I hope to learn some German by the time I leave Hamburg, but after a few weeks I’ve realised it’s not going to happen by osmosis. I have an interview in today’s Irish Times with Benny Lewis (yep, that’s him above), an amazing Cavan man who travels the world learning languages and blogging about it at Fluentin3Months.com. Talking to him about what it takes to get comfortable in a language, I was really inspired to tackle German, and this point he made particularly resonated:
After nearly six months in Spain with little success, Lewis realised he was spending all his time with ex-pats, and needed to immerse himself in the language. He set himself the first of many challenges – no English for a month. “My biggest issue wasn’t with the grammar and vocabulary; it was the fear, and letting go of that. Making mistakes does not hinder communication, it actually helps you because you get into the flow quicker. I think realising that made this thing click in my head.”
I know that fear only too well – time to let go of it.
Read the rest of my interview with Benny here at IrishTimes.com.