How Polyglots Learn a New Language
Effective ways to learn a new language fast.
Learning another language is not learning different words for the same things, but learning another way to think about things. — Flora Lewis
Research shows that small children learn the language faster than adults. But it does not mean adults do not have a hope to learn a new one or sometimes multiple languages.
I consider myself as a “polyglot”-who speaks multiple languages. I am sure there are many tangible benefits to being multilingual. One of the best and most rewarding is connecting with others.
A multilingual person always has more opportunities in personal and professional life. Nowadays, it’s possible you may not be eligible to apply if you are not bilingual.
For example, in Canada, especially in Montreal, many jobs required speaking French and English.
Here I am breaking down the 5 best strategies polyglots use to learn a new language.
Let’s dive in!
Set SMART learning goals
Always start with a tiny goal. Let’s say you want to study for 15 minutes each day. Don’t think about the ending goal; instead, pay attention to what you achieved today or this week.
I recommend working on SMART goals: Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-constraint. By setting smart goals, I would suggest sticking to a framework by language experts. For example:
A0: Starter
A1: Elementary
A2: Pre Intermediate
B1: Intermediate
B2: Upper Intermedia
C1: Advanced
Why this framework?
These levels are 100% measurable because many well-known institutes can take your test. It depends on which language you are looking forward to learning this year.
The scale is pretty different from European languages to measure Chinese or Japanese.
Always stay motivated by asking this simple question. Why did you start to learn this language?
Learning a foreign language can be a challenging task, but it all depends on how much time you are willing to put in.
You can check this article on how to focus this year or why successful people spend at least 5 hours per week learning something new.
Tip: Consistency is the key.
Pick up 50 words of a language and start using them on people — and then slowly start picking up grammar. — Judith Matz
Make new friends
Friendship is one best way to learn a foreign language and the quickest to become familiar with slang (friends always teach you slang first) and accent.
You can simply start talking with your friends at cafés, online classes, and restaurants to practice your learning words.
Making friends who are native speakers or the ones learning has the advantage to practice and speed up the process to learn the new language.
I highly recommend starting attending events in your region. Almost every city has a community of individuals who speak the language you want to learn.
I spent a couple of years in Vancouver, a highly multicultural city. I learned basic Japanese from my colleagues and meetups.
Use technology to learn online
We live in a technologically advanced society, and the internet is the best thing that happened to mankind to stay connected across the globe.
You can literally learn a language from Google translator, a Youtuber, and/or online communities.
You can find many articles like this, online communities, and youtube channels (the best). Polyglots say that the internet is ready to help you take your language to the next level.
Online courses
When I moved to Canada, I bought a couple of courses from Udemy and Coursera (free class) to polish my English. I realized that people are having a hard time understanding me, especially when I speak over the phone.
I worked hard to improve my accent. I am fortunate to make some good friends who were happy to take me under their wings to polish my language.
Tip: If you have a hard time pronouncing a word, simply use the function “define” in the google search bar and hit enter.
Example: define language
Mistakes are your friends
Make mistakes. Learn from them. Move on.
Polyglots say that one common fear people have is making mistakes or feeling embarrassed while practicing the language. This one is the main obstacle to learning the language, especially improving it.
Here is a trick to practice your language without any fear. Try to practice your language with someone younger than you.
I was stoked when I was chatting with an Italian toddler and realized we had the same level of Italian. — Judith Matz
Practice is the key to learning anything in life.
Bottom line
Being a polyglot, I recommend you to focus on one language at one time until you reach at least the intermediate level (B1). If you start to learn a new language, make your goal to speak at a comfort level, then move on to the next one.
If you want to speak a language fluently, you need to do these three things:
- keep improving
- practice daily
- If possible, move to the native region/country to learn the culture
Improvement will take time, but once you are at B1 or above level, the language will stay with you for the rest of your life.
I highly recommend joining this polyglot community to learn a new language.
Keep learning!
Thank you for reading.
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