Lesson Transcript

I'm Kyejin and I'm joined by my co-host, the founder of Innovative Language, Peter Galante.
Hi everyone, Peter here.
Okay, Kyejin, last time we spoke about mindset.
We also talked about some preview, right?
We will talk about motivation this month.
Yes, and today.
And that's the topic?
Yes, you'll learn all about motivation.
How to stay motivated with language learning based on our experiences.
Wow.
So, you are going to share a lot of tips.
I know you've been learning languages for many years.
How many years is it?
You'll be able to work back and find out how old I am.
So, since middle school, that's the first exposure to learning a language.
Italian in seventh grade.
Oh, wow.
So, I studied Italian seventh grade, eighth grade, ninth grade, tenth grade.
Tenth grade, I also studied French and then eleventh grade and twelfth grade.
And by the time I was done, I could speak zero Italian.
Actually, there was one phrase.
May I have the pass to go to the bathroom?
Oh, that was like a requirement by the teacher.
I see.
So, actually, probably different than your experience, right?
What age did you first come into contact with foreign language?
That was English.
I learned some phrases when I was in kindergarten, but I didn't really study at that time.
Only a few phrases.
I started studying English when I was in middle school.
And after my middle school and high school, I still couldn't say any sentences in English.
Yeah, but it's interesting, right?
My first exposure to a foreign language was, we're talking 10-year difference.
But the end result was kind of the same.
Although, I have a suspicion that you did quite well on the reading and writing because you had standardized tests that were part of your college entrance requirements and things like this.
Yes.
For reading, I would say yes.
But for writing, I never made an English sentence in my class, so I wouldn't say I was good at it.
But reading, yes.
I knew a lot of difficult vocabulary that time.
So, let's break it down like this.
I didn't think about it until we just started talking.
But this first part, our motivation for learning was forced.
I was required to pick a language when I went into middle school.
Yes.
You didn't raise your hand and came to the corner and say, I want to study English.
No.
It looks so fun.
My mom chose it.
And probably the school, too.
So, these were requirements.
I never wanted to learn a foreign language.
And also interesting is that we started when we were kids.
You were a young child.
Right.
And I was a little older, not quite.
Probably around 11 or 12 in middle school.
And we kind of split that into now we're adults and maybe a lot of listeners, they're adults, too.
And they're choosing to learn a language for a different reason.
They're not forced to.
Yes.
Especially these days, a lot of people are watching Netflix, YouTube, and they have a lot of chances to expose to other languages.
And they got interested that way.
Yes.
It's kind of funny.
I kind of want to pull out my phone and show a picture, but recently I got quite sick.
I had a fever for the first time in a long time.
Are you okay now?
Oh, yeah. All healed up since yesterday.
Okay, good.
No, this is a few weeks ago.
So, like last month.
And so, I had some time.
So, I went back and I watched a TV show.
Would you like to know the name of the show?
Of course.
So, have you watched the show Rick and Morty?
Rick and Morty? I'm sorry, but no.
Okay, so it's quite an interesting show.
It's also short, which is quite nice too.
So, I rewatched them, binge watched them while I was sick.
And the first time I watched it in English, and then recently I had such a good time watching it, I'm now rewatching it in Italian.
Yeah, it's incredible.
You can switch the language and the subtitles, which are different.
The subtitles do not match the spoken.
Yeah, yeah.
So, it's such a different world.
Interesting.
If you have a VPN, you can also localize and watch.
Can we?
We'll just cut that out.
Yeah.
But I think you get the point that there are many creative ways to immerse yourself in the language.
Doing that gave me such a boost and made me want to study even more.
So, why don't we transition back to this motivation?
It was so exciting to watch the language, to watch the show in Italian.
Yeah.
And then next I'll watch in Korean.
But my Korean is not good enough to really enjoy it, like Italian or Japanese.
But you still know the story, right?
True.
So, maybe that helps.
And you can put the subtitles on, although they don't match.
So, it's sometimes a little confusing.
Well, let's move back to this motivation conversation.
