It does not matter how old you are, it is never too late to start learning a foreign language. Many language learners are put off by their advancing years; they believe age is a barrier to learning an entirely new language. However, this is not the case.
A foreign language is not as difficult to learn as you might fear. You might have a slightly different accent than that of the native speakers, but here’s the great thing: it does not matter.
As long as you can be generally understood and hear the foreign language you wish to learn, you will have done enough.
Language learning is a process that takes time and practice. If you are willing to take a leap into something new and exciting in your life, then start today by learning that new language. You could begin by lowering your expectations. Do not tell yourself that there are six months to start speaking Spanish or a year to get fluent in French – it is highly unlikely for either to happen.
The point of learning a new language is to be able to communicate. You are not expected to give a lecture on Spanish grammar or the genderisms of the French language, you just want to talk. Therefore, lowering the expectations and setting that bar a lot lower is the first thing you should do (after choosing the language you want to learn).
It is a known fact that children learn languages (and just about anything else) much faster and easier than adults. A young child has a young and inquisitive mind and can learn up to four or five languages easily in the pre-adolescent stage.
However, adults have a distinct advantage over the very young. Older people tend to learn a language because they want to, unlike a young child. A toddler is easily distracted and will need regular breaks as the attention span wanders. This is not the case with a willing adult language learner.
Moreover, the adult will start to get a thrill when an exam or lesson has been passed. Each time a goal has been achieved, there is a feel-good factor that makes learning fun and inspiring.
Reference:
Why its never too late to learn a foreign language. (2018, January 25). Retrieved March 13, 2018, from https://www.mondly.com/blog/2017/06/15/never-late-to-learn-a-foreign-language/