The SOFT SKILLS In Language Learning That Nobody Talks About

We often talk about the four core skills in language learning: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. But have you ever thought about other important skills we should think about?
Today I explain how I like to think about hard vs. soft skills in language learning, and why I think we should be talking about them a lot more.
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[@draugami]

I have learned by experience that the goal of language learning is communication, not perfection. On a trip I took long ago, I met a lady with her two daughters traveling from Poland to Lithuania. I was so glad to speak Lithuanian with them. Yes, I made mistakes. I didn't stress over wrong cases etc. I met them a week later in their home. However, I was committed to perfect grammar. I spoke very poorly. They told me that I spoke better on the train than in their home. What a lesson!! When playing hockey, you need to know how to skate. As you focus on playing hockey, your skating skills improve.

[@RicardoSilvaTripcall]

I agree on that, I've met lots of people that learnt English focusing so much on grammar, they know all the rules, but when it comes to communicate they failed really bad, you can see them thinking too much to speak, and so worried on not making a mistake, as everything in life, there has to be a balance, and you always have to look for and try different approaches on learning a new language or skill ...

[@sheila8052]

Robin, THANK YOU! At 70 I'm learning my first foreign language, and I had NEVER heard about soft skills. This is absolute genius. I am incorporating these concepts into my study and practice. I greatly appreciate you and this video. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[@HuesingProductions]

May you do well!

[@Dactrin]

Awesome! What language are you learning?

[@sheila8052]

@@Dactrin I'm learning German. Or at least I'm trying to. And thanks for asking.

[@Dactrin]

Very cool. Im learning Czech, my husband's language. It's inspiring seeing you take on a new language. It's definitely not easy. I'm going through my fair share of ups and downs. Wishing you all the best!

[@sheila8052]

@@Dactrin And you, as well! Gosh, Czech...what a tough language. I'm really impressed that you're tackling such a challenging language. But it must be nice to have your husband to help you along the way.

[@lillaraczszabo6720]

It's not just languagues but also other areas of life. Soft skills are really important. I liked the main point of this video.

[@rezagrans1296]

Excellent point touched on Robin, İ too liked and appreciate the importance of the main theme (you've woRkd in _9• countries bytw?! WoWw niyse great qualifier as language coach✓). And learning language more proactively is super-duper tOo

[@ComprehensibleRussian]

Brilliant! I feel high from how well you've formulated it. Those are not just tips but extremely important principles. I would also add one soft skill here: tolerate your own mistakes when speaking. Nobody cares. Reflecting too much and self-flagellate about your performance in live conversations is not only unneseccary but also harmful.

[@ImeldaFagin]

I use my amazed face, my concerned face and my amused face. These 3, plus picking up the context, are my main tools for living here in Spain. Poco a poco.

[@zuzannaskadanowska6940]

:D

[@stuartlong6217]

Interesting stuff as ever. Polyglots always vehemently disagree that 'having a talent for languages' exists. That may well be so, but there is some innate talent there that people use better then others, and it must be that which you've described. Noticing, wanting to notice, diving fearlessly in and using the tools you have, however limited, rather than seeking perfection before you dare engage.

[@user-hf6jm4tv2v]

People seem to forget that linguistic intelligence is a thing. Plus not every language is like a European language, for example Japanese since that's the language I've been immersing in I have learned from a teacher on youtube who understands the language significantly better then the old style textbooks have to offer, not only that they show exactly how straightforward the language actually is, a lot of textbooks like to try to put english grammar rules over japanese and that there causes major confusion for a student. If your linguistic intelligence is high the likelihood of you understanding the basic from that language immersion is high and textbooks might not be excessively necessary for you though for most people they cannot just figure it out everything from that type of experience, like after encountering certain foreign grammar rules most would need to find an explanation to make it become more clear. That sort of things.

[@TheDorreProject]

This is beautifully put! I wholeheartedly agree, but I've never found a good way to word it. Thank you 😊

[@adriankwok8093]

Yeah a lot of channels advocate for consuming content that is considered comprehensible input (you can understand 80-90%), but then you grow accustomed to that level of comfort and so once you put yourself out of your comfort zone and take on more challenging content, it suddenly becomes seriously overbearing and exhausting for yourself. What Robin mentioned is absolutely essential; finding the right balance. Keep making great videos Robin thanks for the advice!

