9 Killer Tips for Learning Two Languages at Once

9 Killer Tips for Learning Two Languages at Once Do you  like living life on the edge?Are you  a person of extremes?Do you do  everything at 200%?Then I bet youre  learning two languages at once, arent you?For those of you whose appetites for language learning are so voracious that one language at a time simply isnt enough to keep you satisfied, or those of you just looking to add some spice to your language learning, here are nine tips to help you get started learning two languages at onceâ€"without having your brain explode. Why Learn Two Languages at Once?Some people might suggest that you would only ever want to learn two languages at once if you have a healthy streak of masochism in you. There is a grain of truth to this: If you approach learning two languages simultaneously the same way youd approach learning a single language, you are asking for trouble (remember, the worst case scenario here is that your brain explodesâ€"not a pretty outcome).However, if you begin with a game plan that takes advantage of the fact that you re learning two languages at the same time, you will not only prove the skeptics wrong but actually find that learning two languages at once is a uniquely rewarding experience.Learning two languages at once stretches your mind in a totally new way. Having to frequently switch back and forth between new languages keeps you alert and ultimately provokes you to be more proactive in the way you approach learning languages and organizing your time. And meeting the challenge of learning two languages at once head on isnt just exhilarating in and of itselfâ€"it hones your language learning skills in a way that will make learning future languages faster and easier.If theres one thing that sets successful language learners apart, its knowing that language learning is a skill that can be developed. And nothing makes you a better language learner than tackling two languages at the same time. If learning a language makes you better at everything down the road by making you a more flexible think er, learning two languages at once makes you doubly better at everything by making your brain downright elastic.So the challenge of learning two languages simultaneously is a double-edged sword. If you wade haphazardly into two-at-a-time language learning, you may find yourself throwing in the towel before too long. But if you tweak your language learning strategies by using some of the tips presented here and commit yourself fully to doubling down on language learning, youll find that youre capable of things you never thought possible.9 Killer Tips for  Learning Two Languages at Once1. Learn Languages That Are DifferentOn the surface, learning two similar languages at the same time might seem like a good idea. After all, if two languages share a lot of vocabulary and structure, isnt learning both languages at once sort of just like learning one language?The truth, though, is that it is never, ever, ever a good idea to study two mutually intelligible (or even moderately similar) lan guages at the same time unless your life depends on itâ€"and even then, you may want to take a good look at your options. When learning two languages simultaneously, the first order of the day is to do everything you can to minimize what Ill call the confusion factorâ€"the chance of getting words and grammar from the two languages mixed up.This is your mantra when learning two languages side by side: minimize the confusion factor. Most of the tips here are essentially ways to minimize the confusion factor. And learning two languages that resemble each other at once ensures that confusion is all but inevitable. Learning two highly similar languages at the same time is like dating identical twins at the same time. Its just not a good idea.So if youre already learning Spanish, put the Italian on hold and go for the Finnish. Or if the two languages youre learning use different scripts, all the better. Spanish and Chinese are a great combinationâ€"they have absolutely nothing in common, and if you learn them as an English speaker, youll have the worlds three most common languages at the tip of your fingers (but hopefully not the tip of your tongue).For the same reason, learning two “easy” Romance languages at the same time generally isnt as clever a plan as it sounds. If you go the route of learning Spanish and Portuguese together, you might find that your language learning more closely follows the five stages of grief than the ten stages of Spanish grammar learning.But if you opt for two languages that have little in common, youll paradoxically be gaining a broader perspective and making your life easier at the same time.2. Pair More and Less Familiar LanguagesOne way to simplify the process of learning two languages at once is by choosing one more familiar and one less familiar language to learn. If you already speak some Italian, for example, French and Russian might go well together.The idea here is that much of the structure of Italian and some of the voca bulary will transfer over to French, so youll be learning Russian from scratch and learning another Romance language rather than learning two languages from scratch. Notice that this approach is different than learning Italian and French at the same time since it involves building off of a language youve already internalized. It also helps minimize the confusion factor since the two languages youre learning become “the one like Italian” and “the weird one” rather than just two unknowns.If you dont