 challenges language learners face based on what I’ve observed so far in other people through online communities and surveys, regardless of the target language.
So what exactly do language learners face up ahead?
1. Lack of Motivation
People have different reasons for learning a foreign language, which serve as their fuel to continue learning and showing up every day. However, many learners burn out in the process and eventually stop their study.
Needless to say, I also experience this problem with Korean from time to time. There are seasons when I’m inspired to study and immerse on Korean content, while I also frequently have long breaks with no progress in the target language.
Without motivation, there’s no reason for one to continue his or her study. Regardless of the progress you’ve made so far, regardless of how effective your learning method may be, turn down your energy levels and everything will come to a halt.
It’s a constant challenge to sustain motivation, that may be the reason why it’s included in this list.
2. Finding Time to Study Languages
Even if you have the energy to allot to a study routine, life itself might get in the way.
Having other things to worry about such as work, family, and other important stuff, could simply deprive you of the time to dedicate to your target language.
At the very least, you can maintain a 5- to 15-minute habit to practice speaking or review your flash cards. But the bulk of foreign language immersion and study (grammar, vocabulary) takes serious amounts of time in order to master. Put simply, there are no shortcuts.
Personally, I believe language learning is one of those skills that you can’t shortcut by using hacks, just like playing the piano or learning to draw. Therefore, you should prepare to carve a sizeable space in your calendar before diving into a language.
3. Too Much Resources Which Cause Overwhelm
Thanks to the massive size of the Internet, you can find plenty of content in your target language. In fact, so much that you end up spending a lot of time just choosing.
There are more apps, courses, books, podcasts, blogs, teachers, as well as techniques to learn a language faster. But which ones do you use right now? Almost everyone claims that their method or resource is better.
If you’re not careful, you may find yourself stacking up books, installing too many apps, or subscribing to a lot of websites. Right now, I’ve got over a dozen YouTube channels to immerse in Korean with, but it didn’t make me immerse harder and still had to constantly choose what to consume first.
Sometimes, you just have to cut the overthinking and pick whatever resource is close to you then start from there. As you gain more experience, you’ll intuitively find out what resources could take you to the next level.
4. Lack of Content In Some Languages
The concentration of foreign language content usually favors the most popular languages, such as Spanish, French, and Japanese. But for less popular languages and dialects, there may be fewer resources to move around and you’d need other language learners to share some resources for you.
Because there is less content, you might struggle to find materials to immerse with that is right for your level, especially in your chosen topic of interest. What if you want to read a particular type of technical paper, but struggle because the vocabulary or jargon is just out of reach?
This can be tough to deal with, as not only are you working on your target language towards fluency, you’ve got the extra problem of figuring out which content or material to study. Getting fluent is already a big challenge, finding materials to even make that possible becomes double the hassle.
5. Learning a New Alphabet System
As an English speaker, moving away from A to Z and into a new alphabet system is not a comfortable thing to do. It’s no easy task learning the characters of Japanese or Chinese or Arabic because this means getting used with alien symbols and following a new set of rules. Not to mention, you have to pronounce them correctly!
Luckily, learning Korean alphabet (Hangeul) was for me not that difficult. I believe you can learn this quickly within the flight time of your airplane bound for Korea. But generally, some languages rely on the English alphabet and you could start learning those.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for many popular languages. Before you can even learn vocabulary, grammar, or pronunciation, you have to deal with this primary roadblock first.
Sure, you can ditch the alphabet and just fire up some podcasts to improve your listening. But somewhere down the line, you would have to read or write in order to communicate (or using the Internet, you have to learn to type in a foreign language). So you might as well acknowledge this challenge and pick up new characters from day one.
6. Lots of Grammar and Vocabulary to Remember
Grammar is essential in order to be able to form complex dialogues and better express your thoughts. But how do you even start to make sense of it in a foreign language?
