Advice from Polyglots
June 4th 2022, 11:03 PM by Evan Goodwin
Polyglots are people who speak more than two languages. Many speak more than five. They can provide valuable advice about learning languages efficiently and effectively. Many have developed a general system they apply to whatever language they want to learn.
Not every polyglot uses all the resources or methods below. Everything they do is tailored to what works best for them. However, you’ll hear these resources mentioned over and over by the most successful polyglots.
These are people who have honed their language learning skills with lots of experience and trial and error. You can use their tips and tricks for whatever language you want to learn.
Discover what works for you
Give different resources a week or two. Are you making progress? Does the resource motivate you? Is it fun? Is it easy to maintain consistency?
Most polyglot combine several resources to develop a process that works for them. Some start with a basic text on the language to get the gist. Later they may add media they are interested in. Some will use memory oriented apps. Some use complete online courses. They find language partners. They utilize online translation programs to increase their vocabulary. Most utilize a tutor at some point.
Sample a lot of resources and see what works. Don’t get too hung on any method if you don’t feel it is working for you. Maybe your favorite youtube language personality swears by an app or particular method. Certainly, try it out, but don’t keep using it if you aren’t making progress or it is difficult to use consistently.
In fact, you probably won’t find two polyglots that use the exact same methods or resources.
Experiment, but be honest about what works and what doesn’t.
Lots of input
Read and listen, Read and listen. But make sure it is something that really interests you.
Reading or listening shouldn’t be a chore. It shouldn’t be something you do to study a language.
Focus subject you are reading about. The acquisition learning should be a secondary activity that is happening happens in the background as a subconscious process.
Some polyglot specifically recommend using to music to learn a language. You can a good handle on the sounds of the language. If you are into the music, you can easily keep keep engaged on a consistent basic. Put some music on as you’re driving. Listen while you’re cleaning around the house.
In fact, many people around the world learned English through music because so much popular music was Enlgish. One polyglot said she said learned more German from listening to Rammstein than anything else. Maybe we will a the Metal Language Learning method soon!
Your approach should be developing your language skills to understand the text, not using the text to develop your language skills.
Frequency over intensity
Maybe you were a really successful crammer in school. You could absorb a lot of information with long, intense study sessions and do well on your tests the next day.
Maybe you even crammed with your language courses. You studied grammar structures for several hours, drilled yourself over and over. And you aced the test.
And I bet you probably can’t speak the language you studied with this method. Or at least, you probably weren’t able to speak after taking the class on its own. You can learn more about why you can't speak the language you learned in school.
If you want to really be able to speak and understand the language - acquire the language - consistent and frequent study sessions will be more effective than lengthy cram sessions.
You’ll do better with 30 minute sessions several times a week than two to three hour cram sessions once a week. Learning size bite sized pieces of information on a regular basis will be more effective than trying to ingest large chunks of information in one go.
In fact, the intensity of your steady sessions may work against you. You are able to absorb your new language better when you are relaxed. The subconscious processes that acquire language work better in this state. Being ‘keyed up’ or putting yourself in a heightened state of makes this subconscious less effective.
Studies have found Intense focus on the structures of language are ineffective in acquiring a language that leads to fluency. In part, learning this way uses the wrong part of your brain.
In short, learning this way puts information about the language in the wrong part of the brain. The information is not making to the specialized language centers of the brain responsible for spontaneous comprehension and speech.
Approaching language learning this way may enable you do perform school exercises. But you’re using language like solving a math problem. You aren’t using the new language like you use your native one.
We can see this phenomenon from the reverse situation. There are plenty of completely fluent native speakers that perform horribly when studying grammar or composition formally in school.
Get a Introductory Book for Beginners
You’ll use the book just to familiarize yourself with the language. You want to understand how the language work. Get some basic vocabulary down. Understand how the grammar works. See how basic sentences are structured. You’re not trying master the language from the book. You may not even work through the book as intended. Maybe you don’t want to go through the book in order. Don’t be afraid to bounce around to find just the information you need.
The intention in using these basic texts is to get the gist of the language. You want to get just enough information so you can start reading and listen to material you are interested in. As you read and listen, use these beginner texts to figure about structures are concepts that you can’t make sense of from the context alone. Don’t use these books to ‘learn the language.’ Use the books to get to the input stage as soon as possible.
Asslimi series
Use Apps
Not every polyglot uses app, but many do and recommend them. There is no one app that is recommended. Some people build their vocabulary with apps that focus mainly on memorization. Many of those apps utilize spaced repetition method that has been scientifically proven to enhance recall.
Some use apps associated with a particular online language course. Many of these apps offer course material to review and exercises to complete.
Some apps can help you find a tutor. These apps often have special features that can enhance tutoring sessions.
Polyglots often use various translation services to improve their vocabulary by looking up unfamiliar words.
There are a few other apps where you can find language partners and use the app to communicate with them, either through video, audio, chat, or text.
You can always use the Langa Learn app, which provides a steady stream of reading material personalized to your interests. You can listen to articles being read to improve your listening skills.
The app also provides many of the services mentioned above. You can translate unfamiliar words in context and store them in vocabulary bank. You can review your newly acquired vocabulary by taking quizzes. You can even review using the spaced repetition method. New features will be coming soon.
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Langa Learn helps you learn a language with material you are actually interested in. The blog provides you with the latest on practical language learning tips, language learning research, and stories about the language learning journeys of others learners.