How to Decide Which Languages to Learn Next
Got a whole bucket list of languages to learn, and no hope of ever getting it all done? Fear not! Here are some simple ways to help you streamline that list and re-focus on learning what you need without distraction.
Do you have a long list of languages to learn in your life?
Feel like you started a language years ago and now you're stuck learning it forever?
If you need help with choosing your language list, I've got tips to help you streamline all your options.
You can listen to my best tips on the Fluent Show episode below:
How do I decide what to keep and what to omit from my languages list?
Language learner Sheela got in touch with me to ask the following question:
I would love to get your thoughts and advice on how to narrow down or simplify my ' to learn ' languages list!
How do I decide and know what to keep and what to omit, from my languages list?
I feel moreover, if I have studied the language in the past, I am obligated to 'keep' it on the list. Is it okay to let go of some languages and concentrate on others, you think?
What an interesting question! Language choices are a regular polyglot dilemma, but it's not every day that a learner grapples with how to clean up i.e. how to reduce the languages on their list.
What To Consider When Choosing A Language To Learn
Here are a few helpful thoughts when you are working on that list of languages to add to your "lifelong homework".
You're Destined To Leave Something On The Table
With over 7000 languages spoken by humans on planet Earth, one thing is clear: There is not enough time to learn them all.
Even a very accomplished and focused learner who has accumulated way more languages than most of us can imagine doesn’t usually go far above 50. So in other words: We’ve got to make friends with the idea that we’ll miss out in life, and we’ll have to leave a little bit of language on the table.
It's Possible to Have Different Target Levels for Different Languages
Some people differentiate when it comes to language levels and ambitions. We can dabble in more languages (say up to 40 hours) than we can start learning (say 100+ hours), that’s natural. And this can feel like a serious choice to make.
The question only you can answer is what you are expecting to gain from learning your target language.
If you want to feel accomplished, hold conversations, feel like you are adding a useful tool to your list of skills, then dabbling in a language can feel more frustrating than fun. But if you’re preparing for a temporary trip or you’re curious but not committed, by all means have that fun play with a language.
It's Possible To Re-Learn a Language You've Studied Before
We forget languages we’ve learnt, but not entirely. This is especially true if you have learnt several languages from a similar language family, but it applies to all. For example, I remembered completely forgotten Russian words in Croatia, and I can still muddle through Spanish for 15 minutes even though my last straight up lesson was 10 years ago.
For more information about re-learning a forgotten language, check out this Fluent Show episode.
Before I go into a few more tips in relation to this week’s question, I want to address a really great point that Sheela makes in her email, which is that there is no rule that says…. This is RIGHT!
There is no rule that determines how you go about learning your languages, what your list looks like, and how you make your choices. You're not getting it wrong.
3 Steps for Choosing Your Languages Without the FOMO
Here are a few options for getting more clarity in your list:
- Allow yourself a dabble in some languages and choose only one or two big focus languages in a year. (why not try the beautiful Welsh language for a little spin next time? I've got a mini course to help you with that!)
- Focus on the languages that are most relevant to your life right now. This could be because you have travel plans, people to speak to, or you’re simply drawn to a special language.
- It is ok to let go of some languages. Trust that re-learning in the future will be easier than expected.
One final thought to help you feel like you're not missing out on a language:
Most people I know have a pretty long bucket list, but very few squash it all into a short period of time.
I don’t know your age, but there’s a good chance you have at least 20, maybe even 40 or 50 years left in life to learn languages. Consider the many polyglots who are in their 60s and 70s, and still adding languages.
We have so much more time than we think!
Have You Ever Kicked A Language Off Your To-Learn List?
I'd love to hear how you deal with your "language list" if you have one. Get in touch if you want to share your story!
Mastery and Advanced Level Language Learning
When you reach the higher language levels, it's not enough to just study. How does it feel to reach a level where you are looking for ways to go beyond fluency? How can you move towards mastery?
There's no Lindsay in this episode (don't worry, she'll be back very soon!), so I found myself two experts who know what they are talking about:
- Tristan Foy, an American polyglot who's currently my advanced German student
and
- Gareth Popkins from How To Get Fluent
The episode is full of tips and strategies for reaching the very advanced levels and getting better even after years of study.
It's Not About Fast Progress
Thanks to Ellen Jovin for letting me show you this picture.
