How Professional Spies Learn Languages FAST

Summary

Dieses Video enthüllt die geheimen Sprachlern-Techniken, die ehemalige Spione verwenden, um schnell Fremdsprachen zu erlernen. Der Sprecher, selbst Sprachlehrer und Mehrsprachigkeit-Enthusiast, teilt 12 spezifische Sprachgeheimnisse, die von Geheimdiensten wie der CIA, MI6 und KGB genutzt werden. Er betont die Wichtigkeit der Fähigkeit, sich einzustellen und im Unbekannten zu überleben, anstatt auf Perfektion zu bestehen. Des Weiteren werden Tricks wie die 'Memory Palace'-Technik und die Bedeutung des Körpersprache für Spionage-Operationen erläutert, um das Publikum zu inspirieren, ihre Sprachfähigkeiten auf kreative und effektive Weise zu verbessern.

Takeaways

• 🕵️‍♂️ Geheime Agenten sind besonders gut in der Sprachenlernen, da sie schnell und effektiv kommunizieren müssen, um ihre Missionen erfolgreich abzuschließen.
• 📚 Der Sprecher hat in den letzten sechs Monaten frühere Spione begleitet, um ihre Sprachlernenstechniken zu erforschen und hat dabei 12 spezifische Geheimnisse entdeckt.
• 🌐 Er selbst hat acht Sprachen gelernt und hat Tausende von Schülern unterrichtet, was zeigt, dass die von ihm beschriebenen Techniken effektiv sind.
• 🎯 Sprachwörter sind für Spione wichtig, da sie dazu beitragen, sich einzufügen, Informationen zu sammeln, Menschen zu täuschen und andere zu beeinflussen.
• 🤔 Die Idee, dass Spionage nur durch Hackerangriffe und heimliche Überwachung möglich ist, ist irreführend; Sprachenkenntnisse sind für Spione entscheidend.
• 🔄 Die 'Perfektionsparadoxon' zeigt, dass die Fokussierung auf Perfektion das tatsächliche Anwenden einer Fähigkeit verhindert, was beim Sprachenlernen wichtig zu verstehen ist.
• 🌱 Die 'Anti-Routine' ist eine Methode, die das Lernen durch Unvorhersehbarkeit anregt und das Gehirn dazu zwingt, aktiv nachzudenken.
• 🗣️ Für Spione ist es nicht unbedingt wichtig, ein Muttersprachler zu klingen, sondern wichtiger ist es, gut genug zu sprechen, um sich einzufügen und nicht verdächtig zu wirken.
• 🧠 Die 'Memory Palace'-Technik ist ein geheimes Waffe der Spione, die ihnen hilft, Informationen effektiv zu merken und abzurufen.
• 👂 Das Abhören von Gesprächen (Eavesdropping) kann eine nützliche Methode sein, um zu üben, auf echte Weise zuzuhören und zu lernen.
• 💡 Der letzte Tipp des Skripts betont, dass Körpersprache ein entscheidender Faktor beim Verständnis und Ausdruck von Sprache ist, besonders für Spione, die in heiklen Situationen unterwegs sind.

Q & A

Was hat der Sprecher in den letzten sechs Monaten getan, um die Wahrheit hinter den erstaunlichen Sprachlernfähigkeiten von ehemaligen Spione zu entdecken?

Der Sprecher hat in den letzten sechs Monaten ehemaligen Spione getroffen und beobachtet, um 12 spezifische Sprachgeheimnisse zu entdecken, die sie nutzen, um Fremdsprachen schnell zu erlernen.

Was sind die 12 spezifischen Sprachgeheimnisse, auf die sich der Sprecher bezieht?

Der Text gibt keine spezifischen Details zu den 12 Sprachgeheimnissen, aber erwähnt, dass sie von professionellen Spione wie der CIA, MI6 und KGB verwendet werden, um Fremdsprachen schnell zu erlernen.

Warum sind Sprachen für Spione so wichtig?

Sprachen sind für Spione wichtig, weil sie ihnen helfen, sich einzufügen, Informationen zu sammeln, Menschen zu täuschen und Menschen zu beeinflussen, ohne aufgefangen zu werden.

