Stammering, cold sweats, clammy hands… Are you terrified of having a discussion in a foreign language? You are not alone in facing what is commonly called “a mental block” in speaking. The language teaching system in schools is often the real culprit: written expression is favoured over oral expression. But what if the actual reason was something else? Let’s try to understand the origins of this blockage and how to overcome the fear of speaking a foreign language.
The reasons why we don’t dare to speak in another language
Before looking at the solutions to overcome your speaking inhibitions, it is important to understand the possible causes. As you will see, these are not necessarily related to the language lessons you may have had at school ????
1. Fear of judgement
Most of the time, people who dread speaking in a foreign language are simply afraid of the judgement of the person they are speaking to or the people listening to the conversation.
“What will they think of my accent? “My grammar is really bad, they’ll think I never went to school”…
2. Fear of being misunderstood
You’ve probably faced that awkward moment when you ask a question in English, and all you get is a very confused face. Despite your efforts to pronounce the question correctly, the person you are speaking to has not understood what you said. For fear of repeating this kind of mishap, you no longer dare to speak in English (or any other foreign language).
3. Personal pride
Is your accent not very good? Do you lack vocabulary and hate having to express yourself ‘like a child’? Not being able to speak as well as you do in your mother tongue can be frustrating, even vexing… What if it was your ego that was preventing you from speaking in your target language?
Solutions to overcome the fear of speaking a foreign language
1. Work on your pronunciation
To gain confidence in speaking, the first thing to do is to work on your pronunciation. Not only will you be less conscious of others staring at you, there will also be fewer chances of being misunderstood by native speakers.
2. Surround yourself with supportive people
Language partners, trainers, colleagues… You will find it easier to express yourself in a foreign language if the people around you are friendly and supportive. It doesn’t matter if your language skills are excellent or if you still need to improve, you will not be criticised or mocked.
Are people around you not very supportive of your language learning? Then you will have to learn to ignore their negative attitude. You can do it! ????
3. Enrich your vocabulary and grammar
Don’t worry, you don’t need to learn the entire dictionary or become the Bernard Pivot of your target language. By focusing on the lexicon you really need, and the key points of grammar, you will be able to express yourself more fluently.
This way, you will no longer have the unpleasant feeling of holding an adult conversation using the vocabulary of a child.
4. Sign up for language training
Do you still think you can’t overcome your fear of speaking a foreign language? What if all you need is some dedicated support? Oxford Language Club is the perfect match!