Of course you want to start off feeling like you are making fast progress, but at the advanced levels you're no longer looking for that. Approaching and chasing "mastery" means that the time you spend studying a language isn't relevant anymore. In other words, a truly advanced learner has long stopped counting the time they spent.
Advanced Level Means Finding "More" In The Language
Once you get to a point where having a conversation in your target language is no longer just a crazy dream, it's absolutely essential to find something more to connect to. Call it culture, call it personal connections, whatever it might be.
At the advanced level, you're guaranteed to have found what Tristan calls "the language speaking to your soul" - grammar and vocabulary becomes secondary.
"Learning a language is a bit like hugging a cactus - you can never get entirely comfortable"
(Tristan Foy)
It Takes Work To Progress
It's entirely possible to plateau at an intermediate level even after you have moved to a country. If you've got enough language to chat to people and fill in forms, that doesn't mean you're approaching "Mastery" yet but it does mean you're okay. So in order to improve ever more, you need to put in the work, set new goals and engage in every single one of listening, reading, speaking and writing, vocabulary, and grammar.
Turns out that you're never ever done - Gareth for example has just passed the C1 German exam and he says he has endless scope for improvement.
Enjoy the journey, stop for a breather whenever you feel like it and keep going.
Fluency - No One Cares!
Tristan sums this up with a wonderful sentence: Don't worry about getting fluent. Worry about getting better.
Everyone is always looking for a label, it could be "fluent" or "C1" or "conversational". But at the end of the day, you're never really done and get closer and more comfortable.
You Need Humility
Having areas of weakness in your language is not a sign that you are weak overall, but it's a valuable hint.
Gareth highlights that your potential for making errors gets bigger as you improve, so you'll need to keep aware that it will get ever more difficult to find and revise the most advanced grammar points. He recommends you work with textbooks, grammar exercises and advanced tutors.
Links and Resources Mentioned In This Episode
- How to Get Fluent, Gareth's blog - highly recommended
- Ellen Jovin, a highly recommended blog here too
- > Wade's Russian Grammar
- > Hammer's German Grammar
Gareth's summary of the Polyglot Gathering, in which he explains what "The Need Principle" is:
Learning another language is a long, hard process, requiring a lot of dedication (..) After all, as an adult trying to learn a new language it’s all about “overcoming human nature”. You need, erm, “need”: you’re either surrounded by the language, you know somebody who speaks it, you have an unusual interest in the country or culture or the language will benefit you at work
Thanks for our good friends at Flashsticks for their ongoing support of the Creative Language Learning Podcast. They have a free app, awesome vocab post-its, and more.
Podcast Episode 35: Polyglot Club Certificates Available Now
Episode 35 of the Creative Language Learning Podcast is brought to you with support from HelloTalk. Go visit them NOW!
Do you remember when you first heard the word "polyglot"?
And what does this word mean to you?
Show Topic: What Is a "Polyglot" and Should You Be One?
In this episode, Lindsay and I went deeper into what's changed in the emerging community of internet polyglots. A few years ago, the YouTube landscape in particular was a nasty place. But things are looking up!
What does the word mean, and is being polyglot desirable?
Far from being entirely opposed to polyglots as a barrage of braggards and internet trolls, we are able to bring you many positive thoughts and perspectives.
Polyglot Guest: Alex Rawlings
In this episode, we have a special guest who is a famous fancy polyglot and known for winning the prestigious Harper-Collins award of being [Britain's Most Multilingual Student]. It's Alex Rawlings, co-founder of the [Polyglot Conference] and "full-time language guru dude".
Polyglots have existed a lot longer than YouTube.
Alex did an amazing job of describing how the polyglot community has changed and also why it wasn't a great place to start out in. It's fascinating how much YouTube comes up in this discussion. He shares the story of bringing a bit of offline magic into the online world, and we agree that the internet is now a nicer place for language learners, and thank God for that.
Takeaway of the Week
"It is what you make it."
There is still a personal challenge to readers, but also a real sense of permission to make the word mean what it means to you. Polyglots might be online, offline, nice, nasty, multilingual or just really curious.
For me, the biggest update to the polyglot label was the idea of it being all about the intention of learning languages, and the interest, and the passion. I love that!
Links and Tips from This Episode
- Alex Rawlings writes at Rawlangs
- Lindsay on Youtube: What's a Polyglot?