know any languages other than English and youre choosing to study two languages simultaneously as your first go at language learningâ€"you daredevil, youâ€"there is a variation on this technique that involves learning one language thats easier for English speakers to pick up and one thats generally harder. Like Dutch and Korean, for example.Check out this infographic to get a sense of the easiest and hardest languages for English speakers so you know what youre getting into.3. Choo se a Priority LanguageIf you still arent sure about taking the leap and going for two languages at once, you can set a “priority” language. That way, you can shoot for two languages at once but know youll at least come away with one new language under your multilingual belt.Even if youre absolutely sure that youre in it for two languages, setting a priority language is an effective way of minimizing the confusion factorâ€"just like its easier to eat one entree and one dessert, youll find your appetite for language learning expands when you have one “priority” and one “side” language on the table. And progressing more quickly at one of the two languages youre working on will help stave off the feeling of running in place that can occasionally creep up on two-at-a-time language learners.4. Plan How Much Time to Spend on Each LanguageLearning two languages at once is an exercise in time management. Its a tightrope act that only works if you do some planning in advance.The f irst step is to accept that if youre taking on two languages at once, youre in for a bigger learning curve than you would be if you were targeting a single language. Things will just take longer. Although learning a second language is definitely easier than learning a first language, learning two languages at a time really can be twice as hard as learning one.If you have a need for speed, two languages may not be the way to go. But if your goal is to challenge yourself and expand your horizons, its best to preface your double shot of language learning with a healthy dose of patience so you can be prepared for and power through the times that seem like slow going.Once youre ready for the different pace that two-in-one language learning entails, its also more than worth it to plan out exactly how youre going to divide your time between the two languages youre tackling. If you can write out a daily schedule, all the better. And make sure youre getting in regular practice on both langua ges. If you do one language for a week, then do the other language the next week, and so on, youll likely find yourself in a one-step-forward-one-step-back dance that ends exactly where you started!Planning ahead can be mixed and matched with the two techniques mentioned aboveâ€"pairing more/less familiar languages and choosing a priority languageâ€"in different ways. For instance, if youre aiming for Dutch and Korean, you might set Korean as your priority language and spend 85% of your time on Korean, leaving Dutch as the cherry on top of your language learning.Or you might opt for a more balanced approach by dividing your time 55%/45% between Dutch and Korean respectively and progressing more quickly with Dutch. However you decide to do it, youll want to (1) make sure you arent just winging your tightrope walk day-to-day and (2) have a solid idea of what your goals are and where exactly you want the tightrope walk to be taking you anyway.5. Give the Two Languages Separate Identiti esA big part of minimizing the confusion factor essentially boils down to giving the two languages youre learning strong, clear identities in your mind. In the end, perhaps the best way to do this is through immersionâ€"the more you use a given language in real-life situations, the more you internalize it as something with an identity unto itself. Putting the languages youre learning to practical use will do wonders for helping you keep them distinct.One way to immerse yourself online is with  FluentU, an immersive language learning platform.  FluentU takes real-world videosâ€"like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talksâ€"and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.You can also try color coding your language learning materials to reinforce the separate identities of the two languages. For instance, if youre learning Spanish and Chinese, try making all your Spanish flashcards red and all your Chinese flashcards blue. Then, optionally, remind yourself ev ery day:Spanish is red, Chinese is blue, I will learn both, If its the last thing I do!6. Practice Both Languages at Once by Translating Between ThemOne of the best reasons to study two languages at the same time is that doing so opens up new, more efficient learning strategies. When you learn one language at a time, you run the risk of relating everything back to your native language and making the language youre already fluent in your permanent point of reference, so the new language becomes an “extension” of the language youre familiar with rather than something you internalize on a deep, intuitive level.But when youre learning two languages at the same time, you can practice translation by cutting out the middleman of English: Simply translate between the two new languages youre learning! Besides giving you a chance to work on both languages at once, this exercise helps get you “thinking” in the languages youre learning rather than constantly returning to your habitual l anguage.You can even up the ante by translating across different languages and linguistic mediums. If youre learning Spanish and