How to Fall in Love With a Language

You may be surprised by the title of this post, and if that is the case, then there is no need to worry, because I felt the same way when I first watched Luca Lampariello’s video that is down below. I have already used this terminology before, but even so, it can be hard to explain why I “am in love” with a language, as falling in love with something is usually only applied to people. On the other hand, falling in love with a language is a passion and a drive. When you experience this feeling and have such a strong connection to one, it is hard to let it go and not be in constant interaction with it.

Although I love all 6 languages that I have studied, it was not until I started learning German that I realized what loving a language truly meant. Before doing so, I had never started a language from scratch, and therefore had never had to go through the full journey of mastering a language. Please keep in mind that I am not fluent in any language other than my two native tongues, Spanish and English, quite yet, but am close to doing so in French, German, and Italian.

To this day, it is hard for me to point out a specific moment in which my infatuation with German grew, however, the simple fact that its grammar, syntax, and ways of phrasing and putting words together was so different from anything that I had ever been asked to do made it thrilling. As I progressed in my German skills, I realized that I could no longer translate from German to English and vice-versa to fully convey my thoughts and express myself. Instead, I had to start thinking like a German and be like one. I could not think of how an American would approach a situation, but rather what a German would say to fill in the gaps in conversations. For example, it is very common for Americans to ask how someone is doing and to receive “good”, or “fine” as a response, when in many cultures saying so may be offensive, or sound exaggerated. In German, I have found it more acceptable to say how I actually feel instead of giving answers that others what me to say (ex: “I am exhausted”, or “I could be better”).

I message my friends whom I met at my language institute in Frankfurt on a daily basis. I have FaceTimed them and have made sure to keep in touch with them by asking them about their lives. Whenever I am sad, or need some motivation to complete a difficult task, I listen to some of my favorite German songs. I also have my phone in German, as it is currently the only langauge that I am not taking in college, so that I can keep it fresh. I watch German YouTube videos, and, most importantly, I keep it close to my heart. It is incorporated into most important parts of my life to ensure that it does not slip away. This does not mean that I go over tedious grammar exercises for hours on end, but rather make it be present throughout the day in whatever ways I can.

As Luca says in the video, in order for you to have a powerful connection with a language, “you have to find a reason…It’s more about the experiences that [you] have with a language, the things that are represented by that language.” I agree with his statement that committing to a language is a lifelong quest. “You have to give it daily care. In order to do that, you have to have some kind of long-term plan, or goal.” You cannot only know how to keep this love story going, but you also have to know why you are trying to do so and know how to deal with this love that you have developed over time. In other words, you have to make your language be present in your life by learning about topics that are personal to you. You have to make it exciting and make some sacrifices by doing whatever you would otherwise do in your mother tongue in your target language (ex: by watching videos, listening to music, or watching cook shows) without forcing yourself, or dreading to do so.

If you have not experienced this feeling yet, I want you to know that I believe in you. Now that 2016 is coming to a clsoe, it is a perfect opportunity for you to reassess what you have done thus far in your language-learning process: what has worked and what has not, as well as what you want to continue to do, what you would like to start doing, and what you should no longer do. Remember that the most important thing is that you enjoy the process, no matter how many roadblocks you may face. It is important to constantly remind yourself why you are learning that language in the first place and to be thankful that that language is a part of your life. Once you remind yourself of all of the people and memories that you associate with it, you will be off to a great start.

As a bonus, here is a link of a Huffington Post article titled: “Falling in Love with a Foreign Language: The Risks of a Metaphor” that you may find interesting: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/lucy-bell/learning-foreign-language_b_7488534.html.

What’s The Best Age To Learn A Second Language?

One of the most common questions that adults ask themselves regarding language learning is when it is the best time to acquire a new language. Although most studies suggest, and oftentimes scientifically prove, that the ideal time-period is childhood, I hope that you are convinced that this is not always necessarily true.

As the video above explains, there are several theories that suggest that if you get more exposure to a language at a young age, ages 2-13, you have more plasticity in your brain, which is better at making connections and is more adaptable. On the other hand, adults' brains are better at focusing and have complex thought processes, making it faster when learning a new language. The main reason behind this phenomenon is that you are using conscious systematic learning.

That being said, I have met just as many bilingual and multilingual individuals who have acquired a second, or a third language as early as birth up to their 80s. I, myself, have a little bit of bias, as I have always been brought up bilingually and have acquired the benefits that come along with it, but am just as motivated and dedicated to my language studies as individuals who were brought up monolingually. If you want to learn about my experience being raised in a bilingual household and what it was like to attend a bilingual elementary school, make sure to read my post "Raising Your Kids Bilingually” in March 2016. For more information about bilingualism, make sure to read my post “5 Benefits of Bilingualism: Why You Should Be Blingual” in February 2016.

I want to assure you that age is nothing but a number and that anyone is capable of starting from scratch, or of restarting language learning at any age. Due to our incredible brains, we are able to acquire new information at a rapid speed and have the possibility of communicating with all types of people. If you are above 13 and are reading this, do not automatically beat yourself up and tell yourself that you can never learn another language. Most importantly, try not to get into the mentality that you are too old, or were not a good enough student in your language class, and therefore cannot pick one up. My biggest recommendation is to get into a positive mindset, and even trick yourself into believing that you will reach a somewhat difficult goal sooner than you would expect. It is all psychological: if you tell yourself that you can do it, the motivation will come more easily. As the little blue engine said, "Can you do it?"... "Yes you can."

