So you want to be a polyglot

Common issues polyglots face

Polyglots face several challenges when balancing the languages they know. Keeping words within the right language, trying to understand why some words sound better in other languages, and the double take. Learning how to change languages like flipping a switch and maintain stringent word association takes time, but it is a worthwhile endeavor for every polyglot. These are just ideas, you can and will find what works for you, but only through trial and error.

Double Takes

The double take is when someone speaks to you in a language you know, but it takes a moment, or a “double take” to understand what language they are speaking, even if you understand everything they said. This momentary freeze, in the grand scheme of things, is not very important. However, for someone who speaks a language fluently it can be a shock to the system and negatively impact one’s confidence.

As a polyglot, there are three things you can do to fight this naturally occurring event from happening too frequently.

1. Listen to music in all of the languages you speak

When you listen to music in all of the languages you speak your ear is primed and ready to hear any language at any time. As someone who speaks several languages, the polyglot has access to near endless amounts of music that they can listen to in order to keep their ears ready. Beyond music there are podcasts, online videos, and audiobooks. Listening to anything will achieve the same goal, but music is generally the easiest and most accessible for the most people.

2. Speak consistently with native speaking friends

One of the most prominent benefits of being a polyglot is being able to speak with people all around the world. Having native speaking friends is all but necessary when it comes to balancing one’s languages because they offer real life practice simply through the process of maintaining a friendship. If you are speaking and hearing your languages week in and week out, being able to use all of them seamlessly.

3. Plan ahead

Most of the time, polyglots will experience the double take in situations where they are not expecting to hear one of the languages they speak. Visiting a national park, at the supermarket, or simply somewhere where that language is not often spoken. That said, as a polyglot if you know that the chance of hearing one or more of the languages you speak is high, then it is worth putting a little extra time into exposure to the expected languages leading up to the event.

The Switch

Learning how to switch back and forth between languages takes time, but it is worth putting the effort in to get to a place where it is possible. The simplest way to do this is by using one language to learn the other. Juggling your languages means being able to keep them straight in your head. If you want to ensure each language is separate in your head, the best thing you can do is use them with one another.

For example, when you use Spanish to learn French, you will make connections that are not there in English, yes, but you will also learn the differences. Polyglots who avoid intermingling their languages tend to have the most trouble keeping them separate during times when they need to recall multiple languages at the same time. Unfortunately, languages are an area of life where often the best way out of a difficult situation is through.

In order to get to the point where you can flip a proverbial switch and change languages, you should be working with those languages simultaneously. Whether you are watching things in one language and discussing them in another or writing in one language and reading in another, consistent exposure to your languages will make real-time recall not only easier, but more accurate.

Keeping languages straight

Of all the challenges polyglots face, keeping their languages straight is probably the biggest. For every new language one learns there are more opportunities for confusion, but there is one thing that can be done to draw crystal clear lines between languages. It is simple, but it is not easy and it is the one thing most polyglots seem to enjoy avoiding, myself included. That is: write.

Writing may seem simple and there are ways to make it easier or more difficult, but the one truth about writing is that it will lay bare all of the problems and deficiencies in one’s abilities. When speaking, it is possible to skate past mistakes and gloss over slight grammatical errors. This is not the case when it comes to writing because there is, at the end of the day, a right and a wrong way to write things.

Since many of the languages polyglots speak tend to have overlaps, be they grammar related, vocabulary specific or some mixture of both, writing offers the opportunity to see precisely where the confusion is coming. That is how it is best used to remedy any short comings. Here is the best way to do it for someone who speaks 5 languages, as an example:

Day 1: Write 20-50 sentences in language 1

Day 2: Write 20-50 sentences in language 2

Day 3: Write 20-50 sentences in language 3

Day 4: Write 20-50 sentences in language 4

Day 5: Write 20-50 sentences in language 5

Day 6: Write 20-50 sentences in language 1

Day 7: Write 20-50 sentences in language 2

From there continue on with the same pattern indefinitely. Add in a day for every new language learned or being studied. While doing this pay attention to 3 things: the vocabulary, the grammar, and the meaning.

Ask yourself these questions after you finish your writing and taking a moment to reread what you wrote:

Is the grammar all correct? If not, is it mixed with another language? If so, which language?

Is the vocabulary all in the correct language? If not, which language was the first that came to mind to replace it? How can you use this information to differentiate the two languages further?

Does the meaning hold when translated from one language to another? If not, how must the phrase change in order to hold the meaning? Do those changes make sense? Can they be used to help add another layer of differentiation between the languages?

Over time, working through these questions will provide you with new ways to separate one language from the others. One of the most important aspects of juggling is, after all, separation of the things being juggled.

Conclusion

Aspiring to speak multiple languages is fantastic and the ability to do so is impressive. There are, however, inherent problems that all polyglots face. While that can make the problems relatable and, occasionally, funny, that does not make them any less frustrating. If you are consistently speaking with native speakers, writing and creating using your own words, and immersing yourself in each language you speak, then you will develop your own unique differentiations.

At the end of the day, these are guidelines and you can and should play with them to see what works best for you. Maybe writing 10 sentences instead of 50 is better, maybe listening to audiobooks instead of podcasts moves the needle the most, whatever works best for you is the best option. You won’t know until you try them all out, though. It will be difficult, but you can do difficult things and be great. So go out and do difficult things and become great. I will be rooting for you.

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