68. Conquering Anxiety of Learning a Foreign Language
Dr. Taghreed M. Al-Saraj
Dr. Taghreed M. Al-Saraj is an international educational researcher in applied linguistics, and bestselling author of The Anxious Language Learner. The book is full of her personal experiences and struggles that have led to her becoming a leadership coach who has helped hundreds overcome their anxieties about learning a foreign language.
How Did You Start Using Your Talents?
As the eight-year old daughter of a Saudi diplomat, Taghreed was placed in an English-only class, not knowing a word. Intently listening, she was enchanted by her teacher’s intonation of “etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.” Unconsciously she blurted out the words. Everyone laughed. Suddenly motivated, “In three months, Boom! I got English down!”
The Most Impactful Turning Point?
Even now, as a post-doctoral student at UC Berkeley and founder of EducateRight.com, her childhood empathy about language anxiety motivated her to learn yet another language, Turkish, while researching her latest book. Writing to a non-academic audience, she wanted to experience afresh the fears she was exploring for her readers.
The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?
“If you have a happy emotion with learning a language you’re going to continue. But if you have negative associations and anxiety, of course you’re not going to want to continue. You don’t need more stress in your life! These are the emotions we deal with in my research and my consulting.”
On Her Bookshelf
The Anxious Language Learner: A Saudi Woman’s Story, by Dr. Taghreed Al-Saraj
Top Tools on Her Browser
Google.com
Connecting With Dr. Taghreed M. Al-Saraj
Website:
www.EducateRight.com
Facebook:
Dr. Taghreed Alsaraj/EducateRight.com
Twitter:
@taghreedalsara1
LinkedIn:
www.linkedin.com/in/taghreedalsaraj
