Embracing Imperfection: The True Journey to Language Fluency and Empowerment

Ever feel like the quest for perfection in language learning is more of a curse than a blessing? You're not alone. Join us on a heartfelt journey through the complexities of acquiring Greek, where the path to fluency is celebrated, warts and all. We'll unravel the emotional rollercoaster that comes with accent jabs and grammatical gaffes, and why those moments shouldn't cast a shadow over your linguistic ambitions. Forget about chasing the elusive ideal of the 'perfect' language student; instead, we're here to remind you that stumbling over your words is just part of the dance.

But we're not just talking about language here. This episode is an ode to genuine success, the kind that's woven into the fabric of community and kindness rather than the threads of wealth and fame. We'll share how empowering others with education can create ripples of positive impact and why your dreams should never be clipped by the limited imaginations of doubters. And as a special treat, we're hinting at an upcoming discussion about the Greek word for "school" that might just redefine your understanding of personal growth. So brew a cup of coffee and get ready to join us for a virtual chat that promises to be as enriching as it is enlightening.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:06

Hello friend, today let's talk about how we can become the perfect student in any language. This is what we all want, right? Some students often tell me that some of their Greek friends and relatives tell them that, no matter how hard they try, they keep on having issues with their accent and mistakes in grammar. They make mistakes and the way they speak doesn't seem natural or correct. I have thought about it a lot. I am thinking about how we can improve that and what is going to be the solution to this problem. I have been thinking about it a lot and it's been many years. Let's go to the part about when people tell us that we are not good enough. In order to do this, I want you to go back in the moment when this person did this comment to you about your accent, your mistake, or told you you have been learning Greek for a long time, but you haven't improved. Close your eyes and feel like you are there. Where are you now? Are you in a room or outdoors? What are you wearing? Are you feeling hungry, maybe?

Speaker 1: 1:45

Now let's get to the other person. Focus on their voice when they talk to you. Are they speaking in British accent or Canadian English? From New Zealand or Australia. What about the grammar? Do they sound perfect? Or are they telling you that you are not speaking perfect Greek, while they are in reality, translating from Greek what they want to express in English. What I mean by that? In most cases, if the person is a Greek who lives in Greece, they are just translating from Greek into English what they want to tell you, in completely imperfect English, that you are not speaking perfect Greek.

Speaker 1: 2:34

In most cases of course, there are exceptions people who criticize others' language skills are those who speak basic English, and they speak like this for so many years that they don't think about it anymore. Let me tell you something seriously no person who has ever deeply succeeded in something, built something from zero and put real struggling efforts to shape it like a sculpture, has ever discouraged anyone else's effort to do the same. Have you ever thought that our opinion about someone else's potential is, in reality, a confession about ourselves? I don't believe these people have good intentions, and if they have, I don't find these people smart. Sorry, not sorry. We all have company where we are, especially in misery. Misery loves company more than anyone else. So we don't care about these people's criticism, because in reality, the criticism is not about your skills in Greek. No-transcript. Put these people aside and it's only you and me now, because our goal has nothing to do with someone else's criticism, but the goal remains.

Speaker 1: 4:00

The fact that we reply to this criticism doesn't mean we play small with our goal. When we learn a language, we expect ourselves to be perfect. We want to be perfect and we want to be perfect today. Read this paragraph twice. Can you see how not realistic this is. This has also nothing to do with language. And now it is not about the other person. Now this is about you the emotional and psychological aspects of these expectations.

Speaker 1: 4:39

We will speak about these things in another podcast because they are very deep and we need to cover them in a different chapter. Okay, now let's talk about what working with a language really is about. This is a huge chapter in the learning process and, honestly, I don't know where to start from. Think about it like drawing. See how those who draw with great pencils do it. If we try to draw a circle only with one line, our circle is going to be crooked and ugly, except if you are a professional. If we constantly try to make a circle only with one draw of the pencil, the circle will always look ugly and in the end we are most likely to convince ourselves that we cannot draw. We will quit, and in the future we will be saying that we quit it drawing because we once had tried to make a line of a nice circle but we didn't make it. This example makes it sound funny, but this is how we speak in reality.

Speaker 1: 5:52

Someone tries to learn a word or two and then they say I couldn't memorize the words. In reality, learning languages, just like drawing, is not about perfect lines and memorizing words that come naturally perfect with only one attempt. It is about many, many imperfect lines that create a beautiful image and it comes after a lot of practice, practice that took place in a room when no other person could see the artist. Exactly the same applies to the language. When you see someone speaking, writing or listening to a foreign language and be able to communicate, you don't see just a talented person. You see a serious person who has failed and forgotten things millions of times. Some people may have made fun of them at some point for making mistakes. You see a person who has given real time on practicing the language, listening to the music, reading about artists and doing grammar exercises. As I see it, the key to get into any language is to focus on really practicing the craft and trying to communicate with others but, most importantly, with ourselves.

Speaker 1: 7:11

Languages are made to serve the humans, not the opposite. We are learning languages to communicate with our fellow humans. Enjoy the time you spend with yourself, but also respect the rules. Always keep in your mind those two things and you will always be in the right path. The top priority of learning a language and learning anything new is to enjoy ourselves while we are getting smarter. The top priority of learning a language and learning anything new is to enjoy ourselves while we are getting smarter. Follow the rules we have covered in other podcasts what you should focus on in your accent in order to be understandable and have an attractive accent when you want to communicate with someone.

Speaker 1: 7:59

But don't be a perfectionist, because basically, perfectionism is a human made aspiration. This podcast is imperfect itself in many aspects. Its only purpose is to communicate with you. Since we are born until we die, we are trying to do only one thing to communicate with our fellow humans. In this imperfect podcast, the only thing I am trying to do is to encourage you to show you the way as I see it, through my mistakes, my failures and my ridiculous moments in my life, that I cannot even remember them all. But also I want to encourage you with the moments I succeeded, with the moments that made me proud and really happy that I could communicate in a foreign language, because I want you to succeed.

Speaker 1: 8:49

And let me tell you something seriously no person who feels deeply successful not necessarily successful in social terms and terms of the capitalistic system, successful in life terms, being caring, helping and giving value to lives and communities ever, ever, puts anyone down. Good people who have made it and really dreamt of making it. They never say you cannot do it, you are too old for this, this is not for you. Why are you doing this? You don't really need this, you are not talented. When someone tells you you cannot do something, all they do is a confession about what they did. This is a confession about themselves and the fact that they love your company, where they are.

Speaker 1: 9:44

When you can see the stars, don't let the people who have a ceiling on the top of their heads convince you that the stars don't really exist or the stars are not for us. Realize that you actually can see the stars and practice to learn more. Normally I don't speak like that, but in our next podcast I'm going to give you the explanation in Greek of the word school, what scholio really means and how this can change the whole picture you have about the time you give for yourself to learn something new. If you want to take up Greek, I will be very happy to be your guide. I will be very happy to be your Greek teacher. Just send me an email at learngreekatmygreekteachercom. I will be very happy to help you, and maybe we can have an online coffee about what you need and how I can help you reach your goal. Enjoy your week, friend, and I wish you the best.