How I Learn Foreign Languages

[For a complete script, scroll down to the end of the post]

Hi, I'm Olly.

Nice to meet you!

As you can probably tell from the video cover, I'm from the UK. 🙂

They say that Brits are rubbish at language learning. Perhaps it's because we live on an island and have no need for any other language. Perhaps it's because wherever we go in the world, chances are most people speak English.

However, I've managed to learn 7 languages.

That's 8, if you include English.

So how did I do it?

Well…

• It's not because I had a multilingual upbringing – I only spoke English until the age of 19.
• It's not because I'm talented – as you read about my methods and watch my progress videos you'll realise how much time I put into it
• It's not because I live abroad – I learnt Spanish and Portuguese in London, and Cantonese in Qatar!
• It's also not because I  have lots of free time – I work two full-time jobs.

If you've ever caught yourself using any of these things as excuses for not learning a new language… I sympathise.

It can be tempting to believe that the world conspires against you sometimes, and that learning a new language just isn't possible for you. 

But the fact of the matter is that successful language learners struggle with all these things too – just take a look!

My secret to success is rather dull, I'm afraid.

As I explain in the video, this is how I've been able to learn so many languages:

• Above all, I make sure to do something every day (that way the inconsistency villain doesn't get to me!).
• I have a simple routine of only a few activities – they're nothing special but I know that they work for me personally
• I tend to do the same activities over and over, whether I'm living at home or abroad
• I know that most frustrations in language learning can be solved only by the passing of time, and this is how I'm able to stay motivated and keep going
• Language classes are mostly a waste of time and money for me
• Flashcards with “spaced repetition” technology are a core part of my vocabulary learning strategy
• Regular speaking from the start is essential and how I develop fluency relatively quickly
• I practise with native speakers every week without fail, using the fantastic website iTalki whenever I don't have people around me
• I try to get to a high level before moving on to learn another language – this is how I manage to maintain so many languages

So, hopefully you can see that learning a new language – or even learning 8 – is not rocket science.

Time, hard work and persistence are 99% of the battle.

On StoryLearning®, my goal is to help you become fluent in a new language, through the fun and effective StoryLearning® method that teaches you through stories, not rules. Find out more and claim your free 7-day trial of the course of your choice.

If you'd like to join me, then I invite you to watch this short video which will show you the most important thing about becoming fluent in any language…

Video Script

Jan: Behind me you can see the pyramids, so that means that we are in Egypt, in Cairo. And today we will have another interview with a very interesting personality, so keep watching. Olly Richards has lived and worked in Paris, Tokyo, Doha and recently moved to Cairo. Olly speaks 8 languages and today he will share with us his secrets for learning a foreign language successfully…wherever you live.

Olly: I mean the life on the street and all the energy from the people and just the kind of chaos and commotion is the most exciting part of being here. The people are amazing, everyone is really friendly, they really appreciate foreigners. They really like that foreigners come to Egypt and live here.

Jan: You speak French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, well English is your native language. Arabic, am I missing a language?

Olly: Cantonese

Jan: Cantonese…and now you are learning Arabic.

Olly: Egyptian Arabic, yeah.

Jan: That must be very easy for you to learn all these languages since you lived in all those places right?

Olly: I mean these days, when I approach learning a language, the kind of things that I do are not dependent on actually living in the country at all. And I think it's… it can be tempting to think that it's a huge advantage to live in the country but it doesn't have to be that way.

Jan: Olly learned Spanish and Portuguese back in London, and Cantonese while he was living in Qatar – in the Middle East. Thanks to technology, people can learn a language anywhere these days. The most important thing is that you actually DO something. You can learn vocab from flashcards and books, improve your speaking skills online with a native speaker, or practice with the taxi drivers if you happen to be in the country of your target language.

Olly: The number one thing I have learned is I know what works for me now. So that brings confidence in the learning process. What does it mean to learn a language, and what is means is doing something that works for you over long enough a period of time that you can actually start to see success.

So it's not so much that lots of different techniques don't work, I am sure they do work in different ways, but the number once priority is to actually those 1, 2, 3 things, that work for you, and that you keep up over the long term. What I do is, I go directly to what I want to be going and what I know works for me, which is just regular speaking.

I am not a big fan of taking language classes, I find them slow, inefficient. Usually my idea of what I want to learn is very different to what the teacher wants to teach me. I don't get along with them very well. So I like to be self-directed and the most efficient way for me to be self-directed, without access to a textbook, is to just be speaking with people, with what you might call tutors or informal tutors.

Jan: Lately Olly has been learning Egyptian Arabic and he has a couple of informal tutors with who he practices. He has these kind of sessions 3 or 4 times per week. ‘’I will teach you a language’’ is the name of Olly’s blog. On the site he helps people to learn languages by giving clear, actionable advice and strategies that actually work for real people. I also asked him, what he thinks is the biggest struggle for people that learn a foreign language.

Olly: It's the fact that people struggle to have certainty over what they should be doing.

Jan: They don't know what to do?

Olly: If you would really simplify, they don't know what to do. Because, there is a lot of advice out there, if you follow that advice, well.. Following advice is all very well, but until you actually have experience of successfully learning a language, you don't know what works for you.

You need to take an approach of some kind and just do it. Not for a day, not for a week, but for over time, for a couple of months. Do it consistently and then just notice what's working. And then, as you do that you learn about yourself and about how you learn, and that enables you to make more informed decisions and learn better as you go on.

Jan: So how can we summarize the advice. Spend time, DO something every day and see what works for you?

Olly: You should start a blog! I Will Teach You a Language 2.0!

Jan: 2.0, exactly! Ok, Olly how can people find you?

Olly: You can visit iwillteachyoualanguage.com and everything is there.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.