#intermediate plateau

Recently I have found myself on a Japanese learning plateau and I just feel stuck. I have felt stuck for a long time, like I will never get off of this plateau. Have you ever felt stuck in your learning?

I decided that I wanted to make a real effort to escape from the plateau and to see some real improvement in my Japanese language ability. So here are my collected notes and advice on the process of overcoming the language learning plateau.

What is a Language Learning Plateau?

Your language acquisition was moving along smoothly, and then suddenly everything ground to a snail's pace. The most popular textbooks are too easy, native materials that suit your level and aren't too hard are challenging to find, and making your own study plan seems daunting.

Apparently this plateau is inevitable, because when you first start learning a language you make progress quickly with new vocabulary and grammar and writing systems, but as you learn more and acquire more skills, you naturally slow down. The language learning plateau is most common when learners reach an intermediate level of language proficiency.

The good news is, there are ways to get over this plateau. The challenge is that it will take some work on your part.

Why I have trouble finding resources

To try to overcome my learning plateau and feel like I was moving forward, I started looking for new resources. The trouble is that there are so many resources available online and in print, but the number is so vast that it feels difficult to pick one, and I worry that I will pick the Wrong One.

Reviews: Reading reviews of language learning materials can be endless, or it can be difficult to find a review of a particular book or online resource for anything other than beginner materials. There may also be a plethora of suggested materials, but you might waffle on which ones to pick.

Level: I am not entirely sure of what my level is since it is difficult to measure without an exam, but I think I have an idea of my general level (lower advanced - N3/N2). I have outgrown most early textbooks, and I often pick out JLPT workbooks because it is easier to judge their level. However, JLPT resources tend to be geared toward test taking and therefore sometimes they can be a bit limited. Non-JLPT materials are more difficult to determine the level for, so some may be too advanced and some may be a bit too low level.

Money: I don't have an unlimited budget, so I have to read reviews and try to gauge if I think the resource is worth the investment. Sometimes I purchase a resource and then I don't touch it because I don't have the time to sit down and work through it. I also download lots of apps but I often don't sit down to get used to them and figure out the best way to use them. Free materials are very useful, but I also find myself downloading too much and then I don't touch more than half of them.

Time: I am busy and don't have much time to dedicate to studying, so reviewing resources can be a huge time sink for time that I'd rather spend studying. I can spend so much time looking up resources that I don't actually pick one to use. I also don't have unlimited time to study, so while the JLPT workbooks or non-JLPT textbooks are good resources, I have to break each section into very small chunks to fit them into my schedule and it takes a long time to finish a resource.

How to overcome the Language Learning Plateau

Here are some tips on how to overcome the language learning plateau:

Set clear goals If you don't have a clear goal on what you want to work toward, your studying will be less focused and you might become frustrated with your lack of progress. Set clear goals that are based on what you want to achieve with the language to provide focus. Be realistic with your goals and your current level, and set a specific timeline for them.

Try new methods If you've been relying on textbooks thus far and are burnt out or don't find them useful, try something else. Get creative, and look to see what approach others take. Try immersion, finding a tutor, playing a game in your target language, or downloading a new app.

Focus on problem areas This aligns with setting specific goals. Where do you struggle the most with the language? At the language plateau, bad habits or mistakes become more ingrained, so it's time to correct them. Figure out where you are the weakest and find creative ways to practice those weaknesses. Reading books, finding conversation partners on HelloTalk, and writing a diary could address those weaknesses. If you aren't sure where you are struggling, review things you already know and see where you get stuck. Try a mock JLPT exam near your level and see how you score. Focus on those weak points and strengthen your knowledge. You'll also be moving ahead as you discover new words, grammar points, etc.

Learn more vocabulary Limited vocabulary is one thing that can prevent you from overcoming your language plateau. Try reading books, articles, websites, etc. or find vocabulary flashcard sets that challenge you. Building up your vocabulary will help you to communicate more clearly and concisely in your target language.

Interact with native speakers This may be difficult where you live, but you can always look online for people who want to exchange languages with you. Writing messages or talking via voice calls are both great ways to improve how you think and form sentences in your target language, and you can get feedback from native speakers to help you fix mistakes and improve. Mimicking native speakers is a great way to sound more natural, so you could also try shadowing podcasts or videos.

