7 Easy Tricks to Learn Many Foreign Languages at a Time
Man is born with a language instinct. Our brains are naturally bound to language. The brain has the ability to process intricate information from sound, movement, and context, and this language capacity will extend throughout life. That is, you can learn any language, anytime.
This is possible to do because the human brain is like a pile of clay. Clay here is the ability of the brain to change to adjust to create a new path for new nerve connections. Research has found that this elasticity occurs throughout one's life. Your brain today is not the same as your brain in the last month. Neural connections are created regardless of age.
So, yes. It is possible for you to become a polyglot (person who speaks many languages) even at the age of 45 years. We have enough processing power in the brain for this.
Health benefits if we learn a foreign language
Still hesitant to start digging new languages, German, for example? Studies have found that by studying one language other than the mother tongue, you can delay the appearance of Alzheimer's. Multilinguals are believed to have a slower chance of Alzheimer's, which is 5 years slower than those who speak only mother tongue.
If only learning a foreign language can bring such a profitable benefit, imagine how many other benefits can you gain by learning many languages?
No need for a course to learn a foreign language
There are two ways to learn many foreign languages: sequentially (one language to another) or simultaneously at a time. Learning many foreign languages at a time will certainly save you time, because basically, you do multitasking. Instead of mastering one language in 1.5 years, you can master two languages in two years.
No need to bother to the destination country to learn the language. Today, the Internet is filled with language learning tools, such as apps, translators, online flashcards, and ebooks. Many of these facilities you can get for free. Now, just leave it all back to yourself to harvest all these conveniences. You live in an age where education and information are at your fingertips.
Tips for easy learning a foreign language
However, learning more than one language at a time requires careful planning and a great strategy. Unlike exact science, there is no universal method of learning a language. Below we provide tips and tricks that can help you learn many foreign languages.
1. Learn the right vocabulary the right way
Vocabulary is the most common barrier to learning a language (even though Indonesian), and most often makes people give up even before it really starts.
In fact, the main key to proficient foreign language is to get closer to the words that are familiar and often used in everyday conversation. Find out what vocabularies and phrases most commonly used by people when talking - move them into your own notes or use apps, such as the Anki app you can download - and learn regularly with a gradually increasing repetition strategy (once a day , every other day, four, eight, etc.).
Or, you can use your favorite reading book as a child (which you understand in and out of the story line) - Snow White or Pinocchio, for example - in versions of the languages you study and your mother tongue (for example, the Indonesian, English, German, and French). This will allow you to translate foreign languages line by line and easily describe how sentences and grammar of a language are built. You can also refer to the Indonesian language version when you want to review your understanding from time to time.
2. The importance of variation
Having a variety of learning activities is very important to avoid boredom. Although repetition is at the core of the learning process, but overly mechanical methods can bore you. There are three types of variations
Material Variations: The diversity of learning materials can keep you moving. At first, you can use a single type of material - theory book, for example - and then quickly switch to other methods, such as interactive language games. That way, you can find some aspects of the language learning resources that are interesting and effective for you, while others do not.
Variations of activities: Reading and listening are two very useful activities to master the language, but these two methods are not the only ones. The more varied your approach to language - like coaching conversations with friends, coaches, or indigenous people using the language, or using images - gets better. It's important to engage in activities aimed at sharpening the language in your brain, while keeping you motivated.
Position Variation: You may be a little surprised to learn that the position of the body and how we move plays an important role in learning. In other words, body position has an impact on concentration, which also affects your ability to store your information. So do not just sit still! Try to listen to the German course podcast or Mandarin radio when you jog in the afternoon, or read the Italian online newspaper while sleeping?
3. Find the interconnectedness of each other
When learning a foreign language, in fact you already know some basic words without realizing it.
For example, the words "child," "sick," or "expensive" in the Indonesian language, have the same meaning in the Malay and Tagalog languages used in the Philippines. The word "late" ("late" in Indonesian) and "auntie" (aka aunt, Indonesian) also have the same meaning as "te laat" and "aunt" in Dutch.