Was ist das 'Perfection Paradoxon', das der Sprecher erwähnt?

Das 'Perfection Paradoxon' beschreibt die Situation, in der man so konzentriert auf die Perfektion einer Fähigkeit ist, dass man diese nie tatsächlich anwendet. Dies kann dazu führen, dass man Sprachkenntnisse hat, aber nicht in der Lage ist, die Sprache fließend zu sprechen.

Was sind 'Anti-Routinen' und warum sind sie für Sprachlerner wichtig?

Anti-Routinen sind Techniken, die darauf abzielen, die Gewohnheiten zu unterbrechen und den Geist aktiv zu halten. Sie sind wichtig, weil sie den Lernprozess variieren und die Kreativität und das Problemlösungsvermögen fördern.

Warum ist es für Spione nicht immer gut, wie ein Muttersprachler zu klingen?

Für Spione ist es wichtig, sich nicht zu perfekt anhören, um nicht verdächtig zu wirken. Ein zu perfekter Akzent kann darauf hindeuten, dass man nicht aus der Region stammt, in der man sich befindet.

Was ist der Unterschied zwischen dem Ansatz der KGB und dem der MI6 für Sprachlerner?

Der Text gibt einen Beispiel-Ansatz der KGB an, bei dem ein Agent 100 neue Wörter pro Tag lernt, indem er Zeitungen liest und unbekannte Wörter auf Indexkarten notiert. Die MI6 bevorzugt dagegen, die 1000 wichtigsten Wörter zu lernen, die 80% der gesprochenen Konversationen ausmachen.

Was ist die 'Memory Palace'-Technik und wie wird sie von Spione verwendet?

Die 'Memory Palace'-Technik ist eine Methode, bei der man ein vertrautes Ortes in der Vorstellung visualisiert und Informationen an spezifischen Stellen in diesem Ort ablegt. Wenn man diese Informationen wieder aufrufen muss, geht man durch das Gedächtnispalast und sammelt die Informationen auf.

Was ist der Hauptunterschied zwischen dem Sprachlernen für Spione und dem für Zivilisten?

Der Hauptunterschied liegt im Ansatz und den Zielen. Spione lernen Sprachen, um in einer Mission erfolgreich zu sein, und konzentrieren sich auf die Anwendung im realen Leben und die Fähigkeit, sich einzufügen. Zivilisten könnten eher auf die Meisterung der Grammatik und des Vokabulars abzielen.

Was ist der wichtigste Aspekt beim Erlernen einer Sprache für Spione?

Der wichtigste Aspekt ist die Fähigkeit, die Sprache für die Erfüllung ihrer Mission zu verwenden, nicht unbedingt die Meisterung der Sprache. Dazu gehört die Fähigkeit, sich einzufügen, Informationen zu sammeln und Menschen zu beeinflussen.

Outlines

00:00

🕵️‍♂️ Geheime Sprachkünste von Spionen

Dieses Kapitel enthüllt die 12 spezifischen Sprachgeheimnisse, die ehemals Spionageagenten verwenden, um schnell Fremdsprachen zu erlernen. Der Sprecher hat selbst acht Sprachen gelernt und lehrt Tausende von Schülern. Er betont die Wichtigkeit, sich ein klares Lernziel zu setzen und zeigt, wie Spionageagenten Sprachen nutzen, um einzudringen, Informationen zu sammeln und Menschen zu beeinflussen. Die CIA, MI6 und der KGB sind nur einige der Organisationen, die in diesem Zusammenhang genannt werden.

05:01

🚫 Gegen Routinen als Spionage-Waffe

In diesem Abschnitt wird die Bedeutung von Anti-Routinen in der Spracherwerbung hervorgehoben. Spionageagenten sind darauf trainiert, ihre Routinen zu unterbrechen, um ihr Denken anzuregen. Der Sprecher empfiehlt, den Lernprozess abzuwechseln, indem man zum Beispiel im Park lernt oder in einer anderen Sprache einen Kaffee bestellt. Auch die Rolle der Akzentuierung wird diskutiert, und wie sie für Spionen von Vorteil oder Nachteil sein kann.

