I feel fake polyglots make the real ones look bad. Some genuine language learners will get bad reputation because of guys who can say "I want coffee" in 58 languages

_"Look for the best educators, not the best polyglots"_ golden advice, and is applicable not just in language learning

I prefer “multilingual” to “polyglot”. And I totally agree with you about the pub test. I typically say (as with French, for example), that I can speak it well enough to order the wrong item from a menu but explain why I rather liked the dish anyway. And at the end of the day, I never undertake to learn a new language because I want to IMPRESS others. I learn them because I want to EXPRESS myself with others without using English as a universal crutch. Cheers! -Phill, Las Vegas

I don't think people are criticising them for having a certain level. They are criticising them for intentionally making themselves look like a higher level than they actually are (through multiple takes, jumpcuts, notes off screen, etc). I have seen videos of people speaking Russian fluently to the camera after what they claim is 1 year of study (which I know to be impossible). Lo and behold there is never a single video on their channels of them speaking the language in a natural setting - it's always just them speaking to the camera and glancing off screen. I think misrepresenting yourself is toxic as it leads people to think impossible results are possible, which then leads on to ideas like "oh well maybe I'm not cut out for language learning, as I don't have the talent they have".

People don't criticize KZfaq polyglots for having low level in a language. They criticize them when they claim to have a level they don't actually have. Lying is bad, no matter who gets inspired by those lies. There's no need to lie to viewers.

I had dinner with my German teacher from highschool recently (it's been 35 years), I'm old. She speaks 4 languages and we were talking about having a "good ear" which makes our pronunciation more native. She admitted when she went to a teacher's conference and was placed in the advanced German teacher's pool because of her perfect accent. They were speaking at a level which was esoteric to her and she had to insist to be placed in the intermediate group. I have to be just as honest with my apparent skill when all it is is a good accent. My vocabulary isn't nearly where I want it to be.

This is probably the most mature attitude to this matter I've seen on KZfaq - another reason for me to respect Olly

I used to think those “polyglot speaking 50 languages, wowing locals by ordering a sandwich!” are harmless and that the average person understands that these people are not actually comfortable in the languages they try to speak in. And most people like me, whose native language is not particularly useful or popular meeting someone who even makes the smalles effort is interesting hence the reactions. But I didn’t consider that most people also do not have experience learning a foreign language beyond a high school course and it’s thus not as obvious as it might seem. And once it enters the territory of selling “language programs” claiming to teach you a foreign tongue in 30 days it’s entering the unethical territory for me. I have no problems with people who enjoy learning dozens of languages on some basic tourist level and sharing that. As long as they are honest, it’s harmless. A hobby like any other. But for someone who wants to learn a foreign language in a dedicated, progressive way those channels are largely useless and it’s probably much better to find channels dedicated to your language of choice. Those will surly be more helpful and inspiring. To each their own.

"I understand if you disagree with me, but I don't really care." I wish more people lived under this rule.

I rather describe myself as multilingual than identify as a polyglot. Multilingual is an attribute - one can possess the trait weakly or strongly and if someone criticizes my language skills, it doesn't feel like a personal attack. Polyglot seems to be used far more often as an identity. If I say I'm a polyglot, and someone criticizes my language skills, it'll feel more like an attack on my sense of self. It's like the difference between saying a person is beautiful versus call that person a "beauty." One is a trait that may be important, but it is one of many, and "losing looks" won't cause an identity crisis. However, if you're a "beauty," that's the central aspect of your self-conception and "losing your looks" is an existential crisis.

I agree with you about the Dunning Kruger effect. The more I learn about a language, the more I see how far I need to go for fluency. I see how people could get discouraged. To me, it's like eating an elephant, you do it one bite at a time.

It's not being criticized for the level at which you speak a language. It's being criticized when you going on TV shows claiming that you can be fluent in 3 months (literally using that terminology) while having a truly mediocre level, yet think you are an authority on language learning. Worse, when that's praised by people who have no idea how well that person actually speaks the language because they don't speak it themselves.

