1. Find one person to talk with, a conversation partner
2. No english rule with this person, only language that you are learning
3. Start speaking :)
"a good start is half the success"
0:00Transcriber: Alina Siluyanova
Reviewer: Denise RQ
0:03Scot Young: We want to start off
with a question for you.0:06By a show of hands, how many of you
have put in time and effort
0:10
into learning another language?
0:12
Maybe you took
a high school Spanish class,
0:14
or maybe you took
a lot of Rosetta Stone,
0:17
but you can't confidently speak
that language right now.
0:22
Vat Jaiswal: OK. That's most of you here.
0:24
Some of you are raising
both of your hands.
0:29
So, we've tried learning
a few languages ourselves,
0:32
we're going to talk about it in a minute.
0:34
But let's talk about what is the problem,
0:36
what is the main issue
that is holding everybody back
0:40
from learning languages.
0:41
Could it be that you're using
the wrong program of study,
0:45
and if you were to use
a perfect program or the application,
0:48
then you'd be able to learn the language?
0:51
SY: Well, here the track record
isn't too good.
0:54
Out of the 1,000 Americans who responded
to the General Social Survey,
0:59
only 7 claimed that they could speak
another language very well,
1:03
and had actually learned it in school.
1:05
And if you consider self-study programs,
like Rosetta Stone or Pimsleur,
1:09
well, they can work some of the time,
but they have another problem:
1:13
huge drop out rates.
1:14
[NFLC], at the University of Maryland
1:17
did a study that took
an enthusiastic group of volunteers
1:20
and found that only 6% put in
more than 100 hours with the program,
1:24
which is far less than
what you'd need using these programs
1:27
to become fluent in any language.
1:30
VJ: OK, well, maybe then the problem is
1:32
that you don't live in the country
that uses this language,
1:35
and if you were to move there,
you'd be able to learn it.
1:38
SY: Here I have to agree with you, Vat.
1:40
Living in the country that speaks
the language, definitely helps.
1:43
It provides motivation
and an opportunity for immersion.
1:46
But it's not the answer
to all of your problems.
1:49
If you go to the country
and you don't yet speak the language,
1:52
what are you going to do?
1:53
Are you going to rely on other expats
and locals who speak English
1:56
to help you to get by?
1:57
And that's going
to create a bubble of English,
2:00
it is going to isolate you
from immersing yourself.
2:02
So, we know an extreme example.
2:04
We know of an American businessman
who went to Korea,
2:06
married a Korean woman,
had children in Korea,
2:10
lived in Korea for 20 years,
2:13
still couldn't have
a decent conversation in Korean.
2:15
So, living in the other country helps,
but it is not a silver bullet
2:19
that will answer
all of your problems on its own.
2:22
VJ: OK, well, finally maybe the problem
is that you're simply too old,
2:25
and you should've tried
learning the language as a kid
2:28
because kids learn
the languages faster, right?
2:31
SY:This is actually a pervasive myth.
2:33
Steven Brown of Einstein University
2:35
and Jennifer Larson-Hall
of Qiushi University
2:37
reviewed the literature and found
2:39
adults actually learn languages faster
than children in the short run.
2:43
It's only when we talk about
2:45
reaching native-like levels
of pronunciation and grammar
2:48
where children start to show
an upper hand over an adult.
2:50
So, definitely, if you want to just
be able to communicate with people,
2:54
have conversations, there is no reason
2:56
you can't learn
a second language at any age.
2:59
VJ: If those are not the core issues,
what is the core issue?
3:05
We have a completely different hypothesis,
3:08
and to explain this concept
3:10
I want you to look
at this image of the ocean.
3:13
Now, if you look at the water,
you're going to see 2 distinct zones:
3:16
zone at the bottom
where the waves are breaking,
3:19
an the zone at the top
where the water is relatively calm.
3:23
Now, I want you to imagine
you're standing on the shore,
3:27
and you want to swim out into the ocean.
3:30
When you first start
swimming out into the ocean,
3:33
you ARE going to be in this first zone
where the waves are breaking.
