What is a polyglot and how do you become one?

A polyglot is a person who can speak, read, and write in several languages. “Polyglot” comes from the Greek words “polu-” and ‘glotta’, which together mean “many tongues”.

A multilingual person has learned several languages in early childhood or from birth. This is what happens when a child grows up in an international family. More often, we meet bilinguals—speakers of two languages. That is, both languages are native to a person.

Polyglots are not geniuses or prodigies. Some started learning languages at a young age, but many didn’t take an interest until adulthood. Some were even terrible language learners at school. Polyglots are driven not so much by necessity as by curiosity.

6 tips on how to become a polyglot

1. Know the reason why you are doing it

There are no bad reasons, but there are some less-good ones. If you only want to become a polyglot because it sounds impressive or looks good on your CV, unfortunately, you won’t get very far. Becoming a polyglot takes years, if not decades, of hard work and constant practice. Instead, do it because you love languages – learning, communicating, and getting to know new cultures.

Choose languages that you want to learn. Don’t go for the languages that are easiest for you or sound the most interesting – ease and interest are valuable, but they alone are not enough. Familiarize yourself with many different languages by listening to songs and reading grammar overviews. Choose only the languages that appeal to you.

2. Schedule your languages

The wrong way to learn many languages? All at once. If you try to learn five languages simultaneously, you’re guaranteed to mix them up and probably burn out.

Instead, learn either one new language a year or two new languages every two years. If you’re learning two languages simultaneously, choose two with very different vocabulary and grammar. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M. For the full article. If you learn Spanish and Portuguese simultaneously, you will probably confuse them, but if you know French and Chinese side by side, you will find it easier to tell them apart.

While learning new languages, maintain the ones you already have by reading books, watching TV shows, and talking to native-speaking friends.

3. Stick to a rigorous daily schedule

If you want to learn many languages efficiently, then you cannot afford to be lax in your learning. You need to approach each language with specific goals and set up a daily, weekly and monthly plan on how to achieve these goals.

You should spend at least one hour a day on each language you are actively learning and about thirty minutes on the languages you are not actively learning. The Rocket Languages modules are a great place to start: if you learn one or two grammar and culture lessons and one audio lesson a day, you’ll be well on your way.

To avoid burnout, plan some time off! On the weekends or on one of several days, don’t even touch your grammar book or flashcards. Instead, watch a movie, listen to music or play a video game in your target language.

4. Test yourself regularly

Nobody likes tests. But they are the most efficient way to measure your progress, especially if you want to learn multiple languages.

Consider measuring your progress against international standards, such as the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Moving up a level every few months is a good pace, and you can easily find unofficial tests on the internet to track your progress.

Of course, this shouldn’t be your only benchmark, and you would do well to set yourself other goals—for example, you should be able to converse easily with a native-speaking friend within six months or watch simple TV shows in your target language without subtitles within eight months—but this is a good starting point.

5. Pay close attention to what works

Please don’t stick to a single learning routine because you learned it at school. Instead, constantly revise your routine by observing what works for you.

Did you learn vocabulary faster when you read a book in your target language? Did you put in more effort when you made flashcards than when you played an online vocabulary game? What about conversations? Delete what doesn’t work and make more room for what does.

6. Have an accountability partner

A reliable partner is your greatest asset. This can be a native-speaker friend invested in your learning; they can answer your questions and check in regularly. It can also be a friend with whom you learn; you can encourage each other and share valuable resources. When you feel like giving up, your partner will remind you why you embarked on this journey in the first place. So, how do you find a partner? Join groups for language learners, attend Meet Up in your area, or post on our forums—thousands of learners are ready to work with you.

Being a polyglot is not impossible. Because dozens of people have already done it – and are vlogging about it. Check out the language learning blogs and YouTube channels for inspiration. They’ve done it, and you can too.