The secrets of learning a new language | Lýdia Machová | TED

Translator: Júlia Ramírez Reviewer: Anna Comas-Quinn

I love learning foreign languages.

M'encanta aprendre idiomes.

In fact, I love it so much that I like to learn a new language every two years,

De fet, m'agrada tant que cada dos anys aprenc un idioma nou.

currently working on my eighth one.

Ja vaig pel vuitè.

When people find that out about me, they always ask me,

Quan ho explico a la gent, sempre em pregunten:

"How do you do that? What's your secret?"

"Com ho fas? Quin és el secret?"

And to be honest, for many years, my answer would be,

I, sincerament, durant molts anys la resposta era:

"I don't know. I simply love learning languages."

"No ho sé. M'agrada aprendre idiomes."

But people were never happy with that answer.

Però mai els agradava la resposta,

They wanted to know why they are spending years trying to learn even one language,

volien saber per què ells necessiten anys per aprendre un sol idioma,

never achieving fluency,

sense fluïdesa,

and here I come, learning one language after another.

i, en canvi, jo aprenc un idioma rere l'altre.

They wanted to know the secret of polyglots,

Volien saber el secret dels poliglots,

people who speak a lot of languages.

aquells que parlen molts idiomes.

And that made me wonder, too,

Llavors em vaig preguntar

how do actually other polyglots do it?

com ho fan els altres poliglots.

What do we have in common?

Què tenim en comú?

And what is it that enables us

I què és el que ens permet

to learn languages so much faster than other people?

aprendre idiomes més ràpid que la resta de la gent?

I decided to meet other people like me and find that out.

Vaig decidir conèixer altra gent com jo i descobrir-ho.

The best place to meet a lot of polyglots

El millor lloc per conèixer poliglots

is an event where hundreds of language lovers

és en esdeveniments on els amants de les llengües

meet in one place to practice their languages.

es reuneixen per practicar-les.

There are several such polyglot events organized all around the world,

Hi ha molts esdeveniments poliglots per tot el món.

and so I decided to go there

Vaig decidir anar a un

and ask polyglots about the methods that they use.

i preguntar als poliglots quins mètodes utilitzen.

And so I met Benny from Ireland,

Vaig conèixer el Benny, d'Irlanda,

who told me that his method is to start speaking from day one.

que em va dir que el seu mètode és començar a parlar des del primer dia.

He learns a few phrases from a travel phrasebook

Aprèn unes quantes frases d'un manual de conversa,

and goes to meet native speakers

va a conèixer parlants nadius

and starts having conversations with them right away.

i comença a conversar amb ells.

He doesn't mind making even 200 mistakes a day,

Li és igual cometre 200 errors al dia,

because that's how he learns, based on the feedback.

perquè aprèn gràcies al feedback.

And the best thing is, he doesn't even need to travel a lot today,

El millor és que, avui dia, no cal viatjar gaire,

because you can easily have conversations with native speakers

perquè pots conversar amb nadius

from the comfort of your living room, using websites.

des del menjador, a través de pàgines web.

I also met Lucas from Brazil

També vaig conèixer el Lucas, de Brasil,

who had a really interesting method to learn Russian.

que té un mètode molt interessant per aprendre rus.

He simply added a hundred random Russian speakers on Skype as friends,

Va afegir cent parlants de rus, desconeguts, a Skype,

and then he opened a chat window with one of them

va obrir una conversa amb un

and wrote "Hi" in Russian.

i va escriure "Hola" en rus.

And the person replied, "Hi, how are you?"

La persona va respondre: "Hola, què tal?"

Lucas copied this and put it into a text window with another person,

El Lucas ho va copiar i ho va enganxar en una altra conversa

and the person replied, "I'm fine, thank you, and how are you?"

i la persona va respondre: "Molt bé, gràcies. I tu?"

Lucas copied this back to the first person,

El Lucas ho va copiar a la primera persona

and in this way, he had two strangers have a conversation with each other

i, d'aquesta manera, tenia dos desconeguts conversant entre ells

without knowing about it.

sense saber-ho.

(Laughter)

(Riures)

And soon he would start typing himself,

Aviat va començar a escriure-ho ell,

because he had so many of these conversations

perquè havia tingut tantes converses així

that he figured out how the Russian conversation usually starts.

que ja sabia com començar una conversa.

Enginyós, oi?

What an ingenious method, right?

And then I met polyglots who always start by imitating sounds of the language,

També vaig conèixer poliglots que comencen imitant sons de la llengua,

and others who always learn the 500 most frequent words of the language,

d'altres que aprenen les 500 paraules més comunes de l'idioma

and yet others who always start by reading about the grammar.

i d'altres que comencen a llegir sobre la gramàtica.