3:36
And swimming in this zone
is incredibly difficult,
3:39
you feel this incredible resistance,
3:41
the waves come crushing down on you,
3:43
and they constantly try
to push you back to the shore.
3:47
However, if you were to push through
this zone and get to the second zone,
3:51
suddenly, swimming becomes a lot easier
3:54
and more importantly,
the waves are not trying to push you back,
3:57
you're no longer feel
this incredible resistance.
4:01
So, we believe that language learning
works very similar to this.
4:05
When you first start learning a language,
4:08
you're going to be in this first zone
4:10
which we call 'the zone of fear'
or 'the zone of frustration',
4:14
because this is where you fear
using the language,
4:16
this is where you fear making mistakes,
4:19
this is where you fear
embarrassing yourself.
4:23
And learning a language
in this zone is very difficult:
4:26
the waves represent this negative feedback
4:28
and this constantly tries
to push you back to the shore.
4:32
However, if you were
to push past this zone
4:35
and get to the second zone
where the waters are calmer,
4:38
suddenly language learning
becomes a lot easier, and a lot more fun.
4:42
Mind you, I'm not saying
that you're perfect
4:45
when you reach the second zone,
4:46
or maybe you only know a few words,
but you're able to use them confidently,
4:51
maybe you're able to have
some simple conversations.
4:54
And language only goes
from being always frustrating
4:58
to now being rewarding,
most of the time.
5:02
So, the core issue, we believe,
that a lot of the people have
5:06
is that people get stuck
in this zone of fear and frustration
5:11
for longer than they have to,
5:12
and for some people, forever.
5:15
And if all you see is negative feedback,
5:18
it's very hard to motivate yourself
to learn further and improve yourself,
5:21
and learn the language
that you really want to learn.
5:24
So, ideally, you'd use a different method,
5:28
a method that allows you
to get past this zone very quickly
5:32
and very efficiently,
5:34
so you can get to the part
where language learning
5:36
is fun and easy as quickly as you can.
5:38
SY: We believe we have this method,
a method that cuts through the waves
5:43
and gets you to the easier part
of language learning
5:46
as quickly and efficiently as possible.
5:49
It's very simple.
5:50
Don't speak in English.
5:54
And, that might sound
a little obvious or simplistic,
5:57
but it's actually really powerful.
5:58
When you force yourself to speak
the language you're trying to learn,
6:01
and you learn words
and phrases by necessity,
6:04
not the order it comes up in the textbook
6:06
That means you automatically learn
the most frequent vocabulary
6:09
and the most important words
for your situation.
6:12
Next, because you don't know
many words and phrases,
6:14
you're going to overuse what you do know.
6:16
This results in effects
psychologists call overlearning
6:19
which allows you to access
that information automatically.
6:22
You don't need to get
your tongue tight or hesitating
6:24
when you're using
basic words and phrases.
6:27
And finally, because you're
not allowed to speak in English
6:30
you're going to easily develop
conversational work-arounds
6:33
to handle situations
that are above your level.
6:35
That is going to be
from learning simple phrases like:
6:38
"What does this mean?"
and "How do you say this?
6:40
in the language, relatively early on,
6:42
to being able to efficiently use things
like Google Translator and dictionaries
6:46
to integrate new words and phrases
into your conversations
6:49
while you're having them.
6:52
VJ: So how do we know
that this method works?
6:55
Well, we know that this method works
because we've tried it for ourselves.
6:59
So, last year Scott and I
did an experiment.
7:02
But we tried to learn
four different languages,
7:05
and we went to four different countries
7:08
to learn these languages over a year.
7:10
And we used the same no-English rule
to learn the languages.
7:15
So, first we went to Spain
to learn Spanish over 3 months,
7:18
then we went to Brazil
to learn Portuguese over 3 months,
7:22
then over to China
to learn Mandarin over 3 months,
7:26
and finally over to Korea
to learn Korean over 3 months.
7:30
And we found that this
no-English rule worked incredibly well.