Why don't we start with a definition, so everyone's on the same page.
Okay, so I prepared this line.
Motivation is a psychological drive or force that directs behavior towards a specific goal or need.
Is it correct?
It's correct, but even this is my native language and I barely understand what it means.
So, let's just phrase it this way.
It's what drives you to do something.
And it's the inner push that makes you move.
So, for example, it's become very apparent.
I need to move my body.
Yes.
I need exercise.
So, the alarm goes off at 6 a.m.
What gets you out of bed to go exercise at 6 a.m.?
As a person who doesn't really exercise, there's nothing.
Right, nothing.
Like, you want to shut it off.
Yes.
But that motivation is that inner push that like gets your first foot out of bed.
Interesting.
So, that's the inner motivation.
That inner push, right?
That inner push.
Like, you want to stay in the warm bed.
You don't want to get up and move your body around on no food and just water. But something pushes you, whether it's you're seeing yourself with a better body, you know that your next yearly checkup will be better, you know that you want to live longer, etc.
Like, for each person, it's different.
I see.
So, do you mean we need a goal or we need some kind of reason why we start doing that?
Well, I think for now, we're just starting.
Yes, these are all related.
But for now, that motivation is that inner push, right?
Yes.
It's tied to the goal, but, right?
Okay.
Yes.
All right.
You took over Kyejin.
Yeah, you're right.
They're all related.
But I think we were just trying to simplify that motivational difference.
But let's take what you're saying next.
What would you like to talk about?
Do you want to talk about how the goal is related or what would you like to chat about?
Well, in my case, usually when I start doing something, I need some materials or maybe I download an app or I do something.
How do I start?
Yeah, how do you start?
So, I think if we go back to that first comparison, we were forced to do something, right?
Your doctor can force you.
So, there's the force.
It's like, okay, listen, you really, without exercise, you really, it's not good.
So, that can be a powerful motivator.
Consequences.
Yes.
Requirements.
In order for you to get a high school diploma, you need this.
Or in your case, in order to get out of kindergarten, you need to be able to say some words in English or understand different things.
So, we have kind of external things and then internal, that self-growth.
You want to improve yourself.
You want to do better.
So, these are some of the reasons on why, right?
Yes.
And I think when we're kids and you're younger, a lot of it's forced on you.
Right.
You got to go to school.
You have to learn about religion.
You have to do certain amount of things every day.
Exactly.
So, we're going to focus this conversation to adults like us who made a decision.
Okay.
And before we talk about the goals and everything, it's like, why?
Why would you do something?
It's okay, Kyejin.
Why did you start to study languages?
These days, I'm learning French.
I'm still learning French.
And one of the big motivation for me is I have French speaking friends.
And we always speak French together.
So, I want to continue our relationship with my good friends.
And that's why I keep learning French.
But that first why, was it?
First why?
Why did you pick French?
You can pick many languages.
That's true.
But actually, these people, I knew that before I learn the language.
So, I wanted to get close to them more.
And also, French seems interesting.
It has a lot of good music and food and movies.
So, I thought I could enjoy the culture fully if I understand the language.
Okay.
There's so much interesting information in there.
Let's start with the friends.
Where did you meet them?
I meet them in school.
So, when I learned Japanese, they were my classmates.
And also, I knew some of my French friends when I studied English in other countries.
It's interesting.
Often, you know, when you go to a country, it's really hard to get a local friend.
Exactly.
You kind of wind up with international friends who are also there trying to get into this.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's how we met.
And we still keep in touch.
Okay.
So, it was a personal connection that was the catalyst, the reason why you decided, that first why.
You met them.
You were interested in them.
You liked them.
So, you wanted to learn more about the culture.
Plus, the culture was very interesting.
Yes.
So, this is a very common reason why, personal connection.
Not the number one reason, actually.
The number one reason, can you guess why someone learns a language?
Maybe it's because their family member is from that country.
Another very good reason.
Top three.
So, you got the two and three.
Next.
Before traveling, they want to know some phrases.
