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The Communicator · № 18

Second Language

Held a real 20-minute conversation about substantive topics in a language other than your native one, with a native speaker who verified your fluency level.

The idea

Real fluency starts when your kid can be wrong out loud without flinching. The kid who waits to be perfect never speaks. Find a regular speaking partner and aim for thirty minutes of awful conversation a week. The mistakes are where the learning happens. Confidence comes from being wrong a lot, in front of someone patient, until the structure of the language settles into the body.

Steps
  1. Pick a regular speaking partner.
  2. Aim for 30 minutes a week of unstructured speaking.
  3. Build to substantive topics, not menu items.
  4. Have a native speaker verify your level.
What counts

A 20-minute conversation on substantive topics verified by a native speaker. A short note from the verifier is plenty.