TED Salon Brightline Initiative
Lýdia Machová: The secrets of learning a new language
Filmed:
Readability: 3.9
7,231,347 views
Want to learn a new language but feel daunted or unsure where to begin? You don't need some special talent or a "language gene," says Lýdia Machová. In an upbeat, inspiring talk, she reveals the secrets of polyglots (people who speak multiple languages) and shares four principles to help unlock your own hidden language talent -- and have fun while doing it.
Lýdia Machová - Language mentor
Lýdia Machová teaches people how they can learn any language by themselves. Full bio
Lýdia Machová teaches people how they can learn any language by themselves. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
I love learning foreign languages.
0
1760
2896
00:16
In fact, I love it so much that I like
to learn a new language every two years,
to learn a new language every two years,
1
4680
4056
00:20
currently working on my eighth one.
2
8760
2096
00:22
When people find that out about me,
they always ask me,
they always ask me,
3
10880
2616
00:25
"How do you do that? What's your secret?"
4
13520
2096
00:27
And to be honest, for many years,
my answer would be,
my answer would be,
5
15640
3016
00:30
"I don't know. I simply
love learning languages."
love learning languages."
6
18680
2320
00:33
But people were never
happy with that answer.
happy with that answer.
7
21720
2256
00:36
They wanted to know why they are spending
years trying to learn even one language,
years trying to learn even one language,
8
24000
3976
00:40
never achieving fluency,
9
28000
1536
00:41
and here I come, learning
one language after another.
one language after another.
10
29560
3056
00:44
They wanted to know
the secret of polyglots,
the secret of polyglots,
11
32640
2216
00:46
people who speak a lot of languages.
12
34880
1720
00:49
And that made me wonder, too,
13
37400
1416
00:50
how do actually other polyglots do it?
14
38840
2296
00:53
What do we have in common?
15
41160
1496
00:54
And what is it that enables us
16
42680
1936
00:56
to learn languages
so much faster than other people?
so much faster than other people?
17
44640
2440
00:59
I decided to meet other people
like me and find that out.
like me and find that out.
18
47880
2840
01:03
The best place to meet a lot of polyglots
19
51760
2056
01:05
is an event where hundreds
of language lovers
of language lovers
20
53840
2296
01:08
meet in one place
to practice their languages.
to practice their languages.
21
56160
2856
01:11
There are several such polyglot events
organized all around the world,
organized all around the world,
22
59040
3296
01:14
and so I decided to go there
23
62360
1376
01:15
and ask polyglots
about the methods that they use.
about the methods that they use.
24
63760
2440
01:19
And so I met Benny from Ireland,
25
67200
1936
01:21
who told me that his method
is to start speaking from day one.
is to start speaking from day one.
26
69160
4160
01:26
He learns a few phrases
from a travel phrasebook
from a travel phrasebook
27
74240
2896
01:29
and goes to meet native speakers
28
77160
1576
01:30
and starts having conversations
with them right away.
with them right away.
29
78760
2816
01:33
He doesn't mind making
even 200 mistakes a day,
even 200 mistakes a day,
30
81600
2776
01:36
because that's how he learns,
based on the feedback.
based on the feedback.
31
84400
2440
01:39
And the best thing is, he doesn't
even need to travel a lot today,
even need to travel a lot today,
32
87480
3136
01:42
because you can easily have
conversations with native speakers
conversations with native speakers
33
90640
2936
01:45
from the comfort of
your living room, using websites.
your living room, using websites.
34
93600
2696
01:48
I also met Lucas from Brazil
35
96320
1776
01:50
who had a really interesting
method to learn Russian.
method to learn Russian.
36
98120
2480
01:53
He simply added a hundred random
Russian speakers on Skype as friends,
Russian speakers on Skype as friends,
37
101200
5656
01:58
and then he opened
a chat window with one of them
a chat window with one of them
38
106880
3896
02:02
and wrote "Hi" in Russian.
