Language learning is primarily psychological. ??

Hey, {{ subscriber.first_name }}! Hope you've been embracing the transition of seasons (especially in the northern hemisphere where it's getting colder!)

I've been talking about language learning on social media recently. Why? I speak 5 languages, and this seems to constantly impress people. Plus, I've been teaching languages for 4+ years with 2000+ hours accumulated, and I spent 6 years in academic research with 2 degrees in linguistics.

So I thought, there's no reason not to talk about this, when people are always asking me about it. ??

I'm a language learner, a linguist, and a language teacher & coach at the same time. Each identity gives me a different perspective on language learning, which I'll share all about in this issue and the coming issues of my newsletter. ??

25+ years of learning 4 (or 5?) languages

I've been learning languages since I was 4, when I stole my mother's English books. That's when I first demonstrated my interest in languages, cultures, and learning in general; and English learning has been smooth sailing, whether in school, after-school classes, in my university as a medium of instruction, or in Singapore where it became every minute of my life.

Upon adulthood, I was exposed to Cantonese as I moved to Hong Kong. My first language is Mandarin Chinese, which has similar grammar and vocabulary, but drastically different pronunciation than Cantonese. I didn't understand anything when I just moved there. After 2 years, I could understand everything, but couldn't speak; later when I decided to start speaking, it took me 4 months to become fluent.

I went to Moscow for a summer internship almost by chance 8 years ago, without even knowing how to read Cyrillic. I never lived in a Russian-speaking country for the long term, and it was never required in my career to speak Russian. Nevertheless, I got to B2-C1 level over time primarily through self-studying, listening to an insane amount of songs, and interacting with native speakers. The ability to speak Russian has brought me tremendous benefits, both professionally and personally.

I've been in Germany for 6+ years, and I've always studied and worked in English. In the first 3 years, I never felt a need to learn German. But in the past 3 years, as I warmed up to German society and people, and saw Germany as THE place to be for me, I quickly progressed to B2-C1 validated by language tests.

Oh, and there's a secret language: I was born in the city of Changsha in southern China, where the local Xiang dialect sounds different from both Cantonese and Mandarin. I could understand the local dialect entirely since I partly grew up with it, but I was never encouraged to speak it. It was after I moved to Hong Kong, that I wanted a secret language that no one around me could understand - so I relearned my heritage language in one year, by forcing my parents to speak it exclusively with me on the phone. ??

Do you need to learn a language?

There were twice in my life that I "needed" to learn a language: Cantonese when I was in Hong Kong, and German when I came to Germany.

Both times I resisted strongly at the beginning.

I found lots of excuses: In Hong Kong, my coursework was entirely done in English, and many people spoke Mandarin. In Germany, my professional life was and still is in English, and many Germans themselves speak English pretty well. Why learn "a dialect" (Cantonese)? Why learn a language that's not one of the 6 official languages of the United Nations (German)?

I knew that speaking Cantonese or German would expand my professional opportunities, and would improve my quality of life. But I was busy resisting those possibilities - because I didn't come to peace, neither with the environment I was in, nor with myself.

Ultimately, I was frustrated at how I was treated at the beginning in Hong Kong. I was super annoyed at the mountains of bureaucracy in Germany. I thought the local people weren't friendly. (I mean, if we talk about stereotypes, indeed neither are famed to be super passionate people. ??) Since I have been super mobile, my first instinct was flight: I was plotting for endless times in my first year in Hong Kong and Germany, how to leave as soon as possible to the next destination.

So you see, "needing" to learn a language didn't work for me!

No matter how much conscious knowledge I possessed of the benefits of speaking the local language, my emotions were entirely unconvinced. Therefore I went 2 years without speaking a word of Cantonese, and 2 years without speaking a word of German.

A difficult language I never needed to learn

Russian. I think this is probably the most impressive part of my multilingual asset. Because when people look at me - living in Germany with Chinese ancestry - they're like why do you speak Russian? And how are you speaking yet another difficult language?

Yes, I never needed to learn it, because I lived in Moscow for 2 months and that was it. Yes, Russian is difficult: 3 genders, 6 cases, every verb has 2 forms, not to mention the endless prefixes.

Granted, it didn't happen over night (I was in Moscow 8 years ago). I do still make some grammar mistakes. But I'm able to speak with Russian speakers who don't speak English for as long as possible. I'm able to teach A1-A2 levels and do translation. I'm able to survive the Kyrgyz consulate in Kazakhstan, mountain towns of Georgia, and museums in Odesa - before the war started. At this time in history, it's important to make it incredibly clear: I stand with Ukraine. ???? And being able to speak the Russian language, made me useful as a volunteer at the German train stations, when Ukrainian people started arriving just after the war started.

So why? It's a very strong interest. I was led by unexplainable energy. I wanted to learn it, even though on the outside, absolutely nothing required me to. (And many people asked me why I didn't pick French or Korean instead.)

Yet everything on the outside happened for me. Professionally, I met important mentors, worked with Eastern European clients in my 9-5 jobs, and now teach and translate Russian as part of my self-employed work. Personally, I met my boyfriend, made so many incredible friends, and had so many amazing travel experiences from Central Asia to the Baltic Sea.

You want to learn a language - then you will really learn

I wanted to learn Russian, even when it looked "useless" from a professional standpoint. But it turned out to be more than useful on all levels.

Ultimately, I learned Cantonese to a near-native level, and learned German to B2-C1 (and am still learning) - because I've transformed needs into wants.

I wanted to learn Cantonese after I discovered, how they are scattered from Vietnam to the Netherlands, from Panama to South Africa. After I was in a bakery in Manhattan Chinatown, and was directly spoken Cantonese to. After I saw Hong Kong as a historical, transformational hub, and really admired its spirit.

That's when I channeled all my resources into learning Cantonese, and won the respect of the locals: since then, I have never felt that "people were not friendly" anymore.

I wanted to learn German after I saw this country beyond its bureaucratic system and strict rules. After buying a history book of Germany in my 4th year of living here. After getting to know real, messy, diverse German people, and knowing that not all of them are always on time, or will correct every single grammar mistake I make (some of my readers I'm looking at you ??). After feeling that my soul chose Berlin: the city that saw division, destruction, horrors, and yet became a heaven for artists, international cuisine, and people who want to find themselves.

That's when I connected my identity with the German language. That's when I got the energy to do all the language exams. That's when I can speak with my imperfect grammar without shame for judgment: because I am proud to be a part of the German-speaking community.

What about you?

Are you learning languages? Which ones are you learning, and how's your experience been learning them?

I hope that my experience learning 4 languages, 3 of which after I became an adult - will inspire you that learning languages to advanced levels in adulthood is absolutely possible. The first foundational piece is to find your true internal motivation: not because you need it for a job, not because others told you that it's easy. But why do YOU want to learn it? How can this language enrich your internal experiences? How can you transform external motivations like "I need this for a job", into internal motivations like "I want this experience in my professional life, and this language is a tool to help me get there"?

I will tackle all of these questions and more, in my live online masterclass (free of charge!) at 17:00 CET on 30 October (Wednesday). If you've tried way too many language apps, books, tutors, and still struggle to really connect with and make progress in your target language? I have the key to the whole new world you will discover. Reserve your spot here ??