Chinese, for example, try writing a passage in Spanish and then verbally translating it into Chinese. Of course, this is a bit like patting your head and rubbing your stomach at the same time, but the difference is that youll learn a lot and probably have more fun.7. Mix Up Your Flashcards to Learn Both Languages SimultaneouslyHeres another way to mix things up (literally) with some multilingual multitasking. If you like your language learning with a large side of flashcards, take some of your flashcards for both languages and mix them together so youre quizzing yourself on both languages at once. Besides letting you practice the two languages simultaneously, this technique gets your brain quickly switching back and forth between the different languages youre learning, a skill that will make you a more effective two-in-one language learner.Now, if youre th e skeptical type, you might be thinking: But didnt you say its important to minimize the confusion factor and keep the two languages separate? So arent exercises like mixing up flashcards and translating between the two languages bad ideas?Well, I submit to you that although its important to pick two very different languages to avoid confusion, going back and forth quickly between the two languages youve picked paradoxically helps you keep them separate. Practicing switching from one language to the other at the drop of a dime will help you build the flexibility necessary for keeping the two languages separate and alternating back and forth without getting overwhelmed.8. Try Learning the Same Topics in Both Languages at the Same TimeSince youre probably already planning your two-in-one language learning schedule out in advance (if youre not, dont say I didnt warn you!), experiment with taking things a step further and actually plan to do some of the same topics in both languages at once.Why go to the trouble of doing this? The answer comes from a psychological effect known as “priming.” Priming has to do with how the things you think about now affect the things you will think about in the future. For example, if I were to say the word “cat” and then ask you to immediately list ten words that come to mind, its more likely that “dog” would be one of those words than “potato”â€"youve been “primed” to think about things related to cats.Similarly, if you learn the word for “cat” in Spanish and then go to learn the same word in Chinese, youll find that you already have cats on the brain, so the word in Chinese “sticks” in your memory more easily. Going from Spanish “cat” to Chinese “potato,” on the other hand, requires a bit more overhead because you have to shut down the little part of your brain that thinks about cats and fire up the section of your brain that deals with potatoes. Switching from Spanish “cat” to Chinese “d og” is less work, since dogs are associated with cats.On the other hand, if you really want to learn Spanish “cat” and Chinese “potato” at the same time, just make the two words more closely associated in your mind by taking a look at this picture (or this or this)â€"youll never again be able to think of cats without also thinking of potatoes!9. Be AdaptableRemember that ultimately, only you can judge how well your learning strategies are working for you. Take note of how things are going (a journal is a great way to do this) and adjust your language learning roadmap accordingly. The more adaptable you are, the easier it is to learn languagesâ€"and, happily, the more you learn languages, the more adaptable you get! This is, well, doubly true when youre learning two languages at once.Maybe the most exciting aspect of learning two languages at the same time is being on the cutting edge of language learning. People have often shied away from doubling down on language learning because, approaching two-in-one language learning the same way theyd approach one-at-a-time language learning. They come to the conclusion that the challenges of studying two languages at once outweigh the benefits. As a result, there is less information out there on learning two languages at the same time, simply because fewer people have done itâ€"which means you are in an excellent position to discover interesting new language learning techniques along the way.So take the tips listed here, go for it, and let us know if you find any cool new tricks while youre at it! And One More ThingIf youre digging these strategies, youll love using FluentU. FluentU makes it possible to learn languages  from music videos, commercials, news and inspiring talks.With FluentU, you learn real languagesâ€"the same way that natives  speak them. FluentU has a wide variety of videos like movie trailers, funny commercials and web series, as you can see here:FluentU App Browse Screen.FluentU has intera ctive captions that let you tap on any word to see an image, definition, audio and useful examples. Now native language content is within reach with interactive transcripts.Didnt catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.Interactive transcript for Carlos Baute song.You can learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentUs learn mode. Swipe left or right to see  more examples for the word you’re learning.FluentU Has Quizzes for Every VideoAnd FluentU always keeps track of vocabulary that you’re learning. It uses that vocab to give you a 100% personalized experience by recommending videos and examples.Start using FluentU on the website  with your computer or tablet  or, better yet,  download the FluentU app from  the  iTunes  or  Google Play  store.