There’s lots of reasons why language learners fail. Here’s 3 of the biggest setbacks that make people give up. (And how to avoid them).

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Why Language Learners Fail (& How To Avoid It)

Things don’t always go to plan.

We can’t control everything in life, as much as we’d perhaps love to sometimes!

That’s fine. C’est la vie.

But when things don’t go to plan in our language learning, this often leads to a lack in motivation.

It could be our plans were too much to do in the time we set.

Or perhaps the language got too difficult too quickly.

Or maybe life had other plans and our languages had to take a backseat.

Whatever the specifics, this lack of control & the consequences can make us feel like a failure.

But here’s the thing – is what we deem a ‘failure’ always a failure?

I’m sure you’ve heard this before – a failure is only a failure if you don’t learn from the experience and do things differently next time.

Easier said than done though, huh?

We’ve had it drummed into us for many years that failure is the opposite of success.

So we don’t know how to fail, because we’ve been raised to avoid it.

What about if we change our perspective on failure? Stop saying “failure doesn’t exist unless you learn from it!”, which also makes us feel worthless when we’re just not in the mood to “learn from it”.

Instead, I propose the word ‘setback’.

Most of what feels like failure are setbacks.

A setback feels like something we can recover from, something that’s just ‘set us back’ a little rather than us ‘failing’ completely to a point of no return.

These little adjustments to the way we use language can have big impacts on our language motivation.

You lose your Duolingo streak?

A setback. You can start again.

You can’t remember any Japanese words and completely embarrass yourself in front of a native speaker?

A setback. You’ll have other opportunities to speak (& now you’ve got a low bar, things can only go up from here!)

You feel like you’re not the level you should be for the amount of time you’ve been learning French?

A setback. And a chance to set your own expectations instead of using other peoples.

The thing is, motivation peaks and troughs, and we only make things harder for ourselves if we opt to stay down when we hit a trough.

Here are 3 of the biggest setbacks that cause people to give up language learning…

1) Invest In The Wrong Things

Are you a language magpie? Can’t walk past the bookshop without a peek to see if there’s a new language option available?

Whether it’s a language coursebook that’ll gather dust on your shelf, another language-specific online course you won’t finish, or an app subscription that you have to have, you may just be investing in the wrong things.

Investing in the wrong things is a big reason why language learners fail.

Because all of that is great on one condition: you know how to learn languages.

AND you know how to do it in the best way for YOU.

If you’re simply buying more language resources hoping that each one will be “The One”, you’re not going to get fluent.

You need a solid understanding of what to do with that resource to really make the best use of it.

Or…maybe, just maybe, you don’t actually need it at all because you know how to use any resource for language learning – even the free ones.

How To Avoid This

The best language investment you can make to get fluent in any language on demand is on learning how to learn languages in a way that’s tailored to you.

That’s what Language Life is.

When you invest in Language Life, sure, you get the Self-Study Library, Support and Feedback, and Regular Practice.

But it’s way more than that.

Because you’re learning skills that will stay with you and be reusable every single time you learn languages in the future, you also get more from every single language investment you make for the rest of your life.

Hence one reason for the name Language Life – it’s an investment with life-long impact.

That’s how you know you’re investing in the right thing.

The same principle applies when considering any language-related purchase. Ask yourself the question: Will I get long-term improvements with this? How?

If the answer is yes and you can clearly see how, it’s a worthy investment.

If the answer is no or you can’t decide, then it’s something you can live without for now.

2) Stuck With Messy Mindset

Another huge reason why language learners fail is when their mindset is clogged up with shame-filled false beliefs and nonsense.

If you’ve ever found yourself thinking you’re just not “a language person”, or you being stuck is your fault, then you know what I’m talking about here.

And don’t get me wrong, this isn’t some quick one-time fix and boom, you’re cured! Never to be plagued by messy mindset ever again!

Of course not.

You’ll have different (or even the same!) mindset wobbles come up from time to time at any level, no matter how experienced you are with languages.

That’s normal.

The difference between those who fail and those who get fluent? It’s that they know what to do when their mindset gets messy.

How To Avoid This

Successful language learners know how to become a neutral observer, separate themselves from their messy mindset thoughts, and what to do to overcome them without ignoring them.

Becoming a neutral observer isn’t about ignoring, avoiding or attempting to simply quash messy mindset thoughts and feelings. It’s about recognising the importance of all of them.

So sure, shame sucks. It’s not fun, it’s not exactly a creator of productive language learning vibes. But there’s still something we can learn from noticing it.

Perhaps we’re able to identify the source of shame as feedback from a teacher we’ve been working with, so we learn to stop working with that teacher and find someone else. All without judging ourselves harshly for “not being able to deal with their feedback”.

In Language Life, I teach you how to become a neutral observer so you’re prepared for any mindset slips, and can always come back stronger than before.

You’ll learn how to become curious, not critical for a more productive approach to your languages.

3) Language Learning = Mystery

Finding a list of vocab words to learn is the easy bit.

Actually learning them is the hard bit.

Well, only if language learning remains a mystery to you. That’s the third big reason why language learners fail.

When language learning remains a mystery, it becomes increasing frustrating when you can’t remember words, when you find yourself staring blankly at a grammar explanation, or when you’re lost for words in an online lesson.

Language learners who don’t engage with understanding how language learning works never get fluent.

Because when those things happen, they simply tell themselves that they’re not good at languages and give up.

When language learning is a mystery, there’s an expectation that languages just seep into our brains upon seeing a new word a handful of times.

That’s not quite it.

But, the good news is that doesn’t mean you have to go off and study a degree in it – I did that bit for you!

I love understanding and constantly learning more about how language learning works.

But, equally, I know that’s not everyone’s thing.

And it doesn’t have to be to become a better language learner and avoid failing.

How To Avoid This

It doesn’t need to take up all your time to stop language learning being a mystery.

The Self-Study Library in Language Life has been designed to be as easy to take in as possible, so you can learn in bitesize lessons on the go, or binge everything at once – whichever way works for you.

By learning how to learn that list of vocab words, you just made the task of learning them way easier.

When you take away the mystery of language learning once, you gain those skills forever.

Join Language Life

If you want to avoid giving up your language learning when it gets hard to fit in, too complicated, or just plain boring, Language Life can help.

In Language Life, you’ll learn how to learn languages in the best ways for you.

The combination of Self-Study Library, Support & Feedback, and Regular Practice is everything you need to make language learning easier and more enjoyable than ever.