Good answer.
But you're going the wrong, the opposite direction.
That's the number five.
Okay.
So, maybe number one reasons, because of the school.
Sorry about that slurping water.
I'm going further down.
That's kind of, that's around, not down, that's around four.
Okay.
What do people care about often the most?
Careful.
Career, friends, family.
Career is good.
It's on the right track.
Often, the number one reason is actually personal growth.
Yeah, that's true.
So, most of the people who are learning are doing it for themselves.
Yes.
Like, much like you exercise your body, you exercise your brain and keep it sharp.
And, you know, it's such a rich, rewarding experience, right?
To learn another language is to have another soul.
Yes.
I love that.
I love that expression.
It's a good one.
Yeah, we need to know who, we'll add that, or maybe someone can throw us that name.
I see fingers hitting the keyboards over there.
Okay.
So, we'll have an answer for you in a minute.
So, that first question is why, and that's a starting point.
But, Kyejin, how many things in your life have you wanted to do?
You're like, yeah, I want to do that, and haven't followed through on.
There are so many.
How can you count that?
Astronaut, politician, lawyer.
Skydiving.
Skydiving.
Skydiving.
Someday, someday, et cetera.
Okay, we have an answer.
The answer is Charlemagne.
Oh, thank you.
Thank you, Yuri.
So, that initial itch, why you want to do something, that's a starting point.
And then, kind of going back to this motivation, it's the thing that keeps getting you out of bed, that inner push.
Yeah.
What kept you pushing all the way to B1 in French, which is remarkable.
It's a very high level of French you've achieved.
You've also studied Japanese.
How high a level of Japanese are you at?
My Japanese, maybe it's like C1.
I can call the credit card company and solve problems.
So, I think it's okay.
C1 is pretty much native level.
You're English, you're on a podcast, hosting.
So, this is that motivation to keep going further and reaching these higher, higher goals.
Right.
It's what gets me out of bed in the morning to exercise now.
And then on Mondays and Fridays, followed up by learning Korean for 30 minutes, which is not so easy.
It's actually very difficult.
Yeah, it is so difficult.
So, is there any interesting or your secret to share with our viewers?
How are you motivated when you learn so many languages?
Same with you.
So, I think that this is the backdrop.
Again, the difference between mindset and motivation.
Motivation is what keeps you going.
The mindset helps.
But the motivation is that inner push that gets you out of bed, that keeps you going to class, that keeps you used to study.
When did you study it last year when you were practicing for the test?
After work.
Yeah, after work and also on the way to work, like commuting time and, yeah, lunch hours.
It's so easy to find something else to do during that time.
Yeah.
So, let's do this.
We now have that definition of motivation.
We have that first why.
Why you started something and we went through the reasons.
Why?
Personal growth is a very, very important one.
Personal relationships, studying for school, getting ready to travel.
These are all important starting points.
But that motivation, how to keep it going.
So, let's transition to this.
How do we keep it going?
Okay.
And let's talk about the secrets.
Why Kyejin, some of Kyejin's secret successes.
The secret to Kyejins success is a better way to phrase it.
So, why don't we start with some talking points.
Let's talk about the first one.
First one.
So, I don't know if I can say this is the secret because we already talked about it many times.
But for me, the first one is exam.
Okay.
This is, probably falls into the goal category.
So, you set an ambitious goal.
Yes.
A very ambitious goal.
You can set small goals, measurable goals.
Like, I want to read 10 pages in my Japanese or French or whatever language you're studying book.
That's an easy way.
But a test is a pretty comprehensive one.
Yeah.
Now, would you put that into beginner?
Like, when you just start?
Or would you put that into someone has a little more experience learning that language?
That's a good question.
I wouldn't recommend that to beginner.
Yeah.
First, it's too ambitious.
So, I might be demotivated if I don't think I can pass the exam.
And second, at the very beginning, mostly I was already motivated.
So, I don't need more motivation that time.
Yeah.
So, a test is, I think, a bit of a further goal.
Yeah, I agree.
