Can you learn two languages at once? This question is vital to ask before jump into learning two languages simultaneously. So, you will learn more insights by going through this post. Moreover, we have discussed the answer to this burning question and ten tips to design your roadmap for the challenge.
Learning a new language is always challenging as an adult, and learning two new languages will be an extra challenge for the learners. To make the learning process right, you need dedication, appropriate resources, a guide, and a lot of practice. Because many people make their learning process more complicated further by learning two languages at once and they can even raising more questions, such as the following:
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Is it even possible to learn multiple languages? Can you learn two languages at once? Should you even try for this goal?
We provide the world’s most exclusive Language Training as well as study guides to make your learning process easier. Moreover, we thought it would be better to explore whether it’s possible or feasible to try becoming fluent in multiple languages simultaneously.
Can you learn two languages at once? Pros, Challenges, Motivations, and Warnings
It is easy to say yes, but it isn’t easy to achieve the goal of learning two languages at once. However, it is not impossible to learn two languages simultaneously too. Because human brains form the habit to learn similar topics simultaneously, all educational curriculum utilizes the fact that we can process and filter information concurrently from multiple categories.
Even in a different context, our brains allow us to adapt to new tasks as required regularly. Here we have discussed all you need to know to start your journey of learning two languages together. Check out the following section to get more insights.
What are the Challenges?
It is not always wise to learn two things simultaneously just because you have the opportunity to do so. It takes a lot of extra time and energy to organize well if you want to become fluent in your new target language. Similarly, this is also true even to remember your new vocabulary in the long run.
Besides this, you should stick with your new language habits. If you fail to properly allocate your time between the two languages and letting them overlap, it will be challenging to achieve your learning goals. Moreover, you are likely never fully develop the skills required to master your new languages. So, at least you will only build quality abilities and fluency in a single language you preferred the most.
Furthermore, language learning is not like an academic study. Although we need to learn the grammar and vocabulary of a new language through traditional learning methods, that is not enough. The conventional learning techniques are memorization, drills, and practice, which are essential. However, we also need to connect these words to emotions, context, and memories as well.
When we are learning a new language, it activated various parts of our brains. Likewise, it requires much more effort than simply memorizing formulas. This learning process trains our entire brain to be more flexible. Therefore, this makes learning a new language challenging, and two new languages require twice the mental endurance and flexibility.
It’s the Motivation that Matters:
Subsequently, learning two new languages together is very challenging and mentally stressful. So, some language experts suggest that it is not for everyone and try to avoid it. Because the additional stress often leads to demotivation and causes dropping the goal of learning either language. Naturally, if other language added pressure doesn’t offer a high enough reward, your learning won’t be effective.
For this reason, motivations matter, especially when someone is attempting to learn two languages simultaneously. Moreover, suppose you have only targeted at studying two tongues together to become multilingual. In that case, you are likely to fail because there is little motivation to spur your forward progress and make the learning challenges worthwhile.
Conversely, if you are trying to learn Chinese and French simultaneously to get a dream job, you will be more likely to persevere. Similarly, learning a language as a passion can be enough for succeeding. If you loved Spanish sounds and passionately jump into the language, motivation will be more likely higher to overcome the inevitable exhaustion.
Thus, it is crucial to examine your motivation level to ensure that it is genuine to learn two languages together. On the other hand, you’ll always rush through the basics and burn out quickly if you want to learn two languages randomly as well as immediately.
Advantages of Learning two Languages at once:
The differences in vocabulary, grammatical cases, and sentence structure are well conversant for those who have already mastered several languages. So, they have enjoyed many advantages and can often skip a lot of early-stage confusion that single language learners face. Moreover, it can be much easier for multilingual learners to pick up more languages based on which languages they already speak.
For instance, someone could very quickly and easily pick up Italian who grew up speaking Romanian. In contrast, someone bilingual in English and Spanish wouldn’t have that much advantage over a monolingual person to learn Arabic since Romanian and Italian are very closely related while Arabic is from a completely different language family than Spanish or English.
