Watch this Ted Talk: The secrets of learning a new language before you begin this section. This is an additional video hosted on YouTube. 

(Summary of subtitled video: Lýdia Machová, a polyglot, confesses that her and other polyglots aren’t particularly geniuses. She found one thing that they all had in common – they all enjoyed the process of learning a new language. She delivers four principles on how to make language learning fun.) 10 min 45 seconds (32 minutes)

If you are unable to access YouTube, use this link to TED (2019) to view the video: https://www.ted.com/talks/lydia_machova_the_secrets_of_learning_a_new_language/discussion?language=en view the comments by clicking the last tab underneath the video. This is a subtitled video.

The speaker, Lýdia Machová emphasises the need for people to recognise that being a polyglot is not a superpower, and that anyone can become proficient at multiple languages on one condition, that they enjoy it. The video on YouTube has been viewed 2.6 million times. 

Activity 5 (10 minutes)

How far does Lydia convince you of her pitch and the rest of the viewers? Do your thoughts mirror those below?

 ‘This is why schools are so bad at teaching languages—and every other subject for that matter. They suck the joy out of everything.’ (Dan Philips) 

‘I’m learning English with watching many YouTube videos. I’m happy to live in this period because I can learn another language easily and while having fun!’ (Osushi)

‘Wow, Just Loved it. Now I am more motivated to learn foreign languages and become a polyglot one day.’ (Vinicius Alves)

These are just some of the reactions and discussions in the comments section of the YouTube video: The secrets of learning a new language