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The secrets of learning a new language | Lýdia Machová

The secrets of learning a new language | Lýdia Machová

I love learning foreign languages. In fact, I love it so much that I like to learn a new language every two years, currently working on my eighth one. When people find that out about me, they always ask me, "How do you do that? What's your secret?" And to be honest, for many years, my answer would be, "I don't know. I simply love learning languages." But people were never happy with that answer. They wanted to know why they are spending years trying to learn even one language, never achieving fluency, and here I come, learning one language after another. They wanted to know the secret of polyglots, people who speak a lot of languages. And that made me wonder, too, how do actually other polyglots do it? What do we have in common? And what is it that enables us to learn languages so much faster than other people? I decided to meet other people like me and find that out. The best place to meet a lot of polyglots is an event where hundreds of language lovers meet in one place to practice their languages. There are several such polyglot events organized all around the world, and so I decided to go there and ask polyglots about the methods that they use. And so I met Benny from Ireland, who told me that his method is to start speaking from day one. He learns a few phrases from a travel phrasebook and goes to meet native speakers and starts having conversations with them right away. He doesn't mind making even 200 mistakes a day, because that's how he learns, based on the feedback. And the best thing is, he doesn't even need to travel a lot today, because you can easily have conversations with native speakers from the comfort of your living room, using websites. I also met Lucas from Brazil who had a really interesting method to learn Russian. He simply added a hundred random Russian speakers on Skype as friends, and then he opened a chat window with one of them and wrote "Hi" in Russian. And the person replied, "Hi, how are you?" Lucas copied this and put it into a text window with another person, and the person replied, "I'm fine, thank you, and how are you?" Lucas copied this back to the first person, and in this way, he had two strangers have a conversation with each other without knowing about it. (Laughter) And soon he would start typing himself, because he had so many of these conversations that he figured out how the Russian conversation usually starts. What an ingenious method, right? And then I met polyglots who always start by imitating sounds of the language, and others who always learn the 500 most frequent words of the language, and yet others who always start by reading about the grammar. If I asked a hundred different polyglots, I heard a hundred different approaches to learning languages. Everybody seems to have a unique way they learn a language, and yet we all come to the same result of speaking several languages fluently. And as I was listening to these polyglots telling me about their methods, it suddenly dawned on me: the one thing we all have in common is that we simply found ways to enjoy the language-learning process. All of these polyglots were talking about language learning as if it was great fun. You should have seen their faces when they were showing me their colorful grammar charts and their carefully handmade flash cards, and their statistics about learning vocabulary using apps, or even how they love to cook based on recipes in a foreign language. All of them use different methods, but they always make sure it's something that they personally enjoy. I realized that this is actually how I learn languages myself. When I was learning Spanish, I was bored with the text in the textbook. I mean, who wants to read about Jose asking about the directions to the train station. Right? I wanted to read "Harry Potter" instead, because that was my favorite book as a child, and I have read it many times. So I got the Spanish translation of "Harry Potter" and started reading, and sure enough, I didn't understand almost anything at the beginning, but I kept on reading because I loved the book, and by the end of the book, I was able to follow it almost without any problems. And the same thing happened when I was learning German. I decided to watch "Friends," my favorite sitcom, in German, and again, at the beginning it was all just gibberish. I didn't know where one word finished and another one started, but I kept on watching every day because it's "Friends." I can watch it in any language. I love it so much. And after the second or third season, seriously, the dialogue started to make sense. I only realized this after meeting other polyglots. We are no geniuses and we have no shortcut to learning languages. We simply found ways how to enjoy the process, how to turn language learning from a boring school subject into a pleasant activity which you don't mind doing every day. If you don't like writing words down on paper, you can always type them in an app. If you don't like listening to boring textbook material, find interesting content on YouTube or in podcasts for any language. If you're a more introverted person and you can't imagine speaking to native speakers right away, you can apply the method of self-talk. You can talk to yourself in the comfort of your room, describing your plans for the weekend, how your day has been, or even take a random picture from your phone and describe the picture to your imaginary friend. This is how polyglots learn languages, and the best news is, it's available to anyone who is willing to take the learning into their own hands. So meeting other polyglots helped me realize that it is really crucial to find enjoyment in the process of learning languages, but also that joy in itself is not enough. If you want to achieve fluency in a foreign language, you'll also need to apply three more principles. First of all, you'll need effective methods. If you try to memorize a list of words for a test tomorrow, the words will be stored in your short-term memory and you'll forget them after a few days. If you, however, want to keep words long term, you need to revise them in the course of a few days repeatedly using the so-called space repetition. You can use apps which are based on this system such as Anki or Memrise, or you can write lists of word in a notebook using the Goldlist method, which is also very popular with many polyglots. If you're not sure which methods are effective and what is available out there, just check out polyglots' YouTube channels and websites and get inspiration from them. If it works for them, it will most probably work for you too. The third principle to follow is to create a system in your learning. We're all very busy and no one really has time to learn a language today. But we can create that time if we just plan a bit ahead. Can you wake up 15 minutes earlier than you normally do? That would be the perfect time to revise some vocabulary. Can you listen to a podcast on your way to work while driving? Well, that would be great to get some listening experience. There are so many things we can do without even planning that extra time, such as listening to podcasts on our way to work or doing our household chores. The important thing is to create a plan in the learning. "I will practice speaking every Tuesday and Thursday with a friend for 20 minutes. I will listen to a YouTube video while having breakfast." If you create a system in your learning, you don't need to find that extra time, because it will become a part of your everyday life. And finally, if you want to learn a language fluently, you need also a bit of patience. It's not possible to learn a language within two months, but it's definitely possible to make a visible improvement in two months, if you learn in small chunks every day in a way that you enjoy. And there is nothing that motivates us more than our own success. I vividly remember the moment when I understood the first joke in German when watching "Friends." I was so happy and motivated that I just kept on watching that day two more episodes, and as I kept watching, I had more and more of those moments of understanding, these little victories, and step by step, I got to a level where I could use the language freely and fluently to express anything. This is a wonderful feeling. I can't get enough of that feeling, and that's why I learn a language every two years. So this is the whole polyglot secret. Find effective methods which you can use systematically over the period of some time in a way which you enjoy, and this is how polyglots learn languages within months, not years. Now, some of you may be thinking, "That's all very nice to enjoy language learning, but isn't the real secret that you polyglots are just super talented and most of us aren't?" Well, there's one thing I haven't told you about Benny and Lucas. Benny had 11 years of Irish Gaelic and five years of German at school. He couldn't speak them at all when graduating. Up to the age of 21, he thought he didn't have the language gene and he could not speak another language. Then he started to look for his way of learning languages, which was speaking to native speakers and getting feedback from them, and today Benny can easily have a conversation in 10 languages. Lucas tried to learn English at school for 10 years. He was one of the worst students in class. His friends even made fun of him and gave him a Russian textbook as a joke because they thought he would never learn that language, or any language. And then Lucas started to experiment with methods, looking for his own way to learn, for example, by having Skype chat conversations with strangers. And after just 10 years, Lucas is able to speak 11 languages fluently. Does that sound like a miracle? Well, I see such miracles every single day. As a language mentor, I help people learn languages by themselves, and I see this every day. People struggle with language learning for five, 10, even 20 years, and then they suddenly take their learning into their own hands, start using materials which they enjoy, more effective methods, or they start tracking their learning so that they can appreciate their own progress, and that's when suddenly they magically find the language talent that they were missing all their lives. So if you've also tried to learn a language and you gave up, thinking it's too difficult or you don't have the language talent, give it another try. Maybe you're also just one enjoyable method away from learning that language fluently. Maybe you're just one method away from becoming a polyglot. Thank you.


The secrets of learning a new language | Lýdia Machová Die Geheimnisse des Lernens einer neuen Sprache | Lýdia Machová Los secretos de aprender un nuevo idioma | Lýdia Machová Les secrets de l'apprentissage d'une nouvelle langue | Lýdia Machová 新しい言語を学ぶ秘訣|Lýdia Machová Sekrety nauki nowego języka | Lýdia Machová Os segredos de aprender um novo idioma | Lýdia Machová Секреты изучения нового языка | Lýdia Machová Yeni bir dil öğrenmenin sırları | Lýdia Machová Секрети вивчення нової мови | Лідія Махова 学习新语言的秘诀 | Lýdia Machová

I love learning foreign languages. 外国語を学ぶのは大好きだ。 Adoro aprender línguas estrangeiras. Я люблю вивчати іноземні мови. In fact, I love it so much that I like to learn a new language every two years, currently working on my eighth one. Sőt, annyira szeretem, hogy kétévente szeretek megtanulni egy új nyelvet, jelenleg a nyolcadikon dolgozom. 実際、私は2年ごとに新しい言語を学ぶのが好きで、現在8つ目の言語を学んでいる。 Na verdade, gosto tanto que gosto de aprender um novo idioma a cada dois anos, atualmente trabalhando no meu oitavo. Насправді мені це так подобається, що я люблю вивчати нову мову кожні два роки, зараз працюю над своїм восьмим. When people find that out about me, they always ask me, "How do you do that? Amikor az emberek ezt megtudják rólam, mindig megkérdezik: "Hogy csinálod ezt? Quando as pessoas descobrem isso sobre mim, elas sempre me perguntam: "Como você faz isso? Коли люди дізнаються це про мене, вони завжди запитують мене: «Як ти це робиш? What's your secret?" And to be honest, for many years, my answer would be, "I don't know. And to be honest, for many years, my answer would be, "I don't know. E para ser honesto, por muitos anos, minha resposta seria: "Eu não sei. І, чесно кажучи, протягом багатьох років моя відповідь була б такою: «Я не знаю. I simply love learning languages." Я просто люблю вивчати мови». But people were never happy with that answer. Mas as pessoas nunca ficaram felizes com essa resposta. They wanted to know why they are spending years trying to learn even one language, never achieving fluency, and here I come, learning one language after another. Tudni akarták, hogy ők miért töltenek éveket azzal, hogy akár csak egy nyelvet is megtanuljanak, és miért nem érik el, hogy folyékonyan beszéljenek, én pedig itt vagyok, és tanulom az egyik nyelvet a másik után. Eles queriam saber por que estão passando anos tentando aprender um idioma, nunca alcançando a fluência, e aqui vou eu, aprendendo um idioma após o outro. They wanted to know the secret of polyglots, people who speak a lot of languages. Eles queriam saber o segredo dos poliglotas, pessoas que falam muitas línguas. And that made me wonder, too, how do actually other polyglots do it? És ez engem is elgondolkodtatott, hogy valójában hogyan csinálják ezt más poliglották? E isso me fez pensar, também, como realmente outros poliglotas fazem isso? What do we have in common? 私たちの共通点は? O que temos em comum? And what is it that enables us to learn languages so much faster than other people? És mi az, ami lehetővé teszi számunkra, hogy sokkal gyorsabban tanuljunk nyelveket, mint mások? そして、私たちが他の人たちよりも早く言語を習得できるのはなぜなのか? E o que nos permite aprender idiomas muito mais rápido do que outras pessoas? I decided to meet other people like me and find that out. Elhatároztam, hogy találkozom más hozzám hasonló emberekkel, és kiderítem ezt. Decidi conhecer outras pessoas como eu e descobrir isso. The best place to meet a lot of polyglots is an event where hundreds of language lovers meet in one place to practice their languages. A legjobb hely, ahol sok poliglottal találkozhatsz, egy olyan rendezvény, ahol több száz nyelvbarát találkozik egy helyen, hogy gyakorolják a nyelveket. O melhor lugar para conhecer muitos poliglotas é um evento onde centenas de amantes de idiomas se reúnem em um só lugar para praticar seus idiomas. There are several such polyglot events organized all around the world, and so I decided to go there and ask polyglots about the methods that they use. Existem vários eventos poliglotas organizados em todo o mundo, então decidi ir lá e perguntar aos poliglotas sobre os métodos que eles usam. And so I met Benny from Ireland, who told me that his method is to start speaking from day one. Így találkoztam Bennyvel Írországból, aki elmondta, hogy az ő módszere az, hogy az első naptól kezdve beszélni kell. E então conheci Benny da Irlanda, que me disse que seu método é começar a falar desde o primeiro dia. He learns a few phrases from a travel phrasebook and goes to meet native speakers and starts having conversations with them right away. Er lernt ein paar Sätze aus einem Reise-Sprachführer, trifft sich mit Muttersprachlern und kommt sofort ins Gespräch. Megtanul néhány kifejezést egy utazási nyelvkönyvből, majd elmegy, hogy találkozzon anyanyelvi beszélőkkel, és azonnal beszélgetni kezd velük. Ele aprende algumas frases de um livro de frases de viagem e vai ao encontro de falantes nativos e começa a conversar com eles imediatamente. He doesn't mind making even 200 mistakes a day, because that's how he learns, based on the feedback. Es macht ihm nichts aus, auch 200 Fehler am Tag zu machen, denn so lernt er aus dem Feedback. Nem bánja, hogy akár napi 200 hibát is elkövet, mert így tanul, a visszajelzések alapján. Ele não se importa de cometer nem 200 erros por dia, porque é assim que ele aprende, com base no feedback. And the best thing is, he doesn't even need to travel a lot today, because you can easily have conversations with native speakers from the comfort of your living room, using websites. És a legjobb az egészben, hogy ma már nem is kell sokat utaznia, hiszen a nappalijából, a weboldalak segítségével könnyedén beszélgethet anyanyelvi beszélőkkel, akár a nappalija kényelméből is. E o melhor é que ele nem precisa viajar muito hoje, porque você pode facilmente conversar com falantes nativos do conforto da sua sala, usando sites. I also met Lucas from Brazil who had a really interesting method to learn Russian. Também conheci Lucas do Brasil que tinha um método muito interessante para aprender russo. He simply added a hundred random Russian speakers on Skype as friends, and then he opened a chat window with one of them and wrote "Hi" in Russian. Er fügte einfach hundert zufällige Russischsprecher zu Skype als Freunde hinzu, öffnete dann ein Chat-Fenster mit einem von ihnen und schrieb "Hallo" auf Russisch. Він просто додав у друзі сотню випадкових російськомовних у Skype, а потім відкрив вікно чату з одним із них і написав «Привіт» російською. And the person replied, "Hi, how are you?" E a pessoa respondeu: "Oi, tudo bem?" І людина відповіла: "Привіт, як справи?" Lucas copied this and put it into a text window with another person, and the person replied, "I'm fine, thank you, and how are you?" Лукас скопіював це та помістив у текстове вікно з іншою особою, і людина відповіла: «Я в порядку, дякую, а як ти?» Lucas copied this back to the first person, and in this way, he had two strangers have a conversation with each other without knowing about it. Lucas copiou isso de volta para a primeira pessoa e, dessa forma, ele fez dois estranhos conversarem um com o outro sem saber disso. Лукас скопіював це назад до першої особи, і таким чином він змусив двох незнайомців поговорити один з одним, не знаючи про це. (Laughter) And soon he would start typing himself, because he had so many of these conversations that he figured out how the Russian conversation usually starts. (Nevetés) És hamarosan ő maga is gépelni kezdett, mert annyi ilyen beszélgetése volt, hogy rájött, hogyan szokott kezdődni az orosz beszélgetés. (笑)そしてすぐに、彼は自分でタイプし始めた。あまりに多くの会話をしていたので、ロシア語の会話が通常どのように始まるのかがわかったからだ。 (Сміх) І незабаром він почав друкувати сам, тому що у нього було так багато таких розмов, що він зрозумів, як зазвичай починається розмова російською. (笑声)很快他就会开始自己打字,因为他有很多这样的对话,所以他弄清楚了俄语对话通常是如何开始的。 What an ingenious method, right? Який геніальний метод, правда? And then I met polyglots who always start by imitating sounds of the language, and others who always learn the 500 most frequent words of the language, and yet others who always start by reading about the grammar. If I asked a hundred different polyglots, I heard a hundred different approaches to learning languages. Everybody seems to have a unique way they learn a language, and yet we all come to the same result of speaking several languages fluently. Todo el mundo parece tener una forma única de aprender un idioma y, sin embargo, todos llegamos al mismo resultado de hablar varios idiomas con fluidez. Úgy tűnik, hogy mindenki egyedi módon tanul nyelvet, és mégis mindannyian ugyanarra az eredményre jutunk, hogy több nyelvet is folyékonyan beszélünk. And as I was listening to these polyglots telling me about their methods, it suddenly dawned on me: the one thing we all have in common is that we simply found ways to enjoy the language-learning process. Und als ich diesen Polyglotten zuhörte, die mir von ihren Methoden erzählten, dämmerte mir plötzlich: Wir alle haben eines gemeinsam, dass wir einfach Wege gefunden haben, den Prozess des Sprachenlernens zu genießen. És ahogy hallgattam ezeket a poliglottokat, ahogy meséltek a módszereikről, hirtelen rádöbbentem: az egyetlen közös bennünk, hogy egyszerűen megtaláltuk a módját annak, hogy élvezzük a nyelvtanulási folyamatot. All of these polyglots were talking about language learning as if it was great fun. Ezek a poliglották mind úgy beszéltek a nyelvtanulásról, mintha az nagyszerű szórakozás lenne. You should have seen their faces when they were showing me their colorful grammar charts and their carefully handmade flash cards, and their statistics about learning vocabulary using apps, or even how they love to cook based on recipes in a foreign language. Látnod kellett volna az arcukat, amikor megmutatták nekem a színes nyelvtani táblázataikat és a gondosan kézzel készített tanulókártyáikat, a statisztikáikat az alkalmazások segítségével történő szókincs tanulásáról, vagy akár azt, hogy mennyire szeretnek idegen nyelvű receptek alapján főzni. All of them use different methods, but they always make sure it's something that they personally enjoy. Mindannyian más-más módszereket használnak, de mindig ügyelnek arra, hogy ez olyasmi legyen, amit személyesen élveznek. I realized that this is actually how I learn languages myself. Rájöttem, hogy valójában én is így tanulok nyelveket. When I was learning Spanish, I was bored with the text in the textbook. Коли я вчив іспанську мову, мені нудив текст у підручнику. I mean, who wants to read about Jose asking about the directions to the train station. Úgy értem, ki akar arról olvasni, hogy José a vasútállomáshoz vezető útvonalról kérdezősködik. Я маю на увазі, хто хоче почитати про Хосе, який запитує про маршрут до залізничного вокзалу. Right? I wanted to read "Harry Potter" instead, because that was my favorite book as a child, and I have read it many times. Helyette a "Harry Pottert" akartam olvasni, mert gyerekkoromban ez volt a kedvenc könyvem, és sokszor elolvastam. So I got the Spanish translation of "Harry Potter" and started reading, and sure enough, I didn't understand almost anything at the beginning, but I kept on reading because I loved the book, and by the end of the book, I was able to follow it almost without any problems. Also holte ich mir die spanische Übersetzung von "Harry Potter" und fing an zu lesen, und tatsächlich verstand ich am Anfang fast nichts, aber ich las weiter, weil ich das Buch liebte, und am Ende des Buches habe ich konnte ihm fast ohne Probleme folgen. And the same thing happened when I was learning German. I decided to watch "Friends," my favorite sitcom, in German, and again, at the beginning it was all just gibberish. Ich beschloss, "Friends", meine Lieblings-Sitcom, auf Deutsch zu sehen, und am Anfang war alles nur Kauderwelsch. Úgy döntöttem, hogy megnézem a "Jóbarátokat", a kedvenc sitcomomat, németül, és megint csak az elején volt az egész csak halandzsa. 大好きなシットコムの『フレンズ』をドイツ語で見ることにした。 I didn't know where one word finished and another one started, but I kept on watching every day because it's "Friends." I can watch it in any language. Bármilyen nyelven meg tudom nézni. I love it so much. And after the second or third season, seriously, the dialogue started to make sense. Und ernsthaft, nach der zweiten oder dritten Staffel begann der Dialog einen Sinn zu ergeben. I only realized this after meeting other polyglots. Erre csak azután jöttem rá, hogy találkoztam más poliglottokkal. We are no geniuses and we have no shortcut to learning languages. Nem vagyunk zsenik, és nincs rövidítés a nyelvtanuláshoz. We simply found ways how to enjoy the process, how to turn language learning from a boring school subject into a pleasant activity which you don't mind doing every day. Egyszerűen megtaláltuk a módját annak, hogyan lehet élvezni a folyamatot, hogyan lehet a nyelvtanulást unalmas iskolai tantárgyból kellemes tevékenységgé változtatni, amelyet nem bánod, ha minden nap csinálsz. 私たちは、語学学習を学校の退屈な教科から、毎日やっても苦にならない楽しい活動に変える、そのプロセスを楽しむ方法を見つけただけです。 If you don't like writing words down on paper, you can always type them in an app. If you don't like listening to boring textbook material, find interesting content on YouTube or in podcasts for any language. If you're a more introverted person and you can't imagine speaking to native speakers right away, you can apply the method of self-talk. Ha introvertáltabb ember vagy, és nem tudod elképzelni, hogy rögtön anyanyelvi beszélőkkel beszélj, akkor alkalmazhatod az önbeszélgetés módszerét. You can talk to yourself in the comfort of your room, describing your plans for the weekend, how your day has been, or even take a random picture from your phone and describe the picture to your imaginary friend. Sie können bequem in Ihrem Zimmer mit sich