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 Speak Multiple Languages Without Mixing Them Up

I have recently been thinking of possible topics for my next post on this blog, and wanted to give some useful tips on a topic on which I have briefly touched up: speaking multiple languages and how to go about speaking them with ease. I recently watched the video that is down below by Langfocus, one of my favorite polyglot YouTubers who not only posts videos about language learning, but also about linguistics. Below, I will be giving you 3 tips that he gives in this video and will briefly expand on them to give you some concrete and practical ways on how to not mix up all of the languages that you speak. Make sure to read my previous posts about learning multiple languages titled “How To Learn Multiple Languages At A Time” in March 2016 and “Taking Classes in Multiple Languages: My Experience and Advice” in April 2016.

Tip #1: Refine your pronunciation

Although pronunciation may not be many language learners’ number one priority, especially when they are starting to get comfortable in another language, I believe that it is one of the most important aspects of a language. Pronunciation is ultimately what distinguishes one language from another, even languages that are very similar and belong to the same language family (ex: Spanish and Italian that are both Romance languages). If you speak many languages, whether they belong to the same language family, or are not related to each other whatsoever, in order to fluidly and quickly switch from one language to the next, you should be very comfortable saying the phonology and words as a native speaker would. This does not mean that having accents is bad, but should encourage you to continue perfecting your accent as much as possible. Even though it may not sound feasible, it is possible to eventually sound like a native speaker. In this case, practice makes perfect.

You may be asking yourself: “How do I refine my pronunciation? How should I go about doing so?”.  That is a very difficult question to answer, because everyone has different methodologies to go about doing so. I, however, will give you a few tips that have worked for me over the years. The first is to speak as early and as often as you can. I have an entire post devoted to this topic titled “Being Afraid of Making Mistakes in Another Language” in January 2016, so feel free to check it out for a more in-depth explanation about this. The more speakers (native and non-native alike) with whom you interact and speak, the more chances are that you will be kindly corrected if you ask them to do so, or if they want to help you improve.

Just as a baby mimics his parents’ mouths and the sounds that they make, you should do the same. By making mistakes, you will learn the difference between two words whose spelling is similar, but whose pronunciation is different, and will be able to distinguish right from wrong. Bad, or flawed pronunciation could lead to accidentally insulting someone, or to a frustrating miscommunication, so make sure to get as much exposure as possible. On the other hand, if you ever find yourself in either of these situations, do not panic, ask for clarification if possible, and laugh it off. Not saying something correctly can, in most cases, lead to more good than harm, because you are reminded about what you should have said differently. I also have an entire post devoted to improving your accent called “How to Improve Your Accent in a Language” in April 2016.


Tip #2: 100% commitment

The next tip is just as important as the first. If you are not 100% committed to each individual language, or have not put enough time into your studies, you can easily become discouraged. Just as professional athletes who want to eventual compete in the Olympics train for years, you should have a positive mentality when tackling more than one language. You should constantly remind yourself that you if you surpass a certain level, that you will eventually be able to read a short chapter book, or effectively communicate with your German friend. In other words, you should try to stay motivated. Feel free to read my post titled “How to Stay Motivated When Learning a Language” in March 2016.

When having to speak more than one language at a time, or instantly, you should close the door behind you. Whichever language you were speaking before is no longer as relevant as the language that you are now speaking. You should make a conscious effort to tell yourself “Now it is time to speak (language).” By doing so, you are mentally preparing yourself for what is next, and do not become as frazzled trying to make do with the few words that you can remember in the next language. This helps you turn on a signal in your brain that will make it easier for you to effectively communicate in another language.

3   Tip #3: Imagine scenes that remind you of that language

The third tip that he gives is by far the most abstract, and is the hardest to explain how to do, but I will try my best to give you a detailed explanation of this type of scenario. One of the most effective methods to not only learn vocabulary and improve your pronunciation in another language is by imagining scenes that remind you of that language. I have already watched countless videos of polyglots who have used this method, and who have learned much faster than the majority of their acquaintances by doing so. Associating scenes with a language is a great way to think about cultural nuances and norms that are different and that distinguish a language from another one.

The most classic example that he uses, and that I have heard many times, is imagining a café in Paris when speaking French. You usually picture the pouring of a coffee, and eating a fresh baked baguette. Many locals go to cafes with other friends, or alone and work on their laptops. Those who go with friends tend to discuss how their families are, and how their jobs are going, just to name a few common topics of conversation. If you personally have been to Paris, you may remember the voice of your waiter at the café, and you may distinctly remember his Parisian accent and talking to you so quickly that you had to ask for clarification. Whichever scene you can vividly envision will help you to be in the mindset of a local. In other words, you will no longer be, say, your American-self, but rather your French-self.