[@paulhowlett8151]

"Speaking from day one".... works. Speaking skills are needed in tandem with book reading / study etc.... Knowledge of slang in your target language I would rate as a "semi-soft" skill as most formal text books do not cover slang.

[@yourthainesss]

I am a counselor and I have been learning Thai for 6 months now. I also have been researching on language learning, comprehensible input, compelling content, and whatnot. I think I agree that a balanced approach is necessary. In my case, grammar books are very interesting and helpful as they give answers to all my "why's" in sentence structure. I also think that soft skills are indispensable in approaching language learning. Anxiety hinders clear communication, whereas confidence helps us achieve our goal to be understood. Thanks for your thoughts, Robin! Your channel is veryyyyy helpful! Support from 🇵🇭☺️

[@natalierodriges5224]

I agree...

[@o_felipe_reis]

The real world can be really complicated, especially for intermediate level users of the language. I guess these soft skills are crucial for B1 and B2 learners, but surely useful for everybody! Thanks Robin!

[@pedrosilas5880]

That is me in English! LoL

[@felipegorgen]

@@pedrosilas5880 me too :D

[@o_felipe_reis]

Guys you are definitely in the right path watching videos in English on KZbin! ;-)

[@thedmitryguy]

@@o_felipe_reis, is you first language English?

[@o_felipe_reis]

@@thedmitryguy hi there! Nooooo no. I’m a Portuguese speaker. I have begun learning English when I was 27. 😉 what about you ?

[@draugami]

There is a method of learning by books that is quite creative. There is a story written in your native language. As you read, one word appears in Spanish. Then another. By the end of the story, you learn 10-15 words just out of context.

[@zuzannaskadanowska6940]

Wow, I haven't heard about it. Sounds great!

[@Val--H]

It's important to be comfortable not understanding every word, especially as a beginner. But I think it's best to push yourself to comprehend in tandem with that, because if you don't, there's a danger of settling for half comprehension. I've seen it happen. I found it helpful when I started priming partners to meet me at my level. There's a natural tendency to speak at an adult level when there's an adult across from you, and a gentle reminder that you're not quite there really turns a conversation that could be frustrating for both parties into something manageable. And you're able to improve organically from there.

[@grai]

I would also add to this **Be confident about where you are no-one else gets to tell you!!** **Just because people speak your target language as their mother tongue doesn't mean they get to comment negatively on the standard of your Italian - your journey is unique to you - just as theirs was at your stage** I wanted to "go for it" and just be brave and speak bad Italian from the start so I met some Italian people off Tandem for coffee meetings but because their English was better than my Italian these meetings became quite counter productive because they became bored with my struggling Italian and gradually would start to become more annoyed and unhelpful as time went on Obviously I was open to correction, honesty and advice etc. but people getting annoyed and bored was really destructive Maybe I was just unlucky with the people I met (although they were all very nice) but the experience of them gradually getting more and more impatient as the months went by really set me back After some of these meetings I found I would stop my Italian study for an entire week sometimes because I was just so discouraged by being told I wasn't progressing, my Italian was "actually getting worse" etc.

[@pettylabelle7944]

That doesn’t sound nice to me! Showing annoyance at someone attempting to learn is an asshole move. There are much nicer people on Tandem, don’t worry.

[@singing2017]

I’ve also had this experience while learning québécois French. A lot of times native speakers would get annoyed and roll their eyes because I so frequently didn’t understand. It was discouraging. What I found helped earlier on was to speak with others who were also learning French because we had the same goal of speaking and listening despite our low level, and so we had a lot more patience for one another and our rate of speech was slow enough that we could understand one another better. After my confidence started to build, I could then start to have better conversations with people of all levels again. Boy does confidence change everything!

[@milo-3176]

I try to remind myself that I AM LEARNING and that I can learn from every mistake. I also remember the way I feel towars a person when they make mistakes in MY native language when they're learning it; I never feel sorry or ashamed for them, I just admire their determination to get better and I know they're doing their best and I can also help them! so I try to think that the native speakers I talk to feel the same for me when I make mistakes in their native language :) I hope this can help you, too.

