Bilingual education is a crucial aspect of cultural preservation, global competence, and cognitive development. It has been an educational option in many countries for over 50 years, but its appropriateness for all children remains controversial. Research indicates benefits of bilingualism for cognition and working memory, as well as increasing access to a wider world. Adopting a mother language-based, multilingual education improves access to and inclusion in education, particularly for population groups that speak non-native languages.
Bilingual education goes beyond simply mastering two languages; it also impacts students’ cultural and social growth. Children who are bilingual outperform monolingual students in mathematical reasoning, word problem skills, and other areas. Supporting families and communities is essential for ensuring positive language outcomes in bilingual children.
Exposure to a new language fosters cultural diversity from an early age, teaching respect and an openness to varied customs, traditions, and ways of thinking. Knowing more than one language strengthens logic, thought development, focus, memory, and decision-making skills. Being bilingual supports children in maintaining strong ties with their family, culture, and community, which are key parts of their developing. Learning a different language makes them more aware of cultural differences and the importance of understanding them.
A bilingual education program for minority people is essential for equal access to education and solves conflicts between different ethnic groups. Exploring multiple languages in the classroom provides a foundation for cultural education that allows students to learn and grow alongside others. Bilingual children can be better at understanding other people’s thoughts and feelings, developing important social and emotional skills.
Bilingual education also fosters cultural awareness and sensitivity, as they are often introduced to the world around them. Overall, bilingual education is a valuable tool for preserving cultural identity, promoting global competence, and fostering cultural awareness and sensitivity.
📹 The secrets of learning a new language | Lýdia Machová | TED
Want to learn a new language but feel daunted or unsure where to begin? You don’t need some special talent or a “language …
How does culture influence language learning?
Culture significantly impacts English language learning, influencing learners’ motivation, perception, and communication strategies. Integrating culture enhances communicative competence, fosters cross-cultural understanding, and promotes inclusivity and respect in language learning environments. ScienceDirect uses cookies and copyright © 2024 Elsevier B. V., its licensors, and contributors. All rights reserved, including text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. Creative Commons licensing terms apply for open access content.
How does learning a foreign language help with cultural awareness?
Learning a foreign language enhances cultural understanding and helps students understand different worldviews. It helps children use appropriate tone, pitch, volume, and body language, allowing them to see that similarities in non-verbal expressions can have different meanings. Learning multiple languages fosters curiosity, imagination, and critical thinking, as well as better communication and listening skills. This promotes empathy, open-mindedness, and appreciation for one’s culture and others.
This awareness breeds broader thinking, eclectic artistic expressions, and unique viewpoints, which can bring unconventional solutions to global problems. Additionally, studying a foreign language engages and develops the brain, producing improved results in other areas. The National Centre for Education Statistics reports that tens of thousands of high school students who perform better on the American College Test (ACT) core subjects have studied foreign languages, highlighting the importance of foreign language education in a child’s curriculum.
What are the cultural benefits of learning a second language?
Learning multiple languages helps children develop lifelong curiosity, imagination, and critical thinking skills. This exposure to multiple languages fosters empathy, open-mindedness, and appreciation for their culture and others. This awareness breeds broader thinking, eclectic artistic expressions, and unique viewpoints, which can bring unconventional solutions to global problems. Studying foreign languages also engages the brain and improves results in other areas.
The National Centre for Education Statistics reports that tens of thousands of high school students who performed better on the American College Test (ACT) core subjects have studied foreign languages. Additionally, foreign languages provide positive cultural influences and solid values that help navigate everyday life with enriching approaches. These skills foster long-term life skills, such as common humanity, shared stewardship of the planet, healthy relationships, ethical reasoning, and thriving in a complex world.
How do you integrate culture in language teaching?
Teaching a language through a cultural lens involves examining one’s own cultural norms and traditions. Students should be immersed in the cultures associated with the target language and make comparisons with their own backgrounds. By doing self-reflection, students are critical thinking about how their cultural backgrounds and traditions compare with those of the target language community or country of study.
For example, when teaching about the daily siesta time in Spain, students should reflect on their enjoyment of having a siesta each day. By tying the unit plan to the cultures associated with the target language, students develop not only language skills but also cultural knowledge that will have a lasting impact on their lives.
How do bilingual learners develop their cultural identities?
Children need to feel confident in their language and its culture to be comfortable using it in their everyday lives. Parents can positively support their children in finding their unique multicultural identity by introducing them to aspects of the culture they enjoy, such as comics, sports, celebrities, fashion, TV programs, movies, and games.
In terms of raising a multilingual/multicultural child, parents can subscribe to the Multilingual Parenting newsletter, which sends a recap of the week’s posts every Sunday. The newsletter also includes links to research articles, interesting posts from other writers, and helpful tips and ideas.
For more information, the author’s book Bringing up a Bilingual Child is available on Amazon and in well-stocked bookshops. If you have a specific question, you can send it to the team of Family Language Coaches and they will respond in a Q and A. If you are interested in tailor-made family language coaching, contact the author and they will send you a proposal.
How does language help culture?
Language is a crucial aspect of any culture, as it allows people to communicate, build relationships, and create a sense of community. With around 6, 500 spoken languages worldwide, each unique, language has evolved over time as different cultural communities gathered collective understandings through sounds. Intercultural communication is a symbolic process that constructs, maintains, repairs, and transforms social reality. Language is one of the most difficult barriers for people with different cultural backgrounds to interact with.
Cultural identity is heavily influenced by factors such as ethnicity, gender, geographic location, religion, and language. Culture is defined as a historically transmitted system of symbols, meanings, and norms. Knowing a language allows individuals to identify with others who speak the same language, making it an essential part of cultural exchange.
How does language help us understand culture?
Language is a crucial aspect of any culture, as it allows people to communicate, build relationships, and create a sense of community. With around 6, 500 spoken languages worldwide, each unique, language has evolved over time as different cultural communities gathered collective understandings through sounds. Intercultural communication is a symbolic process that constructs, maintains, repairs, and transforms social reality. Language is one of the most difficult barriers for people with different cultural backgrounds to interact with.
Cultural identity is heavily influenced by factors such as ethnicity, gender, geographic location, religion, and language. Culture is defined as a historically transmitted system of symbols, meanings, and norms. Knowing a language allows individuals to identify with others who speak the same language, making it an essential part of cultural exchange.