Usually, the problem arises when you have to learn new rules that contradict with your native language. I had to learn Subject-Object-Verb agreement when moving into Korean because every sentence relies on that structure. Not only that, I have to be careful with choosing the right honorifics to use in the right situation, or else I risk being awkward in conversations.
And it’s not just grammar that is the problem – enter the world of vocabulary. There are not that many grammatical rules to manage as you can encounter them repeatedly through immersion. But the thousands of words in a foreign language could feel like it would take forever to memorize.
You know what’s worse? After studying and memorizing for hours on end, you find yourself forgetting new words just as fast as acquiring new ones. Without an efficient system for recalling vocabulary and grammar, you will continue to create waste along the way.
7. Reading and Listening Comprehension
Have you ever felt from time to time that reading or listening in your target language (TL) feels hopeless to crack? It sure did for me with Korean.
Ever encountered times when you study a grammar point or several new words, only for them to confuse you and not get it during immersion? Turns out it may be a comprehension problem.
While this is actually a normal part of immersion – to not understand everything that was heard or read – it can be frustrating for some learners if the problem occurs over and over.
There could be a mismatch between their expectations and their actual ability to comprehend. Like you want to fluently read a Harry Potter book in German, but occasionally having to look up words and are not satisfied with 90% comprehension. When everyone’s laughing at a stage joke, but you couldn’t laugh because you didn’t understand the humor at all.
Pretty awkward, isn’t it?
8. Speaking, Pronunciation, and Accent
Many language learners have trouble getting the words out of their mouth. Even after knowing dozens of basic grammar rules, they would overthink and try to formulate the best way to impart their thoughts.
And even if you could form pretty good sentences, the next struggle would be getting the pronunciation right and trying to sound like a native. This is particularly challenging with some languages, such as French and Mandarin, where the technicalities could influence what you’re trying to convey.
In the process of sounding like a native, accent becomes another issue. Becoming more experienced in your target language does not guarantee you’ll get the accent right. It takes a conscious choice to part with your native accent and adopt a new one.
I believe speaking is a physical activity, and therefore, it requires certain muscles in the body – such as the tongue, lungs, and mouth – to move in order to produce language. Meaning you only need regular practice to get over this challenge.
9. Lack of Native Speakers to Practice With
Before you could even practice speaking, you first have to worry about finding people to talk to. Although apps like italki, HelloTalk, Tandem, and My Language Exchange exist to help you out, it would take considerable time to find the ideal conversation partner.
A teacher can be a good option, but they cost significant money if you plan to practice hundreds or thousands of hours with them. Language exchanges such as HelloTalk, according to some, could sometimes feel like a dating app as they often encounter people of the opposite sex, making it hard to find serious learners in those places.
Some learners prefer to converse with real people offline instead of through the Internet. But what if there’s no one to practice your target language with? Meetups can be a viable option, but are you willing to meet a group of strangers to talk languages with? I tried it once, but it was so awkward that I didn’t show up in the venue.
It can be a hassle for many to search for their perfect language partner – perhaps one who’s in the same level as them, are willing to learn languages and on the same page as them, and would resonate with their personality.
10. Hitting a Wall In Learning Progress
Beginner learners are not the only ones who encounter a lot of struggles. Even advanced language learners can hit a roadblock along the way.
They reach a plateau at some point in their journey and feel that they couldn’t climb any further. The amount of information they learn slows down and could even reach a standstill.
This plateauing usually happens around the A2, B1, or B2 levels of fluency but can happen anywhere. It feels as if you’re one day or one week away from success, for about a year.
When learning a new language, it can be beneficial to notice when these plateaus happen. It’s a sign that you should mix things up a bit and perhaps raise the level of your challenges.
Which Currently Challenges You The Most?
There are countless challenges language learners face in their own respective target languages.
While they may be bothersome, they’re there for a reason.
Obviously, they help you get better. Because it ain’t fun without them.
Let me know, what is bothering you the most in language learning today? What have you done so far to overcome that challenge? Comment below and let’s share our struggles.