10:01

🗣️ Sprechen statt Perfektion

Hier wird die 'Perfektion Paradox' beschrieben, bei dem die Fokussierung auf Perfektion das tatsächliche Anwenden einer Fähigkeit verhindert. Spionageagenten sind dazu trainiert, sich auf die Anwendung der Sprache zu konzentrieren, anstatt sich mit Perfektion zu beschäftigen. Der Sprecher teilt seine persönlichen Erfahrungen mit dem Erlernen der Sprachen und betont die Notwendigkeit, Fehler zu machen, um zu lernen und zu verbessern.

15:03

🌐 Kulturelle Aspekte im Sprachenlernen

Dieses Kapitel unterstreicht die Bedeutung des Verständnisses der Kultur und lokaler Bräuche im Sprachenlernen. Spionageagenten nutzen ihre Kenntnisse über die Kultur, um sich einzufügen und Informationen zu sammeln. Der Sprecher gibt Beispiele für bekannte Spionagefälle und erklärt, wie das Verstehen von Körpersprache und Non-Verbalen in der Kommunikation entscheidend ist.

20:03

💡 Die Macht der Körpersprache

Der Sprecher erklärt, wie wichtig die Körpersprache ist, um sowohl zu verstehen, als auch zu beeinflussen. Er zeigt, wie Spionageagenten die Körpersprache nutzen, um zu erkennen, ob jemand lügt oder nicht und wie sie diese Fähigkeiten auch umkehren, um andere zu täuschen. Der Abschnitt schließt mit der Aufforderung an die Zuschauer, sich die Körpersprache von Muttersprachlern anzusehen und zu lernen.

Keywords

💡Spionage

Spionage bezieht sich auf geheime Aktivitäten, die von Personen oder Organisationen durchgeführt werden, um Informationen oder Geheimnisse zu sammeln, insbesondere im Interesse der国家安全. Im Video wird die Rolle von Spionen hervorgehoben, die in verschiedenen Sprachen fließend sind, um in ihrer Arbeit erfolgreich zu sein.

💡Sprachlernen

Sprachlernen ist der Prozess des Erwerbs einer neuen Sprache. Im Video werden spezielle Techniken und Geheimnisse von ehemaligen Spionen beschrieben, die sie verwenden, um schnell Fremdsprachen zu erlernen, was für ihre geheime Mission von entscheidender Bedeutung ist.

💡Kulturauffassung

Kulturauffassung ist das Verständnis und die Aneignung der kulturellen Aspekte einer Sprache oder eines Volkes. Im Video wird betont, dass es für Spionen wichtig ist, nicht nur die Sprache zu beherrschen, sondern auch die Kultur und lokalen Bräuche zu verstehen, um sich einwandfrei einzufügen.

💡Sprachfähigkeit

Sprachfähigkeit bezieht sich auf die Fähigkeit, eine Sprache zu sprechen, zu verstehen, zu lesen und zu schreiben. Im Video wird erläutert, dass Spionen eine hohe Grad an Sprachfähigkeit benötigen, um in ihrer Arbeit erfolgreich zu sein, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Fähigkeit, sich in verschiedenen Sprachen zu verständigen.

💡Geheimhaltung

Geheimhaltung bedeutet, Informationen oder Pläne geheim zu halten, um sie vor Feinden oder nicht autorisierten Personen zu schützen. Im Video wird die Wichtigkeit von Geheimhaltung für Spionen betont, insbesondere in Bezug auf ihre Sprachkenntnisse und -fähigkeiten.

💡Sprachimmersion

Sprachimmersion ist eine Methode des Sprachenlernens, bei der man vollständig in die Sprache und die Kultur eines Landes eintaucht, um die Sprache schneller und effektiver zu erlernen. Im Video wird beschrieben, wie Spionen durch Sprachimmersion in einer fremden Umgebung schnell Sprachkenntnisse erwerben.

💡Grenzenloses Wissen

Grenzenloses Wissen bedeutet, dass man nie aufhören sollte, zu lernen und sich weiterzuentwickeln. Im Video wird dies durch die Hervorstellung der Sprachlernensmethoden der Spionen veranschaulicht, die ständig neue Sprachen erlernen und ihre Fähigkeiten verbessern.