How does language help establish a cultural identity?
Language is a fundamental aspect of culture, as it serves as a means of communicating values, beliefs, and customs, fostering group identity and solidarity. It is the means by which culture and its traditions are conveyed and preserved. Cultural and linguistic diversity is a feature of most nations today, as people from different groups live together due to historical events and human migrations. In multilingual societies, the maintenance of languages of various ethnic and cultural groups is critical for the preservation of cultural heritage and identity.
The loss of language means the loss of culture and identity. In many societies, the suppression of minority languages has been used as a deliberate policy to suppress minority cultures, leading to the loss of many languages due to colonization and migration processes.
How does being bilingual help with culture?
Bilingual and multilingual speakers are better able to empathize with diverse cultures and understand cultural nuances, which facilitates communication between individuals from different backgrounds and helps to bridge cultural differences.
What role does culture play in bilingual education?
Bilingual education is a crucial aspect of language learning, particularly for minority students who are first proficient in their native language. Cummins’ Interdependence Hypothesis supports this perspective, stating that proficiency in a student’s native language significantly enhances their ability to acquire a second language. Cognitive and linguistic skills developed in the first language act as a transferable foundation, facilitating the acquisition of English and contributing to overall academic success in minority students.
For students still acquiring the language used in their educational setting, it is essential to provide content in their native language to prevent them from falling behind in other subjects while learning English. Cultural elements are integral to bilingual/ESL education, and understanding culture extends beyond annual cultural celebrations to symbols, traditions, history, and beliefs in an educational setting. Teaching culture can be challenging due to potential misunderstandings or insensitivity.
Bilingualism and cultural identity are essential aspects of bilingual education, as students engage in intricate linguistic practices that often go unrecognized due to their non-alignment with conventional monolingual frameworks. This is particularly true for English Language Learners (ELL), who come from varied cultural and educational backgrounds and have different levels of prior knowledge on any given subject. To ensure effective bilingual programs, educators must tailor materials and instruction to each student’s needs, considering potential knowledge gaps.
In Texas, the Texas Education Agency guidelines for Bilingual Programs stipulate that bilingual programs should contain three major components: an academic component, a language development component, and a cultural and self-esteem component. However, many times the cultural component is not emphasized, as culture is a part of language and often has a cultural overtone in the context of communication.
This presentation will focus on certain areas of Mexican culture presented in learning centers while incorporating the development of literacy skills. The theories supporting bilingual/cultural education and ESL extend to content and curriculum, as students gain a sense of empowerment when the content presented and ideas discussed are relevant to their experiences and histories.
Why is language important to culture for kids?
The acquisition of a second language has been demonstrated to facilitate not only the development of linguistic abilities but also a more profound comprehension of the cognitive processes, historical context, and socio-cultural practices associated with a different linguistic tradition.
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In my view, she shares some really valuable insights on language learning. Her focus on making the process fun and personalized really stands out. Using spaced repetition for vocabulary is super practical and backed by science. Plus, she clearly lays out the importance of having a structured plan and staying consistent. Overall, her advice is both motivating and doable for anyone wanting to learn a new language. Thanks for uploading the article.
I’m Brazilian and when I was 7 years old I had a dream, I dreamed that I was living in New York and I could speak English fluently, after that I started study English by myself. I don’t know if were a fate or whatever, today I live in New York City and I am so happy for it! If you have a dream or want to achieve your goals never give up!
1- Make the learning fun. 2-Don’t compare yourself with other learners. 3- Be Patient (Don’t say when I learn the language like a native, make it step by step) 4- Make a suitable method for you, there’re thousands of methods to learn a language choose a fun method. 5-Discipline, you have to practice the language every single day – Listen at least for 30 minutes. – Read a novel or a news or anything you are interested in for 30 minutes. – Speak with yourself or a partner if you have, discuss different topics, or before you go to sleep talk with yourself about what happened in your day. – Learn 5 new words or sentences and repeat them every day day, use them in your conversations. Remind yourself about the benefits of learning this language, That will motivate you. Read this quote out load every day ‘’If some professional in something remember he/she was beginner’’
Hello everyone. I am 17 and I speak 5 languages, Spanish (native language), English, French, Portuguese and a bit of German. While I was perusal this article I had goosebumps, I felt in a way that I can’t explain with words. I felt somehow identified with everythign she was saying, and even made me cry out of nowhere, I mean it made my eyes watery. I absolutely loved this conference! Also what you need to learn a new language successfully is DISCIPLINE. One of the many reasons why I decided to start learning languages is because I wanted to travel all around the world and meet new people, their culture, the way they live and some other interesting things that we can’t even imagine. I hope I’ll be back when I turn 20 and tell you what other languages I’ve learned and what I’ve done. <3 update march 2022: woow, thank you so much for all the support to this comment, never give up !
Hi my name is Mariana, I am 18 years old and I believe that to learn a language you have to try, not give up and enjoy it because that is the best way to practice, until you find the right method and system with which you can learn in the fastest and most effective way. This article encourages us to get out of the routine and to try to learn.
I have been learning German for 73 days since perusal this article! I am getting better and better and I’m so proud of myself. Thank you, TED! Edit 1: been going for 110 days now! Very proud! Edit 2: I have been learning for 150 days now! Edit 3: been going for 186 days now! If you think about trying a new language definitely do it!! Edit 4: 648 DAYS!!!!! I’m not giving up 😂
Okay people, here is a long list of methods I’ve used to learn any new language. I hope this helps! -text/talk to any chatbot in target language(also helps if you’re shy to talk to ppl) -Watch YouTubers in target language -read in target language(books, children stories, news, poetry, quotes) -listen to music in target language -have conversation with yourself in target language -change phone language -watch cartoons in target language -watch tv series/ movies in target language -write stories in target language -write songs/poetry in target language -watch podcast in target language -think in target language -pretend to be the first humans to speak language (E.g. look at the clouds and pretend you gave it the name) -play games in target language -associated words with feelings -associate words with pictures in your head -watch daily conversations in target language on youtube -listen to songs in target language -apply target language to hobbies/interests(e.g workout articles in french, guided meditation in Spanish, art DIY with German instructions) -write journal in target language -use analogies -find interview/get to know me questions and answer in target language -exercise to articles in target language -watch tutorial articles of any kind in target language -use captions in target language if available. Good luck!!!
