Oral skills are potentially the most difficult for some since practising oral skills requires more confidence especially in older language learners. Adult inhibitions prevent them from making unusual sounds out loud whether they are alone or in the presence of others. The fear of looking silly is an immense one. But if you want to communicate fully in a language other than your own, vocalising your thoughts is absolutely necessary. Confidence is key.

However, the most difficult thing for many foreign language speakers, and based on feedback from other language speakers learning English, is the lack of opportunity to hear native English speakers and hence the opportunity to practice sentence construction orally which they deem especially important to developing foreign language skills both orally and generally. 

Foreign language writing and reading skills naturally require no such overt displays and many adult students are happy to submit written work to a tutor or show it to another adult even when they are not entirely confident that what they have written is correct.

Reading texts in the language you are trying to learn is an important and simple way to assimilate new vocabulary. It is simpler than trying to recall lists of vocabulary because typically you will read an article on a topic that is of interest to you. This raises another crucial aspect of language learning. If you are uninterested in a given topic you will be disinclined to read about it in your own language so the chances of becoming engrossed in a text on that topic in an unfamiliar language are slim indeed.

Grammar is an aspect of language that many find daunting and English speakers have indicated that they would learn another language they are interested in if they don’t have to learn the grammar. Depending on the level of language ability you wish to attain, a high degree of grammatical knowledge may or may not be essential. For instance, many individuals get along quite nicely overseas by simply learning the basics parrot fashion and picking up the language as they go along with no formal understanding of the language per se.

It is not possible, however, to gain proficiency, albeit conversational proficiency, in another language without getting to grips with some grammatical aspects. The teaching method used is essential to learning and a point of grammar expressed in a manner that “clicks” with the learner will be easily understood and applied in practice.

To gain any real proficiency in a foreign language requires a combination of the above. Understanding the spoken language requires the opportunity to speak and hear the desired language on a regular basis. Confidence can be built by initially looking at a reflection of one’s self practising phrases out loud. Imitating pronunciation and accents is essential to developing your understanding.

Reading topics of interest in the other language and note taking are important to discovering sentence structures and expanding vocabulary. Once you are practising the above and building your confidence you will find it easier to apply the grammar for you will have seen and heard it applied to “real life” scenarios.

Thanks to those friends and collaborators, students and translators alike for their opinions and experiences.