[@shamicentertainment1262]

It’s funny coz honestly I barely notice when foreigners make mistakes. Of course I notice it, but if I immediately understand the meaning the conversation just continues.

[@solea59]

Robin, It gives me immense pleasure to imagine school curriculum organisers listening to your videos and realising that their methods fail time after time. Because schools " one size fits, or must fit all " system is NOT the way it works/ should work. Keep the videos coming, they are great. No prizes for realising that my sec modern school days were a bloody disaster ! I wasn't a disruptive student , I just didn't fit into their mould !

[@JamerTheProgrammer]

This is a fantastic summary of what it means to be a skillful language learner! Thank you for your insights, I think it will help me to approach my language learning goals a lot more mindfully. Especially as someone who crumbles in conversations due to stress or anxiety sometimes.

[@Zoxuk]

The skill to keep it short and to the point is universal.

[@jozephkerr2791]

Robin, you have literally said my thoughts aloud :D I'm 100% agree on what you said and those soft skiils should be staple of any person who wants to learn a foreign language.And to all opponents of this concept , who might say "well I'm learning a language to know, not to guess what things mean" , I have to say you WILL HAVE to guess a lot because there is going to be multiple ocassions when you come across new words, collocations or idioms. This set of skiils is especially vital when we are talking about learning more than one foreign language.

[@user-hf6jm4tv2v]

Myself being a person diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder I really cannot notice the subtle things in language unlike with most people, so that's going to be a weakness for me.

[@karenbaily]

I love your videos they are so informative and motivating! Steve Kaufman says all you need to learn a language is "motivation, time and the ability to notice" Olly Richard's maintains that comfort with ambiguity is important and Lydia Machova encourages learners to make sure you enjoy it. I think this makes for a broad range of language learning activities to chose from and to mix and match for individuality and balance. Thanks for your perspective. I always come away with something to think about! ☕

[@christopherellis2663]

Agreed, in the past, I was able to read and translate a few languages, with only French in my formal education. When I came to Europe, with Spanish online as an extra, going on to Croatian and Bosnian, then Romanian, I found that my Slavic skills required intense refreshing, the others are almost second nature. What you say about key words ( and context) has been the key to being able to answer a question from out of the blue. Note that this is since I retired at age 65, so I don't hold to the opinion that age makes learning another language difficult. | some people just refuse learn | like learning from signs in shops and streets, for example.

[@assmaaesmat4399]

Comfort with ambiguity, just so! Thanks Robin for such a helpful video 🤗

[@marcelitagarcia1]

I found this channel recently in the collaboration with Easy German. The content is very good. I had never thought about these soft skills but I must say that when I traveled to Turkey I had a similar experience as he had in Dutch. I was amazed at my ability to have long conversations with just some basic level of Turkish. Now I know it was due to these soft skills 😁

[@azriel9499]

I completely agree and I'd love to see more videos on this topic. Most teaching methods tend to look over these soft skills, and people's language skills suffer for it. Personally, my reading skills are really good (far from perfect, but definitely the area I'm strongest in) but I still struggle so much to understand the videos and movies that I watch in my target language. If I were to get stuck in a situation similar to the ones you were in, I would not be able keep up because I never learned those essential skills. Honestly, people need so much less knowledge of the language than they think to get by. One time my siblings and I were in this restaurant and a movie was on in spanish (none of us know a lick of spanish). How much we understood what was going on astounded me! We didn't know what they were saying, but we could pick up the general gist of what was happening in the movie. Now, I know that it won't always work exactly like that, but it was a revelation. You don't have to understand nearly as much as you'd think to generally understand and keep up. In real life I sincerely don't believe you could get by knowing nothing of a language. But like you said, you just need to know enough to pick up the necessary clues and key words. Not 98% compression.

[@singing2017]

I agree completely. I do all of these every time I speak French. I worked in a high level of québécois French, when my Level was a low intermediate. I struggled, I mean I only understood maybe 25%. But I got really good at listening for key words and guessing the context. Pretty quickly all of my colleagues accepted me in and they even thought that I had a rather high level of French when I didn’t. But doing all of this made my French improve exponentially in a short period of time. I thought it was just me who thrived in the “deep end,” but clearly this is the only real way to learn any language because you can’t force everyone around you to cater to your level!

