Read Time: 15 minutes
"Bằng cách sử dụng các kỹ thuật như spaced repetition, complete immersion, và prioritized learning, tôi tin rằng một người bất kỳ có thể học một ngôn ngữ bất kỳ để giao tiếp thành thạo trong 6 tháng hoặc ít hơn. Tôi bắt đầu học tiếng Nhật từ tháng 11 năm 2008 và trong vòng 2 tháng tôi đã học được nghĩa của hơn 2000 từ kanji, và trong vòng 6 tháng tôi đã có thể giao tiếp với những người lạ ở trong một đêm nhạc rock (những cô gái Nhật máu lửa!))..."
By utilizing techniques such as spaced repetition, complete immersion, and prioritized learning, I’m confident that anyone can learn any language to conversational fluency in six months or less. I started learning Japanese in November of 2008 and within two months I had learned the meaning of 2000+ kanji, and within six I was having conversations with strangers at rock concerts (cute Japanese girls!). I’m not trying to glorify myself here either – I’m a particularly weak-willed person and getting motivated for me often involves a literal act of God. Language learning has been put on a golden pedestal for most people, achievable only for the super-intelligent. Because of this false imagery and a bad case of failure-leading-to-lack-of-motivation seen in high school language classes, very few people achieve any real success. But if you are simply willing to put in the time, you too can have interesting conversations with people from distant lands.
Step X: Prepare Your Mind
You can do it.
Believe and have faith, this is the first and most important step. I know it sounds cheesy and motivational, but it’s true. Decide that you want to learn a foreign language and commit yourself to it. Imprint it to your mind and imagine yourself already at the goal. The most successful people are the ones who can best visualize their goals, and they don’t let excuses prevent them from reaching their goals – they find a way get around them. Understand that you’ll encounter barriers preventing and hindering you from reaching the goal, but decide beforehand that you’ll find a way to overcome them.