If you were struggling with motivating yourself to start, or to build up on your language, you might benefit by reading my post titled "How to Stay Motivated When Learning a Language" in March 2016. Aside from that, make sure to watch inspirational YouTubers who were monolingual a few years back, but have come to master, and to become fluent in dozens of languages. My favorite polyglots from which to gain inspiration are: Benny Lewis, Tim Doner (I have an entire post devoted to how he inspired me to become a hyperpolyglot titled "Tim Doner: The Hyperpolyglot That Inspired Me" in February 2016), and Luca Lampariello.

How To Learn Multiple Languages At A Time

One of the most frequent questions that I get asked is: how can you keep seven different languages straight? Do you not get confused and mix them up? Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut, simple answer to this question, but there are some explanations that will hopefully explain why I am able to do so. I can assure you that is not only possible, but also very easy to study multiple languages at a time. You do not have to be enrolled in a language classroom, spend a lot of money, or even have native speakers of your target languages in your community in order to do so. In fact, you can do most, if not all of your language learning from the comfort of your home. This may sound hypercritical, considering that I have studied most languages in school; however, I have drastically improved my conversational, listening, and reading skills in my spare time. Below, I will give you a few tips on how you can learn more than one language at a time.

1. Do not overwhelm yourself

This tip may sound self-explanatory, and, in many ways, it is, but I will expand on it, so that you can see why I think that it is so important. Whenever you are learning more than one language at a time, the last thing that you want to do is make yourself feel frustrated, which oftentimes makes you want to stop learning a language altogether. You should never force yourself to review grammar for three different languages, or watch several foreign films without subtitles on the same day. Instead, I would recommend focusing on one language a time whenever you have spare time. This will help balance out your schedule, and will allow you to make more progress in a shorter amount of time.


2.   Create a schedule for language-learning and stick to it

Your brain works wonders when it focuses on one specific task a time. Keep in mind that if you did this, you should set specific goals for what you want to teach yourself, or review for each language throughout the week, and try to avoid not interacting with a language (especially one in which you are not advanced) for more than a week.

For example, you could set up a schedule, and study German on Mondays, French on Wednesdays, and Italian on Fridays. Your goal for German could be to watch a few YouTube videos for an hour, write down any new words, and then translate them into your mother tongue. On the other hand, you may want to focus on reviewing difficult grammar for French. What is key for you to remember is that you are not at the same level in each language. You should spend your free time wisely by primarily focusing on your weak spots, and by assuring that your language study is part of your daily, and weekly routine.

3. Do not start two languages from scratch at the same time

One mistake that many people make is that they try to juggle too much new information right away, and want to skip over what many would call the boring parts of language learning: the beginner stage. I can relate to that, now that I have studied four different Romance languages, and can easily give you grammatical explanations of how and why a language works the way that it does. However, I recommend that you rethink your thought-process and that you focus on mastering the basics of a language before moving on to a new language. 

After having had many years of study with French, I decided to start taking German as a sophomore in high-school. Since I had already taken French in school for three years, I had already surpassed the beginner stage, and was learning more difficult grammar and vocabulary. In other words, it was the perfect time for me to start learning a new language, because I could do more than just get by when speaking French. I waited another two years to start self-teaching Italian, and less than a year to start learning Russian, since Italian is close to my mother-tongue, which is Spanish (I had also self-studied it when I was eight).

Spacing each language out has made me more focused, and more excited to start picking up a new language. I have never overwhelmed myself to the point of wanting to give up, because I have waited to pass a certain level of each language before even seriously considering to start a new one. By never starting two languages from scratch at once, I have reached at least an advanced intermediate level in every language that I speak except for Russian. As many polyglots would say, there is no secret to the recipe. You simply have to act smart, and be smart when you decide to take on, what many would say, is a difficult task: language-learning.

4. Practice speaking as frequently as possible

In order to be able to say that you can speak multiple languages, you have to practice all of them. Although many claim that they speak Spanish, because they took it throughout high-school, oftentimes, this is not true. What separates exceptional language learners from others is that they are not afraid of making mistakes (feel free to read my post titled: "Being Afraid of Making Mistakes in Another Language" if you want to get tips on how to become less fearful when speaking another language). 

What I do is that I go to my college’s language tables, which are friendly and casual environments in which you can practice your conversational skills with professors of that language, with native speakers and teaching assistants, and with other students of all levels. I consistently go to Italian Table on Wednesdays, French Table on Tuesdays, and have also gone to German and to Russian Table on Tuesdays. Despite them only being once a week, I can now comfortably speak with native speakers, and can have complex conversations. I have gotten corrected in a respectful way, and can easily ask questions if I do not remember words in each language.

Aside from going to language tables, I attend many of our language departments’ film screenings, and have become closer with many international students who are native speakers of some of my target languages. Whenever I get the chance, I ask them if I can practice my speaking skills with them, and more than 99 percent of the time, they are willing to do so. If for some reason I cannot find someone with whom to practice, I speak to myself. This may sound odd, but many other polyglots have mentioned that this has helped them be consciously aware of what they know, and on what they can improve. Whichever words, or grammar you cannot remember when practicing, you can easily review and repeat as many times as you feel is necessary.

As you can probably tell, I continue to be amazed by my brain’s, as well as other polyglots’ brains’ capacities, but know that we are not geniuses. We were not born more capable or smarter than others, but we have learned how to continue to push our brains’ limits on a daily basis. Polyglots know how to effectively manage their time, and incorporate languages into their daily routines as much as possible. If you want to call yourself a polyglot, you should follow their footsteps, and follow their advice.