So you’ve decided to learn Chinese? Congratulations! Learning Mandarin Chinese is a truly rewarding and enriching experience. As the world’s number one economy now, if you can speak Chinese, you’ll be adding an important feather to your cap. But I’m going to be completely honest with you here. Learning Chinese can also be extremely frustrating.…
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by Louise Taylor It’s not uncommon for school children to be taught two new languages at the same time, in much the same way that they would be taught different sciences at one time. So why, as adults wanting to learn another language, do we attempt to learn just one at a time? Why not…
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By Dimitris Polychronopoulos The first time I ever saw a ‘polyglot video’ was on the BBC website, where Alex Rawlings, age 20 at the time, speaks in eleven different languages. It would have been in 2014 when I saw the video for the first time. I found the video thoroughly enjoyable. All of Alex’s eleven…
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by Marta Krzeminska Polyglot—when was the first time you heard this word? My first time was in 2013 when I was lucky to attend TEDx Warsaw, and see Benny Lewis’ talk on hacking language learning. That’s what I’d call being thrown into the deep waters of polyglottery! The concept of a polyglot was new to many…
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French has been called the “language of love” for decades – maybe longer – and there are many reasons, as students or speakers of French well know, why this is true. While popular opinions of the language have fluctuated over time from obsession to mild derision, if anything can be said about French it’s that…
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By Richard Benton, PhD When people think of learning other languages, images of faraway, exotic landscapes and peoples flood their minds. When they arrive in that distant land, they imagine they will observe those new people before returning home to show photos and recount tales of adventure. I have lived this life, but recently I questioned this purpose. Is travel about bringing home photos and stories? Is it…
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