💡Sprachparadoxon

Das Sprachparadoxon beschreibt die Situation, in der man sich so stark auf die Perfektion einer Sprache konzentriert, dass man sie nie tatsächlich nutzt. Im Video wird dies als ein Problem für Sprachlerner dargestellt, das Spionen vermeiden, indem sie sich auf die Anwendung der Sprache konzentrieren.

💡Sprachbarriere

Sprachbarriere bezeichnet die Schwierigkeit, die entsteht, wenn Menschen, die verschiedene Sprachen sprechen, miteinander kommunizieren müssen. Im Video wird gezeigt, wie Spionen Sprachbarrieren überwinden, um in ihrer Arbeit erfolgreich zu sein.

💡Sprachgewandtheit

Sprachgewandtheit bezieht sich auf die Fähigkeit, mehrere Sprachen fließend zu sprechen und zu verstehen. Im Video wird die Sprachgewandtheit von Spionen als ein wichtiges Merkmal hervorgehoben, das ihnen hilft, in verschiedenen Ländern und Kulturen zu arbeiten.

Highlights

Former spies reveal 12 specific linguistic secrets for fast language learning.

The speaker learned eight languages and taught tens of thousands, impressed by the techniques used by CIA, MI6, and KGB.

Spies need language skills for blending in, gathering intelligence, and influencing without getting caught.

Language courses for spies focus on practical application rather than linguistic perfection.

The 'Perfection Paradox' is a concept where striving for perfection can hinder the actual use of a language.

Spies are trained to embrace imperfection and learn from mistakes to improve language skills.

Unpredictable environments and anti-routines can enhance language learning efficiency.

Spies deliberately sabotage routines to keep the brain active and improve learning.

Overemphasis on fluency can be counterproductive for spies who need to blend in.

Spies must match their accents to their cover stories to avoid suspicion.

The Memory Palace technique, dating back to ancient Greece, is used by spies to enhance memory.

Learning the 1,000 most important high-frequency words can cover 80% of conversations.

Spies practice code-switching to blend in by flipping between languages or dialects seamlessly.

Cultural understanding, such as local customs and slang, is crucial for spies to avoid suspicion.

Body language is a critical tool for spies to detect deception and convey authenticity.

The story of Mata Hari illustrates the importance of cultural knowledge in espionage.

Spies undergo intense language immersion in hostile environments to prepare for real-world scenarios.

The 10-day Spanish Challenge is introduced as a method to quickly learn Spanish using stories.

Transcripts

I've spent the last 6 months shadowing

former spies to uncover the truth behind

their incredible language learning

abilities I've been blown away to find

12 specific linguistic secrets that they

use to learn foreign languages fast and

we weren't even told what language it

was going to be at first it was a sort

of it was shrouded in mystery now after

learning eight languages myself and

teaching tens of thousands of students

I've been mighty impressed by these

techniques CIA MI6 KGB we've got them

all in here so if you'd like to steal

some of these pro tricks to speed up

your own language learning well you're

in the right place you just weing out oh

my God what if he now launches and

realizes that there West is two

westerners in the room as well you know

who shouldn't be here as he found out

and all this is going through de back

your mind thinking oh Cy Wicked oh funny

what the hell's going to happen here who

do you think he might be talking about

take a wild guess I will show you a

little bit later on now as we all know

spies are incredibly good at foreign

languages yeah had IR Auto Reser yeah

Bond should have been dead a long time

ago real spies have a lot more writing

on their language skills though than

just impressing the locals a

toast to this moment and the moment yet

to come and honestly if MI6 and CIA had

to do things in a normal way I wouldn't

have such a great story to tell you

[Applause]

