When we began this journey of teaching languages, we started with personalized tutoring. One of our first students was a person successful in many areas of his life: a stable job and a beautiful family. He shared with us, that one of his most bitter frustrations was his inability to communicate in English or any other language he tried to learn, no matter how much he studied it.

We witnessed that he did everything to master the language, especially because he had immersed himself in it: he watched movies and TV shows in English with English subtitles, constantly read in the language, listened to podcasts, and even used social media for support.

His frustration arose when he had to put it into practice in two areas: his work and when traveling to other countries. When he mustered the confidence to try speaking, his mind would go blank, and he felt his hands, mouth, and even his whole-body tremble as he attempted to communicate. His frustration returned, his momentum faded, and he gave up.

At work, during meetings, he felt he was the most knowledgeable on the topic, but he felt handcuffed when interacting with others in English. And while traveling, when asking for directions, he resorted to gestures and miming.

Naturally, his frustration grew when he thought about the time, money, and energy he had invested in learning something that hadn’t yielded results.

During one of our diagnostic sessions, a topic came up where he mentioned that he felt he simply wasn’t good with languages, that he hadn’t developed that part of his brain—what you might call the “humanistic” side: he had never learned to play an instrument, sing, or dance… and this is where we detected a common mistake people make when learning any language: thinking of it solely as an art, something tied to practice and a specific part of the brain.

This is a significant error because it overlooks many factors: the different types of intelligence that exist, the need to become more flexible in using your senses for learning, and cognitive development.

But most importantly, we forget that learn a language is also an innate human sense of communication, essential for being an integral part of a community. It’s something we learn to survive and, above all, to foster respect between the parties communicating.

When we realize that many of the things we do are driven by two key words—respect and simple survival—we begin to understand much more, not just about learning a language, but about learning anything you set your mind to in order to stand out among those around you.

So, this is what it’s all about: finding a respectable place as part of the community (now global community) at the highest level.

“Have you ever felt stuck when trying to speak another language? Share your experience in the comments—I’d love to hear what strategies you’ve tried!”

Let us know if you need further assistance! 😊