NO, OF COURSE I DONT GET FRUSTRATED

Ahaha but in all seriousness, it really does get easier. I spend a good 90% of my day speaking, reading, and writing in Japanese now. Sometimes I find myself a little frustrated because I still don't have as free a range of expression in Japanese as I do in English, but bit by bit my vocabulary is expanding. And it never fails that I come across a completely new word every day. I always mark it down in my dictionary app.

For me, what helped me get over the intermediate plateau was making myself really aware of accomplishments. Throw away your humility. Pat yourself on the back over the smallest of things, like "Oh, I've been listening to this Japanese song for years but today I caught a word in it that I haven't been able to distinguish until now" or "Oh, look at that. I read that kanji without hesitating."

Really, be proud of all the little things, because that's what language acquisition is. Word by word we become fluent.

I’ve lived in Japan ever since I was able to watch Japanese TV and get anything out of it, so I’ve had access to a lot of dubbed content through Japanese Netflix and DVD rental stores here. That means I’m not best placed to answer this, but I have found one way that will help I think.There probably isn’t much dubbed-into-Japanese stuff online outside of paid streaming services because most uploaded shows are the original version with subtitles added, not dubbing and also the attitude towards media piracy seems a bit different here. people still buy/rent CDs and DVDs a lot.However, now there is a true Japanese Netflix site, much of the dubbing audio has been uploaded to different Netflix sites around the world. Netflix.com (the US version) has many shows in Japanese. I don’t know how to find a master list BUT if you’re browsing you can check by doing this:1. Click on the arrow to open the details page for whatever show you want to watch::

2. Click the white arrow on the right to get additional details and you can see this view:

If it says Japanese under the audio options then there’s a Japanese dub. 

3. Play the show and can change the audio track when watching using the subtitles/audio menu in the bottom right of the screen on the play bar.Because Netflix has a lot of original content this is a good place to start searching, shows like Master of None, Narcos, OITNB, House of Cards and Bojack Horseman are all dubbed into Japanese and shown on Netflix here, so there’s a good chance the Japanese audio will be available through other Netflix sites. This may well vary regionally though.There are many other shows available on US Netflix with Japanese audio too including The Americans, How to Get Away With Murder, Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, Mad Men, Downton Abbey and Jessica Jones.I recommend teen dramas like Pretty Little Liars that are not overly complex in terms of the vocabulary used for those still on the intermediate plateau like me. If you’re looking to learn specific vocabulary (legal/medical/political) then there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find something that suits you. When watching try to use 100% Japanese, but if there is a key scene (you can tell from the music and intonation) that you don’t understand re-watch just that scene and then switch back to Japanese audio.Whilst I don’t think hat dubbed audio is a true reflection of natural Japanese speech patterns, I do think dubbed media can be a good gateway into watching Japanese TV.I’ve just noticed they’ve added 50 episodes of Chibi Maruko Chan with Japanese audio to US Netflix. There’s no subtitles or option to switch to English and re-watch a scene with this as with the English audio, but I’ve watched all 50 episodes of this show and highly recommend it for intermediate learners still struggling a bit with native Japanese audio. It’s funny and easy to follow. There’s a lot of Peeping Life too, which is native Japanese audio and quite challenging at times, but funny and each episode is only 6m so it’s easy to watch and re-watch.

‘By changing the way you think, then, or in other words by changing the way you see how your learning curve really works, you will probably understand that in most cases, what you have reached is not a plateau, but simply an intermediate phase where it will take more and more time to get similar gains in fluency to what you got before.’ Source [x] We never imagine ourselves as being confused, as reaching our learning goals and being defined by what we still don’t understand, of arriving and thinking ‘Is this it?’. But this is my reality and I suspect the reality of many other intermediate learners. When you start learning you can easily exponentially increase your knowledge in a short time, from 5 to 10 words, then 10 to 20 words, all in rapid succession. Once you start to know a few thousand words and grasp everyday grammar though, you see, and more importantly feel, less return for the same efforts. You can continue learning at the same rate, but feel like your learning has slowed to a crawl, because the difference between 80 and 90 words is really obvious, but the difference between 3000 and 3010 is very difficult to perceive. The only solution to this is perseverance. This is not a sprint. It’s not a marathon either. There’s no finish line. Perhaps we have already arrived, or passed the points we dared to dream of when we set out, though the landscape may not be what we expected when seen close up. I don’t think we should let this dishearten us though. We still got so much further than we often thought we could.