How to speak fluently in any language. 1 Simple trick from polyglot | WORKS 100%

Summary

In this insightful video, Olly Richards discusses the often-overlooked importance of speaking practice in language learning. Despite living in Tokyo and studying Japanese traditionally, Olly struggled with fluency until he began engaging in daily language exchanges. This transformative experience led to a significant improvement in his speaking abilities, highlighting the crucial role of conversational practice over mere study. Olly emphasizes the need for learners to actively seek speaking opportunities to truly master a language, challenging the traditional focus on textbooks and exercises.

Takeaways

• 😲 The speaker initially struggled with learning Japanese despite living in Tokyo, highlighting the common misconception that immersion alone is sufficient for language acquisition.
• 📚 The speaker used traditional learning methods like textbooks and classes but still faced difficulties in conversational Japanese, emphasizing the limitations of these methods for fluency.
• 🗣️ Language exchanges were a turning point for the speaker, allowing for significant improvement in confidence and fluency within a few weeks, underscoring the importance of speaking practice.
• 🤔 The realization that 'air time' — actual conversational practice — was lacking, was crucial to the speaker's progress, indicating that mere exposure to a language is not enough.
• 💡 The speaker's experience suggests that confidence in speaking a language comes from regular practice, not just from accumulating knowledge.
• 🔄 The transformation in the speaker's Japanese ability was not due to learning new words or phrases, but from activating and using existing knowledge through speaking.
• 👥 The script encourages finding speaking partners or using services like iTalki for regular speaking practice, as this is key to improving language skills.
• 📈 The speaker's teaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of speaking over traditional study methods for achieving fluency.
• 📝 The story of Courtney, a student from the Fluent Spanish Academy, illustrates how committing to regular speaking practice can lead to fluency, even after years of struggle.
• 👍 The speaker invites viewers to like the video if they agree with the message, indicating the importance of community validation for learning strategies.
• 🔗 Additional resources for finding speaking partners are provided in the video description, showing the speaker's commitment to offering practical advice.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial experience with learning Japanese?

The speaker initially found learning Japanese challenging despite living in Japan, as they were in an English-speaking environment both at work and socially.

Why did the speaker struggle with Japanese even after studying for a couple of years?

The speaker struggled because they had limited opportunities to practice speaking Japanese, as most of their friends, even the Japanese ones, spoke good English.

What traditional methods did the speaker use to study Japanese?

The speaker used textbooks and took classes to study Japanese in a traditional way.

How did the speaker's approach to learning Japanese change, and what was the result?

The speaker's approach changed when they started doing language exchanges, which led to a significant improvement in their speaking ability and confidence within a few weeks.

What was the key realization the speaker had about language learning after their experience with Japanese?

The speaker realized that actual speaking practice is crucial for language fluency, as it allows one to 'activate' and comfortably use the language knowledge already in their head.

Why is it important to find speaking partners or use platforms like iTalki according to the speaker?

Finding speaking partners or using platforms like iTalki is important because it provides regular speaking practice, which is essential for becoming comfortable and fluent in a language.

What was the speaker's previous assumption about the necessity of speaking practice in language learning?

The speaker used to think that the importance of speaking practice in language learning was obvious, but later realized that it was not apparent to many people, especially those accustomed to traditional study methods.

How did the speaker's student, Courtney, benefit from the advice to speak the language regularly?

Courtney, a student from the Fluent Spanish Academy, achieved her dream of becoming fluent in Spanish after committing to regular speaking practice, which she acknowledged was the key advice she received from the speaker.

What is the main rule of language learning that the speaker emphasizes in the script?

The main rule of language learning emphasized is that to become fluent, one must engage in regular speaking practice, as studying alone is not sufficient for achieving comfort and proficiency in conversation.

What was the speaker's initial reaction to the realization that they needed more speaking practice?

The speaker found it surprising and somewhat 'crazy' that despite knowing the language, they needed to actively speak it to become fluent, which led to a transformative experience in their language learning journey.