The Beginning
My first time approaching my language interest, I was just a junior in high school. I had at the time a deep interest in politics- especially the study of communism and the Soviet Union. I had never been around much of the history outside of the United States, but I woke up one day with a desire to challenge myself. I had told myself, “If I am going to learn this culture, I might as well surround myself in it.”
Well, easier said than done. Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet which is completely different than the Latin alphabet. In this case, most people would throw in the towel, looking to take on an easier approach of the romance languages such as Spanish, Italian or French. Not for me, though. No, I wanted to immediately dive into something that would challenge my mind and determination by looking into Chinese, Arabic or Russian. With the interest in the culture already, however, I found myself looking up the Cyrillic alphabet on google and retracing every character down on a sheet of paper until I had the full 33 letters in front of me. By then, I started forming words even if they didn’t make sense by piecing together sounds that I knew each character made until I could start learning vocabulary. Eventually, after a week of studying the alphabet, downloading a Russian keyboard on my phone, and memorizing the layout, I was able to precisely put together my first couple of introduction words such as “привет” and “как дела?”
What I didn’t know, which allowed me to pursue my language venture better, was that mainstream apps like Duolingo at the time did not teach you the alphabet prior to starting a new course, so the knowledge of Cyrillic came in handy while I began my language studies.
I would study every day, mostly 15-30 minutes on Duolingo, or watch Russian videos on YouTube and begin by stopping and rewinding shows and videos over and over again, writing down what I believe I heard in order to comprehend the conversations. I would watch shows in English, but put on Russian subtitles that way I can read and visualize the words. Most people work the other way around, by listening to the language and putting on English subtitles, but I found my method to allow me to grasp proper grammar while the movie or video played.
Next, I began taking notes in a binder that covered all that I was learning. Sheets upon sheets of paper with notes that had vocabulary and grammar. This binder was the Bible when it came to referring to notes and remembering key vocabulary and phrases. I called it, “Taylor’s Language Binder.” I would bring this everywhere with me, even so much as to print entire language worksheets out on the school printers to utilize the resources and save money from buying full language books at places like Barnes & Nobel or Books-A-Million.
Motivation
What pushes you in your life to succeed? Is it money? Ability to travel? Friends? Challenges?
Finding something to push you in the right direction is key in staying determined to continually push for the advantage in whatever you do. For me, I had no one to aid me in my process. At this point, I was just a novice learner of a language that would probably fizzle out before I had any real potential to communicate in it. It happens with learners all the time, the classic “If you don’t use it, you lose it” conundrum. Well all in all, the reality is 100% fact. Without the ability to show what you’ve learned, and retain your knowledge as mental muscle memory, your capability of remembering the lessons you’ve put countless hours into learning will be for nothing. This was my case as a motivated learner with no one to share my progress of a foreign language that most people have never even heard speak in real life as opposed to movies. So what to do?
I chanced upon myself walking into a local mall in my hometown of Daytona Beach, FL. There, a woman by the name of Zakroe, an Uzbek woman that runs a Russian food store with her Husband was very kind in showing me the different candies and teas, drinks and homemade foods that she prepared daily. I walked up to her and said “Zakroe, I need you to be my Russian teacher. I will do anything for you to help me.”
I remember when she looked at me from across the register and responded in her thick Uzbek accent, “Taylor, I am no good teacher and I know I will have no time. But I will tell you what, you learn Russian and you can practice with me any time you want whenever you come to the store.”
I realized in that moment that there was a reality that I never considered. I didn’t need a teacher, I needed connections. I needed to practice in real life scenarios. I was already doing the learning on my own, now all I needed to do was study enough myself to return the next time and have a conversation to the best of my abilities. I was determined to impress.
That’s ultimately my goal when I speak languages now. I love the impressions of “wow” and “You must be so smart.” It makes me feel good, and it makes me feel that I am on the right path of my learning process.
My first moments back after studying my ass off on apps, videos and notebooks, I was so nervous to walk into the international food store. I sat in my car outside the store and I had in my hand google translate, a polyglots best friend. In the app I kept writing down phrases to say and responses say back. It felt like cheating at the time. I felt like I was just learning the phrases to make an appearance that I knew what the hell I was talking about, but little did I know that this little ritual before I began making full conversation got my mind prepared, and allowed me to warm up before beginning a full conversation.
I also didn’t let the translate app stop me, and I kept it in my hand while I conversed with Zakroe about the language knowledge I had learned, and the things I now knew all in Russian! When I couldn’t remember a word, there it was, my handy google translate. The best thing about it is after you’ve submitted the word, it stays in your recent translations to refer back to at a later time.
Zakroe was completely impressed. I could tell at first she doubted I’d ever come back and open my mouth to let Russian fly from my tongue, but there I was, a determined 17 year old proving to this woman that I had what it takes for her to converse with me. Along with this, she ran an international food market, so a majority of her customers were in fact from Russia! I had plenty of people to start practicing with. The surprise of the customers that an American is so interested in the language, and over time could speak it so well was an impressive display of determination that I spoke about earlier. It all came from the desire to impress. Like watching a baby go from crawling to walking and then running, my time of studying never stopped and has been going for over 8 years now! Now when I walk in to greet Zakroe, which isn’t so often anymore ever since I went to university, she’s prepared to have a lengthy and in-depth conversation about catching up and enjoying the memories over the years of me being a loyal customer, and whether she admits it or not, her being a great teacher.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, you must find in yourself the reason why you desire to take on any challenges. This can be language learning, or skills for a new job, studying harder for an exam, or becoming a better person overall. These moments in our lives that we focus on take commitment from our minds and hearts. Find your reason why you want to take on these challenges, and look for opportunities to push your desires to accomplish that goal. It’s not always an easy process, mind you. Real change and growth requires real commitment to your wanted achievements. Pursue the knowledge that makes you a better person, and continue taking on the challenges that allows you to grow with them.
If learning a language is your goal, reach out to those around you. Put side your fear of judgement and social anxiety. There are plenty of apps that help you grow as a language learner, and those that connect learners from around the world in allowing you to practice with insight form native speakers. More on these apps on my blog “Best Apps for Language Learners.”
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