I think the problem is, if I see "learn perfect x" in 3 months whilst i'm compeltely struggling learning Korean, I just feel bad. I feel like im slacking, and will never get to a good level. I do get the sense that their videos aren't entirely honest in whats considered "perfect". I actually posted this commet before I got to your section at the end, and I'm glad to see it finally mentioned and properly discussed.

It's not clickbait that I mind so much. I mean, Benny's Fluent in Three Months for Mandarin is what heavily inspired my Chinese journey. What absolutely boils my blood is racialized titles on KZfaq, seemingly mostly by Americans, like "LATINA shocked at WHITE GUY'S PERFECT Spanish" or "BLACK MAN SHOCKS locals with FLUENT MANDARIN," as if there aren't tons of ethnically diverse people that already speak those languages all over the world.

Ah yes, I will never forget when a certain famous KZfaq polyglot "learned French in 24 hours".

The problem is that people (content creators) and "youtube-polyglots" waste peoples time by claiming shit they aren't. What makes people kind of annoyed is clicking on a video about learning languages and some moron runs around memorizing a few phrases and clickbaits the video as being a "polyglot" or "shocking" people with their immense language skill.

Here in the Netherlands, dutch people who speak *only* three foreign languages (typically English, German and French) are NOT considered polyglots. I'm guessing that speaking only 4 languages isn't considered special in places like India, Indonesia or Nigeria either

I don't care if I am/will be polyglot! I'm just enjoying learning languages, exploring new worlds, readings books in their original language! Videos of people who learn languages encourage me, I returned to Japanese that I left a few years ago, I picked some new languages... I'm happy right now and that's all that matters. Thanks for the video and have a nice weekend!

The issue for me isn’t the level they speak, it’s the people who claim they learned it 30 days or 90 days. I don’t believe it’s true. I believe they’re practicing for months and then coming out and saying they’re going to do a challenge and learn the language in x amount of time when they already had a headstart. Anyone who has started to learning a language knows how challenging it can be and how much consistency ir requires. So we go to these liars looking for methods to find a more efficient process and it’s not doable. That is discouraging.

The problem I see is people promoting methods or selling things on false pretenses. A beginner searching KZfaq for advice and inspiration isn't going to be able to tell how good or bad someone really is. If the person can speak quickly and sound confident it's going to look and sound impressive even if half of what they say is gibberish. I've seen a couple of KZfaqrs, one or two of them prominent in the "polyglot community", who are selling materials or methods and claim to be fluent in my native language and they're just not. At least not to a level I think anyone setting out to learn a language aims for even as a first step. It's kind of like someone boasting that they have the perfect method for teaching you maths, but they can't actually do anything beyond addition and subtraction. There's nothing wrong with not being great at maths, and you can definitely celebrate the joy of learning maths and talk about the journey of learning maths even if you're not an expert. But they look a bit silly if they start boasting about their skills, and if they start trying to sell maths classes to beginners they're just being jerks.

the BEST advice I heard about language learning (and any other leaning really) is to not compare yourself with others, but with yourself in the past I keep track of the dates I do my studying and I like to check it back later. Even if I feel like a month has been really slow with the studies, I can see a BIG difference from some months ago - This always boosts my self confidence and motivates me to continue my progress

When I first saw an “I learned x language in 7 days”, video - and saw that smug, self important look on the KZfaqr’s face that made that claim, it really soured my taste to the term “polyglot” and self proclaimed KZfaq polyglots in general. It made me feel like they were making a mockery of all the hard work real people put into learning a language and like it was all just self wankage for their own ego. I went on an unsubscribing spree after that. It was such a turn off 😅

I’m part of the silent majority that I’m inspired by the “polyglots” lol. It helps my motivation

What I have noticed is that many of those polyglots record themselves expressing a few simple concepts in a foreign language and that's it. Anyone can learn to introduce themselves and talk about their hobbies in a new language, but actually being fluent is an entirely different story.