[@natalierodriges5224]

Well done . 🖒

[@flaze3]

Yeah I think you're absolutely right! What's more, learning to deal with stress and ambiguity is transferable to multiple areas of life, quite apart from language learning!

[@katerinaproftova8410]

this is such a great video, Robin!

[@Sarahkiroglu]

I really don’t have strong enough words for how much I love your videos and how much I appreciate your good advice ❤️ thank you

[@jan_kisan]

yeeeaah, finally! finally this has been said clearly and to a decently big audience. thank you so much!)

[@mennakamal5967]

You've made great points in this video as always as I never really came across anybody who speaks from that perspective, and I highly appreciate that. Great work! 👍🏻

[@franzisak8807]

I thought I knew everything I needed to know about language learning, but somehow you bring out points that I have never thought about, thank you for making good content : )

[@AlessandroBottoni]

Excellent video, as usual. Inspiring and helpful. Keep on recording, Robin.

[@imshinjax]

Extremely helpful and encouraging. Thank you!

[@DanClapp]

Very interesting concepts! Thanks for sharing!

[@michelgolabaigne595]

Thanks Robin, This is the only correct approach to learning or acquire something and not just the foreign language ...;) Thank you for giving us hope and methods ...

[@dyadyaB]

Hi, thanks for a great topic and your points on it. I would like to add one more soft skill I've found extremely valuable in learning languages and especially to overcome language speaking barrier at the beginning. What I mean is an ability to pack your thoughts in the words and grammar you know in aiming language. People spend tons on time learning more grammar, more words, more phrases but then stuck in real life situations because cant translates exactly what they want to say because of missing a word or struggling with a grammar rule in a head while constructing a sentence. To develop the skill you need constantly thinking about what are the key meaning, key words so they are enough to express your thought. Consciously removing unnecessary words.

[@ricardomd4229]

I think this is a really good video and super useful ! Thanks so much !

[@Stream776]

I think you're right. I understand what you're getting at. Thanks!

[@artiesolomon3292]

Another amazing lesson for us language learners. Tolerance of stress and ambiguity important skills.

[@sofiamedina1583]

Omg this video is exactly what I needed haha thanks

[@ivonamyrielb9155]

Great video, thank you. Yoy clearly summarized what I experience whole my life - take it easy, catch important words, feel the language and situation and then all is ok :) Never realized these are language soft skills:) Thanks!

[@joseluistubert]

I found your video really interesting and helpful. Thank you Robin. I've been watching a few of your videos in the last couple of weeks and I've extracted very useful things from them. I'm starting to use Notion, becoming familiar with it little by little, thanks to one of your videos. Started viewing a couple of Easy Language videos, started using LingQ, found a course I liked there, and began working with it, imported a piece of content into LingQ, currently struggling with its less than optimal interface, and a few other things. I'm not actually into learning languages. I'm a musician and music teacher, and many things you say about language learning I've experienced teaching and learning music. I'm a native Spanish speaker, quite fluent in English and in French and I dabble in Italian. But the thing is I moved to Israel a year ago and I'm struggling to learn Hebrew, which represents quite a challenge for me although I'm progressing towards it. I'd like to get in touch with you to share some thoughts and experiences that might be a bit long to put them in one of these comments. Is there an e-mail address or a WhatsApp number where I can contact you? Thanks for all you are sharing. I wish you all the best.

[@menospyke1838]

Thanks a lot. I am trying to learn english, and your videos help me a lot.

[@nendoakuma7451]

Great video! I wish I had seen this video abou 15-20 years ago. It would have saved me some anguish about my language learning. It's also food for thought in other sorts of endeavors.

[@rebbecachunn]

Yep. I can't agree more with you about the soft skills. When I first began speaking Spanish outside of classes I was thrown into a family party of Nicas where I was clueless about their slang and the speed of their speech. When they didn't slow down or clarify I was like huh I must be responding correctly if all these people have no problem understanding me. It was an awesome feeling

[@Shellcology]

I probably don't have a sufficient language affinity yet in Deutsch as I'm still at A2 level, but I saw you in Easy German podcast and can't tell at all that you're not a native speaker. You sounded very fluent and not even a hint of doubt. By speaking so comfortably, it shows how you deal so well with these soft skills you talked about.

