Cactus Language Blog

Language Learning: Setting Yourself Goals

Posted by Sarah under Cactus Languages Abroad, English, French, German, Italian, Learning a language, Spanish

When you learn something new - whether it’s a sport, a musical instrument or a foreign language - it can really help to have a goal, or set of goals. A goal will not only motivate you and provide the impetus to keep going; it will also give you a valuable means of tracking your progress.

Be Realistic & Stay Optimistic

Of course setting goals is a very personal thing, and you will know what usually works best for you. One useful thing to bear in mind, though, is not to think too ‘big’ with your goals. If you’ve just set out to learn Spanish it can seem very daunting if your goal is simply ‘to become fluent’. There are so many steps to learning a language, and so much time and practice needed, that if you aim too high from the outset you will become demotivated before you’ve even started.

Instead, why not break your language learning down into manageable chunks - start by going from A to B, rather than A to Z. So you could start by setting yourself the target of learning the present tense, for example. Then add the past tense, then set yourself vocabulary tests according to different subject matters, and so on. Small, manageable goals will be much more achievable, and instantly gratifying, than one big hill to climb.

Testing Yourself

Just like taking a piano exam or a proficiency certificate in your favourite sport, taking an exam in the language you are learning can be a great thing to work towards. You will have something real to aim for, you will usually have a breakdown of the language elements you need to perfect, and you will achieve an official ‘level’, or certificate, in the language. All these things will help to encourage you even more in the future.

If you like the idea of a tangible goal such as an exam, there are some good options out there. If you’re studying in the UK, you can to enrol for a GCSE or AS/A Level in your language of choice. Most centres that offer language learning should be able to help with this. Alternatively, you could consider a distance degree course. If studying part-time, it is up to you to work out how much time you are able to dedicate to studying, and how much you need to learn, before sitting your target exam.

Those of you already intermediate to advanced level in a language may wish to take an exam in the country of the language you’re learning. Many language schools abroad offer exam preparation courses that line up the relevant exam for you at the end of your course. Such exams include DELE (Spanish), DELF (French), CELI (Italian), TestDaf (German) and University, Cambridge and Cambridge Further Exams (English). These are internationally recognised qualifications and give official accreditation of your degree of fluency - ideal if you are a non-native speaker and want to live, work or study in a foreign country.

Cactus Language organises foreign language exam preparation courses in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.

Venture Overseas

Whether or not you intend to take an exam, going abroad can be a great goal when it comes to language learning. In fact, it may even be more satisfying than taking an exam - there’s nothing like immersing yourself in the sights and sounds of a country to get the language rolling off your tongue! Don’t wait to cram it all in with your phrasebook on the plane though - with a little forward planning, you can tailor your language studies so that you cover what you’ll need to know well in advance.

If, for example, you are travelling in two or three months, a self-study course using CDs and books or a 5- or 10-week evening language course can bridge the gap perfectly, making it much easier to achieve your goal.

As for the level you wish to achieve before your trip, for many people a good conversational level is a reasonable goal. What for you is a ‘good conversational level’ may differ to the next person’s perception of the same level, but essentially you should be able to conduct a two-way conversation with a local, making yourself understood and in turn understanding what they are saying back to you. So you will need to work on your practical spoken language skills as well as your aural, or listening, skills.

Learn the Right Thing

If your goal is to be able to speak while on holiday abroad, you may want to adjust your language learning to suit the types of situations you will find yourself in, eg. a basic personal introduction, ordering a meal, booking a room, etc.

Equally, if your goal is to be able to communicate with foreign partners on a business trip abroad, you may want to read up on the business etiquette of the country you are visiting and learn words and phrases related to your industry.

Whatever your reason for setting a trip abroad as your language learning goal, you will reap the reward of making the effort to communicate with native speakers: they will warm to you quickly, and you will experience the huge thrill and personal satisfaction of speaking another language.

Tags:Cambridge Further Exams, CELI, DELE, DELF, language exam preparation course, language holiday abroad, language learning, language learning goals, TestDaf