In our time people are looking for ways to acquire proficiency in a foreign language  more than ever before. They do it in order to gain valuable skills,    and help make  themselves more marketable in the workforce. Employers are searching for employees  who are proficient in a diverse range of foreign languages but are increasingly reporting  severe shortages in foreign language speakers.

Learning a language well depends on so many different factors, and learners are also different.  Some learners may be more successful due to such uncontrolled factors as gender, intelligence, age, etc.  But, to some degree, they do have  control over what strategies they employ, although we still do not really know to what  extent this has a positive impact.

Here are some characteristics of a successful language learner described by researchers. 

For successful language learning you must be self-confident, well-motivated and  have no difficultieds in learning  languages.  You can be assertive most of the time, and can be either spontaneous  or cautious, depending on the situation.  You have to be strong-willed, interested,  opinionated, passionate, intellectual, creative, stubborn and energized. In order to achieve a considerable level of successful language learning you have to be out-going and talkative, and interested in foreign cultures. One important factor is your  ego permeability  which  can be called  "flexible ego". This refers to your lack of fear of using a language  incorrectly: you shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes or even being foolish. Finally,  to always embellish your language learning experience, you must not  rest on your laurels, and always continue to learn.

Successful language learners appear to use a wider range of strategies in a larger number  of situations than weaker learners.

Some learners may not be aware of which strategies they  use or which strategies are available.  A good teacher can therefore help these  learners to recognize the power of using strategies of successful language learning by  integrating learner-strategy training into the regular lesson, teaching them how to evaluate each strategy, and how and why to use them. It is important though that the individual  language tasks, and the characteristics of each learner, are taken into account when implementing  such training.  Some learners may be resistant to change, and the teacher should be creative to find tactful and delicate approaches.

These are just a sample of ideas, and more activities have been suggested by, for instance,  Oxford.  What is important is that the students find the ways that suit them best. In order to offer instruction in many traditional languages and LCTLs, colleges and  universities are turning to alternative solutions to traditional language instruction.

Many  institutions are developing new formats for teaching. But we have to be aware that recent development is not a guarantor of our success.

Our personal qualities are more important in successful language learning and we can  develop them in our way to become  self-initiating learners, taking responsibility for  our learning, and creating our own learning opportunities.