So, once you decide you want to learn a language and once you're ready, what are some tools we can use to stay motivated?
And, well, let's go back to this goal.
So, we're going to push, we'll try to do this in order.
So, I'm sorry for getting a little off track here.
So, let's push the test to a bit of intermediate or advanced tactic.
So, for a beginner, you've decided, hey, I want to learn a language.
Yes.
You've got your reason why you met a friend or you're trying to personally grow.
Now, what's the next step?
Give us something that you do so that you can get language learning into your routine.
First, I bought a book and also I purchased a course.
Yeah, this is a great strategy.
I like having something physical.
I like having something tangible in your hand.
A course is another great way to start.
Or downloading an app.
An app is a very powerful way.
We have quite a comprehensive app.
Innovative language 101.
We spoke about Netflix.
You can dive right in and just get some exposure.
Videos on YouTube.
We also have a large library as have many other great videos on YouTube to get some exposure.
I think the key is that to this and setting a goal of, and this is how goals can work very powerfully.
You set a goal of maybe watching a video once a week, reading 10 pages of a book as long as there's something measurable in there.
That can really be powerful because you can achieve it.
The trick is to make sure you do it at the same interval.
If you're reading 10 pages of a book once a week, make sure you can do it two, three, four weeks in a row.
If you can do that, then you're ready to make your goal a little bigger.
True.
What are the bigger goals in this case?
Let's stay with this for just a minute.
We established something.
You have your reason why.
Now, you're going to pick a tool.
It could be a physical book.
It could be an audio book.
It could be something you listen to.
It could be something you watch as a video.
It can be an interactive course.
You pick something.
Then you're going to set the time that you're going to use it, whether it's 10 minutes or if it's 10 pages of a book, that should take you a certain amount of time.
You're going to set aside that time, and that's going to be your initial goal.
Then you'll try and repeat that for four weeks, four times, the same interval.
If you can do that, and if you're very ambitious, you could do it multiple times a week, but repeating the same routine or completing the same goal for four weeks in a row, that'll embed it into your routine.
Yeah, you're right.
Making a routine is very important when it comes to language learning.
This setting the goal, you have to be very careful.
If you set it too big, it can be demotivating.
But if you set it right and you reach your goal, that will be very, very motivating.
And rewarding, yes.
Another key phrase.
So let's apply it to you and your book.
Okay.
Give us a first month, what your first month might look like if you pick a new language.
We discuss learning Indonesian, so occasionally I discuss learning Indonesian, possibly maybe for next year.
Yes.
So we can go walk you through what it's like to learn a language.
So how would you go about that the first month?
First month, I need something, physical something, so I can go through really quickly.
So first thing that I will do is buying a book, physical book.
Okay.
And then how would you fit that into your schedule using goals?
That's a good one.
So usually I study after work.
So after work, after dinner, I sit down on my sofa for about a few minutes, 10, 20 minutes, and that time I will look at the book.
And how many times a week would you do this?
I can definitely do twice, minimum twice a week.
And then repeat that for four weeks, and that should then become part of your routine.
And also another my favorite method is listening to podcasts on the way to work or on the way back home.
Otherwise, I will be just listening to music.
Now, when it's a podcast, is it a learning podcast or is it all in the language, just exposure?
What do you prefer when you start?
I prefer the learning materials.
If it's music or just normal podcast in the target language, I don't understand anything, so I prefer listening to an easy podcast teaching the language.
Yeah.
And the exciting thing about this, why do we deviate off into this?
The key to motivation, the true key to motivation is progress.
Ah, I see.
I mean, you can be motivated about something, but if there's no progress...
No, I would be so demotivated.
Yeah, I mean, I don't know if this is applicable, but if you have a love interest and you're chasing or pursuing the love interest for one week,
it's exciting, one month, it's still exciting, six months, one year, and there's no progress, maybe you could think of a better example.
That was what came into my head.
I don't know if that is the best example, but you see that lack of progress and the gym too.
