Bear in mind Aaliyah? The good 90s pop icon who died an premature demise in a aircraft crash in Barbados? Just a few years earlier than her demise, Aaliyah launched successful music known as, Strive Once more. And this music can train us a deep lesson about turning into native-level fluent in any language you need.
The refrain went a lil one thing like this:
* grabs diamond choker, diamond bra, and saggy pants, then cues music *
If at first you don’t succeed (first you don’t succeed),
Mud your self off, and take a look at once more
You’ll be able to mud it off and take a look at once more, strive once more
If there’s any method that we develop into native-fluent in any language, it is that easy. We stand up, scrape the sleep out of our eyes, push by our boredom and frustration, and we brush ourselves off, and we strive once more. And once more. And once more. And if we strive lengthy sufficient, we attain fluency. Plain and easy.
Sadly, after we’re within the thick of balancing Arabic immersion with the calls for of on a regular basis life, it would not really feel that easy.
For the previous 3 months, my life has thrown an enormous wrench in my skill to immerse in Arabic for as many hours as I might like. For me, it has been that: I left my job with the intention of heading to grad college. I began packing up my condo, saying bye to buddies, arranging particulars with shifting corporations, discovering a brand new condo, and planning flights. On the similar time, I began an internship. After which out-of-the-blue I acquired an unimaginable job supply from the corporate I used to be interning with. Amazingly, this was the identical job I’d’ve gotten out of grad college. So I dropped grad college. And now I am shifting throughout the nation within the span of the subsequent 3 weeks!
Phew! I am drained simply enthusiastic about all of that. The place does Arabic slot in once more?
With every thing occurring, I knew that I wanted a wholesome dose of inspiration this week to get again on observe. The sort of inspiration that embodied Aaliyah’s Strive Once more! mentality. So I interviewed my pal Rose Gold – a native-level Chinese language speaker – and the one particular person I personally know who has used immersion to achieve native-level in a difficult goal language. And belief me, once I say native-level, that is precisely what I imply. I’ve seen Rose Gold in motion. We have been buddies since faculty, and for a few yr, we each lived in Beijing on the similar time. Chinese language folks had been so confused about how Rose Gold was precisely like them in language skill, accent, and mannerisms, and but grew up in Colorado, USA, wherever that was.
You are going to love this interview. The questions we tackle are:
- How did you discover the AJATT immersion technique whenever you had been in highschool? Why did you resolve to observe by with this intensive immersion technique?
- How do you immerse even when it’s important to spend nearly all of your time in non-target language environments? (ie college, work, and so on.)
- Do you really want a robust immersion basis to begin talking properly? Or are you able to begin talking properly with out a lot immersion?
- What’s the worth of examine overseas applications?
- How lengthy does it truly take to succeed in fluency?
- What self-study instruments and assets do you positively must have so as to achieve success in your immersion?
- Relying on my persona and placement, what’s one of the simplest ways to attach with a neighborhood of people that communicate my goal language?
- What recommendation do you will have for anybody who’s beginning their self-study journey?
I am unable to wait so that you can watch this interview and acquire the inspiration you should discover focus and power in your immersion this week and to maintain going to satisfy your objectives. Let me know within the feedback, under, what you suppose! Get pleasure from!
