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.
Ja volim da učim strane jezike. U stvari, ja to toliko volim da svake dve godine naučim novi, i trenutno radim na osmom jeziku. Kada ljudi to saznaju, uvek me pitaju: „Кako ti uspeva? Koja je tajna?“ Iskreno, moj odgovor je godinama bio: „Ne znam. Prosto volim da učim jezike.“ Ali ljudi nikada nisu bili zadovoljni tim odgovorom. Želeli su da znaju zašto oni godinama pokušavaju da nauče bar jedan jezik, i nikada ga ne govore tečno, a evo ja učim jezik za jezikom. Želeli su da znaju tajnu poliglota, ljudi koji govore više jezika. A to me je nateralo da se zapitam kako zapravo drugim poliglotima uspeva. Šta imamo zajedničko? I šta nam to omogućava da učimo jezike mnogo brže nego drugi ljudi? Odlučila sam da upoznam druge ljude kao što sam ja i da saznam.
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.
Najbolje mesto za upoznavanje mnogo poliglota je događaj gde se stotine ljubitelja jezika okuplja na jednom mestu da vežba svoje jezike. Nekoliko takvih događaja se organizuje širom sveta, pa sam odlučila da odem tamo i pitam poliglote koje metode koriste.
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.
Pa sam tako upoznala Benija iz Irske, koji mi je rekao da je njegov metod da počnete da pričate od prvog dana. On nauči par fraza iz rečnika za putovanja, upoznaje izvorne govornike i odmah započinje razgovor sa njima. Ne smeta mu pravljenje ni po 200 grešaka dnevno, jer tako uči, iz povratne informacije. Najbolja stvar je što on ne mora mnogo da putuje danas, jer lako možete razgovarati sa izvornim govornicima iz udobnosti svog doma, koristeći internet.
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.
Upoznala sam i Lukasa iz Brazila koji je imao jako zanimljiv metod za učenje ruskog. On je nasumice dodao sto ruskih govornika za prijatelje na Skajpu, a zatim je otvorio prozor za čet sa jednim od njih i napisao „Zdravo“ na ruskom. Ta osoba je odgovorila: „Zdravo, kako si?“ Lukas je to kopirao i stavio u čet sa drugom osobom, a ta osoba je odgovorila: „Dobro sam, hvala, kako si ti?“ Lukas je to kopirao prvoj osobi, i na ovaj način, dva stranca su razgovarala jedan sa drugim, a da nisu ni znali.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
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?
Uskoro je i sam počeo da odgovara, jer je vodio toliko tih razgovora da je shvatio kako razgovor na ruskom uglavnom počinje. Kakav kreativan metod, zar ne?
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.
Upoznala sam i poliglote koji uvek počinju imitirajući zvuke jezika, i one koji uvek uče 500 najčešćih reči jezika, ali i one koji uvek na početku čitaju o gramatici. Ako bih pitala stotinu poliglota, čula bih stotinu različitih pristupa učenju jezika. Izgleda da svi imaju jedinstven način na koji uče novi jezik, a ipak, svi dolaze do istog rezultata - tečno pričanje više jezika.
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.
Dok sam slušala kako mi poliglote pričaju o svojim metodama, iznenada mi je sinulo: jedna stvar koja nam je zajednička je da smo prosto našli način da uživamo u procesu učenja jezika. Sve te poliglote su govorile o učenju jezika kao o nečemu jako zabavnom. Trebalo je da im vidite lica kada su mi pokazivali svoje šarene tabele sa gramatikom i svoje ručno napravljene fleš kartice, i statistiku o učenju reči uz korišćenje aplikacija, ili čak kako vole da kuvaju koristeći recepte na stranom jeziku. Svi koriste različite metode, ali se uvek postaraju da je to nešto u čemu lično uživaju.
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.
Shvatila sam da i ja tako učim jezike. Kada sam učila španski, tekst u udžbeniku mi je bio dosadan. Mislim, ko želi da čita o Hoseu koji se raspituje kako se stiže do železničke stanice, zar ne? Umesto toga, htela sam da čitam „Harija Potera“, jer je to u detinjstvu bila moja omiljena knjiga koju sam pročitala više puta. Nabavila sam španski prevod knjige i počela da čitam, i naravno da nisam razumela skoro ništa na početku, ali sam nastavila da čitam jer sam volela tu knjigu, i pred kraj sam mogla da pratim skoro bez ikakvih problema. Isto se dogodilo kada sam učila nemački. Odlučila sam da gledam „Prijatelje“, moju omiljenu seriju, na nemačkom, i opet, na početku je sve bilo besmisleno. Nisam znala gde se jedna reč završava, a druga počinje, ali sam nastavila da gledam svaki dan, ipak su to „Prijatelji.“ Mogu ih gledati na svakom jeziku. Toliko ih volim. Nakon druge ili treće sezone, dijalog je, najozbiljnije, dobio smisao.
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.
Ovo sam shvatila tek nakon upoznavanja drugih poliglota. Mi nismo genijalci i nemamo prečicu za učenje jezika. Samo smo našli načine da uživamo u tom procesu, da pretvorimo učenje jezika iz dosadnog školskog predmeta u prijatnu aktivnost u kojoj uživamo svaki dan. Ako ne volite da zapisujete reči na papir, uvek ih možete ukucati u aplikaciju. Ako ne volite da slušate dosadan materijal iz udžbenika, nađite zanimljiv sadržaj na Jutjubu ili podkast na bilo kom jeziku. Ako ste introvertna osoba i ne možete da zamislite da odmah pričate sa izvornim govornicima, možete primeniti metodu monologa. Možete pričati sami sa sobom u udobnosti svoje sobe, da opisujete planove za vikend, kako vam je protekao dan, ili čak da uzmete nasumičnu fotografiju iz telefona i opišete je zamišljenom prijatelju. Tako poliglote uče jezike, a najbolje od svega je što je to dostupno svima koji su voljni da uzmu učenje u svoje ruke.