Furthermore, many linguists frequently have work, social, or family structures that support and emphasize daily learning exposure. Suppose a Circassian guy who lives in Israel. He speaks Circassian at home with his family. However, as an Israeli, he speaks Hebrew and can speak English at work. At the same time, he’s a Muslim, and he has relatives in Yemen.
So, he also can talk to Arabic pretty well. Lastly, he works in an international company, and he uses English in his daily work life. Although the guy often is concerned that he needs to improve at this or that language skills, he wouldn’t mention his active learning any of these languages anymore. But that’s not true. Every time he interacts with various native speakers, he is strengthening and expanding his language skills.
Finally, he may work as a language professional for translation and interpretation services individually or for an interpreting service firm.
Warning for the Learners of two Languages at once:
Attention, please! We should share a significant word of caution with you that don’t overlap languages. It is better not to study both Japanese and English in the same session, although you have decided to learn them together. So, you can split your study time into two separate sessions like one in the morning and another in the evening. Suppose you’re so busy and you can only study during your lunch break.
So, what will you do? We suggest you learn one for 25 minutes, take a 10-minute walk, and again study for 25 minutes for another one. Furthermore, don’t listen to Spanish music in the background while reading a French book since you’re learning Spanish and French simultaneously.
Likewise, try to separate your language learning efforts from one language to another. For instance, watch YouTube videos to learn one language and use an app to learn the other. Alternately, practice with a native speaker in one language and read a blog in one language. The main point here is to separate these language learning in as many ways as possible.
For example, you may separate based on your time slots, study methods, and study efforts. So, you will realize this is precisely the opposite of laddering in the learning process. However, if you’re at the starting point of your learning journey, you’re not prepared to ladder. Therefore, you need a substantial level of mastery in any language before you can use laddering.
Top 10 Tips for Learning two Languages at once
Learning a new language is challenging, and learning two languages at once poses an extra challenge. So, it’s essential to go in the right direction in the learning process. The following Top 10 Tips will help you to achieve your goal successfully. So, check out this post now and visit our Blog Pages regularly.
1. Practice Time Management Skills:
You can learn two languages by devoting enough time to each language. However, this proper time allocation is a real challenge that you can only overcome through practical time management skills. Time Management will help you manage your time wisely, and you will be able to accommodate additional time studies of both.
Moreover, you will also utilize your time more efficiently for a more significant learning curve than learning only one language. Likewise, it’s crucial to schedule your time for each language and outline your learning objective, beginning, and end time. Otherwise, you will quickly feel overwhelmed, and it is widespread for language learners.
2. Pick Two Relatively Different Languages:
Many people may think this counterintuitive, but picking two unlike languages helps the learner minimize their confusion. If you are trying to learn French and Spanish, many words, grammatical and even conjugation are likely confusing.
So, this is more challenging and prevents you to become mastering either. On the other hand, learning Japanese and English will have so little in common that mixing those two up should not be a problem at all.
3. Make Pair Familiar languages with a Less Familiar one:
It will help you boost your confidence to learn one easier language with another more difficult language simultaneously. Assume that you are a native English speaker, and learning Arabic, Japanese, or Mandarin may be a real challenge.
So, it would be better to learn an easier language like Spanish that has many English cognates. Moreover, studying those languages at the same time may help to ensure that you wouldn’t burn out.
4. Schedule Everyday Time to Practice Both Languages:
Practice indeed makes a man perfect, and your approach should be error-free. Right? So, it would be best if you were regular in reviewing, repeating, and practicing speaking the languages seriously to develop your language skills truly.
If you devote even just a little time to both languages every day, you will not forget everything you learned earlier.
5. Make your Study Fun:
To learn two languages at once required high motivation and enthusiasm. However, only motivation is not enough for learning a new language, and you should also enjoy your learning journey. Likewise, it would help if you got some fun out of the language learning process. Read the text that you want in the target language.