I started learning English from scratch four years ago when I was 35. I got 6.0 score in IELTS one year later. I hope I will improve more now. I have two kids and work hard for my regular job, so it’s difficult to manage time for all of my tasks, but I don’t want to give up and don’t say complain anything until reaching my ideal English level. Taking time is the new motivation to learn English, because I put several thousands hours into English so far. If I gave up, it means it would waste time. My aspiration is to work and live abroad with my family. I know I will make it happen.
The first time I watched this article was in June 2020. I wasn’t able to understand what she was saying so I used Spanish subtitles. This talk was so beautiful that I decided to learn English. After almost 20 months I can watch it without English subtitles. Thanks, Lydia, because your speech opened my eyes to language learning. Next goal: Brazilian Portuguese.
I’m from Russia, and I learn finnish, because I want to move to Finland. At first I didn’t understand why I couldn’t remember words from a textbook. Then I started perusal Finnish TV shows, listening to podcasts, doing duolingo and “Hi, native!”. My progress became apparent within a month. I recommend this methods of learning the language to everyone!
Hello! My name is Sandry, I’m 17 years old, I’m from Colombia. What I learned from the article talk is that many times we underestimate ourselves and by doing this we leave aside learning new things, it is true when he said that we do not have to be geniuses to learn one or several languages we just have to discover ways to enjoy the process of learning, we should not get carried away because it can be boring, on the contrary, each person can create their own method to learn and thus enjoy the experience while doing it, it can become something pleasurable. Although it is clearly about discipline, that there is a real desire to do it and not give up, this article gives me the reflection to start planning my time well and leave the fear and accept that if others can do it, I will do it. I will also be able to learn the languages I want. Thank you.
Summary: 1. Start speaking from Day 1. Through website/friends etc. 2. Everybody has different ways to learn. 3. Read/watch your favorite book/movie in that language. Also, youtube contents. 4. Goldlist method. 5. Create a system to learn. “I will practice friday and sat for 20 minutes. 6. Patience. 7. Have fun.
I loved this article, thank you very much for sharing it. It reminded me of those times when I didn’t know nothing about English and after several attempts, I thought it would be impossible for me to learn it. Nowadays, seeing everything I’ve achieved, I’m glad I didn’t pay attention to those bad thoughts that I had being an introvert person. Every day that passes I have more knowledge and I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who finds it complicated. And for all the people who see this comment, just keep working hard, set smart goals and most of all, enjoy the process, that one day you will be happy to see all that you have achieved.
Great talk. 🤗 I’m a native Spanish speaker from Guatemala. I spent almost 6 years of my childhood trying to learn English until I got frustrated and quit to the language-learning process. Two years ago I decided to give it a shot again but, this time I was going to do something I didn’t do back in my childhood. I started by learning basic grammar stuff and perusal my favorite Netflix shows with subtitles in English. After two years I can hold a fluent conversation with English native speakers, I understand almost everything I hear, I don’t need subtitles anymore, I’m able to understand sarcasm and to make jokes using it. I know I make mistakes, but who doesn’t? I’m working one more year on my English hoping to finally reach real proficiency. Then I might learn French, Italian or German. Who knows? 🤷🏻♂️
I really love the way Lýdia sees learning new languages, it is true that people spend years trying to learn and I feel that what she says is key, you have to find your own method, not all of us learn in the same way, we must enjoy the process and also do it according to our methodology, time, needs, expectations, etc. I think it is very important that if you are learn a new language, you do it because it is something you really want, not because of an obligation or to prove something, since it is easier when you do something for pleasure and for your own goal.
I don’t say things like this very often- but this is life changing advice. From start to finish. I have been studying Russian for 4 years now consistently, and I am still stuck at an upper beginner level. What plagues me, is I feel like I should be much further along than I am so I have become afraid to make mistakes, or am hard on myself that I am not on a false timeline that I self imposed. I’ll throw all that out the window today and take this lady’s direction.
Very proud of our Lýdia for representing the language learning community so strongly on such a big platform! As well as being mentioned in the article (thanks for that!!) she came to visit my office in NY right after she gave this talk 😄, so that’s my double relevant claim to fame. She’s the real deal, and has been a strong contributor to the polyglot community for some time. Can’t wait to hear all the stories of those who’ll be inspired to learn a language after seeing this article!
In my humble opinion I believe the biggest “secret” is that no matter what method, no matter how much you study per day the most important thing you can do is that you stick with it every day. The people she gave as examples just found a way to stick with it. The thing that will make you waste your time is quitting and quitting is something that is easy to do. Find a way to hang on and as with all things you will learn.
I simply love this article! Few years ago I really struggled to learning English. I though it was so difficult to speak. I gave up. I went to a language academy but I didn’t see improvements. I felt stuck. In 2020 since the pandemic started I decided to study English myself by listening to podcast in English and doing a effective method called “shadowing”. I found brilliant ways to improve and I started to love English. Although my English is not the best. I have improved a lot. And I wanna tell you that everything’s posible if you work hard and find a enjoyable way to study English. It can be as simple as perusal your favorite tv show, recording yourself, and so on. Wish you a wonderful life to everyone who is reading this. I am sure your dreams are gonna make true✨💗
I watched this article exactly 4 months ago. It inspired me to go back to studying a foreign language, knowing that everyone CAN become fluent if you work hard enough. It’s been a really enjoyable journey and four months later, I have already progressed to B1 (from A1) in that language, studying every single day. Edit: It’s been a year since I started, I still try to study every day. I’m at mid-intermediate to upper intermediate now. I watch lots of youtubers and listen to podcasts in my target language every day and it helps greatly in improving my listening and vocabulary, while practising speaking weekly with a native speaker. Looking forward to visiting the target language country in summer to test out my language skills! I also started studying another language recently.
I simply enjoyed this presentation. As a language teacher I recognize that in school we need to make learning ¨dulce et utile¨ I enjoy music, films, games. I have used Quizlet, Kahoot, etc. Students get super engaged and highly motivated and they are learning in the process. Personally, I decided over this last summer to finally begin learning my 3rd language and I chose Portuguese. I have heard that you can learn it within 600 hours. I decided to use Duolingo and itś been over 100 days and I make it a daily goal to practice for at least 10-15 minutes. I look forward every day to practice and it has become a part of my routine. So far, so good. Tchau!