If you have a gym membership, you're paying a lot of money and you don't make progress and you're burning money.
It's not very motivational, whereas if your body's getting better, you might want to then invest more money in your body.
Indeed.
Applied to language learning, we start with a book, the progress is there, then you might want to invest in potentially a teacher, tutor, school, or course.
Yes, in my case, I love classes with my teacher and meet classmates who also have the same interest as me learning a language, it's very fun.
And the better you are in the class.
The better, the more motivated I am.
Yeah, and think about it the other way, if you're not very good in class and everyone's getting better.
I wouldn't want to go to the class, unfortunately, or maybe I would want to try harder.
I think progress is the most powerful thing when it comes to motivation.
Especially when I measure, when I can measure the progress, I'm very motivated.
Yeah, and it kind of applies to everything.
Like, you know, if you're young and you say, I want to be a millionaire and, you know, you make it part of your identity.
And then, you know, every time you see some of your friends or someone's asking you, hey, are you there yet?
And it's like, if you're making progress, you still want to talk about it.
But if you're not, you're like, I don't want to see that guy again, because that person again, because they're going to ask me.
Yeah, that's a very good example.
I don't know.
I'm looking forward to hearing this back, because I'm pretty sure there's a very sophisticated answer and I don't know if I nailed it, but I think you got the general idea.
Yes.
Okay, so we have this progress, but let's talk about progress is you can't always make progress and there will be these times when you need other things to help you, motivate you through.
Yes.
There are periods where your progress has slowed.
Yeah.
So I want to talk about something called, we call them anchor points.
Have you, do you know what we're talking about here?
I think I heard you talking about it before.
So it's a point that make you keep learning the language.
Yeah, it's kind of like you're tethered.
Something that tethers you to the language and to your motivation.
Yes, like a hook.
So, for example, if you have a musician you like, do you have any French musicians you like?
I don't remember.
I can never remember the name, but I do have some music that I like.
Yeah, so just putting the music on and listening gives you exposure to the language.
And if you're reading the lyrics, it's a powerful study tool.
But you liking that and you enjoying that, motivates you to listen and immerse yourself in the language.
There's also pop culture, there's TV, there's YouTube shows and podcasts and different things you can do to build a deeper connection with the language.
And the more you have, like the little hooks, they keep you tethered tighter or that bond is stronger with the language.
Yeah, in my case,
I think my friends' messages are also anchor point.
They often text me in French, then I feel like, oh, I have to answer that in French.
Yeah, that's, again, a very, very advanced or kind of intermediate thing, but it's incredible motivation when you actually have a friend and you're communicating in that target language that you've worked so hard for.
Every text message you send is a validation of the hundreds or potentially thousands of hours that you put in.
Yeah, true.
So, yeah, the higher you get, the better you get.
The motivation can come out easier, but it's still very hard to, you know, for Japanese, you're very high level to actually actively study, right?
Because you can just cruise through the day without needing to learn anything new.
That's true, but there are still many words that I don't know.
So as a language learner, I think I have to learn their language forever.
Yeah, it's kind of an eternal journey.
Yeah.
And time matters because, you know, the words that are popular, words are always changing, language is always changing too.
But let's, there's one more point that we want to kind of talk about is that, and we discussed this a bit.
When you start your journey, what was the most popular, what was the most popular reason why people study a language?
Self-growth.
Self-growth, yes.
I was about to say personal growth.
Sure, personal growth.
Yeah, and when you say self, I was like, oh, was it self?
Yes, but self-growth.
Did I say personal growth?
Personal growth.
Anyway, growth, yes.
But self is one.
So it's something we usually start with by ourselves.
It's a journey that the idea comes into our heads.
Well, when you're older, when you're younger, it's put there.
But again, we're talking about the older.
It comes into your head through a connection, through something you see, through, it's something that occurs to you that I want to do this.
It's a why, why I want to study, I want to do this.
But then you start by yourself.
Right.
And building up and getting to that, setting your goals so that you can get into a routine, that's that critical first step.
