Knowing more than one language is not uncommon, according to a recent article. Research shows that around the world, more than 60-70 percent speak at least two languages. Many countries have more than one official language. For example, South Africa has 11 official languages.
I was lucky to be born into a family where I spoke two languages growing up. They were both part of my daily life and my identity. I was born in Tehran, Iran, where I spoke Armenian at home and at school. My studies were in Farsi, which caused me to use many Farsi words and phrases in my sentences even while speaking Armenian.
Fast forward to when I moved to the U.S. and was in high school, I was required to take a second language class, and it made me feel thrilled because I had the notion that languages are not difficult for me to master since I already knew Armenian, Farsi and English, but that was not necessarily the case. I took Spanish for three consecutive years and was soon able to communicate and talk to an intermediate, maybe even a higher level.
After graduating high school and being admitted into university, I took a break.
Later on, I channeled my inner discipline to restart and pick up where I left off and found a center for learning Spanish specifically to continue learning again. I found a teacher who was patient and knowledgeable in various languages, which helped me comprehend the topics better, and I appreciated their efforts to a great extent.
I started attending one-on-one classes from July until October and had to take yet another pause because I was overworking myself. Still, I plan to continue soon and balance my schedule because I miss attending those classes.
I did not grasp this idea when I was younger, but it is true when they say when one is young, it is much easier to learn a language and as you get older, it takes more time and practice to register all the information.
I am a perfectionist, and making repetitive mistakes in my book is considered a sin; one time, I remember I broke down in tears in the middle of my lesson because I was frustrated that I couldn’t get that particular practice question right. But my teacher made me realize that you learn with mistakes and the subjects engrave in your mind better when you make constant errors. My teacher told me, “Araz, if it’s necessary, we’ll go over it 100 times until you understand it.” That supportive and genuine attitude made a tremendous difference in my mentality.
My journey with learning Spanish as a fourth language has been a long and eventful one where I have been disappointed with myself, taken a break, started again and stopped, but one important lesson I have gained is to be patient, fail and try again until you succeed because if you get discouraged that you keep on making errors you will never truly learn.
I suggest finding an instructor that you connect with who encourages you to adopt a positive mindset toward failure and remember, learning is not linear, so don’t be upset if you fall; be glad that you can rise again.