As someone that watches this community from the outside, all the videos of people attacking each other and saying x and y don't actually know a language, I am better, general elitism, etc just seems so pathetic, their lives could be so much better if they just lived their own lives, and it's made me not even want to watch them casually anymore, I appreciate that you took it more objectively and that you are the one person to say "who cares", I had concerns clicking on this

What is toxic is not calling people out on their claims, it's people misrepresenting their level for clicks because it discourages honest learners.

After a while participating in the polyglot community, I decided that negative comments were rarely if ever helpful and it’s best to just stay positive. I really like your comment about how the people who speak the most languages are not necessarily the ones whose advice you should follow most closely. I think that’s totally true.

One of my life goals is to speak two foreign languages fluently. I'm hovering at around B2-C1 in Spanish and just started learning French a couple of weeks ago. I have never told someone that I am bilingual, and only have become comfortable very recently telling people "I can speak Spanish." Otherwise I feel like a scumbag.

We learn languages to enrich our lives. It doesn’t matter if we speak well or not. Of course we can improve over time but it’s not a competition. Let’s keep things positive

As part of the "silent majority", I can say that most polyglots from KZfaq don't add much to my learning. Like you said, they are just amusement. On the other side, your videos really add something. You don't need to teach me German in order to make me learn the language. You help me just showing the reality. Thank you.

i've seen a lot of people that pretend to speak my language but they actually don't

By not playing the Best Polyglot Game, he has earned my respect as my new favorite polyglot. He doesn't brag, he is encouraging, and he stresses what is actually important in language learning.

I'm learning russian, it's extremely hard (French native) but I am also really motivated and enjoying it a lot. Never give up on your dreams!

The fastest way to discourage someone from learning a language is to tell them they're not good enough in that language. It's so cruel, and also elitist and gate-keep-y. You don't see language teachers (good teachers, anyway) saying "Oh Jimmy that sucked, you need to be better." Language learning is hard and it takes a long time to become "fluent" (whatever that means) so calm down! Whoever is making these claims and being critical is someone who's insecure and wants to feel superior to other people. I imagine most of these people are native English speakers too, since it's very common to be a monolingual English speaker, and no doubt they feel superior if they speak more than one language. But actually, bi/multilingualism is super common around the world and you're not special or superior. Have a piece of humble pie and just go back to studying. lol

Instead of making outlandish claims, make modest claims like "Learn to talk about your hobbies, family, and job in a couple of months" or "Learn to read and understand a simple story in a few months."

It's interesting because one of those outlandish claim videos of "learning a language in 7 days" actually was the video that first got me motivated to learn a language and now I speak fluent Spanish. (I'm a native English speaker from Scotland)

This was never a problem in the past ... as you said ... but "influencers" decided to market their brand with fluency to fool the average viewer which obviously made makes the average person mad... especially when the person is unable to communicate but markets themselves as 'fluent' so viewers became more savvy and critical as a result. These people got millions of views so, it's only natural that polyglots and people who understood (-ish lol) got mad.

The best polyglot are the people "in the environment", as they have to deal with circumstances; such as Language 1 at home, Language 2 and 3 at school (national/official plus another one). Then, if the situation is (e.g.: war, poverty, personal reason, etc...), and this person migrate in a XXXX country, probably one more language is added. In any form, those people are never or barely heard in KZfaq.

To the questions in the type of "Can you discuss morality of roman law in X?" I say "Can you do that in your native language?". As for language level... Unless person misrepresents their level in bad faith, just be polite and constructive in your criticism

My only Problem with the "polyglot community" and "fake polyglots" is that many of them exaggerate how easy it is to learn. I've seen numerous youtubers claim that it should only take a few months to speak a language comfortably, and one guy state that English speakers can learn the romance languages fluently in about a year. Just staying these things as a fact of life. It can be discouraging for the 95% of people that cannot do this (for whatever reason) and in fact discourage people. I just want people to be realistic and honest. If you dedicate your entire life to languages and spend 6 hours a day in classes, studies, practice, and travel the world to immerse yourself then sure. Maybe you'll be at a higher level of competency in a year. That's just not reality for most.