And as you go, there comes an inflection point where, as we mentioned, friends, teachers, tutors, school, group class, where you're no longer studying by yourself.
And that's a very big, if you can get to that inflection point, the motivation should be much, much more powerful.
Right.
More responsibility, more power, but still.
So now we're on to community study.
Interesting.
And so that personal growth, let's go over it, because there's a lot of commonality and a lot of overlap when you study by yourself for the different tools that we spoke about.
Kyejin, how do you start?
For the community?
By yourself.
By myself.
So as you mentioned, buying a book or purchasing a course or taking some podcasts.
So these are starting points that you kind of start with by yourself, self-study.
And our course is very powerful when it comes to self-study.
You can just come and start going by yourself.
Right.
And AI actually offers a lot of powerful tools in the form of somewhere in between that self and working with someone else.
So now we have a bit of a bridge with the AI.
And then transitioning to the community, how do you study?
So for example, like going to the class, or also I share, not I, but many people these days share their progress on social media.
So they try to get some online communities where they can find the people who have the same interest.
Yeah.
Another very powerful way to learn.
And even just joining and watching along, you're still participating in a way you kind of get a feel for the community.
For our product, we have My Teacher, which is a bit of a distance learning.
It's not real-time chat, but you're actually interacting with a real teacher.
Yeah. So it's a messenger that you can send a message to teacher and teacher answers back, right?
Yeah.
There's group classes we have.
Private classes, too.
Private classes.
And there's other platforms with private teachers, physical brick-and-mortar classrooms in your communities, volunteer services.
Right.
And making these connections will deepen your motivation.
Very, very powerful stuff to have friends around the world.
Indeed.
I don't think I can learn a language alone because it's not so fun for me.
Language is more about the communication, so I need someone.
Maybe it can be a teacher, my friends, or online friends that are fine, or anyone who speaks the language.
It's such an interesting point you have.
It's a skill you learn and then apply, and it enriches your life.
It gives you a deeper experience wherever you go and you know the language.
Right. I totally agree.
You know, this motivation, this inner force that drives you and pushes you, and the key where you have to understand, you have to be moving towards that progress, and that progress is the key to motivation.
And motivating will allow for progress, and it's a beautiful cycle when it goes well.
Yeah.
And so have a listen because it's a journey that most of us start alone.
Yeah, right.
But as you said, you've used the language.
You've made it to the point where you're immersed in the language learning in these communities where they're using the language, and that's very powerful.
Yeah.
So I hope everyone can also try this way too, finding someone in the online community or join our group classes, private classes.
So Peter, do you have any final thoughts about motivation?
Well, we shared our experience, and if you have thoughts or you'd like to share your experience, it'd be very interesting to hear because it's a very personal thing.
Yeah, that's right.
And we've received many types of letters and emails and feedback over the years from people on why they studied.
And to be honest, when I saw the survey and personal growth, or as we said, self-growth,
I think we swapped them.
Sorry, I kept swapping them, was the number one reason.
So people are very interested in investing in themselves.
And I think language learning has an incredible upside, a very big reward at the end of this journey.
And more than a second soul, it's that there are places in the world where you can go and practice this, make friends have deeper connections.
And later on in life, I think people who have invested in this skill have had a major incredible payoff when they get the time to travel and make these deep connections inside the places they go.
Yeah, you're right.
And also we talk about the motivation before, and we have PDF e-book, how to stay motivated with language learning with even more tips.
So look for that on the page in the PDF.
And probably explain more smoothly than we did here, but let us know.
Yeah.
It's quite challenging to cut the difference between the mindset and how that goes to the motivation and how goals and routine fit into motivation.
Probably we need a separate lesson on the goals and how goals become routine.
But successful goal setting and achievement is incredibly powerful for motivation because it allows for that progress.
Yeah.
So thank you so much for sharing a lot of tips today.
Okay.
If you have anything you'd like to share, let us know, and please share at inner circle at innovativelanguage.com.
And stay tuned for the next Inner Circle.
Bye, everyone.
Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.
Bye.

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