[@budekins542]

Superbly useful tips.

[@bingbongo9500]

When you wanna master your calmness in not knowing what is exactly being said to you but you have anxiety-

[@nakamuraaoi6638]

I had an incident a couple weeks ago.. For context, I play a Card Game called Cardfight Vanguard. And I use Vanguard as a gateway into taking off my training wheels with my Japanese (aside manga). I was reading a card effect in Japanese, and when I went to read it in English my brain wouldn’t register what it was saying. I felt in that moment that it was easier for me to read in Japanese than English 😅

[@rosef.3741]

I didn't even realize this was a skill but it definitely is something i have learned to do recently. I go to grad school in korea and i study mental health based subjects in korean and i am no where near the super advanced level of korean. going into the semester the first two weeks i cried alot not knowing anything because i felt like a baby being thrown in the deep end of the ocean with no one around to help. the korean we studied in language school and the korean used in grad school are like night and day. as the semester has gone on though i have learned to do as you said not panic, learn to focus enough to pick out what i did know to follow the general ideas of the conversations, etc. i went from crying and being quiet in class to actively participating and being able to get my opinions and thoughts out (though with simple terms its still progress). Thanks for making this video

[@nicknijssen9307]

Hey Robin, Great video! I’m still in school, where I also notice that these soft skills are lacking. Could you maybe make a video (or series) where you take an example video, text, audio and point out some of these stress moments/key points which you think are essential? I’m pretty interested to see how this process is done by you. Thanks in advance

[@natalierodriges5224]

Mille mercis et immense gratitude pour votre conseille...

[@m17434]

شكرا لك ، روبن ماكفيرسون ، على الفيديو المثير للاهتمام! أنا أتعلم اللغة العربية في الوقت الحالي، ولهذا السبب أستخدم googletranslate لمساعدتي في إنشاء هذه الاستجابة للفيديو الخاص بك. استمر في القيام بالعمل الجيد واستمر في التحدث باللغة الهولندية! كمواطن من أمستردام ، يجدر الاستمرار في هذه اللغة التي تم التقليل من شأنها. سلام.

[@pensareminimal3348]

Hi! Thanks for your advice and, most of all ,for the person that you are. Soft skills are a great advantage in most of social situations. Speaking a language I think it's more likely to learn how to communicate in a general meaning. Personally I learn either Chinese or Cantonese togheter, and what's really helpful is remind to myself my main goal: connect with native speakers, laugh and simply having an enjoyable conversation. Just take it easy. :)

[@DaKrazedKyubizt]

This was super interesting. I’m much heavier on intensive than extensive input. I do think there’s a lot of benefit to extensive listening, but I never really saw the point of doing the same with extensive reading. But this actually made a good argument for engaging with extensive reading….. So, I might incorporate extensive reading, ironically for the same reason you suggest intensive input - I don’t tolerate ambiguity. I use intensive input as a safe haven, where I’m always referencing the dictionary, and I have no shame about that. But it’s probably limiting the amount of inferring skills that I’m developing. I think that would be a really good thing to work on. Thank you for this interesting video.

[@davidgonzaga3995]

Hi from Brazil ... I'm new here ... Thanks to the class ...

[@dieeineEla]

I love your content and input and also your love for coffee. I always hit the like-button when I only see your coffee mug 😂☕

[@Uninvisibl]

Very true!

[@somedragontoslay2579]

Many of these skills are covered within the realm of Pragmatics: The study of language in use. I agree that it tends to be overlooked, even within linguistics, but it often comes and kicks your ass at night when you didn't expect it, so don't overlook them. I personally have had that same experience recently, when I started assisting to meetings to learn Sign Language. The first time, I became paralysed, but now I'm really good at guessing what they are talking about; now I need to learn to fake understanding since nowadays I seem an idiot who does understand less than I actually do.