39
110800
1440
02:05
And the person replied, "Hi, how are you?"
40
113000
2576
02:07
Lucas copied this and put it
into a text window with another person,
into a text window with another person,
41
115600
4456
02:12
and the person replied,
"I'm fine, thank you, and how are you?"
"I'm fine, thank you, and how are you?"
42
120080
3576
02:15
Lucas copied this
back to the first person,
back to the first person,
43
123680
2976
02:18
and in this way, he had two strangers
have a conversation with each other
have a conversation with each other
44
126680
3456
02:22
without knowing about it.
45
130160
1416
02:23
(Laughter)
46
131600
1256
02:24
And soon he would start typing himself,
47
132880
1896
02:26
because he had so many
of these conversations
of these conversations
48
134800
2136
02:28
that he figured out how
the Russian conversation usually starts.
the Russian conversation usually starts.
49
136960
3016
02:32
What an ingenious method, right?
50
140000
2336
02:34
And then I met polyglots who always start
by imitating sounds of the language,
by imitating sounds of the language,
51
142360
4496
02:38
and others who always learn the 500
most frequent words of the language,
most frequent words of the language,
52
146880
4416
02:43
and yet others who always start
by reading about the grammar.
by reading about the grammar.
53
151320
3400
02:47
If I asked a hundred different polyglots,
54
155600
2296
02:49
I heard a hundred different
approaches to learning languages.
approaches to learning languages.
55
157920
3616
02:53
Everybody seems to have a unique way
they learn a language,
they learn a language,
56
161560
3616
02:57
and yet we all come to the same result
of speaking several languages fluently.
of speaking several languages fluently.
57
165200
3880
03:02
And as I was listening to these polyglots
telling me about their methods,
telling me about their methods,
58
170120
4296
03:06
it suddenly dawned on me:
59
174440
2296
03:08
the one thing we all have in common
60
176760
3136
03:11
is that we simply found ways to enjoy
the language-learning process.
the language-learning process.
61
179920
5536
03:17
All of these polyglots
were talking about language learning
were talking about language learning
62
185480
2776
03:20
as if it was great fun.
63
188280
1256
03:21
You should have seen their faces
64
189560
1576
03:23
when they were showing me
their colorful grammar charts
their colorful grammar charts
65
191160
2616
03:25
and their carefully handmade flash cards,
66
193800
2496
03:28
and their statistics
about learning vocabulary using apps,
about learning vocabulary using apps,
67
196320
3016
03:31
or even how they love to cook
based on recipes in a foreign language.
based on recipes in a foreign language.
68
199360
4200
03:36
All of them use different methods,
69
204680
1736
03:38
but they always make sure
it's something that they personally enjoy.
it's something that they personally enjoy.
70
206440
3776
03:42
I realized that this is actually
how I learn languages myself.
how I learn languages myself.
71
210240
3896
03:46
When I was learning Spanish,
I was bored with the text in the textbook.
I was bored with the text in the textbook.
72
214160
3576
03:49
I mean, who wants to read about Jose
73
217760
1736
03:51
asking about the directions
to the train station. Right?
to the train station. Right?
74
219520
3136
03:54
I wanted to read "Harry Potter" instead,
75
222680
2336
03:57
because that was
my favorite book as a child,
my favorite book as a child,
76
225040
2136
03:59
and I have read it many times.
77
227200
1656
04:00
So I got the Spanish translation
of "Harry Potter" and started reading,
of "Harry Potter" and started reading,
78
228880
3616
04:04
and sure enough, I didn't understand
almost anything at the beginning,
almost anything at the beginning,
79
232520
3336
04:07
but I kept on reading
because I loved the book,
because I loved the book,
80
235880
2216
04:10
and by the end of the book, I was able
to follow it almost without any problems.
to follow it almost without any problems.
81
238120
4136
04:14
And the same thing happened
when I was learning German.
when I was learning German.
