It doesn’t matter how many languages they speak
Have you seen those videos on social media of people who know phrases in a very large number of languages, or are conversational in a smaller set, and they go around filming themselves having interactions in these languages?
Aside from simple entertainment, it’s one of the most common methods people use to build credibility in the language learning space: showing the number of languages they speak. They do this for a good reason: to an uninformed beginner, knowing a lot of languages seems like a strong signal that the individual knows a lot about language learning.
The trouble is it isn’t.
There’s no objective definition of what it means to “speak” a language or be fluent in it, so people can truthfully claim to speak a large number of languages. If you use the CEFR, anything above A2 would probably count as speaking it. If you want to say you speak a language, reaching a basic conversational level can be done with 3 months of study.
And what about mastering a language? Well, that can take a decade.
In the same time one learner spends mastering one language, another could achieve conversational ability in 10.
To the uninformed, these two look completely different. One an accomplished polyglot, the other only having managed a single additional language in the same time.
So why are you only seeing one type in your feed? Speaking lots of languages is appealing and easy to share. If you don’t speak those languages, it can be easy to mistake someone with basic conversational ability for being highly fluent.
As for the single-language expert: you’re much less likely to find them online, since speaking one language doesn’t make for appealing short-form videos. Fame doesn’t line up with skill.
At the same time, some people have life situations that enable them to learn and use many languages, while others may be stuck in mostly monolingual societies. Does managing to learn only one language while juggling family commitments make someone any less accomplished?
It is common for people to see someone who speaks a large number of languages, then want to know how they learn, reasoning that if they follow the same methods, they will be able to do the same. People who do this are over-indexing on the number, and ignoring the hidden process that got them there.
My advice is not to put much stock in how many languages a person can converse in. At most, knowing a language tells you they can start. It doesn’t tell you whether they can help with the part you’re actually stuck on.
Two questions follow: who should you listen to, and how should you learn?
How to find people worth listening to
This is not to lessen the accomplishments of those who have learned a lot of languages. It takes an enormous amount of effort, and some have learned valuable insight through that process that they can share.
They likely have a strong technique for starting from zero and achieving their specific goal: conversation at a lower level. But how much time have they spent pushing through the intermediate plateau, able to hold a conversation but not able to express themselves fluently?
When watching someone speak a language online, you only see part of the output. You are missing the input. The best creators show you what the input side looks like, including the difficulties.
If you want to know how to learn languages well, you don’t need to follow someone who speaks a large number.
If you want to find accomplished polyglots, there absolutely are learners who have good technique and share that knowledge. The ones I admire most are realistic about the journey and what it takes to learn a language. If you’re looking for people to listen to, I recommend:
Since I have this platform, I want to point out a few, lesser-known creators who I think are well worth following. They might not boast the same impressive CVs as the ones above, but they are all accomplished in their own way and, most importantly, they give out great insights for free:
No learner, famous or not, should become an authority on how you should learn. Copying anyone wholesale won’t make you successful.
Outside of the basics, your best language learning technique will be personal to you. It will take time and practice trying different things. By all means, take suggestions from my guide and any of the polyglots listed above, but don’t expect to find a missing puzzle piece that solves everything.
You can apply this to yourself. Don’t get caught up in how many languages you speak. What matters is your goals and desires. Focus on yourself and the methods that bring you success, and you will succeed with time.
How to learn, regardless of your goal
The harsh truth about language learning is that you need to commit an enormous amount of personal time, often at the expense of other hobbies or interests. This is the ingredient nobody wants to hear, so anyone using their skills to sell a course is unlikely to tell it to you outright. If you are doing that, plus pushing yourself to understand more and use your language better, you will get better in time.
There are plenty of courses, Youtube videos, and books available to you to help you get started at zero or low cost, regardless of your goal. My guide is one of them.
The next factor is that you need to find good resources, a problem which I build MondeLibrary to solve.
No secret technique; no quick wins. Learning a language is simple, but it’s not easy.
One Final thing
Learning a language takes sustained practice over a long period of time. If you’d like a little help staying motivated, consider my newsletter. Every second week I drop a little bit of motivation directly in your inbox through tips, resources, and anything else of interest. Don’t worry, I never spam, never share emails, and there’s an easy unsubscribe button if you decide it’s not for you. It’s completely free; no catch, no premium, just the best of what I can find on the internet. More info here.
