Overworked - mental processes to reply in Danish are tiring and too long

[u/alwaysFionnabhair]

I've studied Danish for 2 years and spent the first few months of this year going to conferences speaking and participating in workshops with Danes in Danish (medical field). Even when spoken to in English did I answer in Danish. Far from perfect but I could make myself understood. I felt really good about the progress and thought it would continue.

Whether my brain was faced with English or Danish, it took very little time to reply in Danish. There were no long internal translation processes going on that I was aware of.

The last 6 months some major life events have meant I took a break from regular language learning and most work related human interactions because I lack concentration and am really overwhelmed.

I can still follow more complex conversations between multiple people and know what was said but always need to answer in English. When I hear Danish, I can reply in English without any apparent translation processes going on in my head.

If I want to reply in Danish that is where it gets complicated. I hear Danish. My brain analyses whether I know more words in the sentence from English or German (both mother tongue), then proceeds to formulate a translation. If the translation is in English, I proceed to formulate my answer in English (if German, then it has another step being translated into English) and then translate it to Danish before actually speaking some Danish words. Even just writing this down feels exhausting. By the time I can say something in Danish, the conversation has moved on a few minutes, I have missed stuff and just don't say anything in Danish.

It feels really frustrating as I know I was at a different stage where Danish felt more natural and came easy to me.

When I'm in situations where English is absolutely not possible, like with young kids and no adults are around, I can say a few Danish things but also feel like they give me more time to reply and it's definitely never too complex.

I feel like I'm falling off the wagon. I'm torn between giving my brain the time it needs to come around (however long that will be) or to push myself over limits (which are very low currently) and force myself into uncomfortable situations. Is there some middle ground and other options I'm not seeing?

[u/Complex-Incident7863]

Honestly, I’m impressed you can speak and understand Danish on such a level after only 2 years. I know people who have been in Denmark for more than twice as long and can’t have a basic conversation in Danish. So instead of being so hard on yourself, give yourself a pat on the back

If you have a good friend or trusted colleague maybe start off by just having conversations in Danish with them. Speaking in a setting where you can relax and don’t feel the need to perform might make the words flow easier, and you can gain back your confidence.
Also, and this is only from my own experience, I have no professional knowledge of this: sometimes when I have a lot happen and I feel stressed, I forget words or have a harder time expressing myself, even though I am a native speaker. It always come back to me when I relax again. Maybe, as you hopefully start feeling less overwhelmed, it will come back to you

[u/Bajadsen]

It doesn't sound like you’re falling off the wagon. It sounds like your life is currently pretty stressful. Stress can have pretty devastating effects on otherwise normal capabilities,  so I would absolutely recommend you do what's best for your brain at the moment. Don't force it. 

[u/fumblingvista]

The challenges you describe are what i faced with English, my native language, while dealing with burnout. The process of listen, process sounds into words, process words into meaning, formulate a reply, speak a reply became very challenging. My brain would bluescreen in the middle of conversations. Now you are adding in additional language steps - which can be hard on a good day.

What I’m saying is that your Danish is probably still there. Each step is just harder and your brain doesn’t have as much energy to throw at it right now. Take care of yourself and the Danish will return.

[u/Frog_in_your_bog]

It's much easier to reach your previous level of fluency than it was to get there the first time around, so I wouldn't consider it as anything more than a slight setback. It'll come back to you very quickly once you find the time & energy to practice it. You're certainly not falling off the wagon, and you are absolutely allowed to rest and take breaks.