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.
Napenda kujifunza lugha za kigeni. napenda sana kiasi kwamba hujifunza lugha mpya kila baada ya miaka miwili, sasa hivi najifunza lugha ya nane. Pale watu wanapogundua kuhusu mimi, mara huniuliza, "Unafanyaje hivyo? Siri yako ni ipi?" Na niwe muwazi, kwa miaka mingi, jibu langu litakuwa, "Sifahamu. Napenda tu kujifunza lugha." Lakini watu hawakufurahishwa na jibu hilo. Walitaka kufahamu kwanini wanatumia miaka kujaribu kuijfunza hata lugha moja, kamwe hawafanikiwa unenaji, na mimi natokea, nikijifunza lugha moja baada ya nyingine. Walitaka kujua siri ya wanaisimu, watu wanaoongea lugha nyingi. Na hii ilinifanya kushangaa, pia, wanaisimu wengine wanafanyaje? Kitu gani tulichonacho? Na kipi ambacho kinatuwezesha sisi kujifunza lugha kwa haraka kuliko watu wengine? Niliamua kukutana na watu wengine kama mimi ili kutambua.
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.
Sehemu nzuri ya kuonana na wanaisimu wengi ni katika hafla ambapo mamia ya wapenzi wa lugha hukutana pamoja. Kuna baadhi ya hafla za wanaisimu ambazo huandaliwa duniani kote, na kwa hiyo niliamua kwenda huko na kuwauliza wanaisimu kuhusu njia wanazotumia.
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.
Nilikutana na Benny kutoka Ireland, ambaye aliniambia kwamba njia yake ni kuanza kuongea kuanzia siku ya kwanza. Hujifunza misemo michache kutoka katika kitabu cha misemo cha wasafiri na huenda kukutana na wenyeji wa lugha husika na kuanza maongezi nao moja kwa moja. Hajali kukosea kuongea hata mara 200 kwa siku, kwa sababu hivyo ndivyo anajifunza, ukilinganisha na mrejesho. Na kilicho bora ni kwamba, haitaji kusafiri sana leo, Sababu kwa urahisi unaweza fanya maongezi na wenyeji wa lugha ukiwa umepumzika katika chumba chako, ukitumia tovuti.
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.
Nilikutana pia na Lucas kutoka Brazil ambaye alikuwa na njia ya kuvutia ya kujifunza Kirussia. Kiurahisi aliwaalika waongeaji wa lugha ya Kirussia wapatao 100 kama marafiki katika mtandao wake wa Skype, na kisha alianza kupiga soga na mmoja wao na akaandika "Habari" kwa Kirussia. Yule mtu alijibu," Nzuri, hujambo?" Lucas alinakili haya maongezi na kuweka katika chumba cha maandishi alipoanza soga na mtu mwingine, na mtu alijibu. "Nipo salama, asante, na wewe hujambo?" Lucas alinakili tena na kuweka katika soga na mtu wa kwanza, na katika njia hii, aliwafanya watu wawili wasiojuana kuwa katika maongezi bila kufahamu hilo.
(Laughter)
(Kicheko)
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?
Si punde alianza kuchapa maneno mwenyewe, kwa sababu alikuwa na maongezi kama haya mengi kwamba aligundua jinsi gani maongezi ya Kirussia ambavyo kwa kawaida huanza. Njia yenye werevu sana, si ndiyo?
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.
Na kisha nilikutana na mwanaisimu ambaye muda wote huanza kwa kuigiza sauti za lugha, na wengine ambao amara zote hujifunza maneno 500 ya mara kwa mara katika lugha, na wengine ambao huanza kwa kusoma kitabu cha sarufi. Kama ningeuliza wanaisimu mbalimbali mia moja, Nilisikia namna mia moja mbalimbali za kujifunza lugha. Kila mtu alikuwa na njia tofauti ya kujifunza lugha, na wote mwishoni huja na matokeo sawa ya kuongea lugha baadhi kwa ufasaha.
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.
Na nilikuwa nawasikiliza wanaisimu hawa wakinieleza kuhusu njia zao, ghafla ikaniamsha: kitu kimoja ambacho wote tunacho ni kwamba tumeweza kutafuta namna ya kufurahia mchakato ya kujifunza lugha. Na hawa wanaisimu wote walikuwa wanaongelea kuhusu kujifunza lugha na ilikuwa inafurahisha sana. Ungewaona nyuso zao walipokuwa wakinionyesha chati za rangi zikielezea sarufi na kadi za maneno zilizotengenezwa kwa uangalifu, na takwimu zao kuhusu kujifunza maneno ya lugha kwa kutumia programu ya simu janja, au wanavyopenda kupika kutokana na maelezo ya upishi yaliyoandikwa katika lugha ya kigeni. Wote wanatumia njia mbalimbali, Lakini wanahakikisha ni kitu ambacho binafsi wanapendelea kufanya.
