Different paths but one common goal
For the untrained eye, polyglots all look alike. They speak “many” languages and that’s it. The reality is quite different. There are 3 kinds of polyglots who follow different patterns but follow the same goal: gather knowledge in multiple languages.
1. The Language Family-focused polyglot
The first one, and most often found around the world, is the language-family focused polyglot. These are the people who learn 10 or more languages in 5 years. You could think they are “geniuses”, but they aren’t. Their system is much simpler.
The two most common ones are the “Europe-focused” (1) and “East Asia-focused” (2). …
Would you ever say ‘You shall relinquish your intent apace’ in English?
I guess not, right?
I’m often amazed at the pointless vocabulary lists we can find in textbooks and online. It’s almost impossible for me not to find a few words I wouldn’t want to learn at all.
Learning a language takes time and, with enough of it, you’re bound to learn words you don’t use regularly. That’s fine. But if you don’t live in the country of the foreign language you’re learning, and if you’re not in the healthcare industry, why would you need to know the words for “doctor” or “emergency” right away?
There are enough words to learn…
If you want to impact the world, you need to become a content creator
I’m a biased writer. Just like every content creator that exists.
I used to think that, to change the world, we needed to create an innovative company or join one. In reality, no company will ever impact the world more than content creators.
Content creators rule the world. It’s that simple.
But why?
Words Touch Our Hearts
Have you ever read a piece that changed the way you thought? Seen a video that inspired you to take action? Listened to a podcast that tickled your curiosity? There are countless such pieces that can impact us.
Words move us. Whether they are written or spoken…
Along with three tips to enhance their effectiveness.
I’ve seen countless people complain they struggled to understand a foreign language. I was one of those as well.
There’s nothing surprising here. You’re trying to understanding something that used to sound like random sounds bundled together. When you start learning a language, you start recognizing the sound of the language as it is: words combined. You may even notice where words begin and finish. But you’re stuck at that stage.
You can’t make sense of all these words. People speak too quickly. They don’t articulate. They get interrupted. …
Yes. Everything’s on the internet, and that’s the problem.
I spent my first four months living in Japan without having internet at home. For the first two, I didn’t even have a sim card. That meant the moment I entered my apartment, I was cut from the entire world. No way to contact me. No way for me to contact anybody.
It. was. amazing.
These four months were among the best of my life up until that point. I had a fulfilling life outside my home and a rewarding time whenever I was home as well. …
“Sometimes it takes a wrong turn to get you to the right place.”― Mandy Hale
Getting lost isn’t about the time lost, it’s about the experience gained.
I’m not going to lie. I hated getting lost for the vast majority of my life. Apart from when I was traveling, each movement I did outside was with a goal: get to a target location without wasting my time.
I’m too busy to walk around. I’ll take strolls when I’m old.
That thought has completely disappeared now. Sure, when I meet friends, I might need to hurry. But in most cases, if you’re organized well enough, it’s okay to get lost a bit.
It’s actually even better…
I’m a polyglot because I’m having fun learning languages.
As a polyglot, I’ve met many people who were envious of me. They said they wished they could speak many foreign languages as well. Some of them even followed tips and tried hard to become one.
Unfortunately for them, that’s not how anybody becomes a polyglot. No polyglot ever tried becoming one. They only became addicted to language learning.
You can become a polyglot too. But you shouldn’t try to.
You should only focus on the journey itself and your feet will get you there one day. If you don’t, you risk giving up learning languages entirely. …
You don’t always need to improve. Maintaining can be enough.
I love learning languages but sometimes I just don’t have enough time to learn all the languages I want. I already speak six and am learning two more. I wouldn’t have the time to do anything else if I wanted to improve all of them at the same time.
That’s where maintenance comes in.
Every polyglot realizes at one point that he needs to maintain some of his languages to be able to focus on another one. …
Language-learning can change your life at best, make you a better person at worst.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Everybody should learn a foreign language.
School failed most of us when it comes to learning languages. It scarred many and made them think language-learning was hard. That’s some well-done inception if you ask me.
In reality, learning a language isn’t hard. It only takes time. That’s it. Nothing more. That’s why when I see videos like this one, from a polyglot, telling others they might not need to learn a language, my heart breaks a little.
Everybody, without exception, should learn a language. It’s for the best. …
The one that stands out leaves a stronger impact
What’s the “goal” of a writer?
Is it to share insightful pieces of knowledge? Is it to make readers laugh? To inspire them? To make the feel something? To help them learn something? To correct wrongly held beliefs?
It can be all of them. I think most writers discover this after a while. But the most common question I’ve seen throughout my time as a writer has always been the same:
Should I focus on quantity or on quality?
Quantity Matters at First
It’s impossible to be a good writer when you first begin writing. My first articles make me cringe. They were downright…