In addition, the languages of European countries such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and others - even some vocabulary in Japan and Korea - have many words similar to English that show they share the same etymology. For example:
Arm (arm)
France: le bras
Italy: il braccio
Spanish: el brazo
Fever (fever)
France: la fièvre
Italy: la febbre
Spanish: la fiebre
Tongue (tongue)
France: la langue
Italy: la lingua
Spanish: la lengua
In addition, action, nation, precipitation, solution, frustration, tradition, communication French (although pronounced differently). You can simply change "-tion" with "-ción" (Spanish), "-zione" (Italian), or "-ção" (Portuguese).
Expand the vocabulary list with mnemonics
Memorization and repetition will indeed carve out the sharp memories of new vocabulary that are important for you to learn. However, it is not impossible you forget occasionally.
To get around this 'senile' moment, you can use the mnemonic method for a number of important words. Mnemonics can help to fit the words in your mind more effectively. Basically, mnemonics is a unique visual narrative depiction method that you can associate with words you want to remember. For example, you're learning Spanish and it's hard to remember the verb "caber" means "to load something (to fit)". You can make up a visual narrative in your brain a big bear (bear) squeezed in the cab window (cab) that darted in the streets.
Or, "sausage" in German which means "wiener". You can imagine someone who is on the championship podium after winning the sausage eating contest.
This association (caber -> cab, bear -> loading a flower in a taxi) will make it easier for you. Perhaps it will first sound troublesome, but train this association several times and you will be able to realize how silly and memorable the visualization can be very effective. So long over time, you no longer need to use this method to remember foreign vocabulary.
5. Keep the quality and quantity of learning
Learning the language must have many obstacles, and many aspects of language that can shriek someone's guts. So, especially at the beginning of the lesson, it is important to put quality first in order to build a strong foundation, whereby in the future we can expand our knowledge in a language. It is important to focus on small portions of the material and learn it thoroughly from the beginning until you really understand.
Here are some practical rules that you can use to guide:
Understand short or superficial texts or language units first. Long text or dialogue can cause you to be easily distracted.
Learn 1-3 times a day, periodically in fair division of time (for example, every 4 hours).
Arm yourself with a variety of skills. For example, when studying a simple tense grammar unit, learn from different perspectives (read, talk, listen).
Schedule your learning period effectively. Avoid studying at times that are risky for you to be distracted - if you are easily drowsy in the afternoon and easier to be inspired in the middle of the night, why not exchange your schedule occasionally?
Focus on study time. Thirty minutes of one-language intensive learning period is 10 times more effective than two-hour "multitasking" for two languages at once (or working on a language unit that you think is boring or too difficult).
6. Do not be afraid to talk
One way to gain fluency in a foreign language is a lot of speaking practice.
Along with your development, dedicate at least 30-60 minutes to speak only in foreign languages - German, for example - and keep adjusting the learning time to ensure that your conversation skills are honed, not just general knowledge of the language through the 'formal' vocabulary list you probably will never use in everyday dialogue.
For example, create one session where you can ask how the friend's native weekend 'bule' native or your language teacher is in that language, and afterwards tell how your weekend is running. You can add some ideas you may be thinking about or about one other general topic, or you can let your bioskop opponent start a new topic. It's important to take an active role and make sure you have a varied conversation.
Make a list of topics you want to discuss and convey (hobbies, latest movies, ideals, holiday plans, etc.) and make sure that the conversation can continue to flow.
7. Commitment and consistency
Learning a foreign language is a complicated and sustainable process. It's important to do something right at the right time, and make sure it's right for you. If you do not have good reason to learn the language, you will be very likely to run out of motivation in the middle of the road. No matter what your reasons, once you've set the intention to learn one language, be committed and consistent in living it.
Adapt the way of study according to your current language level. Some things will look very interesting at first but change boring then. Some others are difficult to understand at the beginning, and not so effective to do, but will get easier over time. For example, listening to a radio at level 1 will not be very useful, but it will be very useful at level 2-3 when your listening capabilities are much more developed. Being consistent with your level and interest in learning is the key to optimizing your language learning comprehension.