Moreover, watch movies and listen to music that you enjoy doing. Additionally, travel to the country of your target language and get practical use of it. Although every moment is not going to be fun, you need to make sure that you feel rewarded and fulfilled.
6. Use High-Quality Learning Resources:
Learning two languages at once is always harder than learning a new one. So, you should arrange the best language resources available to support your learning journey. You shouldn’t compromise with the quality and choose only those with standard and proven learning methodologies like The Language Doctors.
The Language Doctors have created a complete guide on how to learn a foreign language best online. It includes unlimited learning resources for every level, such as beginner, intermediate, and advanced. It would be best to use this guide to develop the optimal language learning journey for your betterment.
7. Speak as much as Possible to Learn Two Languages Together:
We all know this truth that practice makes a man perfect. It is also totally applicable in the case of learning a new language. So, practice speaking a language as much as possible. It will ultimately help you to communicate better in that language.
Moreover, it will also help you to understand the language better day by day. Speaking becomes even more essential for two languages to ensure that you can grasp both languages’ input.
8. Set Realistic Progress Goals for tow Languages:
It is impossible to learn two new languages thoroughly in two weeks. However, many people brave enough to try accomplishing multilingualism attempts in similar timelines. Unfortunately, there are very few examples when you examine the success rate.
It is better to give yourself an appropriate amount of time to reach sub-goals first, depending on your familiarity with the language. Moreover, you should schedule your time to devote to learning mini-goals and, by doing so, achieve the primary goal.
Similarly, it helps to set a priority to learn your target languages. You will then decide to tackle one language more aggressively and allow a more extended period for the secondary one.
9. Focus on Language Acquisition Quality over Quantity:
It will be challenging if you develop bad habits early in your target language acquisition. Moreover, it can be very troublesome to change practices that hold you back in your learning progress. It’s better to realize your learning goal earlier before jumping into the language courses and staying focused.
You grasp a bunch of vocabulary for the sake of seeming learning quicker will only hurt progress in the long run. Mastery-based learning is one of the more significant breakthroughs in the science of learning overall.
10. Be More Flexible to Learn two Language at once:
You can learn two languages simultaneously, but it is not that easy, like any other primary goal. Moreover, it required a strong determination. Moreover, learning two languages at once doesn’t always go smoothly on your first attempt.
So, you should be flexible and adapt your plans to new realities and changing situations. Likewise, it will help you ensure that a small setback doesn’t entirely through off you from your ultimate goals.
Learning two languages at once isn’t Easy—but it’s Doable:
If you follow these above tips, you are much more likely to learn two languages at the same time successfully. Learning two languages at the same time will stretch your mind.
It can be difficult at the beginning to frequently switch back and forth between two languages will challenge your brain and feel overwhelmed. However, this improves your language learning skills and supports future language learning faster and easier.
Furthermore, this challenge of learning two languages at once isn’t suitable for everyone. But it is achievable for those who are genuinely dedicated and follow the right road map; they will find the benefits far outweigh the costs.
If you are determined to take the drive and learn two new languages together, consider trying The Language Doctors foreign language training to boost your learning process and make life easier.
Summary:
It’s simple math that it will take a longer time to be fluent for two languages than one. So, it is better to be a little creative about how you approach your learning process. However, if you’re committed, passionate, and consistent about studying both languages simultaneously, then you will defiantly succeed. Finally, always remember that you should be patient.
Moreover, don’t be afraid to make mistakes and don’t get frustrated by only focusing on your errors than your improvements. Because mistakes are part of learning and keep in mind, the more you make mistakes, the more you learn. Additionally, maintain a sense of humor, have fun, and keep trying more and more. You’ll be thrilled you learned from your mistakes and pressed on when you suddenly find yourself trilingual one day.
Call The Language Doctors for all of your Language Training needs. Our experienced staff of certified linguists will be more than happy to help you with all of your queries. For over 20 years, we have provided the Government and private sector clients with elite instruction tailored to meet every demand.
Lastly, have you ever studied two new languages at once? How did you do it? Let us know in the comments below!