People want them to be recognized as genius and so they just want to say they can learn everything in less time than everybody else

My problem with people claiming to speak a language they only know a few sentence s in ,and then charging people to teach that language! That's definitely dishonest!😢😕

Duolingo speedruns are quite fun though!

"Why are you learning a language?" Me? Oh. I'm learning Norwegian for basically no reason. I don't know. Norwegian's only spoken in Norway, by only five million people, I'm no Norwegian, there are so many other languages that are much more useful, and equally as easy. But I don't know. I like Norwegian, and I have no plans of quitting. Learn what you like. Stop listening to other people and just do it. Who really cares what others think? You're learning for yourself.

I spent thirteen years learning Japanese while living in Tokyo. You know what? Learning Japanese was hard. I just started learning Arabic now. You know what? That’s just a whole new kind of hard.

Lol the Pub Test is something that I could really get behind 🍻

Surely criticism of one's language ability is entirely justified when said person purports to speak a language/languages at a much higher level than they actually do, and in some cases attempts to sell courses/advice based on their apparent language abilities? A quick way to overcome this would be to clearly state your ability level when/if making videos in multiple languages. These videos of "How X learnt to speak 20+ languages" are nonsense. More often than not the person only speaks a handful of those 20+ really well but goes along with the self congratulatory title knowing full well it will drive more views/subscribers/income.

Actually, I did "learn" Spanish in about 10 weeks myself. :-D OK, at the time I knew only very basic vocabulary and the present tense. But still, I managed to go from Madrid to Santiago on a bicycle, speaking Spanish (ok... barely :-) ) with virtually everybody who did not escape fast enough, and refusing to speak any other language (except for one Spanish guy in the middle of nowhere, with whom I spoke Russian :-D ). I knew my level was very basic, and was happy like hell with every phrase I understood or was able to say and be understood correctly - and that I managed to arrange my daily bread and nightly accommodation in the interior where English is not that much popular. Half a year later I went to Spain again. My capabilities somewhat grew by that time (not to discuss nuclear physics in the pub, of course), but my expectations grew even more. Consequently, I was really disappointed with the outcome albeit objectively speaking, my language level was significantly higher by that time. My learning from those trips was to manage your expectations properly. Expect less and be happy.

Honestly, I love watching language learning videos…however, I am getting tired of the whole, “white guy shocks locals by speaking blah blah blah”. I wish they would share their process instead of choosing to constantly show off their “skills”. It’s getting old and no one cares

As for me, I am a native speaker of German, I have a C level in English, at least B2 (if not C1) in Spanish, B1 in French, B1 in Polish, A2 in Italian, A1 in Russian and I have good reading comprehension skills in Portuguese and Swedish. However, I never call myself a polyglot, because I don't want to have all the pressure on me... Whenever I am called a polyglot, I usually justg play it down by saying "I am just a language enthusiast, my language skills are still a little bit too mediocre, but I hope that I will eventually become a polyglot in the future" :) Whenever I say this, people still see me as a polyglot, because in most cases my language skills are still much better than theirs, but at least they think I am a modest one and not an arrogant prick :)

I know how to say “I love you” in roughly 10 languages. Am I a polyglot? 😂

“Lying” implies deception. Most KZfaq “polyglots” genuinely believe their own hype, so no- technically they aren’t lying. It’s just a stunning example of the Dunning-Krueger effect in action

Guess how long it takes to learn a language....A Life Time ! It doesn't stop...You will always be learning new words...

Been ages since you first came up with this concept, thanks for putting all of the thought into it!

I felt that I needed it so much!!! First I listened to it in the podcast form and then I watched again the content and made some notes in my journal. Thank you so much for sharing some down to earth perspectives on this topic and helping me to free myself from those toxic youtubers who makes many people see themselves as failures.