If I asked a hundred different polyglots,

Si preguntés a cent poliglots diferents,

I heard a hundred different approaches to learning languages.

em dirien cent maneres diferents d'aprendre un idioma.

Everybody seems to have a unique way they learn a language,

Sembla que tothom té una manera diferent d'aprendre una llengua,

and yet we all come to the same result of speaking several languages fluently.

però tots arriben a parlar idiomes amb fluïdesa.

And as I was listening to these polyglots telling me about their methods,

Mentre m'explicaven els seus mètodes,

it suddenly dawned on me:

em vaig adonar

the one thing we all have in common

que el que teníem en comú

is that we simply found ways to enjoy the language-learning process.

és que trobem la manera de gaudir del procés d'aprenentatge.

All of these polyglots were talking about language learning

Tots parlaven de l'aprenentatge

as if it was great fun.

com una cosa divertida.

You should have seen their faces

Hauríeu d'haver-los vist les cares

when they were showing me their colorful grammar charts

mentre m'ensenyaven els quadres de gramàtica,

and their carefully handmade flash cards,

les fitxes fetes a mà

and their statistics about learning vocabulary using apps,

i les estadístiques d'aprendre vocabulari per aplicacions.

or even how they love to cook based on recipes in a foreign language.

Fins i tot, com els agrada cuinar amb receptes en altres idiomes.

All of them use different methods,

Tots utilitzen mètodes diferents,

but they always make sure it's something that they personally enjoy.

però s'asseguren que els agrada.

I realized that this is actually how I learn languages myself.

Em vaig adonar que jo faig el mateix.

When I was learning Spanish, I was bored with the text in the textbook.

Quan aprenia el castellà, m'avorria el llibre de text.

I mean, who wants to read about Jose

A qui li agrada llegir sobre en José

asking about the directions to the train station. Right?

preguntant com anar a l'estació de tren?

I wanted to read "Harry Potter" instead,

Volia llegir Harry Potter,

because that was my favorite book as a child,

perquè era el meu llibre preferit de petita

and I have read it many times.

i l'havia llegit moltes vegades.

So I got the Spanish translation of "Harry Potter" and started reading,

Vaig agafar Harry Potter en castellà i vaig començar a llegir.

and sure enough, I didn't understand almost anything at the beginning,

Al principi, quasi no entenia res,

but I kept on reading because I loved the book,

però vaig seguir llegint, perquè m'encantava

i al final, el podia entendre quasi tot, sense problema.

and by the end of the book, I was able to follow it almost without any problems.

And the same thing happened when I was learning German.

Amb l'alemany, em va passar el mateix.

I decided to watch "Friends," my favorite sitcom, in German,

Vaig començar a mirar Friends, la meva sèrie preferida, en alemany.

and again, at the beginning it was all just gibberish.

Al principi, tot era un guirigall.

I didn't know where one word finished and another one started,

No sabia on acabava una paraula i on començava l'altra,

but I kept on watching every day because it's "Friends."

però la vaig seguir mirant cada dia.

I can watch it in any language. I love it so much.

M'agrada tant que la puc mirar en qualsevol idioma.

And after the second or third season,

A la segona o tercera temporada,

seriously, the dialogue started to make sense.

el diàleg començava a tenir sentit, de veritat.

I only realized this after meeting other polyglots.

No me'n vaig adonar fins que vaig conèixer altres poliglots.

We are no geniuses

No som genis

and we have no shortcut to learning languages.

i no tenim cap drecera per aprendre llengües.

We simply found ways how to enjoy the process,

Només trobem maneres de gaudir del procés,

how to turn language learning from a boring school subject

de fer que aprendre una llengua

into a pleasant activity which you don't mind doing every day.

sigui tan divertit que ho vulguis fer cada dia.

If you don't like writing words down on paper,

Si no t'agrada escriure en paper,

you can always type them in an app.

escriu en una aplicació;

If you don't like listening to boring textbook material,

si no t'agrada escoltar àudios del llibre de text,

find interesting content on YouTube or in podcasts for any language.

busca continguts de YouTube o podcasts en la llengua que sigui.

If you're a more introverted person

Si ets una persona introvertida

and you can't imagine speaking to native speakers right away,

i no vols començar a parlar amb nadius,

you can apply the method of self-talk.

parla amb tu mateix.

