Andromeda Romano-Lax
Do you think it's a bad idea to study two foreign languages at the same time?

I recently started learning Mandarin while I was living in Taiwan. I'm now studying Spanish (intermediate level) to prepare for living in Mexico. I don't want to lose the very few words and characters I learned in Mandarin. Is anyone out here trying to learn two languages at the same time, or trying to hold onto multiple languages they learned in the past? Is there any advantage to learning multiple languages at the same time? I'm pretty sure I have limited brain space but I was curious what others think.

 

Sep 15, 2014 8:21 PM
Comments · 9
2

In my opinion it is good to have a foreign language of top priority, but learning others at the same time makes your schedule less dull. For me it's a brilliant way of memory training and if you are really devoted, you shouldn't have problems with studying thoroughly at least two new languages. A third can be treated as entertainment and when you finally master the former two fluently, you will be able to focus more on it. Good luck!

September 15, 2014
1

I'm learning Spanish and Mandarin at the same time. They are so radically different from one another that they don't seem to interfere with each other in the slightest. The only disadvantage is that perhaps you "could" spend more time on just one if you weren't learning both and go faster in learning one, but I actually find that learning both languages keeps me even more interested so it's not like I would spend more time on either of them if I gave one up. I spend more time on each of them learning both than I would spend on either alone, so there's no downside for me at all. 

September 15, 2014
1


Do I think it's a bad idea? Of course not! Do I think it'll be difficult? Quite possibly.

I think it comes down to what your goals are and what type of learner you are. Are you learning the languages to be able to know how to get by when you're in their respective countries? Or are you genuinely trying to learn the language to one day become profecient/fluent?
Also how motivated are you and how are you learning the langauge?

In my person experience I think I've learned that sticking to one works better.
I grew up trilingual (this is proof initself that you can learn multiple languages at once) and thus had an affinity for learning new languages. My two downfalls, however, are that I'm over ambitious and don't have the stamina/motivation to keep up with that.

I remember for example learning Spanish and French together and struggled remembering what word belonged to which language and confusing rule; then again last year when I was learning Chinese and Hebrew I struggled in terms of motivation and eventually slacked.
I was able to read, write, and speak the language to some level but I think I would have been much more advanced in one language had I stuck to the one language approach.
Pros though? Bragging rights of saying you're learning two languages haha. Also I think the more languages you learn, the more you get the hang of learning languages if that makes sense. In addition to that, I think you end up learning more than just the language. You learn culture, history, how other people communicate, etc! I think there are many pros, especially given that the two are drastically different.
If you're looking to be fluent/learn as much in one language as possible then I would stick to one language. But again I don't know what you're goals are and what type of student you are so you could very well be the opposite of me and do fantastic with both! :)

Best of luck darling

September 15, 2014

If you have enough capacity and time to study two foreign languages, don't hesitate to do it.

September 16, 2014

If it's your first time to learn another language(es), I would not recommend it. However, you mentioned that your Spanish is at intermediate level so you probably have the basics and a lot of vocabulary down. In that case, I think it would be workable. But you have to devise methods on how to study and separate the two, like using memory aids (mind maps, etc.)

 

I also grew up trilingual but that did not mean learning languages in a classroom setting came naturally to me. Because I am a native speaker of those 3 languages, I never once thought of grammar or ways to acquire vocabulary, things that are important in learning languages as an adult.  I started studying both Spanish and Japanese at the same time and it was a struggle (constant mixing of grammar and vocabulary). Looking back, I think it would have been better for me to focus on one language first to learn what methods work best for me. Anyway, once you learn a second language, the third and fourth are easier due to your experience in knowing what works best for you.

September 16, 2014
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