Though in most parts of the world, English is commonly spoken, still, there are approximately 7.5 Billion people out there who communicate in over 6,500 spoken languages. So, if you want to relocate to a different part of the world, are engaged in international travel and tourism industry, or aspire to become a translator or an interpreter or if you are linguaphile and aspire to become a polyglot, then, read on! Because through this blog, we would discuss how can you learn multiple languages and ace them all.
Now there are two contrasting pieces of advice that you may encounter when learning a new language. One would be to learn languages that have no sense of similarity or connection between them. The other would be to learn languages that have a similar origin or at least share some areas of commonality. Now, it is an entirely subjective idea which alternative to opt as per your capability and understanding. But we should grapple with one face, i.e. the two languages need to have a separate identity in our minds and there should not be any confusion regarding it. If we are feeling jumbled and overwhelmed by the magnanimity of learning two languages at a time, then it can be quite early pedicures that we would soon have a burnout. And this would not be nice in any manner.
Understanding the precision of the two languages would be the key to success. Hence, clarify where you stand and whether there is even a remote possibility of facing a confusion factor. Having a grip over your current position allows you to make realistic goals.
While pairing languages, act smart. Pair the language that you find really tough with the one in which you can ace with some small steps. This would relax your mind and rule out the possibility of having a burnout. So, for example, if you are a native English speaker, then, the Germanic Languages or the Romance Languages such as Danish, Dutch, Swedish, French that come from similar language family would be easy to learn than Arabic, Mandarin, etc.
Try and develop a strong bond with your target languages. The stronger this bond is, the better is your help over these languages. So, spend some time exploring the difficult words of the language, the key phrases and nuances so that as you move swiftly ahead, you do not feel a sense of dissociation. To make the learning quick and efficient, when you study different languages at a time, study the same topics in both. And then after you have learnt those topics, try translating things from one target language to the other. This would make the process of learning new languages quicker and easier.
Apart from these things, there are certain other things that come in handy while learning new languages. These are:
- Set rewards for yourself so that you feel motivated every step of the way.
- Make weekly and monthly goals and art your targets and take yourself in a nice treat when you complete your targets in time.
- Revise your syllabus at regular intervals to keep in mind all the necessary points.
- Engage in regular quiz and tests to understand how much are you able to retain.
These days, there are some apps available out there like Duolingo, Quizlet and Memrise, etc. that can make learning a new language seem to like eating a piece of cake. So, take the help of all the resources available to you and put your best foot forward.
Understand a few things before you begin. If you get overwhelmed by the possibility of learning multiple languages, it would be of no benefit. So, give yourself some time and let the fear obliterate before you start on your endeavour. Prepare yourself for a long haul and be consistent in your efforts. With different memory systems such as the declarative memory and procedural memory at play, you would take some time to both perfect the accent and retain the facts. And before you know it, you would already start speaking fluently in multiple languages and would be termed a polyglot.
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