The desire to be bilingual is a common aspiration for many, but unfortunately, not everyone achieves it, despite various strategies used: studying, traveling, etc.
I was one of the fortunate ones, as I grew up in a bilingual family. My parents spoke both English and Spanish, allowing me to master both languages, with English being my mother tongue. Later, I decided to learn French in my youth. It wasn’t easy; I attended a language institute for two years and then travelled to France, specifically to the University of Angers. Despite all I had learned prior to my trip, I struggled to communicate. I felt trapped in the same frustration I've observed in others learning a new language. I was told the secret was not to translate but to think in the language. But how could I think in French when I didn’t know how to express certain ideas? The result was frustrating, and I didn’t know how to overcome it. Eventually, I gave up, convinced that French wasn’t for me.
Later in my adult life, I travelled to Tokyo, Japan, for work and experienced the challenge of not understanding anything, feeling completely lost. Speaking English didn’t always resolve my communication issues. Upon returning, I decided to learn Japanese. I was advised to start with Mandarin Chinese, as it’s the foundation of Japanese. I enrolled in a school to learn Chinese alongside my children. The cultural experience was fascinating, but my goal seemed distant. Once again, I gave up, grateful that I was at least bilingual.
At another point in my life, I taught English to adults as part of my job at an English institute. Most of the students were going through the same experiences I had faced while learning French or Chinese. The significant difference was that these students needed to learn out of necessity. Their stories were incredible, such as "I’ve spent my whole life learning English." They had individual and group classes, yet their main struggle was always "How do you say…?" or "I don’t know how to think in English."
I considered that perhaps the secret to bilingualism is learning the same number of words in a second language as in one’s mother tongue. But how can you learn without forgetting, or without the process becoming a burden? I explored various methodologies and discovered mental training techniques that facilitate learning through imagery and relaxation. The results were astonishing: as vocabulary increased, students communicated more effectively. The difference in outcomes among students depended on enhancing methodology because the unspoken secret is having a rich vocabulary.
Many people have discovered this secret through my learning programs. However, I had to overcome my own difficulties. I’m 64 years old and want to learn more languages. If others can do it, so can I. We developed 14 Mandarin Chinese programs using both phonetic systems and Chinese characters, totalling 350 words. I needed to establish clear goals, and on March 4th, 2024, I began working with the learning programs. I am currently working simultaneously on four programs, dedicating three times a day 20 minutes. I started with phonetics and then moved on to Chinese characters. I’m amazed that in three months, I’ve achieved my first goal: I can recognize Chinese characters and words, express some, and I’m motivated to learn more. The words I’ve learned are ones I can’t say in French. I understand that I need at least 3,000 words to communicate, but I’m on my way.
I wish I had known that the real secret to learning a language is to master the same vocabulary in the new language as in your mother tongue.