82
242280
2616
04:16
I decided to watch "Friends,"
my favorite sitcom, in German,
my favorite sitcom, in German,
83
244920
3296
04:20
and again, at the beginning
it was all just gibberish.
it was all just gibberish.
84
248240
3096
04:23
I didn't know where one word finished
and another one started,
and another one started,
85
251360
3176
04:26
but I kept on watching every day
because it's "Friends."
because it's "Friends."
86
254560
2656
04:29
I can watch it in any language.
I love it so much.
I love it so much.
87
257240
2376
04:31
And after the second or third season,
88
259640
2016
04:33
seriously, the dialogue
started to make sense.
started to make sense.
89
261680
2360
04:37
I only realized this
after meeting other polyglots.
after meeting other polyglots.
90
265080
3056
04:40
We are no geniuses
91
268160
1576
04:41
and we have no shortcut
to learning languages.
to learning languages.
92
269760
2416
04:44
We simply found ways
how to enjoy the process,
how to enjoy the process,
93
272200
3816
04:48
how to turn language learning
from a boring school subject
from a boring school subject
94
276040
3376
04:51
into a pleasant activity
which you don't mind doing every day.
which you don't mind doing every day.
95
279440
3200
04:55
If you don't like writing
words down on paper,
words down on paper,
96
283520
2176
04:57
you can always type them in an app.
97
285720
1696
04:59
If you don't like listening
to boring textbook material,
to boring textbook material,
98
287440
2816
05:02
find interesting content on YouTube
or in podcasts for any language.
or in podcasts for any language.
99
290280
4296
05:06
If you're a more introverted person
100
294600
1696
05:08
and you can't imagine speaking
to native speakers right away,
to native speakers right away,
101
296320
3016
05:11
you can apply the method of self-talk.
102
299360
2336
05:13
You can talk to yourself
in the comfort of your room,
in the comfort of your room,
103
301720
2576
05:16
describing your plans for the weekend,
how your day has been,
how your day has been,
104
304320
2896
05:19
or even take a random
picture from your phone
picture from your phone
105
307240
2136
05:21
and describe the picture
to your imaginary friend.
to your imaginary friend.
106
309400
3736
05:25
This is how polyglots learn languages,
107
313160
2496
05:27
and the best news is,
it's available to anyone
it's available to anyone
108
315680
2856
05:30
who is willing to take the learning
into their own hands.
into their own hands.
109
318560
2680
05:34
So meeting other polyglots
helped me realize
helped me realize
110
322520
2096
05:36
that it is really crucial
to find enjoyment
to find enjoyment
111
324640
3016
05:39
in the process of learning languages,
112
327680
2096
05:41
but also that joy in itself is not enough.
113
329800
3040
05:45
If you want to achieve fluency
in a foreign language,
in a foreign language,
114
333680
2736
05:48
you'll also need to apply
three more principles.
three more principles.
115
336440
2480
05:51
First of all, you'll need
effective methods.
effective methods.
116
339760
2600
05:55
If you try to memorize a list of words
for a test tomorrow,
for a test tomorrow,
117
343160
3416
05:58
the words will be stored
in your short-term memory
in your short-term memory
118
346600
2376
06:01
and you'll forget them after a few days.
119
349000
1905
06:03
If you, however,
want to keep words long term,
want to keep words long term,
120
351400
2936
06:06
you need to revise them
in the course of a few days repeatedly
in the course of a few days repeatedly
121
354360
2936
06:09
using the so-called space repetition.
122
357320
2216
06:11
You can use apps which are based
on this system such as Anki or Memrise,
on this system such as Anki or Memrise,
123
359560
4256
06:15
or you can write lists of word
in a notebook using the Goldlist method,
in a notebook using the Goldlist method,
124
363840
3336
06:19
which is also very popular
with many polyglots.
with many polyglots.
125
367200
2696
06:21
If you're not sure which methods are
effective and what is available out there,
effective and what is available out there,
126
369920
3736
06:25
just check out polyglots'
YouTube channels and websites
YouTube channels and websites
127
373680
3016
06:28
and get inspiration from them.