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.
Upoznavanje drugih poliglota mi je pomoglo da shvatim da je jako važno pronaći užitak u procesu učenja jezika, ali i da užitak sam po sebi nije dovoljan. Ako želite tečno da govorite strani jezik, morate da primenite još tri principa.
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.
Prvo, trebaće vam efektne metode. Ako pokušate da zapamtite listu reči za sutrašnji test, reči će se skladištiti u vašoj kratkotrajnoj memoriji i zaboravićete ih nakon par dana. Ako, pak, želite da sačuvate reči dugotrajno, morate da ih ponavljate tokom nekoliko dana koristeći takozvano intervalno ponavljanje. Možete koristiti aplikacije zasnovane na ovom sistemu kao Anki ili Memrise, ili možete zapisivati liste reči u svesku koristeći metod zlatne liste, koji je takođe dosta popularan među mnogim poliglotama. Ako niste sigurni koje metode su efektne i koje sve postoje, samo pogledajte kanale na Jutjubu i internet stranice poliglota kako biste dobili inspiraciju. Ako funkcioniše kod njih, verovatno će i kod vas.
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.
Treći princip je da napravite sistem u svom učenju. Svi smo jako zauzeti, i niko danas nema vremena da uči jezik. Ali možemo izdvojiti vreme ako malo planiramo unapred. Da li možete da se probudite 15 minuta ranije nego inače? To bi bilo savršeno vreme da ponovite reči. Da li možete da slušate podkast na putu za posao dok vozite? E, pa to je sjajno za sticanje iskustva u slušanju. Toliko stvari možemo da uradimo a da ni ne planiramo dodatno vreme, kao što je slušanje podkasta na putu do posla ili dok radimo kućne poslove. Važno je napraviti plan u učenju. „Vežbaću pričanje svakog utorka i četvrtka 20 minuta sa prijateljem. Slušaću video na Jutjubu dok doručkujem.“ Ako napravite sistem u učenju, ne morate da nalazite dodatno vreme, jer će postati deo vašeg svakodnevnog života.
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, naravno, ako želite da naučite jezik tečno, treba vam i malo strpljenja. Nemoguće je naučiti jezik za dva meseca, ali je definitvno moguće ostvariti vidiljiv napredak, ako učite manje celine svakog dana na način u kojem uživate. A ništa nas ne motiviše više od sopstvenog uspeha.
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.
Jasno se sećam trenutka kada sam razumela prvu šalu na nemačkom gledajući „Prijatelje.“ Bila sam tako srećna i motivisana da sam tog dana pogledala još dve epizode, i dok sam gledala, sve više i više sam razumela, doživljavajući male pobede, i korak po korak, došla sam do toga da mogu da koristim jezik slobodno i tečno da izrazim bilo šta. To je sjajan osećaj. Nikad mi ga nije dosta, i zato učim novi jezik svake dve godine.
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.
U tome je tajna poliglota. Naći efektne metode koje možete koristiti sistematično tokom nekog vremena sa uživanjem, i tako poliglote uče jezike za par meseci, a ne godina.
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?"
E sad, neki od vas možda misle: „Baš je lepo uživati u procesu učenja jezika, ali zar nije prava tajna to što su poliglote jako talentovani, a većina nas nije?“
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.
E, pa, jednu stvar vam nisam rekla o Beniju i Lukasu. Beni je imao gejlski irski 11 godina, a nemački 5 godina u školi. Uopšte ih nije govorio kad je maturirao. Do 21. godine, mislio je da nema gen za jezike i da ne može da govori drugi jezik. Zatim je počeo da traži svoj način za učenje jezika, pričanje sa izvornim govornicima i dobijanje povratne informacije od njih, i Beni danas može s lakoćom da razgovara na 10 jezika. Lukas je 10 godina pokušavao da nauči engleski u školi. Bio je među najgorim učenicima u razredu. Prijatelji su ga ismevali i iz šale mu poklonili ruski udžbenik jer su misili da nikada neće naučiti ruski ili bilo koji jezik. Tada je Lukas počeo da eksperimentiše sa metodama, tražeći svoj način za učenje, na primer, razgovarajući preko Skajpa sa strancima. I posle samo 10 godina, Lukas može tečno da govori 11 jezika.
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.
Da li to zvuči kao čudo? E pa, ja viđam takva čuda svakog dana. Kao mentor za jezike, ja pomažem ljudima da sami uče jezike, i to viđam svaki dan. Ljudi se muče sa učenjem jezika po pet, 10, čak 20 godina, a onda iznenada uzmu učenje u svoje ruke, počnu da koriste materijale u kojima uživaju, efektnije metode, ili počnu da prate svoje učenje kako bi uočili sopstveni napredak, kada iznenada, kao magijom, pronađu talenat za jezik koji im je nedostajao celog života.
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.
Ako ste i vi pokušavali da naučite jezik i odustali, misleći da je preteško ili da niste talentovani, pokušajte još jednom. Možda i vama fali samo jedan metod u kojem uživate da naučite tečno da govorite jezik. Možda vam treba samo jedan metod da postanete poliglota.
Thank you.
Hvala vam.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)