As I mentioned in my post “Personality Changes When Speaking Multiple Language” in February 2016, you become a new you for every language that you speak. You cannot roll your tongue the same way that you do in Spanish as you do for English, and you should pay attention to how you use your throat to pronounce words in an authentic French-sounding way. Getting in the zone and taking control of your perception can make you more excited to be a new you and pay attention to the world around you through new lenses. Your world perception can change remarkably by being culturally aware and willing to pay attention to different languages’ nuances.

I hope that all of you language-lovers found this post helpful in some way, and that you learned a few tips that could help you be a little less anxious speaking multiple languages.

Why You Should Study at a Language Institute

As many of you may have read in my last post, you may have realized that I had mentioned that I had been studying at a language institute. After 3 years of intensive study and dedication to my German studies, I decided that what I needed to eventually reach my goal of fluency was complete immersion in Germany. After a lot of research and looking up affordable language institutes in Frankfurt, I decided on did deutsch-insitut whose mission is to help as many international students learn German as quickly and as effectively as possible. 

I learned that it is standard for any European country to accept a certificate from a qualified language institute. Traditionally, there are 6 levels: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. The A levels are for beginners, the B levels are for intermediate learners, and the C levels are for advanced learners. It is most common for universities, master's programs, other professional institutions, and jobs to require a C1 level in order to be able to enroll, and or have a job position in your target language. In order to receive a certificate in any given level, you must take an exam on a particular date at a specific time. In order to be able to take the exam, you must talk to an institute that you are interested in taking it, as well as pay a fee. The overall process is much simpler and smoother than you would think.

Now that I gave a basic rundown as to how most European language institutes work, I would like to try to convince you that this is one of the best ways to make progress in another language. The main argument that most people have made for which not to go to one is that language institutes are too expensive and are not worth your money. Although this decision should not be taken light-heartedly, I believe that the experiences and the knowledge that you gain are unparalleled to anything that you could teach yourself in your spare time. Believe me, I have done self-study for years now, but have not been able to progress as quickly as I have when attending language immersion camps and did deutsch-institut. The reason is simple. It is neither because I do to have a good enough memory nor because I am not smart enough. It is because an artificial immersion experience is nowhere near as valuable and as effective as an authentic immersion experience with native teachers who have a lifetime worth of knowledge and experience in their mother tongues. 

The first day that I arrived at the institute, I was told go to a room and was asked in which level I would like to try to be. I told the lady that I was hoping to either be in B2, or in C1. A little while later, I was given my schedule for the rest of the week with the times and names of my teachers and was thrilled that I had been put into B2. My first class was somewhat daunting, as I was asked to take the B1 exam, but it was over before I knew it. From then on, I saw the classmates that I would have for 4 weeks. Since our class exceeded the maximum number of students for a class, the owner of the institute felt that it would be best to not add more students to our class as new students arrived. Because of this, I was able to form deep bonds with my classmates. During our breaks, I would stay in our classroom and spark up conversations to anyone who was near me. Before I knew it, it was over in the blink of an eye. 

At did deutsch-insitut, we were told that we could only speak to our classmates and to our teachers in German , which, in reality, was not very hard to do, because most of my classmates did not speak any of the other languages that I speak, and if they did, they did not feel comfortable enough to carry on complex conversations in them. I ultimately learned the power that language has in bringing all of my classmates of my institute together. German united us and gave me friends from Vietnam, Sweden, Korea, China, Russia, Tanzania, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, and Guatemala. Despite our differences, ages, and cultural backgrounds, we treated each other as one: as a family and helped pick each other up. We ultimately made each other better learners and cheered each other on.

My institute used the Aspekte Neu textbook, which is by far the best textbook that I have ever been asked to used for class. Instead of being made and tailored to students who are obliged to take a language class, it is made for international students who want to learn German. The instructions, the readings, the grammar explanations, the listening comprehension exercises, and all of the activities were in German. Aside from doing what was in the book, we would work on expanding our vocabulary (ex: we would learn and write down vocabulary by classifying it into thematic categories instead of simply learning words without any context randomly). Since I had decided to pay for an Intensiv Modul, which stands for a designated extra time for more practice, I was able to have a lot of conversational practice with my classmates, as only 5, or 6 students were in it at any given time (you had to pay a little more in order to have it as a part of your weekly schedule). It was not only worth it, but also gave me more exposure to hearing a native speaker talk in German at a rapid and native space, as well as more time to ask questions and clarifications about the grammar and the vocabulary that we had learned in every chapter. 

After years of time and dedication to my German studies, I am happy to say that I received a B2 certificate. I am thankful for all of the laughs and conversations and for making me regret not staying longer, hope to someday visit my classmates in their home countries, and that I continue staying in touch with them in German. My hope is that by the end of this post, you learned the value of a language institute education and that you consider to study in one and experience it for yourself. Studying at a language institute not only helps make your resume stand out and look more impressive, but ultimately allows you to be independent, learn more than you ever thought that you could achieve in a short amount of time, and gives you lifelong friendships of other individuals whose ultimate goal is your own.