You can talk to yourself in the comfort of your room,

Pots parlar en veu alta a la teva habitació,

describing your plans for the weekend, how your day has been,

explica't què faràs el cap de setmana, com t'ha anat el dia

or even take a random picture from your phone

o tria una foto del mòbil

and describe the picture to your imaginary friend.

i descriu-la a un amic imaginari.

This is how polyglots learn languages,

Els poliglots aprenen així

and the best news is, it's available to anyone

i el millor de tot és que qualsevol

who is willing to take the learning into their own hands.

que vulgui aprendre una llengua ho pot fer.

So meeting other polyglots helped me realize

Gràcies a altres poliglots em vaig adonar

that it is really crucial to find enjoyment

que és essencial gaudir

in the process of learning languages,

quan aprens llengües,

but also that joy in itself is not enough.

però gaudir no ho és tot.

If you want to achieve fluency in a foreign language,

Si vols parlar amb fluïdesa en un altre idioma,

you'll also need to apply three more principles.

cal aplicar tres principis bàsics.

First of all, you'll need effective methods.

Primer, calen mètodes efectius.

If you try to memorize a list of words for a test tomorrow,

Si intentes memoritzar una llista de paraules per a un examen,

the words will be stored in your short-term memory

les paraules es guarden en la memòria a curt termini

and you'll forget them after a few days.

i les oblidaràs en pocs dies.

If you, however, want to keep words long term,

En canvi, si vols guardar-les en la memòria a llarg termini,

you need to revise them in the course of a few days repeatedly

les has de revisar durant diversos dies.

using the so-called space repetition.

Això s'anomena repàs espaiat.

You can use apps which are based on this system such as Anki or Memrise,

Pots fer servir aplicacions basades en això, com Anki o Memrise,

or you can write lists of word in a notebook using the Goldlist method,

o escriure llistes en una llibreta, seguint el mètode Goldlist,

which is also very popular with many polyglots.

que és molt popular entre els poliglots.

If you're not sure which methods are effective and what is available out there,

Si no saps quins mètodes existeixen i si són efectius,

just check out polyglots' YouTube channels and websites

busca webs i canals de YouTube de poliglots

and get inspiration from them.

i busca-hi idees.

If it works for them, it will most probably work for you too.

Si a ells els funciona, probablement a tu també.

The third principle to follow

El tercer principi

is to create a system in your learning.

és crear un sistema d'aprenentatge.

We're all very busy and no one really has time to learn a language today.

Estem sempre molt ocupats i ningú té temps d'aprendre un idioma.

But we can create that time if we just plan a bit ahead.

Però podem trobar-ne si ens organitzem.

Can you wake up 15 minutes earlier than you normally do?

Et pots llevar 15 minuts abans?

That would be the perfect time to revise some vocabulary.

És el moment perfecte per revisar vocabulari.

Can you listen to a podcast on your way to work while driving?

Pots escoltar un podcast de camí a la feina?

Well, that would be great to get some listening experience.

És una bona manera d'escoltar la llengua.

There are so many things we can do without even planning that extra time,

Hi ha moltes coses que es poden fer sense organitzar temps extra,

such as listening to podcasts on our way to work

com escoltar podcasts de camí a la feina

or doing our household chores.

o fent les feines de casa.

The important thing is to create a plan in the learning.

L'important és crear un pla d'aprenentatge.

"I will practice speaking every Tuesday and Thursday

"Practicaré parlant cada dimarts i dijous

with a friend for 20 minutes.

amb un amic durant 20 minuts."

I will listen to a YouTube video while having breakfast."

"Escoltaré un vídeo de YouTube mentre esmorzo."

If you create a system in your learning,

Si crees un sistema d'aprenentatge,

you don't need to find that extra time,

no cal que trobis temps extra,

because it will become a part of your everyday life.

perquè ja formarà part de la rutina.

And finally, if you want to learn a language fluently,

Finalment, si vols aprendre a parlar amb fluïdesa,

you need also a bit of patience.

cal paciència.

It's not possible to learn a language within two months,

És impossible aprendre una llengua en 2 mesos,

but it's definitely possible to make a visible improvement in two months,

però si que pots millorar en aquest temps,

if you learn in small chunks every day in a way that you enjoy.

si aprens a poc a poc cada dia mentre t'ho passes bé.

And there is nothing that motivates us more

No hi ha res que motivi més

than our own success.

que l'èxit.

I vividly remember the moment

Recordo clarament el moment

when I understood the first joke in German when watching "Friends."

en què vaig entendre el primer acudit en alemany a Friends.