I started learning Portuguese about a year ago, just out of pure interest in a third language (I'm a German native speaker) and simply because there was a lot of time available during the lockdowns in my country. My family and the majority of friends were immensely supportive about it, but some just shook their heads and called it a waste of time. Well ...... even though I consider myself far from being fluent, I have fallen in love with the language, have made many new good friends from Portugal and Brazil online and now I think it was one of the best decision I ever made in my entire life. I never thought that learning more languages was so much fun and enriched my life at a level I couldn't imagine before. All of this lead me to start with Spanish and Dutch as well in the meantime. I totally agree on your point of view here and don't understand all the criticism going on in the web about the fluency level of certain people. I think as long as you are honestly trying, you already deserve credit rather than criticism. You''re getting out of your comfort zone, try new things and this I think will be one of the major reasons why those people are bashing in the first place. I think they secretly are jealous, because it's something that can be scary at first, but can also broaden your intellectual horizon and can give you the possibility to connect with people, countries and cultures that you couldn't connect with before. They simply don't dare to take this step as well and therefore see the necessity to bash on those who dared to do it. This is just my own opinion of course.

the best athletes don't make the best coaches... so true

Olly, faire cette vidéo était absolument la bonne chose à faire. Merci d'être si positif. Je suis heureux que tu aies abordé le sujet des vidéos "J'ai appris X langues en X jours/semaines". Elles sont nuisibles et décourageantes.

I would be happy if someone simply tried to learn portuguese, I would never judge these people's capabilities.

Ahhh I was inspired by you !! I was learning German for 3 years but didn't love it. Now I'm learning Xhosa/ Zulu and I am obsessed by it ! I've learnt 200 words in 2 months and I know I'll keep going. . lots of love to you xxxxxxx

Consider this my attempt at having a gushing post about how much I love your channel and this video. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said here. Thanks!

Best wishes to all of you wanting to be a polyglot, or just learning one new language! Remember that it takes a long time and hard work, so please don't give up just because you feel like you're not progressing fast enough. Even if you just learn one new word today, it's still one step closer to your goal! 🤗

You are so wholesome--I've been soaking up your videos all week, not just for the good ideas but for the uplifting encouraging attitude!

Thank you for the video! I really liked the way you explained these ideas. I especially liked your advice on "Find your why", because having a "try-to-impress-others" motive will not get you far in the long run. External motivation can give you a mood boost in the short term (I want to find a job using my language, for example), but internal motivation is huge - motives such as the love for the sound of the language, wanting to speak and connect with friends and family in the language, curiosity for the culture, or if you're a grammar nerd and you love the complex grammar of a language - these are great motives and will keep people persistent and driven in their learning, in my opinion. Thanks for the video and your advice in general!

There are a few reasons that this subject bothers me: people claiming to learn a language in an unrealistic amount of time or claiming to be a polyglot with no proof are essentially lying. That's annoying, but then they are typically making money off of lies. This is their business, and other businesses are not allowed to lie, so why are they? Further, if someone claims to be a polyglot and offers no proof, then I don't believe them. Period. I also don't think it's particularly helpful or healthy to be a polyglot. Most often that just means a person has learned a bunch of languages badly to a low conversational level. Why the fuck bother? "Jack of all trades, master of none" is an idiom that exists for a very good reason. I have much more respect for someone who learns one or a couple of languages to a truly deep and fluent level, and who exists in those cultures. Sure, that's my preference, but it's also the most healthy and reasonable attitude/approach to take. In my "radical" take, I believe that almost all language learning/resources should be free, so it especially bugs me when bad-language learners (polyglots) or fake language learners (the scammers) try to monetize or scam people. I believe that they should go to jail for fraud. I've been around the language-learning youtube community for many years now. Far too many content-creators are still not demonstrating their language skills or cultural life, and are just hawking their own materials or sponsorships/affiliate links. I dislike this immensely. I would love to see the rise of polyglots admitting the levels they speak at and showing their processes, and how they exist in those cultures. This would essentially put the kaboosh in the polyglot trend because then people would see how shallow the skills are there. I would also love to see the trend of authentic language learners putting their methods and actual skills out there, along with their cultural life. This would be the best model for language learners. They could see the variety of methods and styles, along with what reasonable and realistic progress and setbacks looks like. This would be the ideal future.

