How polyglots learn languages | The book that changed my life

This book once made me believe that I could become a polygod. Catalom, how I learn languages is the reason I fell in love with language learning. I first

found it at school and it inspired me so much that later I chose to study linguistics at university. I speak

several languages. I'm learning my seventh language. And in this video, I'm

seventh language. And in this video, I'm going to share what I still find inspiring and what I don't completely agree with anymore. Catalom herself was a true legend. She studied around 28

languages, could speak around 16 of them, fluently enough to work as a professional interpreter, even a simultaneous interpreter, which was extremely rare back then, especially for a woman. She mentions that she was no

a woman. She mentions that she was no talent for languages. She started

learning in her adult years, and proves that progress comes from interest and time, not from being gifted. She even

puts it into a formula, time spent plus interest equals result. She says that there is no magic peel for learning a language. People often tell me, "Oh, you

language. People often tell me, "Oh, you just have a talent for languages, but like Lump, I honestly don't understand it." Another point that Lump makes, and

it." Another point that Lump makes, and I really relate to this, is how adults block themselves when speaking a foreign language. They are so afraid of making

language. They are so afraid of making mistakes that they end up saying nothing at all. And I used to be exactly like

at all. And I used to be exactly like that when I was learning my first foreign language. I was so embarrassed

foreign language. I was so embarrassed to make even small mistakes. I was just silent. But now after studying more and

silent. But now after studying more and more languages, I honestly don't care anymore. Mistakes are just part of the

anymore. Mistakes are just part of the process and they are evidence that you are actually using the language. So

let's update the formula, the previous formula like this. Time plus motivation divided by fear equals result. There is

another interesting moment in the book when she says that men are actually more blocked and embarrassed when speaking a foreign language. While women are women

foreign language. While women are women are less shy and have a stronger need for communication. It's an interesting

for communication. It's an interesting point and I'm not sure whether I agree with it or not. What do you think? So

talking about being gifted about abilities, you don't have to be a linguist or a genius to learn several languages. A linguist is a person who

languages. A linguist is a person who studies the theory of language who it's grammar structure, phonatics, everything profoundly. And she compares it to a

profoundly. And she compares it to a choreographer. Like a linguist is a

choreographer. Like a linguist is a choreographer who studies dance and a ballerina who actually dances. So you

can be a ballerina. Another thing that I love about this book is that she writes that learning languages shouldn't feel like a burden but like a moment of

enjoyment and in everyday life. like it

should be your routine that makes you enjoy your life and this is exactly how I try to teach my students. I want

languages to feel alive connected to their interest and never just a set of grammar rules and this is when I realized that in many ways her words

shape my own teaching philosophy even before I realized it even before entering the university. So why do we study languages? I think it's pretty

study languages? I think it's pretty clear to be engaged with the world with people with different ways of thinking.

And Lom has a beautiful line about this in her book. She writes, "We study languages because language is the only way is the only thing that is never useless to know even superficially." And

I couldn't agree more. Even the smallest knowledge of a language, a few phrases, some basic understanding can open doors, create connections, and change how you

see the world. So you don't have to know all the languages proficiently. Just

start learning a language and probably you will move further just by being interested in it, being engaged in the process. When it comes to her

process. When it comes to her methodology, I find myself agreeing with her on many points, not all, but many, especially with her idea that a language

should be learned as a whole. She

compares knowledge to a nail. If it

isn't driven deep enough at the first pressure it will fall out. And the same with languages if you only study them passively just by reading and listening

without practice without output active output these languages won't simply hold. Another metaphor that I love is

hold. Another metaphor that I love is how she describes language as a building. It has four grand holes

building. It has four grand holes speaking listening reading and writing.