love that show so why do you think spies

bother learning languages can't they

just hack your computer and spy on you

sneakily no if you are a spy you have to

blend in gather intelligence impersonate

people and as you'll see later a huge

part of it is influencing people all

without getting caught of course but if

you can't speak someone's language how

on Earth are you going to influence them

words after all are weapons so that was

pretty much just over a yearl language

course and then you have about 6 to8

months then after that on of your

applied training as they term it which

is then learning your trade craft of um

how to apply that language in the real

world and what's required of you which

is the classified element and spies need

to understand words like their lives

depend on it that is their reason why

for learning a language we all need a

reason why to learn a language whether

that's meeting people reading books

watching TV understanding a culture

finding your own reason why that's going

to motivate you to keep learning is

absolutely key there are 100,000

undercover covert operatives collecting

Secrets you're going to be an agent for

the CIA there are all sorts of crazy

requirements like war zone deployment

experience and learning another language

but get this real spies thrive in chaos

hello Karina I have the package for your

Society I am in the door no I am to the

door on the door the doesn't actually

care how advanced your vocab is they

care if you have what it takes to learn

a completely new language because it's

hard and many people quit most people

actually never finish their language

courses that's what the statistics say

but you know what the CIA says any

language course trying to make you

perfect is completely missing the point

Perfection is a bit off-putting and

we're more endeared towards imperfection

so the next time your mind criticizes

you for all your imperfections take a

deep breath release remind yourself

imperfection is more relatable you

getting this listen it doesn't matter

how much time you spend going over new

words and grammar if you never actually

have any conversations in the language

you're learning you'll have all of this

knowledge in your head but you won't be

any good at actually speaking why don't

you go sit on your boat and I'll blow

our fog horn when when we're g that good

[ __ ] oh God I forgot my life I like her

she doesn't care when you try too hard

to be perfect that's what the CIA calls

the Perfection Paradox it's what happens

when you get so focused on practicing a

skill and trying to get it perfect that

you never actually use the skill at all

indeed in my own language learning I've

always found that Perfection really is

the enemy CU it's only by making

mistakes you can figure out what you got

wrong and then actually improve and

that's why spies is trained to recognize

this problem and actually fix it be a

Jennifer Lawrence just open your mouth

and speak so if perfect grammar isn't

the most important language skill a spy

needs then what is fluency a foolproof

accent cultural awareness something else

entirely well we will see but first

don't you want want to hear a spy trick

that is literally the opposite of what

guys like me always tell you I know you

do it's very very hard to beat the bad

guys very very hard the best thing you

can do is learn to think like them so

you can stay kind of one step ahead so

when you start to protect your front

door you look for the bad guy to come in

through the back door crazy spine

knowledge here your brain learns faster

in an unpredictable environment so you

know how those other language teachers

are always nagging you about sticking to

a routine I think I might have said that

from time to time as well spies say the

opposite see in spy land being

predictable is a one way ticket to

getting caught plus being a creature of

habit can actually put your brain to

sleep your brain's like oh this old

grammar thing again and switches off so

what is a spy secret weapon anti-

routines number one is obviously just

shifting the perspective of I need to do

more things and I need to add more

things to my routine when in fact you

need to stop doing things that you're

currently doing all that remains is the

work to be done thing is learning is

exactly the opposite of a brainless

habit it's about shaking things up and

anti- routines are designed to upset

your habits and force your brain to

think actively at all times that's why

spies deliberately sabotage their

routines when learning a language so the

six of us had three months to learn Pash

to up to a really decent level so that's

Reading Writing and actually obviously

listening but speaking it as well to be

able to converse to get the points

across so we can find out pieces of the

intelligence jigsaw again in Afghanistan

and if you keep your brain on its toes

you will learn a language faster want

some ideas well how about instead of

studying at your desk today take your

story learning course and go and sit in

a park and when you go and get your

takeaway coffee instead of just ordering

it in English first think how might you

ask for it in Spanish or French and then

while you're at it just try practicing

