You might be thinking that learning a new skill, especially a language after a certain age is almost impossible, right?
Actually, that is not the case at all.
I used to think this as well, but then I thought of giving it a try. And believe me, learning German, at this age (I am turning 40 in two months, btw.), wasn’t that difficult at all. Surely it wasn’t a cakewalk, but I am sure it wouldn’t have been, even if I were, 17.
I actually started with reading help books for German, but in my opinion that was the biggest mistake that I made. The help books do everything else than actually ‘helping’- confuse you, misguide you and so on. All that you are left with after ages of going through these books (which are more than often boring), is anxiety and doubt that will you be able to learn this beautiful language ever.
Being the adamant person that I am, I didn’t give up. Instead, I joined a coaching and that is where everything changed. And just for the knowledge of everyone reading this, I did quite a lot of research before joining ‘INaWORD’, because this time I didn’t want to take a risk as I was on the verge of losing my patience after the ‘help book’ stint.
INaWORD is a foreign language training institute in Chennai, in which verbal skills, both speaking and listening, are given due emphasis. And that was exactly what I needed. The best part was the individual attention that they gave and also how they never made me feel stupid or weird that I was trying to learn a language at a certain age.
My classes began, and slowly I started falling in love with this language. It was not only opening more career boundaries for me but also enlightening me in a lot of ways.
Allow me to list a few things or horizons that learning German opened for me.
More career options – This is something that almost everyone knows, that learning a new language opens more career opportunities for a person. What I would specifically like to point out is, that this won’t require you to move away from your country, there are enough opportunities here in India itself, like foreign embassies, translators, and language teachers.
Help in freelance work – As I mentioned earlier, learning German can of course give you plenty of job opportunities, in addition to that it will help you pick up freelance work, which you can do in your spare time and make money.
More movies and series to watch – Within a few months, I could easily watch German movies and series and they, for sure, count amongst one of the best movies that I have ever watched.
More Literature to read – I am a literature person and always look for pieces of poetry to read. After learning German, most of the German Literature started making sense to me and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Traveling becomes easier – Germans are almost all over the world. More importantly, the Germans are avid travelers so even if you are traveling to Europe, North America or any other part of this world, you are sure to come across a German-speaking fellow. As far as I am concerned, I am just waiting for my next trip abroad so that I can actually use my newly learned language and have fun.
Built Confidence – Having learned a new language at this age has filled me up with self-confidence. After this I sincerely believe that I can actually do anything that I want it. I just have to put my mind and heart to it and nothing is difficult after that.
Along with all of this, I was becoming more and more acquainted with the history of Germans and their culture. You wouldn’t believe actually it started having a positive effect on my mindset.
If you are still not convinced that actually learning German is possible at any age and that definitely you should give it a try. Let me tell you that German is spoken by more than 100 million people worldwide and it is the third most commonly taught language worldwide (so there is got to be a reason behind it). The German culture is widely known and accepted and Germany is a place where business opportunities are plenty. So if you are looking to start a new business or if you already own one, then Germany is one market you should not forget to explore.
So, I will suggest believe in yourself and at least start with it. Trust me you will be amazed by yourself. In no time you will start adapting to the new language and your new journey will begin.