How to overcome language anxiety when learning a new language

July 01, 2021

Author

Kyle Carney

If you are learning a new language or have learned a new language in the past, you are probably familiar with language anxiety, even if you’ve never heard the phrase before. When learning a new language, the vast majority of learners experience fear, mostly stemming from having to speak the new language during a lesson or when they first begin speaking in public.

The fact is, language anxiety is a major reason why many learners don’t ever actually start learning. With public speaking listed as most people's biggest fear, it is not very surprising that most people would be very afraid of speaking a new language while they are learning.

Language anxiety should not stop you from learning a new language. It is entirely possible to overcome this fear and get started on your language journey right away. Here are a few ways to overcome language anxiety.

Start with free language apps

The fear of speaking a new language generally comes from a lack of confidence in speaking publicly. Language apps can be a great introduction to basic language skills and you can do them in the comfort of your own home.

By using language apps to learn some basic language skills, you can gain confidence in at least having a foundational understanding of some words and phrases. This confidence is exactly what you need to overcome language anxiety. As you continue to build confidence using language apps, you can then move into an online German class if you’re learning German or maybe join a Facebook group of English learners if you’re learning English.

Find a language course with speech recognition

Speaking is an integral part of learning a new language. While language apps can help build confidence, without the ability to get feedback on your speech, it will be difficult to progress. And while language apps can help build confidence, you may still be apprehensive about joining a live language course right away.

Language learning and speech recognition now provide an outlet to completely overcome your language anxiety. That is because you can get the same immediate feedback you would get with a language instructor with an AI-powered speech recognition software. Speaking into a computer can put you at ease and allow you to build your speaking skills without the fear of failure. Best of all, with the immediate feedback you get, you will be sure you are learning to speak correctly.

The most flexible, efficient way to learn a language is here! Speech recognition, interactive online activities and 1:1 real-time lessons with a live instructor. Available in English, Spanish, French and German.

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Use social media to find other learners to practice with

Language anxiety tends to be directed at speaking a new language in front of native speakers or speakers who are fluent in the language. Finding speaking partners can be difficult, but with Facebook, it has actually never been easier to meet people who are going through similar experiences as you.

Finding or starting a Facebook group dedicated to people learning a specific language can give you a lot of opportunities to practice speaking. And because you will all be at the same level, there will almost certainly be less anxiety speaking the new language. Not only will you be able to overcome your language anxiety, but these groups can help you build relationships that can help you become fluent in the language.

Language anxiety should never hold you back from learning a new language. While there is always going to be fear associated with learning something new, learning a new language can open your world to opportunities you never thought were possible. With the tips outlined in this article, you can put language anxiety in your rearview mirror and start your language journey right away!