{"id":748,"date":"2013-05-21T17:10:18","date_gmt":"2013-05-21T17:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=748"},"modified":"2013-05-24T16:04:11","modified_gmt":"2013-05-24T16:04:11","slug":"get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/","title":{"rendered":"Get Out of Your Second Language Comfort Zone (Part I)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft\" alt=\"\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cycling360media.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/change-architect-sign1.jpg\" width=\"258\" height=\"194\" \/>One thing I have noticed while travelling is that it is easy to slip into a comfort zone with your second language. There appear to be plenty of people out there who have a reasonable grasp of the basics of a language but who never seem to push themselves enough to further their knowledge. So how can you do this?<\/p>\n<p><b>Don\u2019t Use Your Native Tongue as an Emergency Backup<\/b><\/p>\n<p>One problem can be if you often practise with a foreign language speaker who knows your native language. After getting frustrated by your attempts to find the right word for a while they might say something like, \u201cJust say it in English\u201d. This might be convenient at first but it is an approach which will stop you from learning as well as you should. A better idea is to use words in the language you are learning to explain yourself, even if it is in a roundabout way. For example, in my days when I was avoiding the Spanish word veterinario (I couldn\u2019t pronounce it right for some reason) I could say that it is a person who looks after sick animals rather than saying \u201cvet\u201d in English. Once you get to a certain level in your new tongue you should never have to resort to explaining yourself in your native language for anything, no matter how complicated the subject is. Speaking frequently to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/\">native speakers like your Listen &amp; Learn teachers<\/a> is one great way of becoming more confident at doing this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One thing I have noticed while travelling is that it is easy to slip into a comfort zone with your second language. There appear to be plenty of people out there who have a reasonable grasp of the basics of a language but who never seem to push themselves enough to further their knowledge. So(\u2026)<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 text-right\">\n\t \t\t\t\t<a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-xs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/\">CONTINUE READING &raquo;<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[23,21,22],"class_list":["post-748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-language-learning","tag-language-experience","tag-learn-spanish","tag-spanish-lessons"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Get Out of Your Second Language Comfort Zone (Part I) - Listen &amp; Learn<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Get Out of Your Second Language Comfort Zone (Part I) - Listen &amp; Learn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One thing I have noticed while travelling is that it is easy to slip into a comfort zone with your second language. There appear to be plenty of people out there who have a reasonable grasp of the basics of a language but who never seem to push themselves enough to further their knowledge. So(\u2026)        CONTINUE READING &raquo;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Listen &amp; Learn\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-05-21T17:10:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2013-05-24T16:04:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.cycling360media.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/change-architect-sign1.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Robert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Robert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/\",\"name\":\"Get Out of Your Second Language Comfort Zone (Part I) - Listen &amp; Learn\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.cycling360media.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/change-architect-sign1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-05-21T17:10:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-05-24T16:04:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e374acb890d7d8ff832ab9000b12bcec\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.cycling360media.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/change-architect-sign1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.cycling360media.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/change-architect-sign1.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Get Out of Your Second Language Comfort Zone (Part I)\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Listen &amp; Learn\",\"description\":\"Language Courses and Language Services UK\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/e374acb890d7d8ff832ab9000b12bcec\",\"name\":\"Robert\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6e7377b5c33c414b6535e0a7b650743?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/d6e7377b5c33c414b6535e0a7b650743?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Robert\"},\"description\":\"I moved from the UK to South America to save the rainforest but ended up saving myself from a boring career in banking instead. I have now worked online as a freelance writer for almost a decade, covering every subject from Bitcoin to golf and from backpacking to the smelliest kinds of cheese. Languages are my favourite subject, as they are fun to write about and I can pass on useful information too. Despite knowing approximately 3 words in Spanish when I first boarded a plane here, I have managed to survive, although with the occasional cringe-worthy misunderstanding along the way. My first Spanish classes were in Ecuador, where I also discovered what really happens to water when it goes down a drain on the equatorial line. After that, I started travelling South America and picking up as much of the language as I could. I am now married to a Bolivian and my daughter has Spanish as her first language but speaks English like a bonnie wee lassie from Braveheart. We travelled to Europe for a spell but we feel more at home here, with a laidback lifestyle and nice weather. Much of my Spanish I learned on the hoof, working in a bank in Spain and desperately trying to explain credit card charges to immigrants whose Spanish was as limited as mine. I also tried running a shop in Bolivia, which threw me in at the deep end. Nowadays, I work on my PC while learning new words from musical geniuses like Los Aut\u00e9nticos Decadentes and Celtas Cortos. My interesting career path really comes in useful at times as a freelance writer. I sometimes wonder if there is anyone else out there whose CV has UK mortgage underwriter and Bolivian pig farmer owner on it. If there is then I would love to hear from them. There is nothing better for me than settling down to type something fun that might educate or entertain the people who read it.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/admin\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/author\/robert\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Get Out of Your Second Language Comfort Zone (Part I) - Listen &amp; Learn","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/get-out-of-your-second-language-comfort-zone-part-i\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Get Out of Your Second Language Comfort Zone (Part I) - Listen &amp; Learn","og_description":"One thing I have noticed while travelling is that it is easy to slip into a comfort zone with your second language. 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