This is possible to do because the human brain is like a pile of clay. Clay here is the ability of the brain to change to adjust to create a new path for new nerve connections. Research has found that this elasticity occurs throughout one's life. Your brain today is not the same as your brain in the last month. Neural connections are created regardless of age.
So, yes. It is possible for you to become a polyglot (person who speaks many languages) even at the age of 45 years. We have enough processing power in the brain for this.
Health benefits if we learn a foreign language
Still hesitant to start digging new languages, German, for example? Studies have found that by studying one language other than the mother tongue, you can delay the appearance of Alzheimer's. Multilinguals are believed to have a slower chance of Alzheimer's, which is 5 years slower than those who speak only mother tongue.
If only learning a foreign language can bring such a profitable benefit, imagine how many other benefits can you gain by learning many languages?
No need for a course to learn a foreign language
There are two ways to learn many foreign languages: sequentially (one language to another) or simultaneously at a time. Learning many foreign languages at a time will certainly save you time, because basically, you do multitasking. Instead of mastering one language in 1.5 years, you can master two languages in two years.
No need to bother to the destination country to learn the language. Today, the Internet is filled with language learning tools, such as apps, translators, online flashcards, and ebooks. Many of these facilities you can get for free. Now, just leave it all back to yourself to harvest all these conveniences. You live in an age where education and information are at your fingertips.
Tips for easy learning a foreign language
However, learning more than one language at a time requires careful planning and a great strategy. Unlike exact science, there is no universal method of learning a language. Below we provide tips and tricks that can help you learn many foreign languages.
1. Learn the right vocabulary the right way
Vocabulary is the most common barrier to learning a language (even though Indonesian), and most often makes people give up even before it really starts.
In fact, the main key to proficient foreign language is to get closer to the words that are familiar and often used in everyday conversation. Find out what vocabularies and phrases most commonly used by people when talking - move them into your own notes or use apps, such as the Anki app you can download - and learn regularly with a gradually increasing repetition strategy (once a day , every other day, four, eight, etc.).
Or, you can use your favorite reading book as a child (which you understand in and out of the story line) - Snow White or Pinocchio, for example - in versions of the languages you study and your mother tongue (for example, the Indonesian, English, German, and French). This will allow you to translate foreign languages line by line and easily describe how sentences and grammar of a language are built. You can also refer to the Indonesian language version when you want to review your understanding from time to time.
2. The importance of variation
Having a variety of learning activities is very important to avoid boredom. Although repetition is at the core of the learning process, but overly mechanical methods can bore you. There are three types of variations
Material Variations: The diversity of learning materials can keep you moving. At first, you can use a single type of material - theory book, for example - and then quickly switch to other methods, such as interactive language games. That way, you can find some aspects of the language learning resources that are interesting and effective for you, while others do not.
Variations of activities: Reading and listening are two very useful activities to master the language, but these two methods are not the only ones. The more varied your approach to language - like coaching conversations with friends, coaches, or indigenous people using the language, or using images - gets better. It's important to engage in activities aimed at sharpening the language in your brain, while keeping you motivated.
Position Variation: You may be a little surprised to learn that the position of the body and how we move plays an important role in learning. In other words, body position has an impact on concentration, which also affects your ability to store your information. So do not just sit still! Try to listen to the German course podcast or Mandarin radio when you jog in the afternoon, or read the Italian online newspaper while sleeping?
3. Find the interconnectedness of each other
When learning a foreign language, in fact you already know some basic words without realizing it.
For example, the words "child," "sick," or "expensive" in the Indonesian language, have the same meaning in the Malay and Tagalog languages used in the Philippines. The word "late" ("late" in Indonesian) and "auntie" (aka aunt, Indonesian) also have the same meaning as "te laat" and "aunt" in Dutch.