with the dogs I know this sounds crazy

but it kind of works by the way have you

ever wondered if sounding like a native

speaker is actually a good thing it

might not be but hey if you're enjoying

this video so far I would love it if you

would like the video and subscribe to

the channel your support really helps me

keep going and make more of these

videos listen you don't want to be too

fluent if you a spy but wait why would I

say that Sur that cannot be true no CIA

officer wants to be fluent in a language

you don't want to be fluent in a

language because if you're fluent in a

language you end up looking and sounding

extremely suspicious why is this

Ambiguously Brown guy rocking through

Paris speaking perfect French with an

accent that comes from South France it

doesn't it's too suspicious makes

perfect sense right you definitely want

to speak the language well enough to

have a conversation about a B2 level at

least but spies need to blend in and

sounding too perfect can actually raise

suspicion indeed During the period I've

been here the 8 out possibility is

enormously increased favorite thing

about horam is that it's reasonably

civilized it's not so rushed and so full

that uh you know you feel that you're

under pressure all the time you got to

walk that tight rope very very carefully

if I were a spy in I don't know Brazil

or somewhere I could probably fool them

with a heavy disguise but you know no

one looking at me is going to think I

I'm Brazilian no one's buying that but

speaking of blending in there is another

thing that can break your cover

yeah nobody is buying that he is Italian

listen an accent is not a problem an

accent is fine as long as you're a

civilian it's no big deal but for a spy

an accent can be their best friend or

worst enemy see if you can figure out

the problem here

just a single mispronounced word can

reveal that you are a foreigner even if

your grammar and vocab are

perfect what kind of accent are we

talking about you're speaking German but

you sound American does that

automatically blow your cover well not

necessarily that only gives you away if

you're pretending to be German or

whatever it is you look American why do

you speak perfect Arabic or the other

way around what do you do for a living

I'm really glad you asked that I'm a

computer engineer uh you're a what I'm

sorry I said um I'm a computer engineer

the key is to match your accent to your

cover story ever heard of sleeper spies

now this is where things get terrifying

sleeper spies have to erase every trace

of their native accent now this is real

movie stuff speak

Russian they have to sound like they

were born there a single wrong word can

be the end this this x KGB spine Jack

bosy is he good enough can we teach him

English so well that he can pretend to

uh have been born in the United States

he led a double life in the US for

nearly a decade got a job as a bicycle

delivery guy and a perfect American

accent no one knew he was Russian I

worked with her and did a lot of uh

phonetic exercises I worked like a

maniac look out for a language tip from

Jack coming up a bit later listen guys

unless you're a sleeper spy in training

don't get hung up on sounding exactly

like a native speaker there's not always

really the best strategy it's all about

finding that sweet spot where you can

communicate well whilst also sound

authentic enough just embrace your

unique voice we're all unique and that's

what makes us interesting you know I

have a secret weapon of my own that you

might love especially if you're getting

a bit tired of language courses that

never seem to pan out if you're learning

Spanish this one is especially for you

me and my team at story learning have

come up with something very very

interesting to FasTrack your Spanish

it's called the 10day Spanish Challenge

and it uses the story learning method

which is a unique language method that

uses stories and tens of thousands of

people just like you have achieved their

language learning dreams with us that's

why we say that story learning is what

you do when you've tried everything else

and you are finally ready to learn the

10day challenge is just 10 days you can

probably guess that one it's only $10

and it will give you a completely new

way of looking at learning Spanish best

thing is it takes only 10 minutes a day

to do so if you'd like to try the 10-day

Challenge and learn Spanish with a

method that you haven't used before

check the link in the description below

or you can scan the QR code if you're

watching on your TV and come join us

only $10 now where were we he said so

would you say you'd be intrigued to

learn a language I thought yeah okay

yeah I would he goes I'm going to send

you away for an mlat test modern

language aptitude test he said you go up

to a place in Rutland I can't tell you

much about this trade he said but you

come out as a junior technician which is

equivalent to a lance Jack Lance

corporal in the Army he said and it's on

a high Pay Band he said but on

completion of that you go to Berlin as

your first tour says you be on decent

money he said you get qualification from

it and he said

basically it's spying the Secret Service