And you can only call yourself truly at home in this building if you have entered all of these four holes. If you

neglect one of them, the whole construction feels unstable. Doesn't

feel like home. I really connect with this idea with this metaphor because for me, language learning has never been about collecting loose words or grammar rules. It's about building this solid

rules. It's about building this solid structure brick by brick, making sure that every hole is open, every room is alive. That's exactly what I try to give

alive. That's exactly what I try to give my students. Not just grammar rules, not

my students. Not just grammar rules, not just fragments or lose words as I've said before, but a living system where all the parts support each other. It is

interesting that on the other hand, alum criticizes what we would now call immersion. She says it can feel like

immersion. She says it can feel like mindless, something as passive as watching TV. For her, real language

watching TV. For her, real language learning for adults should rely on conscious effort, logical thinking, and deliberate practice, which is right because adults don't actually learn like

children. Uh we can't just be thrown

children. Uh we can't just be thrown into a new English speaking or any other language speaking environment and expect that our brain will absorb everything

the way a toddler does. It won't work like that because we're not toddlers.

We're not babies anymore. But at the same time, reducing immersion to something passive or thoughtless feels very unfair. From my own experience,

very unfair. From my own experience, immersion is one of the most powerful tools that we have like watching movies, watching podcasts, listening to even

listening to music, surrounding yourself with the language. It isn't about switching your brain off. It's about

letting these patterns, these language patterns, uh, sink in naturally and then reinforcing them in conscious practice.

So, while I understand her skepticism, I think immersion is not the enemy of conscious learning, it's its strongest ally. Together, they create a great

ally. Together, they create a great balance for adults when they learn languages. Logic gives you structure,

languages. Logic gives you structure, immersion gives you life. Lom talks a lot about vocabulary in this book. How

we should learn it, how we shouldn't learn it. She criticizes this old form

learn it. She criticizes this old form of learning language, of learning vocabulary, you know, two column method where we write a word in one column and

it's translation in another column next to it. And I criticize it as well

to it. And I criticize it as well because if we learn the words this way, they will stay isolated. They will stay they will be detached from the real

usage. So what you should remember is

usage. So what you should remember is that words don't live alone. They live

in context. They live in collocations.

They live in phrases, not alone. But

then at the same time, she defends the method that is called a dictionary method. It's about simply learning words

method. It's about simply learning words uh straight from a dictionary. I don't

understand this method. Like I don't think it's effective. Of course,

dictionaries are essential. It's a great great tool. But again, they strip words

great tool. But again, they strip words away from life. They're not in context.

They're not in real usage. And I agree with Lom that the more energy we invest in searching for the right meaning using a dictionary, the stronger the effect of

learning the language of the of memorizing the the the vocabulary. I

agree with it. It's it's definitely true. So, what's the best way to work

true. So, what's the best way to work with a dictionary? For me, it's not about copying readymade examples or cramming lists of words. It's about

taking a word, writing it down in your notebook and immediately creating a sentence with this word, your own sentence, your own example with it. So

this way the word becomes linked to you, to your life, to your thoughts, to your experience and it will be more effective uh for you to memorize it. When it comes

to grammar, I actually agree with Lump with one of her central points that grammar is a system. And if you want to master a foreign language as an adult, you simply cannot avoid the system. You

simply cannot avoid learning grammar.

And again, it's not about memorizing about cramming uh sets of rules. Grammar

should be studied in combination uh with other aspects of language through reading, through listening, through meaningful context. Without this

meaningful context. Without this systematic approach, adult learners risk ending up with this fragmented knowledge that doesn't work in real communication.

I disagree with LM on another point. She

writes that we should extrapolate grammar rules from one language that we already know to another language. In

other words, we should take a structure that we already know in one language and apply it to a new one, assuming that it will work the same way. This

cross-linguistic transfer might sound logical to someone and it might work in some cases. For example, when we learn

some cases. For example, when we learn the languages that are structurally close like Spanish and French for example, but more often it leads to

interference and some fossilized errors, unnatural usage. So I don't recommend

unnatural usage. So I don't recommend doing this. I have an example from my

doing this. I have an example from my life. I try to compare the grammar rules

life. I try to compare the grammar rules of Turkish and Russian. Russian is my native language and Turkish is was the language that I was learning that time

and it turned out to be a terrible idea because Turkish un unlike any other languages I've studied has a completely different structure and internal reason

and at some point I realized the only way forward was to stop comparing and to learn Turkish as Turkish on its own terms. I believe it's more effective to

