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Tutor Tom H. 's Column

The Secrets Of Learning A New Language

Aug 11, 2021

Do you know what a polyglot is? It's someone who can speak many languages.

How do polyglots learn new languages? Are they just geniuses who have superpowers? 
Well, you might be surprised that you don't actually need to be a genius to learn a new language within a relatively short period of time.

In this video, the speaker talks about the secrets of learning new languages. The interesting thing is, they are really not 'secrets' but just things anyone can do.

I was particularly impressed that the speaker learned German just by watching her favourite TV show Friends in German. In the beginning she couldn't understand a single word. But after watching two seasons, something suddenly happened, the dialogues started to make sense to her. She started to understand some of the jokes in the show.

In this video, she talks about the four secrets of learning a new language. Enjoyment, methods, system, patience.

Different polyglots have different methods, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach. There are many different methods and all of them could work. It's important that you find what works for you.

The most important thing is that you need to be able to enjoy learning. If it means watching your favourite show then it's a good method for you. Then you need to make it a part of your routine. You need to have a plan, a schedule. For example, listening to a podcast show every morning. That would be your system. Finally, you need to be patient. It's probably unlikely that you will be able to master a language in two months. But in two months, you can definitely improve your language skills dramatically. After one year, you could be speaking that language fluently! That's it.

I hope you find this video inspiring. Enjoy learning! 

This column was published by the author in their personal capacity.
The opinions expressed in this column are the author's own and do not reflect the view of Cafetalk.

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