I was so happy and motivated

Estava tant contenta i motivada

that I just kept on watching that day two more episodes,

que vaig mirar dos capítols més aquell dia.

and as I kept watching,

I mentre ho mirava,

I had more and more of those moments of understanding, these little victories,

vaig entendre moltes més coses, petites victòries.

and step by step, I got to a level where I could use the language

A poc a poc, vaig arribar a un punt on podia parlar

freely and fluently to express anything.

lliurement i fluïda per expressar-me.

This is a wonderful feeling.

És una sensació meravellosa.

I can't get enough of that feeling,

No en tinc mai prou.

and that's why I learn a language every two years.

Per això aprenc un idioma cada dos anys.

So this is the whole polyglot secret.

Aquest és el secret dels poliglots.

Find effective methods which you can use systematically

Trobar mètodes efectius que es poden usar sistemàticament

over the period of some time in a way which you enjoy,

durant un període de temps mentre t'ho passes bé.

and this is how polyglots learn languages within months, not years.

És així com els poliglots aprenen idiomes en qüestió de mesos i no d'anys.

Now, some of you may be thinking,

Algú pensarà que

"That's all very nice to enjoy language learning,

gaudir d'aprendre una llengua està molt bé,

but isn't the real secret that you polyglots

però el veritable secret dels poliglots

are just super talented and most of us aren't?"

no serà que teniu molta facilitat i la majoria no?

Well, there's one thing I haven't told you about Benny and Lucas.

No us he explicat una cosa sobre el Benny i el Lucas.

Benny had 11 years of Irish Gaelic and five years of German at school.

El Benny havia estudiat 11 anys d'irlandès i 5 d'alemany a l'escola.

He couldn't speak them at all when graduating.

Però quan es va graduar, no podia parlar-ne cap.

Up to the age of 21, he thought he didn't have the language gene

Fins als 21, pensava que no tenia el gen per als idiomes

and he could not speak another language.

i que no podia parlar cap llengua.

Then he started to look for his way of learning languages,

Va començar a analitzar la seva manera d'aprendre idiomes,

which was speaking to native speakers and getting feedback from them,

que era parlar amb nadius i rebre'n feedback.

and today Benny can easily have a conversation in 10 languages.

Avui, el Benny pot conversar en 10 idiomes.

Lucas tried to learn English at school for 10 years.

El Lucas va intentar aprendre anglès durant 10 anys a l'escola.

He was one of the worst students in class.

Era un dels pitjors alumnes.

His friends even made fun of him

Els seus amics se'n reien

and gave him a Russian textbook as a joke

i, com a broma, li van regalar un llibre de rus,

because they thought he would never learn that language, or any language.

perquè pensaven que mai aprendria cap idioma.

And then Lucas started to experiment with methods,

Va començar a experimentar amb els mètodes,

looking for his own way to learn,

buscant la seva manera d'aprendre.

for example, by having Skype chat conversations with strangers.

Per exemple, amb converses de Skype amb desconeguts.

And after just 10 years,

10 anys després,

Lucas is able to speak 11 languages fluently.

parla amb fluïdesa 11 idiomes.

Does that sound like a miracle?

Sona a miracle?

Well, I see such miracles every single day.

Doncs veig miracles com aquest cada dia.

As a language mentor,

Com a mentora d'idiomes,

I help people learn languages by themselves,

ajudo a la gent a aprendre idiomes tots sols

and I see this every day.

i ho veig cada dia.

People struggle with language learning for five, 10, even 20 years,

Hi ha gent a qui li costa aprendre'n un durant 5, 10 o 20 anys

and then they suddenly take their learning into their own hands,

i, de cop, aprenen pel seu compte

start using materials which they enjoy, more effective methods,

i comencen a fer servir materials que gaudeixen, mètodes més efectius

or they start tracking their learning

o a seguir l'aprenentatge

so that they can appreciate their own progress,

per observar-ne el progrés.

and that's when suddenly

De cop,

they magically find the language talent that they were missing all their lives.

troben la facilitat que els faltava.

So if you've also tried to learn a language

Si heu intentat aprendre un idioma

and you gave up, thinking it's too difficult

i us heu donat per vençuts, perquè és massa difícil

or you don't have the language talent,

o perquè no teniu facilitat,

give it another try.

intenteu-ho un altre cop.

Maybe you're also just one enjoyable method away

Potser esteu a un mètode

from learning that language fluently.

d'aprendre una llengua amb fluïdesa.

Maybe you're just one method away from becoming a polyglot.

Potser esteu a un mètode de ser poliglots.

Thank you.

Gràcies.

(Applause)

(Aplaudiments)