In addition, the languages of European countries such as France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and others - even some vocabulary in Japan and Korea - have many words similar to English that show they share the same etymology. For example:
Arm (arm)
France: le bras
Italy: il braccio
Spanish: el brazo
Fever (fever)
France: la fièvre
Italy: la febbre
Spanish: la fiebre
Tongue (tongue)
France: la langue
Italy: la lingua
Spanish: la lengua
In addition, action, nation, precipitation, solution, frustration, tradition, communication French (although pronounced differently). You can simply change "-tion" with "-ción" (Spanish), "-zione" (Italian), or "-ção" (Portuguese).
Expand the vocabulary list with mnemonics
Memorization and repetition will indeed carve out the sharp memories of new vocabulary that are important for you to learn. However, it is not impossible you forget occasionally.
To get around this 'senile' moment, you can use the mnemonic method for a number of important words. Mnemonics can help to fit the words in your mind more effectively. Basically, mnemonics is a unique visual narrative depiction method that you can associate with words you want to remember. For example, you're learning Spanish and it's hard to remember the verb "caber" means "to load something (to fit)". You can make up a visual narrative in your brain a big bear (bear) squeezed in the cab window (cab) that darted in the streets.
Or, "sausage" in German which means "wiener". You can imagine someone who is on the championship podium after winning the sausage eating contest.
This association (caber -> cab, bear -> loading a flower in a taxi) will make it easier for you. Perhaps it will first sound troublesome, but train this association several times and you will be able to realize how silly and memorable the visualization can be very effective. So long over time, you no longer need to use this method to remember foreign vocabulary.
5. Keep the quality and quantity of learning
Learning the language must have many obstacles, and many aspects of language that can shriek someone's guts. So, especially at the beginning of the lesson, it is important to put quality first in order to build a strong foundation, whereby in the future we can expand our knowledge in a language. It is important to focus on small portions of the material and learn it thoroughly from the beginning until you really understand.
Here are some practical rules that you can use to guide:
Understand short or superficial texts or language units first. Long text or dialogue can cause you to be easily distracted.
Learn 1-3 times a day, periodically in fair division of time (for example, every 4 hours).
Arm yourself with a variety of skills. For example, when studying a simple tense grammar unit, learn from different perspectives (read, talk, listen).
Schedule your learning period effectively. Avoid studying at times that are risky for you to be distracted - if you are easily drowsy in the afternoon and easier to be inspired in the middle of the night, why not exchange your schedule occasionally?
Focus on study time. Thirty minutes of one-language intensive learning period is 10 times more effective than two-hour "multitasking" for two languages at once (or working on a language unit that you think is boring or too difficult).
6. Do not be afraid to talk
One way to gain fluency in a foreign language is a lot of speaking practice.
Along with your development, dedicate at least 30-60 minutes to speak only in foreign languages - German, for example - and keep adjusting the learning time to ensure that your conversation skills are honed, not just general knowledge of the language through the 'formal' vocabulary list you probably will never use in everyday dialogue.
For example, create one session where you can ask how the friend's native weekend 'bule' native or your language teacher is in that language, and afterwards tell how your weekend is running. You can add some ideas you may be thinking about or about one other general topic, or you can let your bioskop opponent start a new topic. It's important to take an active role and make sure you have a varied conversation.
Make a list of topics you want to discuss and convey (hobbies, latest movies, ideals, holiday plans, etc.) and make sure that the conversation can continue to flow.
7. Commitment and consistency
Learning a foreign language is a complicated and sustainable process. It's important to do something right at the right time, and make sure it's right for you. If you do not have good reason to learn the language, you will be very likely to run out of motivation in the middle of the road. No matter what your reasons, once you've set the intention to learn one language, be committed and consistent in living it.
Adapt the way of study according to your current language level. Some things will look very interesting at first but change boring then. Some others are difficult to understand at the beginning, and not so effective to do, but will get easier over time. For example, listening to a radio at level 1 will not be very useful, but it will be very useful at level 2-3 when your listening capabilities are much more developed. Being consistent with your level and interest in learning is the key to optimizing your language learning comprehension.
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