5 Reasons Why Language Immersion Isn’t Working for You

A lot of people go into the language immersion method thinking it’s a magical technique that will make them fluent in a week.

Unfortunately, it’s not that easy.

I have read several forum posts and articles in which the writers express their frustrations with not progressing fast enough or at all.

Language immersion is a great language learning method, but it’s not for everyone.

However, if you fail to see any progress, it might be because you are doing it wrong. The people I’ve seen struggle with language immersion usually fall into the same traps, rendering their studies almost useless.

Here are five reasons why language immersion isn’t working for you – and how you can fix it!

1. Passive engagement

Humans love being comfortable, and we often avoid hard tasks as much as possible.

I love sweets, but even though I know they’re unhealthy, I still consume them. Likewise, I know that going to the gym and working out would improve my health and longevity. Yet, the older I get, the less time I spend lifting weights.

This is also true for language learning.

Numerous times have I found myself playing language games, rather than practicing grammar. The latter is what I need, but not what I do, because it’s not comfortable – it’s boring.

A lot of the people who don’t see progress with the language immersion method seem to rely solely on passive exercises. In some cases, they hardly engage in active practice at all.

Watching movies, listening to podcasts, and reading books can only take you so far. You need to engage with the language in other ways, too. Speak to natives, construct your own sentences and take an active position, rather than just receiving information.

Description: Being too passive and not engaging with the language. Mostly reading and listening.

Solution: Actively engage with the language with native speakers. Speak and write as much as possible.

2. Starting too early and too heavy

Some say you should have reached a B1 level before adopting the language immersion method, while others believe you should be far more advanced than that.

The truth is that nobody knows exactly when it’s appropriate to start the method.

But it’s quite clear when you shouldn’t.

I always aim to reach at least a B1 level before subscribing to total immersion. If I do so earlier than that, I will just spend a lot of time listening or reading things I have no clue what they mean. It’s a waste of time.

A common mistake is adopting language immersion way too early. When they should have been studying grammar and practicing vocabulary, they tried listening to an hour-long podcast filled with slang, fast speech, and advanced words.

This leads me to the second mistake I see people make: they use too advanced material – like the above example. It’s essential to use material that is at or slightly above your level.

When I pick out material, I tend to use media where I understand at least 80% of what is being said or written. If I can’t understand half of it, then I know it’s not what I should be using at this moment.

Description: Starting too early or using material that is too advanced.

Solution: Start using language immersion around B1-level, and only use material that is only slightly above your level.

3. Over-reliance on translation

Partial language immersion lets you translate and use your native tongue while immersed in your target language. This is, obviously, helpful to quickly translate words and sentences and improve your vocabulary.

However, relying too much on translations can make you lazy. Instead of letting your brain search for a solution, you give it the answer. This is a dangerous mentality and routine, as it changes your brain’s thinking patterns.

Let’s say you are reading a long sentence and see a word you don’t understand. You’ve heard it before, but you don’t remember what it means. By instinct, you reach for Google Translate to see what it is. You get the answer. Boom, done.

Imagine if you didn’t have a translation tool and had to figure it out yourself. You recognize the word; you’ve seen it before. You think of the context where you have seen it previously, how it was used, and, aha! That’s it! You got it. Now the whole sentence makes perfect sense.

Your brain is powerful and it has a great ability of storing information and connecting dots. Do not let that ability go to waste, use it.

Your brain works like a muscle; it will become weak and slow if you don’t use it. When you activate and use your brain, it will maintain or improve its strength.

Perhaps you remember the first time you learned a language? Most likely, you were exhausted after the first hour. But after each lesson, you got less and less tired. That’s because you used parts of your brain that weren’t as active before that.

The point is that relying on translation tools for every situation might not only make you lazy but also decrease your ability to connect the dots on your own.

Description: Relying too much on translation tools instead of letting your brain connect the dots.

Solution: Think more, use your notes, and translate less.

4. Unrealistic expectations

I know, this sounds like a filler.

But a lot of people have unrealistic expectations of the language immersion method. That’s not their fault. Most often, they think that “language immersion is all you need” because an influencer on social media said so.

The truth is that you need to study as well.

It is not enough to watch movies and TV shows, read books, and listen to podcasts. It is fun, and it can be incredibly helpful, but it takes more than that.

Traditional learning, like reading grammar books, repeating vocabulary, and using flashcards, is still essential to learning a language.

Since language immersion is often highlighted as “the best language learning method,” some people think it will be a walk in the park and that they will see great progress in a short timeframe. But as with any other technique and method, practice makes perfect. It takes time.

Description: Thinking that traditional studying isn’t needed and that language immersion means instant success.

Solution: Use flashcards, grammar books and other traditional materials as well. Understand that language immersion isn’t a miracle method to learn a language in 3 weeks.

5. Lack of balance

We all have our preferred way of learning. Some enjoy reading books, others prefer watching movies or doing flashcards hours on end.

Many people make the mistake of not diversifying their exercises. Most often, they don’t speak nearly enough.

It’s easier to read and listen than it is to find a native speaker to talk to. But speaking is a crucial part of language, and it’s important not to deprive yourself of that exercise.

Nowadays there are apps where you can find people who speak your target language. There are also chat servers online that are open to the public. But the best way is, in most cases, to find a teacher with whom you can speak with.

However, you might have the reverse issue. You are speaking the language all the time, but hardly ever read it. That’s an imbalance that should be addressed as well.

Language immersion means surrounding yourself with your target language in all its forms: speak, listen, read, and write. Try to find a balance between them all.

Description: Focusing too much on one part of the language, for example, only reading or speaking.

Solution: Find a balance where you practice all the ways language is communicated. Speak, listen, read, and write.

6. Not really being immersive

I once spoke to a man who claimed that language immersion doesn’t work and that “it’s all fake”. He reasoned that he had lived in Germany for six years and still didn’t speak or understand German.

It wasn’t until later that I realized why he didn’t speak the language despite living and working in Germany for almost seven years.

The first reason is that he didn’t try. He had never taken classes or self-studied other than his German wife trying to teach him some basic phrases.

But he did know about “language immersion”, so he wasn’t entirely out of the loop in terms of language learning. Based on the things he told me, he seemed to think that the language would “just come” to him, simply by being around it.

That’s not how language immersion works. It’s not a passive method that just arrives at your doorstep. You have to study, as with any other language model.

He wasn’t involved in passive language immersion, either. He spoke English with his wife and colleagues. His friends were all English-speaking ex-pats, and the local grocery shop spoke to him in English.

He had also found a doctor and a dentist who spoke English. Whenever his car needed fixing, his wife would go to the mechanic, as they only spoke German.

Not very immersive, is it?

This was a kind-hearted man who did a lot of good in the world, so do not think I’m putting him down in any way. I am merely demonstrating the point that it takes more than just being around the language; you have to be in the language.

I’ve seen similar cases online, albeit not as drastic, where people think they are using the language immersion method, but in reality, they are not. As with any other studying technique, it’s essential to be structured, plan, and do things with intention.

Description: Not being immersed in the language enough for it to be beneficial.

Solution: Set up a plan and a schedule to structure your language immersion.