Learning a language is something amazing and really complex, because it involves different aspects which can differ from one person to another and make it easier or more complicated. In my opinion, choosing good methods and the system make a big difference when it comes to learning anything as well as possible, but it’s hard to figure out which method fits you. After perusal this article and reading some of the comments, my thoughts about learning languages have been reinforced. There are countless methodologies, motivations and perspectives in the way people deal with learning languages, which is incredible! Also, I want to mention that I really admire people who know how to speak many languages and I can’t imagine how much effort they’ve put into it. Congratulations!
This talk is very motivating. The most important advice is disipline and patience, which are difficultly achieved with tight schedules, cause without them we won’t be able to carry on our learning process. I am still trying to improve my English skills using methods of enjoyment such as reading novels and listening to podcasts and YouTube articles. I hope to keep going. Pardon my mistakes as I am still learning.
Just realized that this tip doesn’t only apply to language-learning, but to any kind of learning process. Enjoy it, find methods for revising, make a plan or routine which you could stick to on a span of time, and have patience. I’ve been struggling on studying for my college entrance test and on studying Korean, but this TED talk gave me a huge motivation, thank you☺️
the way I relate to this so much I’m a slow learner but I love, love learning languages Just the thought of being able to let multiple languages flow on the tip of my tongue makes me feel a sense of achievement The light in her eyes when she talks about learning languages made me feel something resonate in me to work harder
Day 1: Activity : listening and comprehension(I hope I have written it well, in case can you correct it please?) I am learning English by listening Ted and the news. I feel happy because I am able to understand the general context of what the conductor is saying. But she still speaks too fast, I need to practice more. Day 2 Activity : podcasts and Netflix Instead of wasting time in Netflix I have decided to follow Breaking Bad in English. I have seen the first two episodes. To be sure, I have put the subtitles. Everything I will not understand will be written on paper. Also today I have heard two listening, one about cronic insomnia(a doctor has given some advices to sleep better) and the other one was about loneliness(I have understood loneliness is different from isolation). Isolation is meant strictly in terms of distance while you can feel lonely between the people. 6/12/2020 : due to the Covid situation I don’t want to go out, it scares me pretty much. I spend my days studying, for the university and when I finish I continue my activities. I’m perusal films and I have taken my first book, “The strange case of Dr. Jekyll(hope it’s written correctly) and Mr Hyde. In the future I want to buy 1984 and Animal farm(a book about dictatorship). For the university I am analyzing Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf and its influence on the social phenomenon of nazism. in the speaking it seems like native speakers are slower, I can comprehend everything they say. However the accent is very relevant.
I’m studying Russian, and listen to Russian songs on YT, and almost always in the comment section someone has translated the lyrics into English. So I copy and paste the lyrics in English and Russian onto to a blank document and listen to the song while reading the lyrics. I’ve discovered great bands along the way as well.
I’m from the Philippines and my native dialect is Kapampangan. Gradually, I learned the national language which is Tagalog or Filipino mainly by perusal television. By some happy happenstance, I became playmates with children next-door (house next-door was for lease back then) whose parent/s is/are nationals of foreign countries. These children only conversed in English and that was my first introduction to and the beginning of my fascination with an alien language that is English. To communicate effectively with them, I daily-read a thick old picture dictionary with sample sentences. Eventually, my English skills were honed as I began schooling esp. with the constant verbal intelligence tests administered to me until I graduated from high school. When I was ten, I heard a lovely Japanese song on the radio and I fell in love with the language. Later on, I fell in love with French. It was purely self-study with Japanese and French until I was given an opportunity later on in my adult life to live/work in Japan and France in which I was constrained to regularly converse in Japanese and French with nationals of these countries until I gradually became proficient in these languages. Another language I had mastered is Spanish. Presently, I’m stunted in my study of Greek and Bulgarian. As emphasised by the speaker, passion and joy are indeed essential in learning a new language (and other endeavours). And, as much as possible, become immersed in an environment wherein you have to regularly speak the foreign language of your choice.
enjoying the process of learning a new language is the main part that works for me, since like most adults who want to learn we work and therefore dedicating time to study is complicated. So when I find a fun activity that doesn’t feel like I’m doing homework, it motivates me to dedicate at least 1 hour a day to it. Obviously grammar is very important in a language but I find that building the ability to understand and be understood is the first step in learning a language.
Thank you for making me feel that I still have the opportunity to learn language. My family always called me an idiot, and I wasn’t even accepted into the they . I had to learn four mother tongues (two from each parent’s family) since he was a child, and I only knew one language before high school. High school, I learned my second mother tongue while playing with my friends, but I couldn’t do it when I wanted to learn it again, and I was constantly scolded, which made me feel sad. (Asian parents)
Hi, I’m Luisa Perafan. I’m 18 years old. I’m from Colombia. This article is very productive and effective for me because it is always good to learn something new and for it to be good for us in every way. Learning languages helps us professionally and academically, but also and more importantly, it helps us with our mental health.
Hello! My name is Julieta, I’m twenty six years old, I’m from Colombia. I found this article very appropriate since I am looking for how to learn Italian and English. I like to know that it is easy to learn beyond a book or a lecture, I learn more by listening and perusal articles. It catches my attention and it is interesting to know what is common beyond the methods to learn a language, is the purpose of enjoying the learning process. Here I learned and to conclude is that we must identify what our method is and really what we like to learn another language.
i never understood English until i wanted to learn it. So, I started learning English 2 months ago ( I only knew 3-6 English words ). I started learning new words every day and now I can read original books, like Harry Potter, and watch different articles in English, but my speech in english is full of mistakes. I can’t express my own thoughts every now and then, but i never give up
My name is Tatiana Herrera, I am 18 years, I’m from Colombian. We really only think that learning a different language is difficult, almost impossible, but it’s because we limit ourselves to exploring and doing it in a striking way; finding that method will make us love any type of language we want to learn.
