Stop Just 'Mugging Up' Foreign Languages, It's Time to 'Savour' Their Flavour

Do you also feel this way?

Your vocabulary books are tattered, you've never missed a daily task on language apps, and you know grammar points inside out. You've put in immense effort, perhaps even cleared high-difficulty exams.

But deep down, you always feel a slight sense of frustration: when it's time to actually speak with a foreigner, those perfect sentences in your mind instantly evaporate, leaving you with just nervousness and silence. You feel like someone who scores high marks but lacks practical ability in the language, despite knowing so much, you can't put it into practice.

Where does the problem lie?

Because many of us have been going in the wrong direction from the very beginning. We've been 'studying' the language, instead of 'experiencing' it.

Learning a language is like learning to cook

Imagine you want to become a master chef.

You buy a stack of top-notch recipe books, and you've memorised the characteristics of every ingredient, the techniques of every knife cut, and the steps for every dish by heart. You can even recite, with your eyes closed, what goes first and what comes next for 'Kung Pao Chicken'.

Tell me, at this point, would you consider yourself a good chef?

Of course not. Because you've never truly stepped into a kitchen, never personally handled the ingredients to gauge their quantities, never felt the change in oil temperature, and never even tasted the dishes you cooked yourself.

Our predicament in learning foreign languages is exactly the same.

• Vocabulary books and grammar books are your recipe books. They are important, but merely theoretical.
• Vocabulary and grammar rules are your ingredients and cooking techniques. They are foundational, but inanimate by themselves.

And the true soul of a language – its culture, its humour, its warmth, the vibrant people and stories behind it – that is the true 'flavour' of the dish.

Just by looking at recipe books, you can never truly understand the charm of fine cuisine. Similarly, by just mugging up vocabulary and grammar, you can never truly master a language. You are merely 'reciting' a language, not 'savouring' it, feeling it, or letting it become a part of you.

How to go from 'Mugging Up Recipes' to 'Becoming a Master Chef'?

The answer is simple: Put down that thick 'recipe book' and step into the bustling 'kitchen'.

1. Treat language as a 'condiment', not a 'task': Stop learning just for the sake of learning. Find something you genuinely love – be it games, beauty products, movies, or sports – and then engage with them using the foreign language. What meme is your favourite gaming streamer talking about? Why is that dialogue in your favourite American TV series so funny? When you explore with curiosity, language stops being just dry words and becomes a key to a new world.

2. Don't fear 'getting the cooking wrong', just go for it boldly: The biggest hurdle is often the fear of making mistakes. But which master chef didn't start by burning a few dishes? You need a place where you can boldly 'try out your skills'. Interacting with real people is the only shortcut.

Perhaps you'll say: "I don't have foreigners around me, nor do I have a language environment!"

This used to be a challenge, but now, technology has given us a perfect 'simulated kitchen'. For example, the chat app Intent has built-in top-tier AI translation. You can type in Chinese, and it can instantly translate it into authentic foreign language to send to the other person; the other person's reply can also be instantly translated into Chinese for you to understand.

It's like having a friend by your side who's both a culinary expert and a translator, encouraging you to directly communicate with 'food connoisseurs' (native speakers) from all over the world, without worrying about your 'cooking skills being subpar'. You can make friends without any pressure and experience the most authentic and vibrant flavour of the language.

Click here to instantly step into your 'world kitchen'

The world of language is far more delicious than you imagine

So, my friend, stop treating language as a subject you need to conquer.

It's not an exam with standard answers. It's a journey of endless flavours.

Go and savour its taste, feel its warmth, use it to share your stories, and to listen to others' stories. You'll find that when you stop obsessing over 'getting every grammar question right', you'll actually be able to express the most touching words.

From today, try a different approach. Put down the 'recipe book' and step into the 'kitchen'.

You'll discover that the world of language is far more delicious than you imagine.