doesn't pull any punches with language

training it's all or nothing and spies

do language immersion like you've never

seen it before try to imagine a language

boot camp where you dropped in a foreign

country for 6 months with no Escape for

you eat sleep and breathe the language

24/7 living with locals and avoiding

English speakers like the plague the

goal of course is total immersion and

remember you are Incognito you're using

your skills then but we got back on the

helicopter we took off it failed again

they were trying to the Chileans were

trying to tell this Iraqi guy what they

thought the problem was and everything

else and it's with a pump and this that

the other and I went mad and he

went he went oh

thanks you and I thought oh yeah I've

given the game already yeah listen to

this back in the Cold War the CIA pushed

their agents to the limits to learn

Russian to an advanced level within a

year which is pretty crazy but you know

what well it worked meanwhile on my own

turf here in the UK MI6 has its own

secrets for language learning and they

are into total immersion in hostile

environments I'm a big blonde 6'4

Welshman yeah and people don't expect me

to speak Arabic they believe in throwing

their agents into the deep end forcing

them to learn on the fight in real world

situations my primary operational

language in the military was Russian so

that was pretty much just over a

year-long language course and then you

have about 6 to eight months then after

that of your applied training as they

term it which is then learning your

tradecraft of how to apply that language

in the real world and what's required of

you which is the classified element so

it speaks basically a spy yeah very much

not for the faint of heart but it gets

results maybe I could try the Spy thing

no so what can you do if you are stuck

at home and you're not a spy in training

living abroad well here is a fun idea

change everything in your home into the

language that you're learning your phone

your movies your Netflix your your music

your people maybe slightly Bolder one

I'll leave that one up to you but think

of it as building your own mini spy

school at home the more you surround

yourself your daily activities with the

language the faster you will learn right

now it's pretty obvious a spy goal is

language usefulness not Mastery but what

languages to spies actually learn well

let me check with my people at Langley

give me a second CIA how may I help you

I know that I'm contributing to a

mission greater than

myself okay the next spy language trick

is so amazing it kept me up for three

whole nights and I had weird dreams

about it you're going to be just the

same you'll see I was taught Russian to

be kind of passive cuz you're there

you're listening in we weren't going to

be on East Berlin talking to Russians

and everything else so our passive and

my passive skills for Russian are still

very good my spoken skills yeah I can go

in there put a Russian accent

on spies have killer memory tricks up

their sleeve and one of the coolest is

the Memory Palace technique this one

goes all the way back to ancient Greece

and here's how it works you visualize is

a familiar place your home your route to

work whatever this is your Palace your

your location then you stick bits of

information you need to remember in

specific places on this mental map

location that you've prepared and when

you need to remember the info you just

walk through your memory Palace you

visualize yourself doing this and you

pick up the pieces along the way it's

pretty cool they've even studied this

and the Memory Palace technique helps

people remember 38% more information so

I guess it works I guess I know what I'm

doing tonight now I promise you a tip

from that xkg guy I started studying

English so I started back from scratch

you know I had went they paid for a

tutor and I went from like English 101

that I went through that in a couple of

months then and then I got another guy

with whom I expanded this we had

conversations rather than working from a

textbook and I worked like a maniac I

threw myself into the study of English

like you wouldn't believe um and and my

inspiration came from Vladimir Lenin so

I started reading newspapers and every

word that I didn't know I wrote down on

on an index card German English and I

piled them up and so I really learned

100 new English words every day I know

this because I counted them 100 new

words every day that is some commitment

that is what the KGB did but agencies

closer to home have a slightly different

approach they like to prioritize

learning the 1,000 most important words

why is that well every language has what

we call high frequency words the words

that come up a lot and these words are

obviously a lot more useful

highfrequency use words are those words

that you use the most or the words that

target language uses the most and those

1,000 words make up 80% of all

conversations that you have so if you

want to be like a spy only you start

with learning the 1,000 most used words

first and now you've got something that

you can actually stick in your memory

Palace and from now on we should sound

like FR

WS frch wter

[Music]