I really smiled when I heard the Harry Potter example. I was visiting my in-laws in Poland (I’m a Dane speaking, Danish, German and English almost from my childhood) and I saw that my nephew had a Polish version of Harry Potter lying in his room, and asked if I could read while staying there. Great book – also in Polish 🙂
I speak 4 languages but not all fluent yet. The more languages i learn, it’s getting even faster. Cuz I know how to learn and what words are important and useful. My opinion, – choose the languages you are interested in. – empty your head it’s all new languages. But if you already speak similar languages, link that to new one. – pronunciations is very important to beginer – keep using the languages so you don’t forget. – some language are actually easy, and the others aren’t.
Learning another skills in general tends to be a little bit difficult at the beginning, but once we recognize our improvements the enjoyment starts. I’ve been learning English two years ago by writing a daily memos, and I still do. it’s very helpful method, cause I can see my improvement. Also, perusal Ted articles and ALOT of English series help too. I hope that one day I can speak English Language fluently with error free 🧚🏻♂️
I love learning languages indeed! I’m not fluent in English but I can speak and I’m able to communicate to peoples. But now I’ve decided to learn Spanish because 30% of words of my native language which is tagalog there is a similarity to Spanish such as words and alphabet. I decided to learn Spanish as well for my language ability because my major course in college is flight stewardess.
My name’s Juan. I’m 22 year old, and I’m from colombian. I love the idea of learning a language different from mine with a new learning methodology, I want the way of learning to not be so boring and repetitive. I really like the article and the ideas it takes to learn a different language, I may implement it but in other ways
I have started reading And writing English language 3 Months ago, now I am just enjoying the little things those I understand in English.This article really gave me such a motivation and confidence, because I am struggling to learn and speak English fluently, she mentioned she learns one language every two years 😅 That’s like a boost for me. Thank you. Any mistakes in grammer and tenses please correct me. I’ll be so greatful.
Hi, i’m Jeimmy from Colombia, this article inspired me to learn a new language, but I need motivation for this, I will be thinking to do that in the future when I can travel with my money, I admire polyglots, they are so disciplined in their proccess (this is the most important to learn another language without classes).
This article is so motivating. Thank you Lýdia! Currently, I’m on my third language – Hungarian, it’s very hard but i will give myself to it to the fullest. Never give up on language, become an example of hardworker and self-learner to people around you. Make this world better place by working on yourself! 👋
After perusal this article, I changed my mind. I always thought I wouldn’t be able to learn a new language because it was difficult and difficult, but after perusal this article, I also gained confidence that I could learn a language enough. Also, I thought that learning a new language after perusal this article is a really beautiful and wonderful opportunity to meet new people, cultural traditions, etc. I am very grateful to Lýdia for eliminating the prejudice that learning a language is always difficult and requires special tips. I also want to try learning many languages and find my own way to learn my own language and become a wonderful polyglot like Lýdia.
From Perú: Guillermo Espinoza Wow, This speech really blew my mind! To be honest, your explanation made me remember my journey through English. About the principles that you mention, I prefer ENJOYMENT. But I have not realized until today what happened to me when I studied English. But what is ENJOYMENT? I see it this way: You enjoy when you can listen to or sing the song’s lyrics and emphasize your dance movements. Or reply to an email as quickly as you received it and sigh as you send it. When you read part of a book and find what you were looking for. You read a poem and meditate on what you read. When you grammatically construct effortlessly what you want to communicate or you would have done with another gramatical extructure. The fourth principle really captivated me: Patience must be accompanied with passion. Thank you, Lýdia Machová
Hello! I’m Nathalia Cruz, I’m 19 years old, and I’m from Bogotá, Colombia. I used to think that learning a language was a difficult, almost impossible task. However, I discovered that the key is to find the right approach, one that makes learning a fun and engaging experience. This article is a valuable tool, as it motivates us to broaden our horizons because learning a language not only opens doors professionally and academically but also significantly contributes to our mental well-being.
Well, I from a Russia. I want to learn English language. I started to learn in a 1.5 year ago. And one day I mind, If I enjoy about a process, l learn English faster. YouTube, Facebook and other sites gives a hope, and helps me better learn English. Also TED helps me. Thank you😃. P. S. Sorry for errors in the text if they are .
I learned english the same way she learned german 🙂 I was really bad in my english class in school always had bad grades in it. After graduation i started online gaming where english is necessary. So to become better at it i watched friends in english +english subtitels so even if they talked to fast i could read the words. And if a word came up in the conversation i couldnt translate from the context i stopped and googeld the meaning. In a matter of weeks i could follow any english text (hearing an reading) with no problem. And after a few months doing it i was able to talk an write at the same level. Ofc we are talking about normal small talk not lawyer or doctor level of lanuage witch is hard to grasp even in my native language (german) That came later i started perusal tv series about doctors and lawyers and since i understood english at a normal level i could translate most words trough context and if not i simply googeld them And now i dont translate english to german in my head anymore I just understand it like i understand german I even think in english from time to time because english is more convenient for some things 🙂
Hello! I´m Geraldine. I’m 18 years old and I´m Colombian. I think that when listening to the Coach, it is fascinating how Polyglots look for different ways that are fun for them to learn languages by doing things they like, like cooking. In this way they do this task in a more comfortable way and not in the typical boring way.