[@LittleEarthquakes97]

Hi Robin, thank you for another fantastic video! I was wondering if you could make a video about learning how to touch type quickly (whether on a laptop keyboard or smartphone) in a new language script? It may not warrant a whole video tbh but I'm curious to hear if you have any tips other than just regular practice.

[@poisondartfroggify]

Very helpful! That's my problem: I panic when someone starts speaking to me. Later on when I replay the conversation in my mind, I realize that if I'd been calmer, I could actually have understood much of it and responded appropriately. It's great to know it's a THING and that one can learn how to get through that. I'd love it if you could make a video on steps to take to help calm down enough to really listen! (Or have you already made that video?)

[@IowaLanguages]

I feel the same way, glad it's a THING and can get better.

[@gellape]

so true, I learned Italian and English so easy just by interacting with native speakers. And now I am struggling with German language because i feel so stressed when native speakers are talking that I noticed that I am avoiding contact. I definitely need to change approach. Thanks for the video ✌️✌️

[@aadishrisoni3638]

I need that coffee recipe 😂✌️. Awesome video as usual

[@loth664]

As someone who has vastly improved their TL in quarantine, I fully anticipate experiencing a new learning curve out in the real world in face to face interactions. As you pointed out, these are skills as well, and I think it should be noted that someone like your friend who passed the highest level Japanese proficiency exam yet struggled in mundane situations likely just needs a little experience and soon after will be using his Japanese to the level he has practiced it to. It may have taken him 5 years to learn the language to that level, but it should only take one week in Japan to see vast improvements in his comfort in these situations.

[@dougarnold7955]

6:29...😁👍 Yes! You become comfortable with ambiguity. That's actually a learning approach I use anyway. If I'm learning new songs from a band I'm not familiar with I just listen and watch them play. I'm not immediately concerned with all the details. I learn the details after listening many times. I think the 'struggle' (though I don't struggle while I'm doing it) ...the struggle to understand keeps me interested. If I knew all the meaning I wouldn't aquire the listening skills.

[@Yaz179]

As for extensive reading, it's not realistic to think that extensive readers are mostly reading materials that are are at 98% comprehension. It's hard to find such materials. Extensive reading is mostly about reading stuff without really caring whether you understand everything or not, guessing the meaning and so on, so I'd say that extensive readers do get a high level of tolerance to ambiguity and do develop a good guessing ability. Intensive reading on the other hand is aimed at eliminating ambiguity because one wants to understand 100% by checking the vocabulary/grammar of the content they are reading, so how is that developing one's tolerance to 'not-knowing' or 'being unsure' about the meaning.

[@alobo_78]

hola! de verdad muy interesante , no lo habia visto de esa manera...happy thursday ! I was waiting lst night but I had to work again,.... I teach maths too . Virtual education is a huge challenge! haha

[@codedfinance1149]

Language is feeling. Feeling through speaking is a whole different beast from feeling through reading.

[@cartweel]

Now we're talkin! Yes, situate the ideas in the context of your approach to the research. Nice! I think I like what you're saying about the soft skill of dealing with ambiguity and stress, but I think "struggle" is a bad word for it. Maybe just say stress? or talk about "training"? Let's create a learning mindset of pleasure, even while we work hard to train.

[@mikemack7933]

This can even help in native language in classes or lectures.

[@sonjah.6209]

I think it's about finding a balance between the theoretical knowledge and the tools for being able to get by. Sometimes it might be related to one's personality though, which doesn't make it easier ... When I first came to live in Spain, I used to meet for a language exchange with two guys who were friends but couldn't be more different. One of them was kind of shy, a bookish and perfectionist introvert. The other one was a very charismatic and outgoing extrovert. The introvert had a lot of knowledge about grammar and vocabulary, but he needed about 3 minutes of previous thinking for every sentence, so the conversation with him was really slow and forced. The extrovert had terrible grammar and pronunciation, but he talked a lot, using gestures and expressions when necessary. He was passionate and engaging, making the conversation a lot of fun. I've known him for years now and I think he never got over this level, but he would be perfectly fine in any of the situations you have described. I wouldn't count on him to pass any exam though. Conclusion? I don't know. Maybe: Be kind to yourself, but know your weak points and work on them gradually.

