Do you need to learn that language?
Kelly the Aspiring Polyglot says:
I’ve been giving some thought to re-embarking on my Persian studies, even though I know I should follow my partner’s advice and stay focused on the languages I’m already learning. After all, what would I use Persian for? He may be right. Discipline and willpower are vital allies in the quest to master a language but I’ve also been blessed (or should that be ‘cursed’?) with an almost insatiable curiosity for languages.Josh the Language Geek, who has recently taken up Spanish, has the answer to this problem:
If I were under some sort of time constraint to learn one or two of [my] languages, certainly, I would limit myself. But seeing as I don’t need to know any of them, I don’t really feel any sense of urgency. If it takes me twice as long or whatever to reach a proficient level, then it takes twice as long. I’m in no rush.I'd go one step further: Does it matter if you ever become proficient at all? How proficient? Tim Ferris says:
To understand 95% of a language and become conversational fluent may require 3 months of applied learning; to reach the 98% threshold could require 10 years. There is a point of diminishing returns where, for most people, it makes more sense to acquire more languages (or other skills) vs. add a 1% improvement per 5 years.When people talk about their language learning, goal-setting is often one of the topics. Too often, however, the goals are oriented toward the learning, and not toward life. We try to find ways to motivate ourselves to become fluent including imagining the life we might have if we were. Maybe the better approach is to envision the life you want and ask yourself how fluent you'd really need to be for the scenario to work.
If you want read and write about literature, you need a good command of the language, and with some pretty specialized vocabulary. If you want to retire to another country and maybe fix up a cottage to live in there, you can get by with some pretty gaping holes in your knowledge of the language, but you'd better know hammer, screwdriver and monkey wrench. And if you just want a more authentic dining experience when you're in the country you might be surprised by how far you can go with a few words. Lastly, there are those of us who are learning for the fun of it.
How much Uzbek do I need? None. How much do I have? Very little, but a fair measure more than none. Should I buckle down to become fluent? Why?
If you're learning a language because something in your life is lacking, or will lack, if you don't, yes you'd better get yourself motivated and stick to it. (It's sad how many people I meet who need to speak better English to get the most out of life but have a mental block about learning to do so.) But if you're learning for fun, try to set realistic expectations about what you can get out of learning a language that you'll only have limited opportunities to use.
Would it be more fun for you to be able to chat a little in a variety of languages? Or do you know that one day you'll be walking down the street in, say, Mobile, Alabama, and the path to your future happiness will be found in your ability to discuss Satre with that handsome/gorgeous stranger you bump into in fluent French? I'm being silly, of course, but in all seriousness if you're learning for fun, it should be fun. If it's not, and the usual motivational tricks aren't working, take a break and do something else. If it's really important to you, taking a break isn't quitting, just setting up the opportunity to come back to it.