These are the same methods I use : 1.watch films in that movie 2.watch podcast 3.talk to family even if they don’t understand I was 3 years old when I began perusal german(Deutsch dub) movies in nickelodeon and boom i was 7 years and all i know everybody is amazed how good Iknow german I started learning french(Français) in 3rd grade and i just loved the french culture and it made me love the language and now I’m fluent just like in german,english and my own mother tongue I knew a lot of ltalian (Italiano)when i was a kid but when I grew up I didn’t like perusal Italian shows and after that I only know how to read and understand the spoken language I also started perusal anime and got into japanese (kanji:日本語、kana:にほんご,rōmaji:nihongo)and it’s been 1 year since I started learning japanese and I watched sub anime so I heard japanese and read the translation in english and im still learning and talking to myself,to my friends and my parents even if they don’t understand. And english,well i don’t know how I learned that just remember my self 11 years old or so speaking fluently .Also if you wanna know my mother tongue is Albanian(shqip) ❤️
For me, one of the most difficult thing in studying foreign language is that you can’t practice it in your everyday life. It ‘s very actually in Russia, a lot of people’s get very low salary’s and they can’t leave board’s because the don’t have money. So they decided that foreign language for them is useless and unfortunately they are right. I’m started to learn English when i was a kid and played at computer games like Diablo, Doom, Quake and many others. There was very simple and very often seeing words and i asked my dad to translate it for me. Word by word i get my first 300 and then i feel that i can understand some of conversations. So, I’m 27 and I’m just even now have money and I’m going to visit Europe and dream sometimes get in USA. That motive me to watch and hear English by podcast and YouTube’s articles. Your learn English if you like it and for me it is important that i can use it in my travels. Without this it was no effective. Good luck everyone, never give up) Всем удачи в изучении иностранного языка, будет сложно, но у вас все получится. Привет из Москвы 🙂
After perusal this article, I understood something very important, the satisfaction of being able to learn a different language leads us to find a way to achieve it. Now it sounds logical to me; when you do something out of personal interest and not out of obligation, you get excited about finding a way to achieve it, when you do it you get excited about continuing to do new things and so on, it’s like cause and effect. For years I have tried to learn English and I have not succeeded, and I questioned myself about this. Analyzing what was seen in the exhibition, I realized that I needed to be more enthusiastic about learning; maybe the methodologies were there, but I didn’t enjoy it 100%. Now I appreciate each of the small advances that I am achieving and that has motivated me to continue striving to move forward. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to listen to Lydia, she shows something that has seemed impossible to me for a while, as totally feasible for any of us: learning languages. She looks so confident and calm in what she says, that she manages to arouse the interest that was already present in each one of us much more. Now to continue working.
Hello, My name is Laura I’m twenty three years old, I’m from Colombia I live Bogotá, I speak Spanish, I think it is a very interactive article about to learn a new language, the way in which provides another perspective and learn people who speak a lot of Languages how should we create a system in your learning enjoyment and methods, I loved it and I recommed you.
Ironically, this was my simultaneous translation quiz last year. Couldn’t enjoy her speech then because I had to frantically shove Arabic translation down the mic holes; which was NOT easy due to the syntactical and structural differences, and the casual way she speaks. Glad I finally get to enjoy it and benefit from it now.
I’m such a language nerd that I use my target language to learn about other languages. Only like that I can keep my attention levels for long enough to actually learn something. I also love to compare languages to find similarities. I mostly focus on indoeuropean languages and since it’s a big family it’s so fun!
Grown up as Polyglot, started my fifth Language at the age of 10. Having fun to talk with other people in their languages is true. I recon that i learn a languafaster, when i like the “music” that sounds the language . so perusal movies and listening helps to go faster. The only downsize: languages needs to be keept alive like a plant. Aloha
The twist at the end made it clear, I even had goosebumps. Clearly, people should start putting in some extra effort instead of copying others strategies and yes, finding a way to enjoy and to feel satisfaction is the factor in this equation, me myself I was experiencing this hard time while speaking in English but by finding my own way I took that step forward in less than 6 months and here I am commenting and expressing my opinion. thanks for this beautiful and informative article.
I can’t agree more. I am a Chinese, and when I was in high school, my passion on learning a language was suppressed. Everybody said I am good at English but I failed in the college entrance exam by getting my lowest points in my study period. However, when I went to college, I was free to study in anyway I like, and those passion came back to me. I am now one of the top students in learning English in my major. And I am learning French now!
This made me realize I can literally learn from music because I learned Spanish in school but it bored me and kinda made me not want to learn but yet the music draws me in and same for Korean I want to learn it I’ve listened to Korean music for 8 years now and feel comfortable enough to honestly learn it and this article makes me feel better since I’m only fluent in English it would be nice to know more then just that.
Awesome, I have never had any idea how other people are learning languages and it surprised me because I always thought it is like something you are born with, but it turns out it is something you can put into practice. It gives me hope that in the future maybe I can speak in all the languages that I like, like Japanese, Russian or French. It is true that these articles motivate people to improve themselves. Languages are one of the things that attract me the most. I hope to become a polyglot and travel the world living new experiences. Greetings to all.
I really enjoyed the talk and totally agree with Lýdia, each of us has different methods to learn other languages. We just have to find our own way. When we feel comfortable and enjoy learning, that’s the way! I think learning other languages is beautiful, it allows you to meet new people, cultures, traditions, etc. I have been trying to learn English for a long time, taking courses, face-to-face classes, but at the beginning of this year I changed all that and tried to start my own method, and it worked. Each one learns in a different way, there is no recipe for this. We just need to start living the languages.
I really liked this article. I am one of those people who have been trying for a long time to really learn English. Since I was in school, I have been able to experience different ways or methods to achieve that goal. When the article started, I think I was expecting Lýdia to share with us about “the method” to learn different languages. What she tells us reinforces the concept that everyone has their own methods for learning something new, but that an important part of the process is to enjoy it. I have recently resumed my journey to become an English speaker. I have been discovering what makes me enjoy it, I get inspiration from other people and I am establishing my own system.
I was doing my German course homework and got bored so picked up my phone and saw this. And made me realize that I have learned English and Albanian just by talking with my friends at school and never got to learn the grammar 100% with a book and here I am whining about not being able to learn German. I think I have to find me some German friends ASAP 😆 so I can chat all day and improve my learning.
I’m Santiago Rodríguez of Bogotá, Colombia, i love it this method, it’s important the practice to talk with a native people, In my case, I enjoy playing article games online, and perusal animated series, as well as working on listening to the language of native speakers. The important thing to know is that learning a language is about opening up to a new world and a new culture.
I’m so impressed by this speech ! It remains me of when I started learning English at the age of 28 with full of enjoyment. I totally feel the same way ! Learning English is real enjoyment for me. It never get me bored. I’m Japanese by the way. I hope more and more Japanese people will feel the same way!
This is so true I learned english and french at school (I‘m from germany) but after 6 years I can still barley understand french, yet I am quite fluent in english. Simply because I watched a TON of youtube articles and Netflix series in the original version (mostly english). A few months ago I started to learn Japanese, and even tho it’s a LOT more difficult for me than french, because it’s totally different, I‘m almost at the same level. I picked up learning french again, just reading harry potter again, the french version this time, and I‘ve already improved tremendously! Grammar is just a tool to understand nativ speakers, you will never be able to speak just by knowing a bunch of grammar and vocab.