Seeing Lomb Kató's name here brought back childhood memories. :) As for the pub test, I usually speak more fluently after a beer or two :D

best answer to this drama … I unfollowed toxic “polyglots” criticizing other polyglots…

If only more people followed that idea - caring more about what you're doing yourself than what someone else is doing! Great video Olly, thank you!

I saw a xioama video on him learning norwegian like in two weeks, thought "that so inspiring, now I have more believe in what I can do", tried to learn french in a month, failed astronomically and got discouraged for a while, then got deeper into languages and actual language learning, learned about how many hours you have to actually put in. Those videos are somewhat inspiring but very harmful, they set unrealistic goals on what you can achieve, they are technically fake natty gym influencers but in languages xd.

I am definitely in that silent majority that is inspired by all of these videos. I’m currently learning Portuguese and watching these videos just helps me know I’m not the only one out here trying to deeply learn another culture.

I am always deeply amazed by people who dare to strike up a conversation with people in another language regardless of their knowledge of grammar or their vocabulary, and watching people on KZfaq doing exactly this DOES INDEED INSPIRE! As I am learning EU Portuguese (with many sounds that are NOT in my native language), I found it hard to just go out and talk to people, but lo and behold, I have mustered up the courage after watching language videos, and I have managed to have some decent conversations (though sometimes with a lot of gestures haha)! For people on KZfaq learning languages, their videos are also a testament to their progress!

Unfortunately, I am under the age of 18: I cannot enter a bar, therefore I fail the pub test every time and speak zero languages.

I feel the friends not being as interested in languages as you so deeply. I live in the southern united states, and occasionally someone can say a few things in spanish, but there is never a real interest. I'm thirteen currently I've been learning Italian more seriously for over a year now, but I have known small bits my whole life. Italian is by far my best foreign language, the others not yet as advanced or serious, but i love it so much. Learning languages doesn't even feel like work because i love it. It's what I'm happy doing.

Great video Olly! Agree with many points! I like how positive you are! - Victor

I totally agree on the way one can prove oneself that one is a multilingual. What I have learned over my languages learning years is that you don't need to take every single international exam to prove others that you understand and are able to use a language. In my country and in my town there are slim chances to go to a bar an meet a foreigner, but I read, listen a ton on songs and Netflix my brain a lot. The happiness experienced when no subs are needed or when I can talk back to a character is something that no one will take away from me. Thanks for voicing out reason and reality! Keep it up.

I'm with you on this. I am a language learner who has been watching those kinds of videos lately and am now getting recommended these videos about them being frauds, or questions on whether they're lying. I think one relatable point on the negative you bring up is the question of "what am I doing wrong?" and I will admit that did pop up in my head when I saw one of these videos for my target language, though I knew more than the person in question, but I've spent nearly a year with it. But what stood out stronger for me was that they were able to hold conversations and understand people with only a basic understanding and I think that idea could and should promote the idea of using your language sooner. In hindsight, I kind of wish more of these videos weren't the clickbaiting "Wow this guy's a genius for learning a language so quick" but showing that actually, their level of language comprehension is achievable and that you don't need to be fluent to use a language and you don't have to special to learn them either. As I commented in another video on this topic, the clickbait title I think I'd prefer to see is, "Regular Guy Speaks Tagalog to local Philipine restaurant". But the content, it's often not so bad, especially if they're holding conversation and meeting new people using their target language, rather than just getting the "Wow you speak Korean! That's so awesome!" Though those reactions will be normal, but I like when there's a bit more substance than that. But the ones I think the interest me the most are those using lesser spoken languages, especially if it helps promote them. And I think some languages feel less accessible because you don't tend to see language resources for them, so if they can do it, then why not somebody else? I was surprised by the resources I found for learning Tuvan online and am learning it now. Not because of Polyglot KZfaqrs mind you, as my interest predated me watching their videos