[@Pingvinicecream]

It's a shame that I'm a master of parsing meaning from context clues but I don't get to ever use these skills because I hardly interact with people. Personally I'm fine with it and most of my language goals are reading related but it is a waste when you think about it. I honestly don't even know where I would get to actually use the languages in my daily life even if I wanted to. Lately I've been thinking of starting streaming again just to have an excuse to speak in general in the first place.

[@jan_kisan]

although i like to think of extensive reading and listening in a way similar to this 'soft skills approach' you're describing here. like, i could be reading extensively at a really low level of comprehension, gradually building it up. it hasn't worked with languages with unreadable orthographies though, as i have no way of connecting what see to what i have heard elsewhere. so with these i'm trying to rely on listening more. although automatic Pinyin helps a hell of a lot.

[@kareenvu1568]

I'm surprised you said a lot of people consider extensive reading or listening to be "inferior". I guess it's because I don't have a lot of friends that are polyglots or advanced learners. But most people I know regard beig able to read or listen without relying on dictionnaries etc to be at the top of their learning journey, the last phase you want to achieve after some time learning enough vocab and grammar. But yeah, I developped much better Japanese and English like that myself, so I totally agree with you on how powerfu it is. However, sometimes I feel "guilty" that I seem to be "taking it easy" while I'm doing something fun, that is tremenduously developping my abilities to understand these languages! ^^;

[@philipohmes9395]

I am humored about the theme of this conversation. I have known so many people who tell me how many years, 6,7,8 or more and have lived in this or that country and on it goes..until I speak to them in...a prominent local dialect of that country and watch the surprised and awed looks and body gestures. Then there are those who get every conjugated ending perfect on a test, earn high marks in grammar, yet fail in a basic friendly conversation at a local pub. Or the person that apologizes on their blog for not knowing written English very well and writes a run on sentence, just filled with commas and one period at the end of the sentence. My response was, never apologize for your English Language skills, as you are at least bilingual, which is better than half the world's population. So I corrected this run on sentence into 3 sentences and even started one of sentences with the conjunction of "And" to demonstrate a point about grammar, that no such rule exists about starting a sentence with a conjunction. Further I told this guy, I was relearning Latin to improve my abilities to learn to read both Spanish and Romanian. When one finds commonalities and empathy with another person about language learning, it goes a long way in mutual appreciations of cultures and customs in learning more about how other places in the world function, quite well from their perspectives.

[@antonlikesmusic8174]

This is interesting! In the past I was frequently finding myself having troubles with switching between languages. Sometimes it took a day, sometimes 2. I completely didn't understand what was happening, it's like I speak a lot of English and then switch to Russian (my native) still thinking in English. And you confuse words from both of the languages and often use words inaproppriately. It was funny though😅

[@MrLilwallace]

Thanks, this is a very useful discussion. I have to admit, that when I have a certain kind of conversation in a difficult context, such as a noisy party where a bunch of natives are all speaking at the same time, I feel like I'm faking it, as I nod and laugh at jokes I didn't quite get, and cup my hand over my ear like I didn't hear, where I really needed the material repeated so my brain would have a chance to filter out the noise. This isn't much of a problem these days in Spanish, my best language (although it certainly was at one time), but continues to be a struggle in French and Portuguese. These "soft skill" situations can often be frustrating, too, because they remind that you're still probably on the dreaded intermediate plateau in those languages.

[@annadupont7615]

While you want to become comfortable with some ambiguity while getting input in your target language, I'm a bit surprised that no one has commented on the fact that you worked as an interpreter but didn't understand anywhere close to 80-90% of what was being said??? That smacks of being highly irresponsible and not to be commended.

[@tullochgorum6323]

Well said sir! The best input I've seen on this critical stuff. If anyone wants to take these ideas further, I highly recommend Boris Shekhtman's book "How To Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately". It's written by a highly experienced teacher and the focus is on strategies that help you to use what you know in theory in the stressful and messy reality of real conversations with native speakers.