approach each language as an independent system about reading. Catalon placed

reading at the very heart of language learning. And for her, it's not just a

learning. And for her, it's not just a tool. So books are not just a tool. It's

tool. So books are not just a tool. It's

the ultimate source of knowledge. And I

see why she emphasized the importance of reading books so much. Because back in her time, learners didn't have this instant access to podcasts, to YouTube,

to online learning apps as we do. books

were the most reliable way to immerse yourself in a language. So, and I do agree reading is crucial. But what about those people who don't like reading as

much as Lom did for example because I have the type of students who don't enjoy reading thick novels and that's okay I think because you can read just

some short articles texts or even like social media posts and yeah it's still about engaging with meaningful content.

It's still about engaging with reading.

So if novels feel like a burden, you don't have to force yourself. If you

don't like reading this kind of books, start with short stories, with news, with even subtitles of some series or or

films can be considered to be reading.

Another thing that Lom insists on is that when you read, you shouldn't translate every single word. She says

that stopping at each unknown word kills the flow of reading and turns it into torture. And because the real benefit of

torture. And because the real benefit of reading is when you let the book the the books carry you, even if some words slip

by, it's not that important to translate every single word. If you do translate every single word word, it means that you the book is not suitable to you to your level. probably you should change

your level. probably you should change it to something simpler. But if you don't know some words, it's not necessary to translate everything. You

can just instead try to figure out the meaning through your mental effort. You

know this moment of discovery when you realize what this word means can bring you this joy of you know like cracking a puzzle or something. So it's even more satisfying and this satisfaction gives

you the opportunity to learn to memorize the word more effectively. So when I read in a foreign language, I don't aim for translating every single word for a perfect translation. I don't actually

perfect translation. I don't actually translate. I just aim for understanding

translate. I just aim for understanding the story and understanding the characters, the message. I do write down some collocations that I find useful, interesting. I write them down in

interesting. I write them down in Quizlet. This is the app that I use for

Quizlet. This is the app that I use for learning words. There is another

learning words. There is another interesting point that I don't really share. She writes that textbooks, the

share. She writes that textbooks, the best textbooks are written in the learner's native language. I can

understand her point because back in her time, the most popular and even the most logical approach was that kind of approach when you used your native

language to clarify the explanation.

Probably it was the safest way to avoid confusion. But today, modern research

confusion. But today, modern research shows the opposite. In my own experience as well, I work with Cambridge and Oxford textbooks and most of my students

are Russian speakers and these books are not in Russian. So we don't use the mother tongue and yet they are extremely effective. In fact, I almost never

effective. In fact, I almost never switch to Russian when I when I teach in class. And this is what some studies in

class. And this is what some studies in second language acquisition say. Early

and consistent exposure to the target language helps learners think directly in it instead of constantly translating in their heads. Also, this modern

textbooks are created by qualified specialists. They are built on solid

specialists. They are built on solid methodology with a very clear and logical structure system. So, this makes them accessible even for beginners

without the need for constant translation into your native language.

So while I respect her perspective as a reflection of her time, I believe the most effective textbooks are those that immerse learners in uh the language in the target language from the very start.

So we've just talked about reading textbooks and learning grammar vocabulary, but none of these tools will really work without consistency. That's

where discipline comes in. Of course,

motivation is important and she emphasizes it again and again in her book. She she writes that language

book. She she writes that language learning works best when it's connected with your genuine interest when you approach it through things that you really like doing that you enjoy doing.

And I completely agree with her. Of

course, if you are curious, if you love the content that you absorb, you will naturally spend more time with the language. You won't force yourself.

language. You won't force yourself.

Relying only on motivation is a bad idea. Motivation comes and goes. Some

idea. Motivation comes and goes. Some

days you feel inspired, other days you don't. That's why I believe in the power

don't. That's why I believe in the power of self-discipline. So you need to make

of self-discipline. So you need to make learning a habit. How do you actually do this? For me, the answer is small

this? For me, the answer is small regular steps. Over time, this little

regular steps. Over time, this little routines, these little steps will become as natural as brushing your teeth. This

is how I actually feel about learning French or Spanish or any other language.