"Multilingual" is an adjective. "Polyglot" is a noun. Somehow saying "I speak several languages," feels less self-aggrandizing than saying "I am a polyglot." I believe that in modern society many people feel a little lost. As we get on social media and see so many people proudly broadcasting their impressive lifestyles, it tends to create a wider need to get acknowledgement and praise for something and stand out somehow. The addition of $$ into the equation just makes it all the more insidious. As someone who speaks a second and third language, I will admit it's fun when I can totally surprise someone with their language, where they least expect it. And it's fun to see. But I do think it's gotten a little out of hand, with people running around seeking out people to shock with [insert clickbait title here]. It seems to turn people into vehicles for self-promotion. Which is not to say that the subjects didn't agree to be in the video, but it doesn't feel like a good way for our culture to be going.

The Dunning-Kruger effect made me smile. Have you ever been asked for advice from a new learner and you don't know how to answer because you realise they have no idea what goes into learning a foreign language? I had a friend once told me they wanted to learn enough Greek to be able to cope in shops, order in cafés/restaurants and just manage in everyday situations - so did I have a tape they could borrow that they could listen to on the plane? I just gave her a tape.

I love your concept of the "Pub Test"!

This is such a refreshing video. Thank you so much!!!!

I think it’s a good thing to keep in mind that any language takes years to gain fluency, even your mother tongue.

Olly, I absolutely agree with you. I suppose that learning a language is about being and feeling positive in the process of learning from adapted audios, adapted books, with experienced teacher, learning a language shouldn't be something one may competing with others who is better. Motivation should be personal, but if it is referred to being better in the test then it is a external motive that won't last long Thank you for your valuable opinion it helped me to look at this polyglot topic as about personal process and being smart enough to not be fooled by outlandish claims, click bait which is everywhere nowadays.

This is one the most mature videos on the subject, no mention of specific people or any name calling. 100% agree language learning is personal and I tend to be a bit secretive about about the languages I am learning, I started way before it was a thing on the internet in the 90’s with books and cd’s 💿 then I found this on the internet which I found to be very dramatic and toxic for no reason. I feel very awkward when people ask me why am I learning X, Y or Z language as if it’s any of their business. People learn languages for different reasons not always because it’s the 2nd or 3rd most spoken language in the world. Also some people seem to think that knowing a certain amount of languages makes them “superior”.

I bought your book before knowing your channel or having seen you. Thank you for your humility, sensible opinion and your helping us with books and videos. I totally agree with what you say in this video btw! 😄🙌🏼

I like that you are bringing attention to this content. I think a lot of polyglots on youtube memorize how to say certain things in a language and then pass it off as being able to speak the language. I will use an example. I am American and we border Mexico. Many people in the US have memorized how to say "¿Dónde está el baño?" but that does not make them Spanish speakers, and I think what we see on TikTok and youtube are people saying things like "Polyglot check! This is me speaking English, this is me speaking Italian, this is me speaking Farsi etc" but its all memorized, so IS it language learning if you don't actually UNDERSTAND what you are saying other than memorized how to say something. I hope that makes sense. Something else that bothers me is "WHITE GUY SURPRISES LAUNDROMAT WORKER BY SPEAKING PERFECT CANTONESE" Lol why do we only sensationalize white people speaking languages when many people of Asian descent speak 3-4 languages but we don't see sensationalized titles like that. I work with kids who speak 3-4 indigenous Maya languages at native proficiency but people are more impressed at white people repeating sentences... sorry for the rant and thanks for shedding this light.

well said Olly - a balanced look at the issue

You gave me hope. I mean, this is what I've always thought but it's anyway reassuring hearing someone else saying what you think

Olly, what an excellent video! You are so brutally honest about what that appears to be true and in reality what it may not be. Everybody is trying to bring you on a Merry go round! Being a person of knowing a number of languages at various levels I will never call myself a polyglot or learning a language in a week, a month or even a year because I know how hard it is to acquire another language without time and effort! Unless, of course one is a gifted person for languages! Thank you for enlightening me. Keep up the great work!