now listening is an art form for spies

obviously and it's critical they're

trained to pick up on every little tiny

detail in your dialect your accent and

the exact things that you say why

because how someone speaks can reveal

loads about them their background

intentions even their next move if

you've been watching my guess the acent

videos you will know what I mean so you

learn a language and then you get taught

your tradecraft which is ultimately

being an EES dropper during World War II

the British secret service e dropped on

German prisoners of war in a genius way

they set up an operation called the M

room where they secretly recorded

conversations of captured German

soldiers the Germans began to spill

their secrets and what did MI6 get well

a gold mine of Intel that's what it

saved thousands of lives but favorite

part is they also learned loads of slang

idioms and Military jargon that you

wouldn't find in any textbook it's a

famous story so there you go if you want

to sharpen your listening skills try EAS

dropping on conversations in the

language you're learning just be

respectful of course you're not a real

spy you're just trying to pick out new

words and expressions if you're really

good maybe you can even tell the exact

area that they're from I tell you each

dropping on conversations on the bus

really is an underrated

tactic English please imagine having to

speak a foreign language while under

extreme pressure I mean picture this you

take an awesome Russian course then you

go to Russia pretend to be Russian but

you get arrested and the police force

you to take a polygraph test in Russia

spies do this all the time whether

they're in the middle of a covert

operation or under interrogation and

this guy looked at me I was like you can

see his complete disdain for me and he

went whales and I went yeah you

went Wayne Wayne whales which is where

whales I me Wales he goes Wales Wales I

went Sweden and he went H stamp the

passport you know when so how does a spy

stay calm well they practice of course

in hardcore situations and when the day

comes that the Spy faces bad guy well

they won't be panicking listen to this

all of a sudden in walk Saddam

Hussein

and Hell Fire literally their hairs on

the back not just my neck but everybody

you can see Goosebumps and everybody it

just felt evil try talking to native

speakers you just met even if it does

make you nervous because the more you

practice the more confident you'll get I

had to do this in French when I was very

very young and living in Paris and trust

me you will survive beef balls are

overrated what you really need are some

ah wagu beef man I wish I new

English you guys in the US know all

about Spanglish that's an example of

what's called code switching now code

switching is about flipping between

languages or dialects very easily you

get so used to doing it automatically no

one even notices well when you're a spy

you have to be able to do this quickly

and without raising

[Music]

eyebrows the answer Ken be shown KGB

agents were pros at this they would

often switch between Russian and the

local language to blend in and avoid

suspicion probably better than most it's

the kind of language trick that you can

have a lot of fun with maybe you have a

friend you can try it with start of

switching languages quickly around the

house and then get out there and go all

Deep Cover on them great way to get more

fluent and adaptable if you want to be

really really badass though you need to

combine it with the next thing you're

looking particularly beautiful tonight

you're looking particularly beautiful

tonight Johnny English is up to no good

as usual ever wish you could read mes I

certainly have well language is not just

about words it's about culture too and

one thing that spies know is to never

underestimate those little details local

Customs what makes people laugh what can

get people's guard down understanding

these details can be as important as

speaking the language itself in World

War I there was this famous spy Mata

Harry you've probably heard of her she

wasn't just any spy she was a Dutch

exotic dancer who became one of the most

infamous double agents of the war crazy

story she got in with European High

Society Charmed the socks off some

Military Officers and walked out with

their secrets I mean I'm not going to

recommend you do this but you can learn

something powerful here knowing the

culture Inside Out can give you a huge

Edge want some practice well pick a

language and go find a slang phrase that

they use video is good for this you need

visuals now practice mimicking it until

you nail the accent the intonation the

body and angry the underlying emotion

everything like that if it's Korean you

must be Korean when it comes out of your

mouth small adjustments huge difference

now next week I want to hear what you

did to go all double agent deal come

back and write it in the comments anyone

guess the one skill that matters most

undercover well it's the secret weapon

that spies have known for centuries he

came out of the shop he took the flowers

and most Americans tend to hold the

flowers by the stock so that the flowers

are up this individual took them and

grabbed the stock and then held the

flowers so that they were facing down

and I said that's how they carry flowers

in Eastern Europe their voice does not

demonstrate the same confidence that

their body demonstrates so you know that

that person is lying the Ultimate Spy

language is body language and I'm not

just talking about hand gestures in

Italian words can be a trap and that's

why spies spend countless hours

mastering the art of reading people's

body language to try to see what little

details they're hiding they're basically

experts at it body language can give you

so much so many little clues in

situations where you might not catch

every word facial expressions gestures

posture there's a lot of myths out there

the ones that stand out is if you cross

your arms that it's a blocking Behavior

that's just nonsense even when you don't

like the person that is in front of you

this isn't to block them out it's

actually to self soothe because in

essence it's a self hug when you combine

facial expressions with body movements

body language non-verbal cues and you

add on top of that effective elicitation

techniques that you are in control of

now you have a more robust platform to

tell if someone's lying to you best part

is spies then turn this around and learn

how to use the same body language to

fool the bad guys and if you pay a lot

of attention to native speakers body

language you for sure going to

understand the language like a pro want

to have some fun go on a mission to

learn the craziest accent you can find

in English you won't believe your ears

when you hear some of the options