Learning imperfectly is progress...

Here's a Ted Talk by Benny Lewis with some interesting ideas about language learning. 

(His accent is a bonus.)

I don't agree with everything he says, but these points ring true - 

• Anyone can learn a second language 

• Learning a language is a decision

• Language learning is more about hard work than about talent 

• You can make a lot of progress in a language even when you can't travel 

And I agree most with this statement: “Perfectionism is a really bad thing in language learning.” Perfection prevents language learning. Mistakes are required. If it's worth doing at all, it's worth doing imperfectly. And that's the idea behind the name of this blog. Even if you aren't as immersed as you want to be, you can still make progress in a second language. 

Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do." Many people have told me they wish they had learned a second language years ago when they had the chance. I've never heard of anyone who was sorry they studied a second language. The great part is you never finish, and you always have something new to learn. 

Ten years on, this is how you'll feel: