Polyglot: The Guerilla Way
I get asked all the time. How do you do it? How do you learn languages? How do you balance multiple at once? & etc. I can never give a straight answer, or rather, the same answer to each person, but now as I embark on a new year and a fresh language journey, I figured now was a good of time as ever to walk you through my process, one step at a time—the resources I use, the resources I don’t use, and all my handy tips. So many people think it takes a genius. Not at all. It takes commitment and a little bit of guerilla tactics. Commitment is where I begin.
1. Get to know your reasons why.
It’s quite alright if your sole reason for learning a language is to impress someone. In fact, I think it’s a great reason. This year, I am returning to Arabic because I have fallen in love with the culture over the past two years. I met friends in Morocco who I miss, and I see myself making more friends when I revisit North Africa someday. I started a new day job on Monday, and someday I would love to use my languages for work. You have to get to know your goals as well. It is very important to choose not just a language you want to learn, but a dialect that resonates with you. I chose Argentine Spanish after watching interviews with Anya Taylor Joy, an Argentine-English actress, and realized it was the most beautiful accent I have ever heard. If you are learning Arabic like I am, you can choose between Levantine or Eastern, Maghreb from North Africa, also known as Darija, or Egyptian. Modern Standard is useful if you want to read, but I don’t plan on reading much. I choose Levantine because I want to visit Lebanon someday, and also because it is spoken in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, etc., with a few variations. However, I am picking up bits of Egyptian and Darija as I go along. Then, there’s vocabulary. Once you have chosen a language and dialect, you have to choose where to start. This is different for everyone. You might want to date in your language, or travel, or use it for work. For me, I have found a formula that works for me based on experience—knowing what I actually need to use when the plane lands or I make a new friend:
A) Numbers 1-50. Ideally with every language I try to learn numbers up to 100. I don’t count in English anymore—it’s always some combination of Spanish and Arabic, my two strongest counting languages. I can’t stress enough the importance of counting. It comes in handy when traveling and when at home. You need to know how much the check is at a coffee shop or your tab at a bar. You need to be able to pay a cab fare or barter at a market. You don’t realize how much is based in counting until you actually travel and make mistakes– trust me. And know the name of the currency– dollars and cents.
B) Small talk. There’s no exact formula for small talk, but I try to learn as much as I can. Talking about yourself is key, and asking questions of others is also key. It’s important to learn and anticipate responses to your questions. Practice listening to small talk, not just talking. And talk to yourself. Get in your car, drive a ways, put on some music, and have imaginary conversations. How are you? I’m doing well. Where are you from? I’m from here. How many siblings do you have? I have five.
C) Law Vocabulary. Since I am a paralegal at a law firm, I’m worried about travel phrases, but that comes easy now. What is more important to me is to be able to talk about work and use my language skills there. Describe what I can do, what I like to do, and describe the cases. It has been helpful in Spanish, and any foreign language work lingo is inevitably going to be helpful. The trick is, as I tell everyone, to put yourself out there. If you want to use it, you have to speak. You have to risk making a fool of yourself. If you can’t do that, then you will never learn a language. These things cannot be accomplished in a vacuum.
2. Choose your resources wisely.
Truthfully, there are no right or wrong resources. But some will make learning a language more time-consuming, and with others you may end up having to unlearn a bad habit they taught you. This is why I sing the praises of a few resources that have helped me over the years. The trick is—you have to use them often.
A) Pimsleur is an audio-based language learning app. It’s a bit pricey, about $22.99 per month, but it has been incredibly worth it for me. It puts you in a conversation with a native speaker and forces you to parrot, then speak on your own, from day one. It has a wide variety of languages to choose from (including several Arabic dialects!) with multiple levels to work through. I have never used it for an extended amount of time—mainly to allow me to hop from beginner to intermediate. It also has resources to train your accent and reading, and has a flashcard feature.
B) Duolingo. I am not anti-Duolingo. In fact, I recommend that as you start with Pimsleur, you start with Duolingo as well. You may actually at some point need to know the word for “cat” in French. I certainly did. Duolingo gives you a wealth of filler nouns for your vocabulary. It can’t teach you everything, and I recommend you discontinue use if it becomes your sole resource. The AI accents on the app are garbage, so it can’t be your only input. But when you are an A1 absolute beginner, it is perfect for running through on a coffee break.
C) YouTube is the best. There are tons of teachers of every language imaginable on YouTube with tutorials on reading and the alphabet, common phrases, counting, the whole gambit. I used it to learn the Arabic alphabet, how to count, and more. I listen to several Spanish podcasts on different channels. I watch German on the street interviews about random topics. Find someone entertaining and engaging and watch all their content. It’s free!!
D) Netflix is the only streaming service I have found with subtitles in a plethora of languages. Watching your favorite soapy Netflix Original miniseries with Spanish or French subtitles is a priceless learning tool. They also have original series in tons of different languages—German, French, Spanish, Arabic, and more. I learned all my Spanish slang from watching Narcos. I first watched it with English subtitles, and now I can watch any Spanish-language TV show or movie with Spanish subtitles. I did that all through watching movies. It’s enjoyable and so satisfying when it finally clicks. And trust me, with enough time, it will.
E) Music. There is a Spotify playlist for every language. My high school Spanish teacher, who was amazing, told me that you can never truly know a language until you can sing in it. So, so, true. Singing takes learning an accent to a whole new level. It also allows you to let loose. And when it clicks, it clicks. Like magic. The same goes for poetry. Reading poetry is bite-sized and accessible, and while the different set of vocabulary is an adjustment, with enough practice and the occasional dictionary reference, you will be sailing through.
F) Reading. The first time I picked up Gabriel Garcia Marquez, I had no clue what I was reading. It was overwhelming and discouraging. A year of Spanish, and I can’t understand a word of this tiny, 150-page novel? The trick with reading is to push through. Do not pick up the dictionary!! Don’t do it! Read the words slowly. Focus on what you know or recognize and infer the rest, even if you’re wrong. Don’t ruminate on the unknown or beat yourself up. Push through, turn the pages, read the book, and then read it again. If you keep up with your other studies, you will find that the next time you read the book, things will fall into place.
3. My Take on Learning
If you notice anything, you’ll see that the above resources do not include flashcards or memorization. Listen up—those things are completely useless to you. Don’t buy flashcards. Buy a journal instead— the real guerilla warfare tactic. Write in full sentences using whatever vocabulary you have. Write about your day, your hopes, your dreams, your past—everything. It can be embarrassing and slow-going. Do it anyway—using the vocabulary you’ve learned through TV, movies, listening to Pimsleur lessons—that will help it stick in your head more than a flashcard will. Find an online tutor from a platform like iTalki or Preply who you can speak with weekly. Or go to a community meetup, or start eating at a new restaurant that serves the cuisine where you can order in the waiter’s native language. Make yourself a regular at that place. Look for ways to make a fool of yourself—that’s the only way you will learn. If you’re too high and mighty to make a mistake, you will never succeed at learning a language.
4. Day to Day
Every day, the way I learn is I simply make a point to immerse myself in the language. If I am learning multiple at a time, I try to separate them. Spanish in the morning, French in the afternoon, and Arabic in the evening, or something to that effect. With time, keeping them separate comes easier with time and practice. I like to dedicate a set amount of time to go all-in on a language when I first begin. In the past, I’ve gone all-in on German for 60 days; all-in on Arabic for 30 days. That work pays off. I don’t speak German daily or use it often at all, but at least once a week a word or phrase will get stuck in my head, and sometimes I can remember the day I learned it almost two years ago. It’s a beautiful, nostalgic thing. Learning languages is a daily discipline, but it doesn’t have to feel like discipline. As I mentioned before, you can burn flashcards and all the other boring tools you learned in school. Sometimes I like to use a textbook, but if that is boring to you, you can burn it as well. What matters is developing a soul connection with this language. This way of speaking, inflection, and slang. You will carry it with you through life until it becomes a part of you. It’s a precious metamorphosis.
5. Closing Thoughts
Learning languages is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. It increases your humility, then your confidence. It allows you to make new friends. There are countless moments of euphoria when you finally get it and it becomes real to you. The first time you dream in a language… come on! It is addicting. It increases your neuroplasticity and decreases your risk of dementia. It is achievable for anyone. Yes, anyone. I hope this guide is helpful and sheds light on my process and inspires you to create your own blueprint. Not everything I do will be helpful to you– we are each unique learners. If you are ready to open up your world, I say take the plunge. We are about to be in a new year with new opportunities for growth. Allow yourself to be challenged in some way, even if it is not language. Don’t let your 9-5 steal your joy– be creative, learn things, and enrich your life beyond what happens at the office. Life is too short to let America’s capitalist machine or the torrent of breaking news get you down. Turn the TV off. Get out into the world, and watch it change you.