So motivation brings you to the language. Discipline keeps you there and

language. Discipline keeps you there and patience allows you to see the results, some lasting results. Catalom also

writes about some easy and difficult languages and there is the stereotype that English is really easy like it's the easiest language to learn and

Chinese is uh labeled as impossibly hard. But if we look closer, we will see

hard. But if we look closer, we will see that it's a misconception because let's take English. The grammar is relatively

take English. The grammar is relatively simple, but then we face a jungle of phrasal verbs, idioms, or multiple meanings of the same word. We realize

that it's not as simple as everybody thinks it is. For instance, the verb turn can branch into dozens of expressions like turn up, turn down,

turn, turn over, and each must be learned in context because their meanings can rarely match the logic of our native language. Is English that

easy? Probably at the beginning, but

easy? Probably at the beginning, but then when you reach a certain level, it doesn't seem to be so easy. And on the other hand, Chinese is often feared

because of its writing system. But once

you go deeper, uh, you find a strong internal logic. Every character carries

internal logic. Every character carries meaning, often connected to visual roots. And once you recognize these

roots. And once you recognize these patterns, the system begins to make sense. And that leads to her central

sense. And that leads to her central point about the difficulty of languages.

Talking about languages as easy or difficult is misleading because every language balances its challenges and advantages and what you lose in one area

you gain in another area. So instead of asking which language is easier, a much better question is which language inspires me more to keep learning?

Because when you choose a language that you genuinely love, its so-called difficulties uh turn into puzzles that

you actually want to to solve. An

uncorrected mistake is a disaster. And

this is why we need a teacher because if we keep repeating the same mistake, it just doesn't stay. But it becomes stronger. It becomes fossilized. and

stronger. It becomes fossilized. and

later unlearning this mistake, unlearning this wrong form is even harder than learning it right from the beginning. So this is why the best way

beginning. So this is why the best way to study is to study with a teacher. A

good teacher notices the things that you don't notice. Their feedback and

don't notice. Their feedback and correction can save you hours or even months of relearning. In a way, a teacher is like a compass that who makes sure you're not heading in the wrong

direction the wrong way. She also

mentions her personal experience in this book. She said that she found it easier

book. She said that she found it easier to learn languages with female teachers because because it was simpler for her to to chat and build contact. This

detail may sound funny, but there is a truth behind it that you should find the teacher that you feel at ease with because you will speak more. You will

not be afraid to make mistakes and this way you will learn faster. Also, she had to sign for Polish classes once and instead of joining the beginners's

group, she went straight into the advanced one. She insisted on it even

advanced one. She insisted on it even though she didn't know the language at all, like a single word. And in her case, it worked because she is strongly

motivated. She had no choice but to keep

motivated. She had no choice but to keep up with the rest of the group in spite of the pressure that she had. But for

some students, this strategy is not good. like it cannot really work because

good. like it cannot really work because it's like throwing yourself into fire and learning to survive. It sounds

really stressful and as a teacher I have to say that it's not always the right decision to take this kind of students because one unprepared student can slow down the rest of the group and in this

case the teacher has to spend extra hours just explaining basic things to that student who is not aware of anything. A good teacher should place

anything. A good teacher should place students where they can progress gradually uh consistently without damaging the experience of the rest of the class. So I do not understand why

the class. So I do not understand why that Polish teacher accepted her to that advanced level of classes. So this book once made me believe that I could become

a polygot. Honestly, it changed the

a polygot. Honestly, it changed the whole course of my life because it inspired me to study linguistics. It

pushed me to explore several languages and it shaped the way I teach my students. Now although I don't share all

students. Now although I don't share all of her views, the influence is undeniable. It gave me the spark of

undeniable. It gave me the spark of motivation that I really needed in order to decide where I want to what I want to study in the future, what I want to do

in the future. I wouldn't be the person I am today if I hadn't found this book in a library. So, if you enjoy this kind of videos, make sure you subscribe

because I'll be sharing some more interesting stories, insights, and strategies that will inspire you your own language journey. I hope.