128
376720
1776
06:30
If it works for them,
it will most probably work for you too.
it will most probably work for you too.
129
378520
2920
06:34
The third principle to follow
130
382840
1976
06:36
is to create a system in your learning.
131
384840
2160
06:39
We're all very busy and no one
really has time to learn a language today.
really has time to learn a language today.
132
387720
4216
06:43
But we can create that time
if we just plan a bit ahead.
if we just plan a bit ahead.
133
391960
3776
06:47
Can you wake up 15 minutes earlier
than you normally do?
than you normally do?
134
395760
3416
06:51
That would be the perfect time
to revise some vocabulary.
to revise some vocabulary.
135
399200
3296
06:54
Can you listen to a podcast
on your way to work while driving?
on your way to work while driving?
136
402520
3736
06:58
Well, that would be great
to get some listening experience.
to get some listening experience.
137
406280
3456
07:01
There are so many things we can do
without even planning that extra time,
without even planning that extra time,
138
409760
3456
07:05
such as listening to podcasts
on our way to work
on our way to work
139
413240
2656
07:07
or doing our household chores.
140
415920
1656
07:09
The important thing is
to create a plan in the learning.
to create a plan in the learning.
141
417600
3296
07:12
"I will practice speaking
every Tuesday and Thursday
every Tuesday and Thursday
142
420920
2496
07:15
with a friend for 20 minutes.
143
423440
2056
07:17
I will listen to a YouTube video
while having breakfast."
while having breakfast."
144
425520
4416
07:21
If you create a system in your learning,
145
429960
2136
07:24
you don't need to find that extra time,
146
432120
1896
07:26
because it will become
a part of your everyday life.
a part of your everyday life.
147
434040
2440
07:29
And finally, if you want to learn
a language fluently,
a language fluently,
148
437880
3216
07:33
you need also a bit of patience.
149
441120
2720
07:36
It's not possible to learn
a language within two months,
a language within two months,
150
444600
2736
07:39
but it's definitely possible to make
a visible improvement in two months,
a visible improvement in two months,
151
447360
3896
07:43
if you learn in small chunks every day
in a way that you enjoy.
in a way that you enjoy.
152
451280
3736
07:47
And there is nothing
that motivates us more
that motivates us more
153
455040
2136
07:49
than our own success.
154
457200
1240
07:51
I vividly remember the moment
155
459120
1896
07:53
when I understood the first joke
in German when watching "Friends."
in German when watching "Friends."
156
461040
3680
07:57
I was so happy and motivated
157
465280
1856
07:59
that I just kept on watching that day
two more episodes,
two more episodes,
158
467160
3016
08:02
and as I kept watching,
159
470200
1736
08:03
I had more and more of those moments
of understanding, these little victories,
of understanding, these little victories,
160
471960
4216
08:08
and step by step, I got to a level
where I could use the language
where I could use the language
161
476200
3456
08:11
freely and fluently to express anything.
162
479680
2856
08:14
This is a wonderful feeling.
163
482560
1520
08:16
I can't get enough of that feeling,
164
484800
1696
08:18
and that's why I learn
a language every two years.
a language every two years.
165
486520
2816
08:21
So this is the whole polyglot secret.
166
489360
2056
08:23
Find effective methods
which you can use systematically
which you can use systematically
167
491440
2856
08:26
over the period of some time
in a way which you enjoy,
in a way which you enjoy,
168
494320
3296
08:29
and this is how polyglots learn
languages within months, not years.
languages within months, not years.
169
497640
3880
08:35
Now, some of you may be thinking,
170
503160
1616
08:36
"That's all very nice
to enjoy language learning,
to enjoy language learning,
171
504800
2336
08:39
but isn't the real secret
that you polyglots
that you polyglots
172
507160
2536
08:41
are just super talented
and most of us aren't?"
and most of us aren't?"