selbst sprechen, Ihre Pläne für das Wochenende beschreiben, wie Ihr Tag war, oder sogar ein zufälliges Foto von Ihrem Telefon machen und das Bild Ihrem imaginären Freund beschreiben. This is how polyglots learn languages, and the best news is, it's available to anyone who is willing to take the learning into their own hands. A poliglott nyelvtanulók így tanulnak nyelveket, és a legjobb hír az, hogy bárki számára elérhető, aki hajlandó a saját kezébe venni a tanulást. So meeting other polyglots helped me realize that it is really crucial to find enjoyment in the process of learning languages, but also that joy in itself is not enough. Így a többi poliglottal való találkozás segített rájönnöm, hogy nagyon fontos, hogy örömöt találjunk a nyelvtanulás folyamatában, de az öröm önmagában nem elég. If you want to achieve fluency in a foreign language, you'll also need to apply three more principles. First of all, you'll need effective methods. If you try to memorize a list of words for a test tomorrow, the words will be stored in your short-term memory and you'll forget them after a few days. Ha egy holnapi teszthez megpróbálsz megjegyezni egy szólistát, a szavak a rövid távú memóriádban fognak tárolódni, és néhány nap múlva elfelejted őket. If you, however, want to keep words long term, you need to revise them in the course of a few days repeatedly using the so-called space repetition. Ha azonban hosszú távon szeretné megtartani a szavakat, akkor néhány nap alatt többször is át kell ismételni őket az úgynevezett térismétléssel. You can use apps which are based on this system such as Anki or Memrise, or you can write lists of word in a notebook using the Goldlist method, which is also very popular with many polyglots. Használhatsz erre a rendszerre épülő alkalmazásokat, mint például az Anki vagy a Memrise, vagy írhatsz szólistákat egy jegyzetfüzetbe a Goldlist módszerrel, amely szintén nagyon népszerű sok poliglott körében. If you're not sure which methods are effective and what is available out there, just check out polyglots' YouTube channels and websites and get inspiration from them. If it works for them, it will most probably work for you too. The third principle to follow is to create a system in your learning. We're all very busy and no one really has time to learn a language today. But we can create that time if we just plan a bit ahead. De megteremthetjük ezt az időt, ha egy kicsit előre tervezünk. Can you wake up 15 minutes earlier than you normally do? Fel tudsz kelni 15 perccel korábban, mint általában szoktál? That would be the perfect time to revise some vocabulary. Can you listen to a podcast on your way to work while driving? Vezetés közben is hallgathatsz podcastot munkába menet? Well, that would be great to get some listening experience. There are so many things we can do without even planning that extra time, such as listening to podcasts on our way to work or doing our household chores. Annyi mindent megtehetünk anélkül, hogy még csak be sem terveznénk ezt a plusz időt, például podcastokat hallgathatunk munkába menet vagy elvégezhetjük a házimunkát. The important thing is to create a plan in the learning. "I will practice speaking every Tuesday and Thursday with a friend for 20 minutes. I will listen to a YouTube video while having breakfast." If you create a system in your learning, you don't need to find that extra time, because it will become a part of your everyday life. And finally, if you want to learn a language fluently, you need also a bit of patience. És végül, ha folyékonyan akarsz megtanulni egy nyelvet, szükséged van egy kis türelemre is. It's not possible to learn a language within two months, but it's definitely possible to make a visible improvement in two months, if you learn in small chunks every day in a way that you enjoy. Nem lehetséges két hónap alatt megtanulni egy nyelvet, de határozottan lehetséges, hogy két hónap alatt látható fejlődést érj el, ha minden nap kis részletekben tanulsz úgy, hogy élvezd. And there is nothing that motivates us more than our own success. I vividly remember the moment when I understood the first joke in German when watching "Friends." Élénken emlékszem arra a pillanatra, amikor a Jóbarátok nézése közben megértettem az első német nyelvű viccet. I was so happy and motivated that I just kept on watching that day two more episodes, and as I kept watching, I had more and more of those moments of understanding, these little victories, and step by step, I got to a level where I could use the language freely and fluently to express anything. Annyira boldog és motivált voltam, hogy