[@masterjacob7155]

Great video again, Thank you🙌

[@c.d3304]

He knows how to choose his titles wisely

[@tigrisparvus2970]

You will find that if something can be measured it will be given more importance BECAUSE it can be quantified. I am reading Dracula in spanish at probably 70% proficiency and a surprisingly successful amount of guessing. A word from a random podcast that I had looked up earlier appeared and the little spark of satisfaction I felt at not only recognising and remembering that word but it allowing me to suddenly fully understand the sentence without reaching for the dictionary can not be quantified yet it inspired me to continue and do more than I would otherwise have done.

[@TomasSchertel]

Does extensiv reading need be done with book or can one do it with magazines?

[@miazborovancikova7430]

Yeah 😍 new video happy wednesday 😊

[@RobinMacPhersonFilms]

Happy Wednesday Mia!! Sorry this one came out quite late, it's been a long day at work 😬 But coffee got me through 🥰 ☕️

[@miazborovancikova7430]

It is okay when you have coffe in it 😊😂😂

[@Tenahio]

When you forgot where to put the stress on that Russian word, you shouldn't stress.

[@natalierodriges5224]

Great!

[@roseromano]

I'm sure this is helpful to people who have the same personality as you have and have had the same experiences as you have had and who were interacting with the same people you interacted with. But that doesn't help the rest of us.

[@0kasey0]

Hi Robin, did you study interpretation? Do you still work as an interpreter?

[@The.Chiefman]

I think people expect a magic bullet or single source or process that will teach you language. Well the there isn't. You must use many different methods together. They ALL help in thier own way. You need to read, watch, write and speak all using diffrent materials. No one product or method will be sufficient

[@hopefillledday9026]

Are these skills for intermediate onwards, how would a beginner utilise these skills?

[@alexroberts3947]

What did you code Journaly in Robin?

[@EFoxVN]

Hi Robin, Thanks so much. These are EXCELLENT points and I FULLY agree!! Blessings from South Africa (The only country I know of which has 11 official languages). Eleana

[@nadiaheng6547]

I love your videos. It is now the first thing I watch every morning as I sip my coffee and get started on Mandarin and German homework! 你的视频都非常有意思, 给了我蛮多激励让我努力奋斗学好中文和德语。:)

[@roots_and_ruin]

The ambiguity, stress and guess work is what makes language learning fun! I love looking at texts I know are too advanced for me and seeing what I can work out - I also find I remember more from these than easier texts because of the struggle to read them. I do panic in conversation though because I can understand perfectly well but can't form replies quickly enough - but I'm trying your podcast interview method and have faith I will improve :) thanks for all your insight, Robin!

[@annettemcnabb5856]

could you please tell me the title of the video that he talks about this? Thanks:)

[@roots_and_ruin]

@@annettemcnabb5856 I don't know the name of it but it's one of his recent ones about learning with podcasts :)

[@biricikkiz7]

Yeah definitely, all this is emotional intelligence right? ;-) Amazing how you handled all those situations you were in..

[@yourfirstsecondlanguage4782]

Definitely agree specially re intensive reading. Time to read Don Quixote in its original Spanish

[@HuesingProductions]

¡Dios mío! No en serio, tú puedes!

[@yourfirstsecondlanguage4782]

HProductions gracias :) ya he leído los primeros capítulos

[@joshhickman528]

Lol I already struggle with a lot of these in my native language haha

[@viewercjg]

YES! I first spoke Macedonian/Bulgarian as a child and later studied Russian in college. There are many Russias who have emigrated to my current city. I CAN have conversations with them after noting that I speak only a little Russian and speak some Bulgarian. One street vendor struggling with her English was thrilled to talk to me about the dictator Lukashenko in Belarus.

[@GatAtTube]

in some words, for example, "hundred" you pronounce "u" like Scots - love it :D

[@IowaLanguages]

I finally get to see this. Been sitting in an online class for 3 hours waiting patiently. 😃 Woah! Worth the wait. I reallly needed this. I'm a very detailed person and not comfortable with ambiguity at all. I'm glad I saw this because next time I'll see the value in being in hard situations instead of avoiding them at all costs. I love the term language agnostic. 😀

[@bunnyteeth365]

It seems like I have a lot less tolerance for ambiguity when I'm tired. All these unknown words will keep jumping out at me. When I'm well rested, I don't really care about unknown words. I just get some vague idea of what the unknown words mean and barely notice them.