7:33
As a matter of fact, near the end
of our travels in each country,
7:36
we were confidently able
to have conversations with native speakers
7:41
pretty much about any subject,
7:43
and going by our daily lives,
7:45
using the language
that we were trying to learn.
7:48
So we actually have a short video
that we would like to show you
7:51
that captures the kind of progress
that we were able to make
7:54
using this no English rule
just under 3 months for each country.
7:57
So, take a look.
7:59
(Video)
9:03
SY: This might seem a little bit extreme.
9:06
After all, wouldn't it be a lot easier
to speak some English
9:09
when you're trying to learn the language
9:11
even if it is not quite as fast
as this no-English rule?
9:14
We actually believe
that this is a misconception.
9:17
And to argue that why
it is a misconception,
9:20
I'd like to reference
an experience that I had.
9:23
You see, years before
we did this challenge,
9:26
I had a different opportunity
to learn a second language.
9:29
I was in the university
and I had an opportunity
9:31
to study abroad for a year in France.
9:34
And like this trip, I was very eager
to learn the local language.
9:38
I bought books, I downloaded podcasts,
9:40
I really wanted
to become fluent in French.
9:43
The only difference
that I had no specific rule
9:47
against speaking in English.
9:49
I figured, "I'll go there and I'll speak
as much English as I need to,
9:53
and I'll just try
to practice French whenever I can."
9:56
And after a year of living in France,
9:58
and pushing myself
to study every single day,
10:00
I did get to a point where
I could have a conversation,
10:03
but it was never easy,
it always felt difficult,
10:07
it always felt like I was
a little out of place.
10:11
And contrast that to that
of my more recent experience in Spain.
10:14
Once again, we have
the motivation and opportunity,
10:17
but this time
we have the no-English rule.
10:19
From the very first day we came to Spain,
10:21
we decided we were only
going to speak in Spanish.
10:24
And, as you can probably imagine,
10:26
with limited Spanish skills
it was very difficult in the beginning.
10:29
We had to communicate to each other
10:31
almost exclusively through
our dictionaries for these first few days.
10:35
But after 2 weeks something changed,
10:38
it started to get a bit easier.
10:39
After a month even easier.
10:41
And by the third month
we were in Spain, it'd become so easy,
10:45
that living our lives
entirely in Spanish was automatic.
10:49
We didn't have to think
about studying or practicing,
10:51
it was completely invisible in our lives.
10:54
And what's more,
after just 3 months in Spain,
10:59
our Spanish, both of our Spanish,
was much better than my French was
11:03
after a year of living in France
and deliberately studying it.
11:06
And so, when you're evaluating
the difficulty of a method,
11:10
particularly in learning languages,
11:11
it's not really fair to look at that
initial sliver of difficulty
11:15
because you have to look
at how much effort
11:17
you're going to be putting in
not just in the beginning,
11:20
but day after day, month after month
11:21
in order to finally being able
to learn this language.
11:24
And what we found is not even just
that the no English rule is faster,
11:28
but that when you take it
over this longer view,
11:30
it is actually easier
than any other method we've tried
11:33
for learning a language.
11:36
VJ: And I'd like to speak about
another misconception
11:38
that a lot of people have
11:40
is that you'd somehow be able
to completely avoid making mistakes
11:43
when you first start learning a language.
11:45
And that's simply not true.
11:48
Actually making mistakes is very good
because it means you're using the language
11:52
and eventually it helps you
to gain the confidence
11:54
that you need to speak the language.
11:56
When Scott and I
were doing this challenge,
11:59
we made mistakes every day
especially in the beginning,
12:03
everything we said
was wrong, but that's OK.
12:06
And in China and in Korea,
12:08
because Chinese and Korean
are so much harder
12:10
than the European languages
we attempted to learn,
12:12
we slipped up and broke
the no English rule
12:15
a couple of times as well,
but it didn't matter
12:19
because it is not about making mistakes,
12:21
how many mistakes you're making,
12:22
it is more about that each time
you make a mistake you try again.
12:27
So, remember that the whole goal
of this process and this method
12:30
is to push past this zone
of frustration and fear
12:33
so you can get to the part
12:35
where language learning
becomes fun and easy.
