Stop Asking "Am I Fluent Yet?", You Might Be Aiming For The Wrong Thing From The Start

We've all been there, asking ourselves this question countless times:

"When will I actually speak fluent English?" "Why, after all this time, do I still feel like I'm not 'fluent'?"

It's like this massive mountain, isn't it? Looming over every language learner. We're always convinced there's this ultimate treasure called 'fluency' at the summit, and once we get there, all our worries will simply vanish.

But what if I told you that mountain might not even exist?

Today, let's try a different approach. Instead of seeing language learning as climbing a mountain, let's imagine it's about learning to cook.

What Kind of "Chef" Are You?

When you first start cooking, you might only manage instant noodles and a fried egg. No worries there, at least you won't starve! That's just like when you're first figuring out how to order a coffee or ask for directions in a foreign language – that's your 'survival' stage.

Slowly but surely, you pick up a few go-to dishes. Think tomato and scrambled eggs, or even cola chicken wings... You can whip up a feed for your mates and family at home, and everyone's pretty happy with it. This is like when you can manage everyday chats with international friends. Sure, you might occasionally muck up a word or a bit of grammar (like adding a pinch too much salt to the dish), but the communication generally flows pretty well.

And that's when that nagging question pops up again: "Am I actually a 'fluent' cook?"

We often reckon 'fluency' means becoming a Michelin-starred gun chef. Mastering French, Japanese, Sichuan, Cantonese... Being able to whip up a perfect sauce with your eyes closed, knowing every ingredient inside and out.

Is that realistic? Fair dinkum, no way! Chasing that kind of 'perfection' will only stress you out big time, and eventually make you throw in the towel on cooking altogether.

True "Fluency" Is Becoming a Confident "Home Cook"

A good home cook isn't chasing perfection; what they're truly after is connection.

They might be a whiz at everyday tucker, but every now and then, they'll give something fancy like a tiramisu a crack. They might not know every professional term under the sun, but they know how to put ingredients together to make a meal taste ripper. Most importantly, they can pull off a successful dinner party – mates gathered around the table, scoffing down good food and having a good old yarn. The whole point of the meal is well and truly achieved.

Now that's the real goal of language learning.

• Fluidity > Absolute Accuracy Say a home cook is whipping up a dish and realises they're out of soy sauce – they don't just stand there scratching their head. They'll think, "Can I just chuck in a bit of salt and sugar instead?" And just like that, the dish keeps cooking, and the dinner party isn't derailed. It's the same with language learning: when you get stuck, do you just stop and rack your brain for that 'perfect' word, or do you find another way to get your meaning across and keep the conversation flowing? Keeping the conversation moving is far more important than every single word being perfect.

• Comprehension & Interaction A top-notch cook doesn't just know how to cook; they understand their 'diners'. Do they like spicy or sweet? Is anyone allergic to peanuts? Is this meal for a birthday bash or a business shindig? That's what determines what you'll cook. In language, 'interaction' is that kind of 'emotional intelligence'. You don't just need to understand the words someone says, you need to grasp the unspoken emotions and the underlying message. At its core, communication has never just been about language; it's always been about people.

Ditch the "Native Speaker" Obsession

"I want to sound just like a native speaker." That's like a cook saying, "I want to cook exactly like a Michelin-starred chef."

Not only is that completely unrealistic, it completely misses the point that there's no single, unified 'native speaker' standard. British 'Pommie' accents, American 'Yank' accents, Australian accents... they're all native speakers, but they sound heaps different. Just like a master of Sichuan cuisine and a master of Cantonese cuisine – both are top-tier Chinese chefs, but their styles are chalk and cheese.

Your goal isn't to be a clone of someone else; it's to be yourself. Your accent is a part of your unique identity, and as long as your pronunciation is clear and you can get your message across effectively, that's fair dinkum good enough.

So, How Do You Become a More Confident "Home Cook"?

The answer's pretty straightforward: cook more, host more.

You can't just watch without having a crack. Just poring over cookbooks (memorising vocab, learning grammar) is next to useless; you've gotta get into the kitchen and have a go yourself. Invite your mates over for a feed (find people to chat with), even if it's just the simplest tucker at first (the simplest conversations).

A lot of people will say: "I'm dead scared of stuffing it up! What if no one likes it?" (Or, "I'm dead scared of saying the wrong thing! What if they take the mickey out of me?")

That fear is perfectly normal. Luckily, we've now got tools to lend a hand. Imagine if you had a smart little helper in your kitchen, able to translate your 'diners'' requests in real-time, or remind you about the heat – wouldn't you be much more confident to give it a red hot go?

Intent is exactly that kind of tool. It's a chat app with built-in AI translation, letting you yarn seamlessly with anyone from any corner of the globe. You won't have to hesitate anymore, scared of not understanding or not being able to get your point across. It's like your 'kitchen secret weapon', taking care of the technical fiddly bits so you can just focus on the pure joy of 'cooking and sharing' – in other words, the ripper fun of connecting.

So, from today onwards, stop getting hung up on "Am I fluent yet?"

Ask yourself a much better question:

"Who do I want to 'share a meal' with today?"

Your goal isn't to become some unachievable 'Michelin-starred chef', but to be a happy, confident 'home cook' who can use language, this 'cracker feed', to warm themselves up and connect with others.

Head over to https://intent.app/ now and kick off your very first 'international dinner party'.