This audiobook is an adaptation of a talk I presented at the Festival of Languages at Storyhouse in Chester last January. I tell my story about how I learn my first second language, English and how I overcome my fear of speaking it.

If you’re in a hurry, you can listen to the audiobook below or keep reading if you’re curious to know what inspired me to this for you today!

First, I was about NOT to send this audiobook to you today! 

Thanks to the attentive ears 👂of my boyfriend who “proof-listened” this audiobook, I realised that there are a few mistakes in it. Mispronunciation of words or some dropped S’s for plural …all little mistakes that I wanted to edit out before sending the final version to you!

But then, I thought that editing these mistakes out wouldn’t really make a massive difference.

Actually, leaving the audiobook unedited (so that you are able to hear my little language mistakes) would show you that one can still communicate a clear message in a foreign language despite mistakes.

My aim with this piece of content is to encourage you to speak the language you’re learning and overcome your fear of making mistakes… just like I did!

I want to remind you that the main goal is communication not perfection.

So whatever language you’ve been learning this year, remember that as long as you manage to speak it and communicate with it (even simple messages), you’re doing a great job!

Take every opportunity to use your second language in writing and speaking.

Celebrate mistakes. Mistakes are stepping stones towards your success.

Because when you make a mistake it means you’ve just gone out of your comfort zone (score!) and you’ve showed that you are ready to learn more.

Listen to the audiobook above or on Sound Cloud right here  to find out how I overcome my own fear of making mistakes when I was first started learning English.

I hope this audiobook inspires you to keep going in your language learning in the new year to come. And please keep me posted on how it is going.

After having listened to the audiobook, please let me know your own story in the comments below: why are you learning *fill in the blank* language? What’s your main frustration around it? 

Let me know and I’ll see how I can help you!

And if you’d like to practice a little bit of Italian with me, you can answer to the questions above in Italian (or English, if that’s your second language), record your answer on your phone and send it to me at thelanguageroseATgmail.com . 

I’ll definitely reply and, of course, give you some feedback — so you can progress further! 

I wish you a super successful, fulfilling and happy new year, full of language mistakes you can learn from!

Because, the more mistakes you make the more you learn, 

Buon anno,

Ermy***

P.S. Would you like to share this audiobook with your friends and family… thank you! That’s very kind and generous of you! Please use the social buttons below to share it with all the people in your world.

P.P.S. In Italian when we want to wish “Happy New Year” we say Felice Anno Nuovo or Buon Anno (“good year”) but we also have a phrase that wishes you a happy transition in the new year which is buona fine e buon inizio, which literally means “good ending and good beginning”. That’s exactly what I wish to you too! I’m sharing more cool phrases in my Instagram stories too (@thelanguagerose). Make sure you follow me there as well.