I love this article. I have studied with traditional methods since 2005 and I never getting good results, because the most part of time I memorized words, rules o phrases but as the Lydia said “The words will be stored in the short-term memory and you i’ll forget after a few days” and because I never practice space repetition I forget it all. Now, in a very short time, I improve my English, because I create my own plan, I listening Ted Talks from the app while I am walking from my office to my House, I download Memrise and I am perusal my favorite TV Series in English, because I have never forget a quotes from Friends, I’ll never forget you Phoebe. I walk with baby steps, but safe steps at least Finally, I felt that is the my way to be successful in English, an as Lydia said “There is nothing that motivate us more thank our own success”
Great, very good! I was a really mental block with the English language, because I can’t accept the idea of to study 10 years for don’t speak anything. I learned the Spanish language very fast and very easy, the French too, and often to try others methods to study English, all is changed. Thanks for the contents.
I speak 4 languages fluently, I taught myself Italian by perusal Italian television with English subtitles as well as imitating sounds, learned about the grammar and bought a few books and dictionary and started reading. Within six months I could have a conversation. Every day I practice new words still.
This speech really open my eyes. I completely agree. When one learns in a boring way, the process is very difficult. And I gave up, thinking it is too difficult for me. This is a recurrent phrases when found with a difficult. Now, I have to find the methods and create a plan for me. One easy or funny. It is important to be patient during the learning process and go through it so as not to get frustrated I must find a way to enjoy my process of learning English and lose the fear to mistake. The important is enjoy the process and go step by step.
I think he is right in many aspects, the ones that stand out the most is the fact that the method makes a difference. I have studied English for several years at the university, and I was never able to advance. It is more after 4 years I had “only’ reached level A2. Some time ago I enrolled in online classes at an academy, which taught classes with very different methods, with much more practice and focus, where the teaching method was very different, and it was noticeable in my results. Although for my part, I would add one more thing that a boss taught me once, José, who was the manager of the factory, told me that the formula for success is Success = (knowledge + ability) * Attitude, since one can have something of knowledge, but zero ability or vice versa, but if one has a huge attitude, the desire to excel, one can achieve whatever we wants.
I loved your article, specially because is not one of the articles that sells the idea that in order to be polyglot you need to have certain qualities. Quand j’étais un enfant, j’avais des classes d’Anglais a l’école et, malgré je comprenais la langue je ne pouves pas l’utiliser. 8 anni fa, ho comminciato a imparare francese, perché mi piaceva, non era difficile per me ma quando ho visto la grammatica de la lingua, il mio cervelo ha cambiato, l’Inglese e il francese sono diventati clarissimi per me. Y me di cuenta de que en realidad el problema yacía en que no conocía la gramática de mi primer idioma, el español, no sabía la diferencia entre un adjetivo y un adverbio, no tenía idea del subjuntivo, y un montón de cosas más que ignoraba completamente. So, when that made sense, it all turned to be so easy. I use to say that I learned English by learning French. Il y a un an que j’ai commencé a étudier l’Italian et je n’ai pas de probleme parce que je connais la grammaire du langues et parce que je parle l’Espagnol et le Français. Oggi, io posso comprendere il Portoghese, Catalano e Galiziano perché sono molto simile. También tengo las bases de alemán (aunque aun no tengo el vocabulario, por eso no escribo) y puedo entender algunas cosas. Incluso comencé a dar clases de Inglés y es algo que me encanta. And something that is pretty interesting to me, c’est que la raison por laquelle je peux faire ça, é che io ho imparato la biologia e l’evoluzione dei esseri viventi si posse comparare all’evoluzione dei lingui, esa es la razón por la que me encanta aprender idiomas 😀 BTW, there’s a cool fact that surprises me every day I learn a new pair of words: ocho noche eight night huit nuit otto notte oito noite acht nacht is there a reason for this?
No matter how long it takes you to reach your goals, always keep moving forward and work hard to achieve them. I am currently working hard to become fluent speaker in english and know it takes time, but I make an effort to have contact with english every single, knowing thay will eventually see results.
As a Mandarin speaker, I’ve learnd English for almost 20 yrs but stuck in B2 class for a long time, which makes me really struggle. Recently I try to watch Eng article without subtitles, then I found my listening ability improve dramatically! I always think that I didn’t have talent to learn languages before, but now, with this article and my own experiance, I realize that I certainly have language learning ability, perhaps I’ll try to be a polylinguist in the future! Thanks to TED working crew and Lýdia.
I have realized that I need practice the language every day to make improves. I stared studiyng english 7 years ago but I lost fluency with the time. Whit my travel to NYC I realized that I need improve my skills, so I took the decision to get back studying english. I found my own methods. I took a course to practice and I try to do other things to improve. I watch TikTok in english everyday while I taking breakfast or lunch and I read the comments of people left in the articles. It’s very fun. Also I try to play games in english to learn new vocabulary. It works to me. I have been make improves faster than I thought. Now, after to know the experience of Lydia with Friends, I have decided watch Malcolm In The Middle in english in my free time 🤭
Hi, I’m Jelitza Castillo. I’m 17 years old, I live in Bogota Colombia, I’m interested in learning new languages too. I agree that enjoying the process of learning another language is very important, because motivation is the key. You shouldn’t feel obligated to learn, instead you should make an effort to do it by yourself, and find a way to feel comfortable with your knowledge of that language.
