There comes a point in your language learning journey where you hit rock bottom. You hit a brick wall. The enthusiasm you had for the language at the beginning has fizzled out. In fact, this can happen many times along the way. It has for me. Sometimes I don’t feel like learning. Sometimes I lack motivation. There are many reasons for this. I may feel burned out, feel like I’m not making any progress, feel discouraged after a conversation with a native speaker, feel bad for not spending much time with the language or even experience a break up with a loved one who speaks the target language. Okay, the last one hasn’t happened to me but the point is there are times when I find myself struggling to go on. So the question is, how do you retrieve that motivation? How do you reignite the spark? Well my friend, here are some things I like to do.
Spanish
For Spanish, I like to listen to Spanish or Latin instrumental music. I found a few instrumental tracks on YouTube and it’s a great way to keep me motivated. Sometimes it can be difficult to transition from one unrelated task to another. For example, let’s say I just finished reading a book on Ancient Rome and I had planned to spend time with Spanish right after, however I no longer feel like it. Listening to instrumental music helps me transition and prepare my mind for Spanish. I’m immersed into the world of Spanish and all of a sudden I’m excited to learn it.
This might sound odd but I enjoy listening to celebrities speaking Spanish. Particularly those that aren’t native Spanish speakers. I remember doing a search for public figures who speak Spanish. I wanted to get my ears used to listening to natural Spanish. Through this search I not only came across native speakers but also non native speakers. I watched several videos and it was motivating. It was really entertaining too! It was great to see that I wasn’t the only language learner struggling to speak another language. Just the fact that many were not afraid to make mistakes, were happy to practice, interested in a different culture and were able to understand and be understood really motivated me. So I like watching these kinds of videos from time to time.
French
Similar to Spanish, I enjoy listening to French instrumental music. It’s delightful. I feel like I’m in Paris sipping some coffee whilst enjoying the beautiful view of the city. This really increases my desire to spend time with the language.
Films. I really enjoy watching French films. It’s amazing how much motivation you can get by watching a movie. I recently watched a French film that I’ve seen before. I remember the first time I watched it, I didn’t understand a thing! However, now I’m able to understand a good amount. It was so much more enjoyable!
Travel. I really enjoy watching travel videos. It takes me back to my experiences in France and creates wanderlust.
Portuguese
I like to listen to music. But unlike Spanish and French I listen to songs. It’s more motivating than soundtracks. It’s not just any old songs. To be honest, I only listen to three. Yes, just 3 songs. Mas que Nada, Samba do Brasil and Brazil Brazil by Thiago Thomé. Those songs really get me going. It feels like I’m in Brazil when I listen to those songs.
I like watching football related videos. I live in the UK and football is a very popular sport here. It’s also very popular in Brazil. I grew up admiring Brazil. The 2002 world cup was the first world cup I remember watching and Brazil were superb. They ended up winning the competition. Players like Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos being my favourites. Although football was created by the English, it’s the Brazilians who mastered it. That’s the way we see it over here. We see Brazilians as very skillful players. They always seem to have a smile on their faces and always seem to dance with the ball. It’s a beautiful thing. Watching highlights of players like Ronaldinho and Kaka bring back great memories for me. It makes me smile. It makes me want to learn Portuguese.
Brazil is a beautiful country with rich history and beautiful landscapes. Have I been to Brazil? No. Then how do I know this? By watching travel videos. We live in a time where we can travel around the world without leaving the comfort of our own homes. We can do this through travel videos. I love watching travel videos. I’ve watched many including the expedia and wolters world channels. I recently found a new channel created by Brazilian travellers. It’s good fun.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Several ways I keep myself motivated. I have other general ways I keep myself motivated. Perhaps I’ll create a post about that some other time. Watch this space. Ciao for now!
Michael's Monde 