Excellent video. A most excellent rule is 'What do you want from a language?'. I know people who learned just enough of the language to read the football headlines in the local sports papers. If that's the level you want, then go for it.

(2:30) "foreign"? So a person speaking 5+ languages that are official in South Africa, as a South African, that doesn't count?

I agree! I have been learning Spanish for over 50 years, and still learn something new almost every day. I studied Russian 8 hours a day for a year, and don't think I'd pass the pub test. Languages are hard, and anybody who says they learned one in 3 months... well, maybe, but mostly nah! Thank you for bringing this subject to light.

OMG I agree with you so much on the statement on best speaker does not necessarily mean best educator! It also applies to the world of academia… professors that have impressive resume or achievements usually don’t translate to their ability of explaining stuff during lectures… For language learning (not self-learning but dependence on a teacher) I have this personal experience: first contact with the language of your interest should be guided by a person who speaks your mother tongue AND study the language properly (e.g. majored the language in university) to build a solid foundation, since they often offer insights on both languages (e.g. similarities or tricks to remember some rules), which helps you build better intuition or understanding (especially grammar). After you’ve reached certain level, then transition into native speaker teacher. I couldn’t tell you how many times I was frustrated just because I start a language from zero with native speakers (especially they didn’t major the language) since they failed to recognise the blind spot of being in a blank state. [My previous university offered plenty classes of different languages but not all lecturers have the same qualifications, for some languages they just asked around if anyone could teach it lol. My major was not linguistics but I took several languages out of boredom and curiosity, as well as the credit. The classes are not integral part of foreign language studies, that’s why most language only last for 2 semesters] Also the part where you mentioned the reason we learn a certain language, I had a language teacher that said something similar: never forget your original intention and motivation for learning the language…

Olly!!! Thank you for this video!!! You are defender and avenger of polyglot community

Since I started my language learning journey, I have noticed so many Australians give foreign people such a hard time over their broken English, it annoys me so much because the ones criticizing are usually people who themselves cannot speak another language. Anyone who has the courage to not only learn a new language, but speak it out in public is a hero in my eyes.

I love your pub test and agree completely. I'm a language tutor and sometimes I talk about multilingualism with my students, and ask how many languages they speak. They often hesitate to include English in that, until I remind them that we've been having a conversation in English for half an hour, a real, off the cuff, completely unscripted conversation. It gives them a HUGE confidence boost.

“KZfaq Polyglot” sounds like a whimsical Victorian rapscallion

Until I discovered you, Luca Lampariello, Lindie Botes, Steve Kauffman, Xiaoma and Matt vs Japan… I was reliant on the “I learnt x in y” videos which made me feel really shit about my progress. But 7 months later, I’m now happy with my Italian level (but I still have a lot to improve on)

Polyglot is a very misunderstood word that brings some people discomfort. Originally it just means "person who speaks more than one language". It's from Greek, πολύς=many, much, and γλώσσα (γλώττα)=tongue, language.

I could almost do the pub test. You will never know how much you just cheered me up. That means I am actually progressing with my German learning. I thought that I was struggling and failing. Edited to add that the claims to have have learnt a language in an extremely short amount of time are really hurtful and damaged my language confidence. Am not fluent after four years. I need to give myself credit for having learnt any despite a lack of resources.

Wonderfully honest and refreshing comments Ollie. Thanks for brightening KZfaq. Totally agree on best speaker not always best educator.