Hi, I’m Diana from Mexico City! I enjoyed a lot this Ted talk because I think that thought describes how I fell with the process of learning a language, I have started learning English since I was a child and at the beginning it was too difficult for me, by the time passed I have started learning more and more and I think nowadays I have more fluently, because I need more practice and as Lydia says there are many kinds of methods to learn as podcasts, TV programs, books, follow influencers also I am used to have all my gadgets in English in order to get used to the language in my daily life, also I have lost the fear of how others look or think about me and that helps me a lot in order to dare me to use more the language. So yes, I’m totally agree with Lydia we live in a time where it’s more easy to learn a language you only have to try it and really enjoy the process!! 🎉😊🙏🏼
I’m from India. My mother tongue is Malayalam, we learn two three language from school, like reading and writing, etc . After putting some efforts now I’m fluent in Tamil, Hindi and English, English was the toughest among these, learning English as a subject for so many years I couldn’t make anything. Then I started to watch YouTube, practice with myself.. Now I m improved alot
hi, i’m from uzbekistan where the english isn’t commonly spoken. it’s been only a few months since i’ve taken the learning process seriously, though prior i would simply attend classes for the sake of it. honestly, ever since i’ve noticed significant improvements in my language knowledge. frankly i can’t say that i’m fluent, not at all. but at least i took the ielts and that clarifies everything. there’s always a room for improvement though. guys, if you wanna master smth so bad, leave behind laziness and get everything in your hands. desire, perseverance, patience – are all you need! stay on track and never give up on your goals✨
I love learning languages 😍 I’m 17 years old and I can speak to 4 languages…my mother tongue is Turkish and talk with my family in turkish and I’m Iranian so I speak persian in my daily life with friends amd I’m learning English and almost Korean right now and as I planned it will be over for 2 years.next I plan to learn Chinese and maybe Italy😍😍
that was nice)) – very inspiring!👍 – however) I still think there is language-speaking talent)) – at any language actually, – even if one can speak only his (her) native language – some people have this ability to express at a higher speed, using the most complicated -beautiful, witty and most targeted (precise) phrases)), – So I believe, verbal ability is the same art as skating, painting, dancing or poetry – in principle, everyone can learn, but… only few can make it… an art)) – Thank you for the inspiration🌹
Personally, learning even one other language is challenging. However I am a little bit skeptical about the real ability to speak 8 languages fluently. From my perspective, once you master a language you have to keep practicing it otherwise you’re not gonna remain fluent so when you learn a new language you also have to keep practicing the one you learned previously and that is really time consuming.
I put this article with spanish subtitles. I’ve spoke English my entire life, and have a massive vocabulary. My personal issue has always been making a mountain out of a mole hill, and not engaging myself when trying to learn a new language. Making it fun, while also spending time every day to do so I think is a huge acceleration for learning for me. Good luck everyone!
Так много комментариев на английском, а ведь видео про изучение иностранных языков! И для Лидии, родной язык, видимо русский. Всё, что она говорит, это правда, это подтверждается моим личным опытом. Когда я выучил английский, я был так вдохновлён этим, что снял собственное видео об этом. Я там говорю очень похожие вещи.
1. NEVER use another language as a reference language, e.g. textbooks where things are explained in English. Toddlers don’t do this, they just mimic and figure it out. 2. Remember grammar is DESCRIPTIVE not PRESCRIPTIVE (except in formal writing and public speaking). We don’t think in terms of grammar natively we just speak without constructing. Our brains are wired for grammar, you don’t need to mechanically construct your speech through another language; it’s not just some big spreadsheet of matching words; it will slow you down and sound clunky. Again, toddlers can’t use this crutch, neither should you. 3. How to program the new grammar into your brain? Learn as a child does. Our brains are pattern matching machines. Once you take the lead from your parents’ utterances you pick up the sounds and structure instinctively. 4. Start with imitating all the sounds; babble word fragments you hear. This trains your muscles and ear. Pre-recorded audio is helpful here. 5. Tackle the top 5-10 verbs and learn them backwards and forwards with simple nouns and in all the common tenses. These tend to be the hardest as common verbs tend to be irregular. This is the critical step — training your brain for the new phrase structure. Have access to a native speaker guide for this step. 6. Remember that language is a cultural skill. You can’t use any language properly unless you know the social context — you won’t use the proper pronouns and honorifics that every language has to address others.
I had German class for 3 years in high-school and always got good grades and still was unable to speak, let alone understand the language. So after school I tried for another 6 months or so. And still was unable to speak or let alone understand it. As of about a week ago, I got really serious about it. I thought to myself “I know I Can do this, I know it’s possible, I just don’t know how.” I don’t want to give up, and so I needed encouragement from people who’ve done it. That’s why I’m here on this article, and many like it. And things have been going so much better. The only thing I don’t have yet, is a buddy
I’ve just started learning my third language. I’ve found out that I love hearing people’s voices in different languages. The different accents, the sounds that don’t exist in my native language, it’s all fascinating to me. My favorite way to learn is by perusal articles with subtitles. Reading or doind “homework” is really boring to me (and I love reading in my native language). Studying grammar is helpful, but not the focus.
When I was young child I hated learning English. My father tried to force us to learn it by buying us children’s book in English but me and my sister were ripping the papers off and drawing on them😅😅😅😅😅😅😅 then I started learning English by perusal cooking programmes because I loved them and now I am 19 years and I am fluent in English and also korean language ….so yeah that’s true it’s all about your own method to learn any language you want 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
For me the Ms. Lýdia Machová’s article explain a theory that contains implicitly a basic and fundamental element: The experience. People records by fire on their brains good and bad experiences, those all good or bad situations lived by every each individual people are the road to made a mark or store information on the memory, finally we lived and moved by remembering memorable moments. The enjoyable moments saved on our memory are very most easily way for developing the knowledge process than the dark or bad moments. At this point the experience are positive affected if we lived enjoying moments, neverthless, just enjoy, about this system learning case, is not enough, the enjoying must be a complimentary part of the model, for example, if we added a method, joining a memorable pleasing situation with a track and objectives clears, we will have enriching the experience and the memorable situation specifically when we will had passing through out and successfully every challenge proposed. Thought the enjoying and the method sounds perfect, both factors still are not enough to reaching or completing the model, the experience turns more attractive and solid if we consider the time factor or the “When” factor, named in the article just like “system”, tasks, challenges, good moments wouldn’t anything without a system that organizing, ordering and contains them. Finally the last and no less important factor, is the motivational aspect, associated to perseverance, and similar to the enjoying factor, depends on the subject attitude, their demeanor about learning experience, mentioned on this presentation like “Patience”.
It was very interesting to hear from a polyglot person that thereisn’t just one way to learn a languaje, or a single recipe to get the expected fluency. I’m agree when She say that is very important enjoy the language-learning process and find a methodology for Us. In my case, I have studied english many times and in different places. I have used several methodologies where I working with books has not helped me, however others like interacting with other people or perusal series have helped me a lot. I’m going to continue with my process, every day and I will take expert advice and I will be very patient.
I relate to her commentary, 100%. I live in Bulgaria and have met one or two other Americans who could speak the language. Why? Well, because it’s not a popular language and it’s pretty damn difficult to learn. What helped me was starting my own YouTube website where I am forced to tell stories and share ideas. That has made it very fun for me, especially perusal the count of people perusal, and liking my article… So I think the fun component is super important.