10+ Ways to Language-Learning Success by Setting Goals

10+ Ways to Language-Learning Success by Setting Goals Its easy to feel overwhelmed  when youre learning a new language.False cognates  can trip you up, idioms  can seem completely incomprehensible, and you may run across some words so weird you  dont believe they  exist.Instead of letting this discourage you, take control by setting goals for yourself.Setting goals is arguably one of the most important steps you can take to ensure your success, and its remarkably easy to do.  Here are some tips to help you get started. Why Set Language Goals?Youve probably already heard a lot about goals. High school teachers love to talk about them, and so do bosses.Why? Because  research shows that people who set goals are more likely to achieve success.Goals help you achieve success because:Goals help you identify what you want to achieve. Its hard to achieve  success when you havent defined what success is. Setting goals helps you identify what you want to accomplish so you can start working toward accomplishing it. What does fluency mean to you?G oals keep you focused on whats important (and help  you ignore whats not).  Learning a language requires familiarity with  literally millions of different grammar points, vocabulary words  and cultural competencies. Setting goals helps you stay focused so you dont get  distracted by the many things you may need to learn in the future. By focusing on smaller bits of information, you make faster  progress and gain tangible skills.Goals save you time. Instead of memorizing vocabulary words you wont readily use, spend your energy learning words directly related to the way you want to use your target language. Setting goals helps you identify your ultimate reason for studying the language, which makes it easier to pinpoint the skills and information you need to learn first.Goals provide a way to  measure  your progress, which helps improve your motivation to learn more.  It takes a really long time to learn a foreign language well, and its frustrating to pour time into something that doe snt seem to have a payoff. By setting goals, you can identify the progress youre making and feel good about the work youre doing. Instead of kicking yourself for not knowing a new word you hear, you can congratulate yourself for learning the 25 new words you just memorized.Identifying Your Language GoalsThe first step to identifying your goals is to figure out why you are studying this foreign language.  Take some time to think about the big picture and ask yourself questions like:Why do I  want to learn this language?What would I  do if I could speak this language fluently right now?The answer to these questions is your ultimate goal the reason you are spending time, money and energy learning a new language.Its okay if your ultimate goal is huge, multi-faceted  or  even a bit vague. Maybe you want to learn Spanish so you can move to Spain. Maybe you want to learn French so you can talk to your boyfriends family in their native language. Maybe you want to learn Chinese so you can t ravel to China next year.Whatever your goal, just make sure you are honest with yourself about it. Theres no right or wrong.The next step is to break your ultimate goal into specific steps   the components that make up your larger goal. At this point, you arent setting tangible goals yet just identifying the things you need to learn in order to achieve your ultimate goal.At first, focus on identifying only a handful of the most important steps. Recognize that you cant list every possible thing you need to know  to become fluent  in German. Just list a few of the most important tasks you want to achieve along the way.  Here  is an example:Ultimate goal: To be able to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients at the medical clinic where I work.Specific steps:Learn vocabulary for body partsLearn vocabulary for common diseasesLearn to ask what hurts and what is wrongLearn to talk about a patients medical historyLearn to express sympathy for pain or lossSetting Effective Language Goals Youve identified your ultimate goal and a handful of  specific steps. Now prioritize your specific steps and select one or two to focus on first. You will use these steps to generate your short-term goals.Research shows that the best goals are specific, short-term and moderately challenging. Follow these tips to write effective goals:Write down your goals. Its easier to remember and consult them if you can see them.Set  deadlines.  Its usually ideal to set deadlines  between one week and three months.Focus on tangible tasks rather than the amount of time you plan to spend studying. Instead of setting a goal of  studying  30 minutes a day every day this week, set a goal of  learning all the basic vocabulary words related to ordering a cup of coffee at a cafe.Identify specific things you plan to learn.  Focus on themes or outcomes you want to achieve, rather than identifying a  certain quantity of new words. For example, set a goal of learning the vocabulary words related to modes of transportation or body parts or types of clothing, rather than a goal to learn 50 new words.Challenge yourself, but dont push yourself too hard. If you set goals that are too difficult, youll waste time  stressing about them or beating yourself up for not achieving them.Use  optimistic wording.  Write your goals in a way that makes them feel achievable. A good model is this: By [time frame], I will be able to [achievement].Grab Your Paper and Pencil: Set Your Goals Now!Its time to get started! Think about what your ultimate goal is, write down some specific steps and identify  a few short-term goals for yourself.Use the examples below for inspiration as you start writing your own unique goals:Ultimate goal: To be able to speak Chinese comfortably so that I can move to China and use Chinese in my everyday life. Specific step: Learn the vocabulary and phrases necessary to go shopping in China. Short-term goals: By the end of this week, I will have learned the vocabulary words for type s of clothing and shoes. By the end of the month, I will have learned the phrases and basic vocabulary needed to talk to shop clerks in China.Ultimate goal: To be able to read the newspaper in German. Specific step: Learn vocabulary related to politics and the political scene in Germany. Short-term goal: By the end of this week, I will have learned the basic vocabulary words for issues related to elections.Ultimate goal: To be able to talk to my in-laws on the phone in Japanese Specific step: Learn pleasantries. Short-term goals: By the end of the week, I will have learned basic everyday pleasantries, including greetings and closings like How are you? and Talk to you again soon.If youre struggling, review the examples below for help:Instead of:  By the end of this week, I will have learned how to talk about medical problems. Try:  By the end of this week, I will have learned the words for all the primary body parts (i.e. arm, leg, heart, stomach).Instead of: By the end of this year, I will be able to have a phone conversation in Spanish. Try: By the end of this month, I will have learned how to use basic telephone phrases such as, Who are you calling for? and Dr. Smith is not available at the moment.Instead of:  By the end of this week, I will have learned all 500 of the words in my medical dictionary. Try: By the end of the week, I will have learned the basic terms  for simple diagnoses (i.e. a cold, the flu, a backache).Following ThroughGoal-setting  is not something you do once and forget about. For goals to be effective, you need to consult them regularly and set new goals every few weeks.Every few days, take a moment to review your goals and check your progress. This will help you identify  what to study next and feel good about  the progress youre making. It will also keep you on track when youre veering away from your ultimate goal.Although its important to follow through with  the goals youve set for yourself,  dont be afraid to change your goals if th ey no longer serve you well. As you gain confidence in your new language,  perhaps your ultimate goal will grow from being able to have a phone conversation to wanting to travel to a  country where your  foreign language is spoken. When you make discoveries like this, adjust your goals appropriately so that they can continue to serve your needs.Finally, remember that there are no right or wrong goals. The most important thing is that you believe in your goals and can visualize yourself achieving them.If you set goals with this in mind, you will find that they help you stay motivated and enthusiastic about your language learning, and youll be proud of what you achieve!Katherine Kostiuk is a freelance writer with  professional  experience in international education and English teaching. She has lived in four foreign countries and studied five different foreign languages. And One More ThingFor a shortcut to motivated, encouraging and goal-oriented learning, try FluentU.FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks, and turns them into language learning experiences, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has interactive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.