aznap még két epizódot néztem, és ahogy folytattam a nézést, egyre több és több ilyen megértő pillanatom volt, ezek az apró győzelmek, és lépésről lépésre eljutottam arra a szintre, hogy szabadon és folyékonyan tudtam használni a nyelvet, hogy bármit kifejezzek. This is a wonderful feeling. I can't get enough of that feeling, and that's why I learn a language every two years. Nem tudok betelni ezzel az érzéssel, és ezért tanulok kétévente egy nyelvet. So this is the whole polyglot secret. Ez tehát az egész poliglott titok. Find effective methods which you can use systematically over the period of some time in a way which you enjoy, and this is how polyglots learn languages within months, not years. Találjon hatékony módszereket, amelyeket egy idő után szisztematikusan és élvezettel tud alkalmazni, és a poliglott nyelvtanulók így tanulnak meg nyelveket hónapok, nem pedig évek alatt. Now, some of you may be thinking, "That's all very nice to enjoy language learning, but isn't the real secret that you polyglots are just super talented and most of us aren't?" Most néhányan talán azt gondolják, hogy "Ez mind nagyon szép, hogy élvezitek a nyelvtanulást, de nem az az igazi titok, hogy ti poliglották szuper tehetségesek vagytok, mi pedig nem?". Well, there's one thing I haven't told you about Benny and Lucas. Nos, van egy dolog, amit még nem mondtam el neked Bennyről és Lucasról. Benny had 11 years of Irish Gaelic and five years of German at school. Benny 11 évig ír gael nyelvet és öt évig németet tanult az iskolában. He couldn't speak them at all when graduating. A diploma megszerzésekor egyáltalán nem tudta őket beszélni. Up to the age of 21, he thought he didn't have the language gene and he could not speak another language. Egészen 21 éves koráig úgy gondolta, hogy nincs meg benne a nyelvi gén, és nem tudott más nyelven beszélni. Then he started to look for his way of learning languages, which was speaking to native speakers and getting feedback from them, and today Benny can easily have a conversation in 10 languages. Ezután elkezdte keresni a nyelvtanulás módját, ami az anyanyelvi beszélőkkel való beszélgetés és a tőlük kapott visszajelzés volt, és ma már Benny 10 nyelven is könnyedén el tud beszélgetni. Lucas tried to learn English at school for 10 years. He was one of the worst students in class. His friends even made fun of him and gave him a Russian textbook as a joke because they thought he would never learn that language, or any language. And then Lucas started to experiment with methods, looking for his own way to learn, for example, by having Skype chat conversations with strangers. And after just 10 years, Lucas is able to speak 11 languages fluently. Does that sound like a miracle? Well, I see such miracles every single day. Nos, én minden egyes nap látok ilyen csodákat. As a language mentor, I help people learn languages by themselves, and I see this every day. Nyelvi mentorként segítek az embereknek abban, hogy saját maguk tanuljanak nyelveket, és ezt nap mint nap látom. People struggle with language learning for five, 10, even 20 years, and then they suddenly take their learning into their own hands, start using materials which they enjoy, more effective methods, or they start tracking their learning so that they can appreciate their own progress, and that's when suddenly they magically find the language talent that they were missing all their lives. Az emberek öt, tíz, sőt húsz évig küzdenek a nyelvtanulással, majd hirtelen saját kezükbe veszik a tanulást, olyan anyagokat kezdenek el használni, amelyeket élveznek, hatékonyabb módszereket, vagy elkezdik nyomon követni a tanulásukat, hogy értékelni tudják a saját fejlődésüket, és ekkor hirtelen varázsütésre megtalálják azt a nyelvi tehetséget, amely egész életükben hiányzott. 人は5年、10年、20年と言語学習と格闘してきたが、あるとき突然、自分の手で学習を進め、自分が楽しめる教材やより効果的な方法を使い始めたり、学習の進捗を自分で評価できるように追跡調査を始めたりする。 So if you've also tried to learn a language and you gave up, thinking it's too difficult or you don't have the language talent, give it another try. Ha tehát Ön is próbált már megtanulni egy nyelvet, de feladta, mert azt gondolta, hogy túl nehéz, vagy nincs meg hozzá a nyelvi tehetség, próbálja meg újra. Maybe you're also just one enjoyable method away from learning that language fluently. Talán Ön is csak egy élvezetes módszerre van attól, hogy folyékonyan megtanulja ezt a nyelvet. もしかしたら、あなたもその言語を流暢に習得するための楽しい方法を1つ手に入れただけかもしれない。 Maybe you're just one method away from becoming a polyglot. Talán csak egy módszer választja el attól, hogy poliglottá váljon. もしかしたら、ポリグロットになるには、たった1つの方法しかないのかもしれない。 Thank you.