Stop Obsessing Over 'Fluency' – Your Understanding of Language Learning Might Be Wrong From the Start
Do you relate to this?
You've memorised three thousand words, your phone is brimming with learning apps, yet when you encounter a foreign friend, all you can manage is "Hello, how are you?". You start to question everything: what does it even mean to be "fluent"? This elusive goal feels like an insurmountable mountain, leaving you breathless.
We often feel that learning a foreign language is like preparing for a lengthy exam, with "fluency" being the elusive perfect score. But today, I want to tell you: this notion is fundamentally flawed.
Forget the exams. Learning a language is actually more akin to learning to cook.
See Language as Cooking, and Everything Clicks
Imagine a novice chef whose ultimate goal is to become a Michelin-starred master. If they focused solely on one thing – frantically memorising recipes and knowing the names and properties of thousands of ingredients inside out – would they be able to create delicious cuisine?
Of course not.
They might stare blankly at a pile of premium ingredients (the words you've memorised), completely clueless about how to heat a pan with oil, or how to combine flavours, ultimately serving up an inedible 'culinary disaster'.
Isn't this precisely our situation with foreign language learning? We obsess over "how many ingredients we've memorised" rather than "how many signature dishes we can prepare".
"Fluency" isn't about how many words you know; it's about whether you can use the words you already know to 'cook a decent meal' – in other words, to achieve effective communication.
Three Myths About "Fluency", Like Three Useless Cookbooks
Once you view language through the lens of "cooking", many long-standing dilemmas instantly become clear.
1. Myth One: Vocabulary = Fluency?
Someone once deemed me "not fluent" simply because I forgot an uncommon word during a conversation.
That's as ridiculous as saying a master Sichuan chef isn't a good cook because they don't know how to prepare French escargots.
A true culinary master doesn't strive to know every ingredient in the world; rather, they excel at using common, readily available ingredients to cook astonishingly delicious food. Similarly, the mark of a skilled language user isn't knowing every word in the dictionary, but rather the ability to cleverly utilise the vocabulary they possess to express their thoughts clearly and effortlessly.
2. Myth Two: Is "Fluency" a Black-and-White Finish Line?
We often assume language proficiency exists in only two states: "fluent" or "not fluent".
This is akin to categorising chefs solely as "culinary gods" or "kitchen novices". But in reality, is someone who can only make scrambled eggs with tomato considered able to cook? Of course! They've successfully sorted out their own lunch.
Your language proficiency is just the same. If today you can successfully order a coffee in a foreign language, you possess "coffee-ordering fluency". If tomorrow you can discuss a film with a friend, you have "film-discussion fluency".
"Fluency" isn't a distant finish line; it's a dynamic, ever-expanding range. Your goal shouldn't be to "become a Michelin-starred chef", but rather, "what dish do I want to learn to cook today?"
3. Myth Three: Are Native Speakers "Perfectly Fluent"?
Ask your friends: do they know all the idioms in Chinese? Do they know the meanings of words like 'bò huà', 'kěn qìng', or 'chuō lì'?
Chances are, they don't.
Statistics show that the vocabulary a native speaker masters throughout their life typically only accounts for 10-20% of their native language's total vocabulary. Yes, if there were a "grand exam" on our native tongue, every one of us would fail.
Native speakers are "fluent" not because they are omniscient, but because they use language effortlessly and naturally within their familiar spheres of life and work. They are experts in their own "culinary domain", not omnipotent food gods.
Stop Chasing Phantoms, Start the Real "Cooking"
So, stop asking "how can I become fluent?".
Instead, you should ask yourself a more specific, more empowering question: "What do I want to accomplish with a foreign language today?"
Do you want to chat about your hometown with a new foreign friend? Or understand an article about your idol? Or hold a brief meeting with a client?
Break down that seemingly insurmountable mountain of "fluency" into small, actionable "recipes". With each one you complete, your confidence and ability will grow.
The essence of learning isn't "input"; it's "creation". The best way to learn is to step directly into the "kitchen" and start doing.
Of course, experimenting alone in the kitchen can feel a bit lonely and helpless, especially when you can't find the right "ingredients" (words) or don't know the "cooking steps" (grammar).
At such times, a good tool is like an assistant chef on standby. For example, the Intent chat app, with its built-in AI translation feature, acts as your "smart cookbook". When you get stuck, it can instantly help you find the most authentic expressions, allowing you to communicate seamlessly with friends across the globe. It creates a real kitchen for you, enabling you to confidently "craft" every conversation through practice.
True growth stems from every genuine interaction, every successfully "served" conversation.
From today, let go of that ethereal word, "fluency".
Focus on "that dish" you want to prepare today, and savour the joy of creating connections through language. You'll find that when you stop chasing the view from the mountaintop, you're already walking within the scenery.