173
509720
2600
08:45
Well, there's one thing
I haven't told you about Benny and Lucas.
I haven't told you about Benny and Lucas.
174
513320
3080
08:49
Benny had 11 years of Irish Gaelic
and five years of German at school.
and five years of German at school.
175
517159
5817
08:55
He couldn't speak them
at all when graduating.
at all when graduating.
176
523000
3216
08:58
Up to the age of 21, he thought
he didn't have the language gene
he didn't have the language gene
177
526240
4176
09:02
and he could not speak another language.
178
530440
2416
09:04
Then he started to look
for his way of learning languages,
for his way of learning languages,
179
532880
2936
09:07
which was speaking to native speakers
and getting feedback from them,
and getting feedback from them,
180
535840
3856
09:11
and today Benny can easily
have a conversation in 10 languages.
have a conversation in 10 languages.
181
539720
3960
09:17
Lucas tried to learn English
at school for 10 years.
at school for 10 years.
182
545120
3296
09:20
He was one of the worst students in class.
183
548440
2616
09:23
His friends even made fun of him
184
551080
1616
09:24
and gave him a Russian textbook as a joke
185
552720
2616
09:27
because they thought he would never
learn that language, or any language.
learn that language, or any language.
186
555360
3736
09:31
And then Lucas started
to experiment with methods,
to experiment with methods,
187
559120
2376
09:33
looking for his own way to learn,
188
561520
1800
09:36
for example, by having Skype chat
conversations with strangers.
conversations with strangers.
189
564520
4176
09:40
And after just 10 years,
190
568720
1816
09:42
Lucas is able to speak
11 languages fluently.
11 languages fluently.
191
570560
3320
09:47
Does that sound like a miracle?
192
575000
1560
09:49
Well, I see such miracles
every single day.
every single day.
193
577440
2600
09:52
As a language mentor,
194
580760
1336
09:54
I help people learn
languages by themselves,
languages by themselves,
195
582120
2416
09:56
and I see this every day.
196
584560
1296
09:57
People struggle with language learning
for five, 10, even 20 years,
for five, 10, even 20 years,
197
585880
4176
10:02
and then they suddenly take
their learning into their own hands,
their learning into their own hands,
198
590080
3856
10:05
start using materials which they enjoy,
more effective methods,
more effective methods,
199
593960
3296
10:09
or they start tracking their learning
200
597280
1816
10:11
so that they can appreciate
their own progress,
their own progress,
201
599120
2936
10:14
and that's when suddenly
202
602080
1936
10:16
they magically find the language talent
that they were missing all their lives.
that they were missing all their lives.
203
604040
4200
10:21
So if you've also tried
to learn a language
to learn a language
204
609480
2176
10:23
and you gave up,
thinking it's too difficult
thinking it's too difficult
205
611680
2416
10:26
or you don't have the language talent,
206
614120
2256
10:28
give it another try.
207
616400
1536
10:29
Maybe you're also
just one enjoyable method away
just one enjoyable method away
208
617960
2856
10:32
from learning that language fluently.
209
620840
1762
10:34
Maybe you're just one method away
from becoming a polyglot.
from becoming a polyglot.
210
622960
3936
10:38
Thank you.
211
626920
1216
10:40
(Applause)
212
628160
4200
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lýdia Machová - Language mentorLýdia Machová teaches people how they can learn any language by themselves.
Why you should listen
Lýdia Machová has learned nine languages without ever living abroad or in a multilingual environment. She maintains seven of them at a fluent level, and she usually learns a new one every two years. After meeting dozens of polyglots, or people who speak a lot of languages, she now shares the principles of language learning with the world as a language mentor.
Machová was the main organizer of the world's biggest polyglot event, the Polyglot Gathering in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 2017 and 2018. She holds a PhD in translation studies and previously worked as a professional conference interpreter. She is based in Slovakia but travels often on her mission to help people learn languages in their own ideal way.
Lýdia Machová | Speaker | TED.com