12:37
Ideally, the way you'd do this
12:40
is you'd move to the country
that speaks this language
12:43
and go 100% immersion from the first day
12:47
and commit to the no English rule.
12:49
But obviously, that's a bit extreme
12:51
and a lot of you here
might not have the opportunity to do that.
12:55
But I'd like to point out
that the beauty of the no English rule
12:59
is that it doesn't have to be 100%
no English all the time with everybody.
13:05
It can also work in a limited context.
13:08
So let me give you an example.
13:09
If you're trying to learn Spanish
13:11
and you have a co-worker
or colleague that speaks Spanish,
13:15
maybe you commit to the no English rule
every time you see this person.
13:20
So, every time you're going to see them
you only commit to speaking in Spanish.
13:23
So if you were to bump in them
at the water cooler
13:26
and you want to make small talk,
13:27
and you want to say
- let's say you were busy at work -
13:30
and you want to say:
"Oh, I'm so busy today,"
13:33
it is OK to pull out your dictionary,
and translate the entire sentence.
13:37
You don't have to feel ready to say this,
13:39
the goal is to just try and attempt.
13:42
And what this really helps you to do
13:44
is that it helps you out
with two really important things.
13:47
The first one:
13:48
it helps you to remove the ambiguity
of which language should you use,
13:54
because if with this co-worker,
let's say, you can speak in Spanish,
13:57
and you can speak in English,
obviously you're going to default
14:00
to speaking in English
because it is so much easier.
14:03
But by committing
to the no English rule, you're saying:
14:06
"Every time I see this person
I know it is practice time,
14:09
there is no doubt in my mind
that now I have to speak Spanish
14:12
even if I have to pull out my dictionary."
14:14
And the second thing it helps you out with
14:16
is it helps you develop a habit
of speaking the language
14:21
even at the very low level of ability.
14:23
This really helps you out to build
the confidence that you eventually
14:27
are going to need
when you'll start speaking this language
14:30
to the higher level of ability.
14:33
SY: So you've heard about our challenge.
14:35
Now we'd like to issue you one.
14:37
And no, we're not asking you
to sell out your stuff
14:40
and go to live in a far away country.
14:42
We're going to ask you
to do something a lot simpler
14:44
but if you follow through on it,
it will still be very effective
14:47
if you want to finally start having
conversations in that language
14:50
you'd been learning all your life.
14:53
Just 3 steps.
14:55
Step 1: Find one person.
14:58
It could be a native speaker
of this language,
15:01
or it could be another language learner,
15:03
it could be someone you already know,
15:05
a friend, a colleague, a spouse,
15:08
or it could be someone you find online.
15:10
There are services like
italki.com and livemocha
15:13
to find conversation partners online.
15:15
So if you can't find
this person in your life right now,
15:17
there are easy tools
for finding them online.
15:20
Step 2: Commit to
the no English rule with this person.
15:23
Every time you see them
just speak in this language
15:26
that you're trying to learn.
15:27
Tell them that, you know,
even though you're not too great
15:30
at the language yet,
you are going to have to use
15:32
Google Translator and dictionary
a lot in the beginning, that's OK.
15:35
Step 3: Start speaking.
15:38
Once again, it is not something
you have to be perfect at.
15:40
You might slip up and break
the "no English" rule, just try again.
15:45
Pull out your phone,
download the Google Translator app,
15:48
you can type in the whole sentences
if you don't feel comfortable yet
15:51
speaking the language.
15:52
The goal is to get you to start speaking,
15:54
to start building
that knowledge of the words,
15:56
and start practicing those core phrases.
15:58
What we're hoping is
that by showing you this method
16:01
we're encouraging you
to get started with something,
16:04
not to be perfect,
and maybe even today to decide
16:07
to find that one person
and start this rule,
16:10
and finally start speaking that language.
16:12
Chinese have an expression:
16:14
(Chinese) "A good start
is a half of success,"
16:17
which means:
"A good start is a half of success."(Applause)