- Kerstin speaks (reads!!!!) 25 European languages - the best part of making this video was finding native speakers of 25 languages in one week. I even rang the Icelandic and Luxembourgish tourist offices. ^__^
- My Blog Article from May 2014, summing up all the polyglot negatives
- Polyglot Conference - this year in Greece and the Polyglot Workshops or just search for any of these things on Facebook
- Polyglot Gathering in Berlin
- HelloTalk
Are you going to claim the polyglot title this year? Or still not convinced?
7 of the Best Language Learning Rules Ever
Today I want to go a little bit deeper into the content of all our Language Book Club interviews from 30 January. As you saw last week, the event was truly epic and delivered some wisdom from no fewer than 11 multilingual people (polyglots! yes they are!).
Between me and Chris Broholm from Actual Fluency, we had the chance to interview a great bunch of people about writing, language learning and challenges on the day, so here are the most important things that Language Book Club taught us:
1) Forget Fluency
Fluency is not a word that most polyglots or language teachers love. Yes, we all call our blogs after it, but fluency is truly a concept that you need to define in more detail. It certainly doesn't help when you are working on your goals. Instead of aiming to define fluency, try setting short-term goals such as reading a certain book in the next month. I admit that I’m pretty pleased with myself for my own definition, which goes a bit like “if you can avoid communication breakdown and keep a conversation flowing, you’re pretty fluent."
2) Learn Vocabulary in Context
Flashcards and vocab are hot property, but there are lots of different ways of doing them. From detailed Anki interaction to paper-based systems like my simple Write-Look-Cover-Repeat system, the biggest key is in creating a rich context for whatever you are learning. In fact, you can develop this all the way to creating language memory palaces. Anthony Metivier believes that the memory palace is great for simple grammar principles and vocabulary, and emphasises that it is the most fundamental way of developing your memory (read here for my own mini palace attempt).
3) Don't get hung up on Accents
No matter where you go and speak a native language kinda badly, you'll still be welcome and accepted. this message was reinforced by Jared Romey and the girls from Russian Step by Step. Jared talked about how easy it can be to become disoriented even within the same language as he recounted his experiences of embarrassing Puerto Rican shopgirls. You might be feeling self-conscious or embarrassed when you step off the plane and have to open your mouth and “talk foreign” for the first time. But Jared says: “The most important thing is that you learn Spanish. Afterwards, you can adjust it, but don’t let dialects stop you."
4) Appreciate how big the World is
Language learning is not just about remembering words and grammar structures. It's about a whole different world view. Becky Morales shared the story of American high schoolers who met their first Mexican in their teenage years and enquired whether she had ever seen an orange. When you learn a language, she said, you become a world citizen and that's what really enriches your life.
5) Look Beyond the Idea of Hacking
There is no language hack and no single method of making language learning easier for all. From Benny Lewis and the emphasis on speaking and communication, to Gabriel Wyner's intense pronunciation focus, no polyglot can promise you the answer to getting things entirely right. Many share what works for them, and all of us hope that it will work for you too. In that sense keep trying, because you're not getting things wrong any time soon. Looking for a shortcut to better language skills is fine, but every one of our experts on the day has been a language learner for many years. The tips that you get are honed through years of experience, discipline and habit-building. What is the key to good language learning? Enjoy the journey!
6) See and Believe the Impossible
It's all right to be a fan boy! In Teatime with Chris, my Co-host Chris Broholm talked about his own journey of self-development and finding a purpose. It’s a pretty inspiring story and really does stand out as proof of how language learning as a personal challenge can help with even the biggest challenges. Chris started his own podcast as a means of learning from the people he admired. He says “It’s been such a big motivation for me when I see people doing things that didn’t even seem possible to me, and once you see what you think is impossible then it becomes possible."
7) Chill out at least some of the Time
When you feel overwhelmed, it's fine to slow down. Instead of trying every method of language learning all at once, just chill out and reconnect with your own preferences. Language learning is about what you do best. It has to be in sync with your own learning style. Not only did I discuss this as part of my own hour of Language Book Club Live, but I actually built this principle into the entire concept of The Vocab Cookbook. It's a cookbook: a collection of recipes to inspire and inform. Like with every other collection and every other blog, I want you to try out the ones that sound nice. You'll still get your time's worth.
Join Language Book Club
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