Pick up the Phone and Lose Your Language Fears (Part I)

When you are learning a foreign language there are sure to be some situations you are less comfortable with than others. Talking to your teacher is going to be fine and you are sure to find other people you can happily converse with.

However, what about those moments in which you would rather cower in a corner than risk making a fool of yourself? If you ask me then it is time to stand up to your language fears in order to lose them once and for all.

The Phone

I have put this one first because the phone has a few bad memories for me. While I was still learning Spanish I got a job in a small branch of a bank in Spain. My mission was to deal with the English speaking ex pats in the area. This sounded ideal but on my first day the rest of the staff went out for a coffee at the same time and left me all alone. They said that it was the quite time of day and that no one would come in but just as the door slammed shut behind them the phone rang. I tried ignoring it for a few minutes and when I finally answered it I discovered that it was the regional manager. Without being able to see his face as he spoke I had no idea what he was on about. I guess one solution is that after taking Spanish lessons Brighton students should practise on the on the phone as much as they can.