The secret of learning new language [TED]

When I learning Spanish, I was bored with the text in the textbook.

I mean, who wants to read about Jose. asking about the directions to the train station. Right?

我的意思是，谁想读关于何塞的书。询问去火车站的方向。正确的

I want to read "Harry Potter" instead, because that was my favorite book as a child, and I have read it many times.

So I got to the Spanish translation of “Harry Potter" and started reading, and sure enough, I didn't understand almost anything at the beginning, but I kept on reading because I loved the book, and by the end of the book, I was able to follow it almost without any problem.

And the same thing happened when I was learning German.I decided to watch "Friends", my favorite sitcom, in German.

and again, at the beginning it was all just gibberish.

而且，一开始，一切都是胡言乱语。

I didn't know where one word finished and another one started, but I kept on watching every day because it's "Friends.". I can watch it in any language. I love it so much.

And after the second or third season, seriously, the dialogue started to make sense. I only realized this after meeting other polyglots.

We are not geniuses and we have no shortcut to learning languages. We simply found ways how to enjoy the process, how to turn language learning from a boring school subject into a pleasant activity which you don't mind doing everyday.

If you don't like writing words down on paper, you can always type them in an app.

If you don't like listening to boring textbook material, find interesting content on YouTube or in podcasts for any language.

If you're a more introverted person and you can't imagine speaking to native speakers right away, you can apply the method of self-talk. You can talk to yourself in the comfort of your room, describing your plans for the weekend, how your day has been, or even take a random picture from your phone and describe the picture to your imaginary friend.

This is how polyglots learn languages, and the best news is it's available to anyone who is willing to take the learning into their own hands.

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So meeting other polyglots helped me realize that it is really crucial to find enjoyment in the process of learning languages, but also that joy in itself is not enough.

If you want to achieve fluency in a foreign language, you'll also need to apply three more principles.

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First of all, you'll need effective methods. If you try to memorize a list of words for a test tomorrow, the words will be stored in your short-term memory and you'll forget them after a few days. If you, however, want to keep words long term,you need to revise them in the course of a few days repeatedly using the so-called space repetition.

You can use apps which are based on this system such as Anki or Memrise, or you can write lists of word in a notebook using the Goldlist methods, which is also very popular with many polyglots.

If you're not sure which methods are effective and what is available out there, just check out polyglots' YouTube channels and websites and get inspiration from them. If it works for them it will most probably work for you too.

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The third principle to follow is to create a system in your learning.We'are all very busy and no one really has time to learn a language today. But we can create that time if we just plan a bit ahead. Can you wake up 15 minutes earlier than you normally do ?That would be the perfect time to revise some vocabulary.Can you listen to a podcast on your way to work while driving? Well,That would be great to get some listening experience.

There are so many things we can do without even planning that extra time, such as listening to podcasts on our way to work or doing our household chores.

The important thing is to create a plan in the learning. "I will practice speaking every Tuesday and Thursday with a friend for 20 minutes. I will listen to a YouTube video while having breakfast.".

If you create a system in your learning, you don't need to find that extra time, because it will become a part of your everyday life.