A hot topic in the polyglot community is learning multiple languages at the same time. Is it really possible? Can you become fluent in more than one language at once? The short answer - yes. Many people have done it and people continue to manage it. But how exactly? Fortunately it can be a lot easier than it seems with some planning and dedication. So, here are 9 do’s and don'ts to help you balance multiple languages at the same time and live your polyglot fantasy.
DO be realistic
DON’T learn loads of new languages from scratch at the same time
DO learn completely different languages…
...OR learn similar languages
DON’T rush things
DO prioritise and set a timetable
DON’T spread yourself too thin
DO differentiate your languages
DON’T isolate your language studies
DO be realistic
Sure, learning 10 languages would be nice, and some people are able to do it, but let’s be real here for a second. If you suddenly pick up 10 new languages from scratch, chances are you won’t get very far. You’ll quickly burn out or lose motivation when you don’t see quick progress. The language learners who juggle loads of languages have been doing this a long time, and they’re probably only needing to maintain a lot of their TLs since they already reached an advanced level. Don’t expect too much from yourself because it will only make you feel bad in comparison. Know your limits and be proud of what you are achieving. If you’ve learnt a language to at least a high beginner level, then by all means add in a new language to learn. Two or three languages at once is more than doable for most of us, but be real with yourself about what you can manage.
DON’T learn loads of new languages from scratch at the same time
Kinda following on from the last point, learning multiple languages from the very beginning at the same time probably isn’t the best idea. There’s no reason you can’t study multiple languages at the same time, but learning multiple from scratch is gonna be a very long and tiring uphill battle. It’s better to focus on one language for maybe 6-12 months until you're confident on the basics, then adding in another language and working on both (one at intermediate and one at beginner) and so on. This way you won’t be completely overwhelmed by new information and can implement some more of these tips easily. That’s not to say you can’t learn a couple of languages from the very beginning in one go, it’s just not advisable, especially if you haven’t studied a language before.
DO learn completely different languages…
This is probably a big piece of advice many people give, and I would agree with it to a certain extent depending on the type of learner you are. If you’re likely to get confused, then learning totally different languages is probably the safest option. You’ll have a much easier time distinguishing between Chinese and French, for example. Especially if you’re not super advanced yet, it might be better to take on languages with distinct differences to avoid confusion. Learning one language can be complicated enough without muddling multiple languages together. However, as I’ll explain in the next point, there’s a counter argument to this too.
...OR learn similar languages
Without making this too confusing, learning similar languages isn’t always a bad thing. If you know one language to a higher level, learning a similar language next could actually work in your favour. For example, Korean and Japanese are quite similar grammatically and share some common words, so learning one after learning the other may make it easier to understand how the language works. Using what you already know in languages you’ve previously studied can make it easier to learn a new language since you’ve got that experience and knowledge of grammar and meanings of certain words. Personally, having learned Japanese made it a lot easier for me to understand Korean since the sentence structures are the same and the use of particles wasn’t a completely new concept to me. So when picking up a new language it’s important to consider the languages you already know, whether that means you want to learn something completely different or pick one that’s not too far off what you already understand.Â
DON’T rush things
Learning just one language can take a long time, so learning multiple simultaneously will take even longer. There’s no magic formula to learn languages, so don’t rush the process. Unless you have deadlines, just enjoy your time learning. It’s gonna be a slow process so embrace the journey and celebrate your victories along the way. Depending on the language you’re learning and the time you have to study, it could take years before you become ‘fluent’ so don’t feel down if it takes you twice that long to learn two languages. Of course you’ll still be making progress in your target languages if you study them consistently, just be aware that it won’t be as fast as if you were only focusing on one language at a time.
DO prioritise and set a timetable
If learning one language is more important to you than the others, don’t be afraid to prioritise it and put more focus on it over the other languages you study. It can be helpful to set a timetable to decide when you want to study each language. For example, if you’re studying Spanish and Norwegian, maybe you’ll study one in the morning and one in the evening. If Spanish is a higher priority for you, maybe you’ll study some Spanish everyday then assign some time for Norwegian every other day. Having a daily or weekly plan of action can make learning multiple languages a lot more manageable. Feel free to adapt your schedule as you go if some things don’t work as well (or if you add in another language, *wink*)
DON’T spread yourself too thin
The saying ‘quality over quantity’ applies to language learning too. Even if you just want to learn the basics, it’s better to learn it well in fewer languages than try to learn 15 at once and not really understand any of them. Depending on your other commitments and your schedule, it may be better to just learn 2 languages rather than trying to juggle 6 and not really making any progress. Of course you can learn 6 languages over time and add them gradually, but learning them all at once may be a bit much to handle. For a lot of us, language learning isn’t our job or our sole subject at school, so it’s important to find a balance between languages and everything else you’ve got going on in your life.
DO differentiate your languages
My personal favourite way to do this is colour coding (if you haven’t read my colour coding post, click here!) For each of the three languages I’m currently studying, I use a different pack of mildliner highlighters. This means my notes for each language use a different set of colours, to help me get in the right mindset for my study sessions since my brain associates those colours with certain languages. I also try to study certain languages at certain times of day, usually Japanese in the morning then Korean or Chinese in the afternoon or evening. This can help you get ‘in the mood’ to study certain languages, and if you’re learning similar languages it can help prevent you from getting confused.
DON’T isolate your language studies
If you’re learning multiple languages, use that to your advantage! Especially if you’re a higher level in one, you can use that language to study your other language and create a ‘language ladder’. There are some really awesome resources out there in different languages that you could use to learn your third or fourth language. You could translate between your target languages to improve your knowledge in both at the same time, and learn vocab with flashcards in just your target languages without English (or your native language). Using your languages together can give you a boost in both, so while it’s good to differentiate between the two, don’t completely isolate them when you’re studying.
Are you learning multiple languages at the same time? Let me know your methods and routines in the comments!