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.
Nimegundua kwamba hivi ndivyo mimi hujifunza lugha. Nilipokuwa najifunza Kispanyola, nilichoshwa na maandishi katika kitabu. Namaanisha, nani ambaye anataka kusoma kuhusu Jose akiuliza kuhusu uelekeo wa kwenda kituo gari moshi. Sawa? Nilitaka kusoma "Harry Porter" badala yake, kwa sababu ndicho kilikuwa kitabu nikipendacho sana nikiwa mdogo, na nimekisoma mara nyingi. Kwa hiyo nilipata tafsiri "Harry Porter" katika lugha ya Kispanyola na nikaanza kusoma, na kwa uhakika, sikuelewa chochote kile mwanzoni, lakini niliendelea kusoma kwa sababu nilikipenda kitabu, na mwishoni mwa kitabu, niliweza kukifatilia bila matatizo yoyote. Na jambo sawa lilitokea wakati nikijifunza Kijerumani. Niliamua kuangalia "Marafiki," ucheshi ninaopendelea, kwa Kijerumani, na tena, mwanzoni ilikuwa upuuzi tu. Sikuelewa ni wapi neno moja limeishia na lingine lilipoanzia, lakini niliendelea kuangalia kila siku kwa sababu ilikuwa ni "Marafiki." Naweza kuangalia katika lugha yoyote. Napenda sana. Na baada sehemu ya pili au ya tatu, kiukweli, maongezi yalianza kuleta maana.
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.
Nilitambua hili baada ya kukutana na wanaisimu wengine. Sisi si wenye talanta na hatuna njia za kukatiza katika kujifunza lugha. Tumeweza kutafuta njia ya kufurahia mchakato, namna ya kubadili usomaji wa lugha kutoka kama somo la shule lisilofurahisha hadi katika shughuli ya kuvutia ambayo hutaona shida kuifanya kila siku. Kama hupendelei kuandika maneno kwenye karatasi, unaweza mara zote kuyachapa kwenye programu ya simu. Kama hupendelei kusikiliza vitabu vinavyochosha, tafuta video zinazovutia katika Youtube au katika vipindi vya lugha. Kama wewe ni mtu unayependelea upekee na hauwezi kuwaza ni namna gani utaweza ongea na wenyeji wa lugha moja kwa moja, unaweza kujifunza kujiongelesha mwenyewe. Unaweza kuongea na nafsi yako ukiwa katika chumba chako, ukieleza mipango yako ya mwisho wa wiki, siku yako ilikwendaje, au hata kupiga picha zisizo na mpangilio katika simu yako na kuelezea kuhusu picha hiyo kwa rafiki yako wa kufikirika. Hivi ndivyo wanaisimu hujifunza lugha, na habari njema ni kwamba, inapatikana kwa mtu yoyote nani ambaye yuko tayari kujifunza katika mikono yake.
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.
Hivyo kukutana na wanaisimu wengine kulinisaidia kutambua kwamba ni muhimu sana kupata burudani katika mchakato wa kujifunza lugha, lakini pia furaha yenyewe pekee haitoshi. Kama unataka kuweza kufikia ufasaha katika lugha ya kigeni, utahitajika kutumia kanuni tatu zaidi.
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.
Kwanza, unahitaji njia zilizo bora. Ukijaribu kukumbuka listi ya maneno kwa ajili ya mtihani wa kesho, maneno yatahifadhiwa katika kumbukumbu yako ya muda mfupi na utayasahau baada ya siku chache. Kama, hata hivyo, unataka kukaa na maneno kwa muda mrefu, unahitaji kuyarudia katika kipindi cha siku chache ukifanya kitu kinachofahamika kama kurudia kwa nafasi. Unaweza kutumia programu za simu ambazo zinatumia mfumo huu kama vile Anki au Memrise, au unaweza kuandika orodha ya neno katika kijitabu ukitumia njia ya Goldlist, ambayo ni maarufu kwa wanaisimu wengi. Kama huna uhakika ni njia ipi inayofaa na kipi kinachopatikana, angalia chaneli za Youtube na tovuti za wanaisimu kupata hamasa kutoka kwao. Kama inawafaa wao, lazima itakufaa na wewe pia.
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.
