Don’t stop at Duolingo, set realistic goals, balance skills: how to start learning a new language

Language experts say you should learn in the right order and shift to a growth mindset If there’s one thing guaranteed to make a pop-culture character look cool and sophisticated, it’s being multilingual. Think James Bond, Yasmin from Industry or Scrooge McDuck. Learning a new language not only makes you look cool – it also allows you to familiarize yourself with another culture, connect with new people and enjoy a wider variety of art and media. And it’s good for your brain. Studies have shown that learning a new language is associated with improved concentration, stronger communication skills, a more powerful memory and greater creativity. But if you’re not an international man of mystery, an heiress or a billionaire duck, how does one go about it? While there are a number of ways to learn languages, there is one thing all polyglots – people who speak several languages – share, Dr Lydia Machova, a language mentor and former interpreter, said in a popular TED Talk: “We simply found ways to enjoy the language-learning process.” Below, experts share how you can start learning a new language. To understand how to learn a language, it helps to understand what happens