Kanuni ya tatu ya kufuata ni kutengeneza mfumo katika kujifunza kwako. Wote tupo bize na hakuna aliye na muda wa kujifunza lugha mpya leo. Lakini tunaweza pata muda kama tukipanga mbele kidogo. Unaweza kuamka dakika kumi na tano mapema kabla ya muda wa kawaida wa kuamka? Huo utakuwa muda mzuri wa kuweza kupitia baadhi ya maneno. Unaweza sikiliza kipindi ukiwa unarudi nyumbani wakati unaendesha? Sasa, hiyo itakuwa nzuri kupata uzoefu wa kusikiliza. Kuna vitu vingi tunaweza fanya bila hata ya kupanga muda wa ziada, kama vile kusikiliza kipindi ukiwa unaelekea kazini, au wakati unafanya kazi za nyumbani. Kitu muhimu ni kutengeneza mpango katika kujifunza. "Nitajifunza kuongea kila Jumanne na Alhamisi na rafiki kwa dakika 20. Nitasikiliza video katika Youtube wakati nikipata kifungua kinywa." Kama utatengeneza mfumo katika kujifunza, huna haja ya kutafuta muda wa ziada, kwa sababu itakuwa namna ya maisha yako ya kila siku.
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.
Na mwisho, kama unataka kujifunza lugha kwa ufasaha, unahitaji kuwa na subira kidogo. Haiwezekani kujifunza lugha ndani ya miezi miwili, lakini inawezekana kabisa kufanya mabadiliko yanayoonekana katika miezi miwili, kama utajifunza katika kiasi kidogo kidogo kila siku katika namna ambayo unafurahia. Na hakuna kitu ambacho kinatuhamasisha zaidi ya mafanikio yetu.
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.
Nakumbuka vizuri wakati nilipoelewa utani wa kwanza kwa Kijerumani nilipokuwa naangalia "Marafiki." Nilifurahia sana na kuhamasika kwamba niliendelea kuangalia sehemu mbili zaidi siku hiyo, na nilivyoendelea kuangalia, Niliendelea kuelewa zaidi, ushindi huu mdogo, na hatua kwa hatua, nilifika katika hatua ambapo ningetumia lugha kwa uhuru na ufasaha kuweza kuelezea chochote. Hii ni hisia ya kusisimua. Siwezi tosheka na hisia hiyo, na ndiyo maana najifunza lugha mpya kila miaka miwili.
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.
Kwa hiyo ndiyo siri nzima ya mwanaisimu. Tafuta njia madhubuti ambayo unaweza kuitumia kwa mfumo katika kipindi cha muda fulani katika njia ambayo unafurahia, na hivi ndivyo wanaisimu hujifunza lugha ndani ya miezi, na siyo miaka.
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?"
Sasa, baadhi yenu mnaweza kuwaza, "Ni vizuri sana kufurahia kujifunza lugha, lakini si kwamba nyinyi wanaisimu mna talanta sana na wengi wetu hatuna hiyo talanta?"
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.
Hivyo, kuna kitu kimoja sijawaambia kuhusu Benny na Lucas. Benny alikuwa na miaka 11 ya kiselti cha Kiyalandi na miaka mitano ya lugha ya Kijerumani shuleni. Hakuweza kuongea baada ya kuhitimu masomo. Mpaka miaka 21, aliwaza kwamba hakuwa na jeni ya lugha na hakuweza kuongea lugha nyingine. Kisha akaanza kutafuta njia yake ya kujifunza lugha, ambapo ilikuwa ni kuongea na wenyeji wa lugha na kupata mrejesho kutoka kwao, na leo Benny anaweza kwa urahisi kufanya maongezi katika lugha 10. Lucas amejaribu kujifunza Kiingereza shuleni kwa miaka 10. Alikuwa ni moja ya wanafunzi wanaofanya vibaya darasani. Rafiki zake walikuwa wakimtania na kumpa kitabu cha Kirussia kama utani kwa sababu waliamini hawezi kamwe kujifunza lugha hiyo, au lugha yoyote. Na kisha Lucas akaanza kufanya majaribio na njia yake, akitafuta njia yake ya kujifunza, kwa mfano, kwa kupiga soga na watu asiowajua katika Skype. Na katika miaka 10, Lucas anaweza kuongea lugha 11 kwa ufasaha.
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.
Je hiyo inaonekana kama miujiza? Sasa, ninaona miujiza kama hii kila siku. Na kama mshauri wa lugha, Nasaidia watu kujifunza lugha wenyewe, na naona hili kila siku. Watu hupata shida kujifunza lugha kwa miaka mitano, kumi, hata ishirini, na ghafla huchukua hatua ya kujifunza mikononi mwao, kuanza kutumia makala wanazofurahia, njia madhubuti zaidi, au wanaanza kufatilia kujifunza kwao kwamba wanaweza kuridhika na maendeleo yao, na hapo ndipo ghafla kwa maajabu wanatambua kipaji cha lugha ambacho walikuwa wanakosa maisha yao yote.
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.
Kwa hiyo kama umejaribu pia kujifunza lugha na ukakata tamaa, na kama huna kipaji cha lugha, jaribu tena. Labda upo karibu kidogo na njia moja ya kuburudika ili kujifunza lugha hiyo kwa ufasaha. Labda upo karibu kuja kuwa mwanaisimu.
Thank you.
Asante.
(Applause)
(Makofi)