Bridging the Language Gap: A Feature on Polyglots

Carving stories into cave walls, our ape-like ancestors communicated through art—the earliest form of language. Depending on the cultures that emerged during the early days of civilization, languages followed. Today, the world is home to over 7,000 languages. Most Americans only know English, but some communicate across the language barrier with family, friends, or strangers. Being a polyglot (a person who knows more than one language) opens up a new world of possibilities to learn about other cultures and your own. What does the world look like through the lens of a polyglot? 

How did your parents introduce you to two different languages when you were younger?

“I was only spoken to in Ukrainian and Spanish because my parents knew that I would be introduced to a lot of English by going to school. This was how I was introduced, but I still had to learn the grammar and expand my vocabulary which was done by taking Ukrainian and Spanish classes,” Alex Reyes, 11 said. 

“I learned Mandarin by just speaking it with my parents from a young age. They immersed me into the language,” Grace Yuan, 12 said. 

“Portuguese is my first language, but when I moved here at eight years old, I learned to speak English through a language tutor and by being in school with English-speaking kids,” Izzy Dias, 12 said. 

Do you think there is enough language education? 

“It’s eye-opening how little Americans know about other languages.When I speak Portuguese, people will assume it's Spanish. Some have even asked if I’m speaking Brazilian,” Izzy said. 

According to the Massachusetts Daily, only 18 percent of Americans speak a second language, versus in Europe, where 53 percent of educated people speak more than one language. Speaking another language is an invaluable tool that diversifies your worldview, makes you smarter, and improves your memory. Why wouldn’t you want to learn another language? 

How does your additional language knowledge help you?

“When I hear Mandarin in public, I’m able to know what other people are saying: it’s almost like having a superpower,” Grace Yuan said. 

“I would say being able to speak other languages helps you in a world language class because you already know how to learn different languages and change your pronunciations,” Alex said.

As we get older, it becomes much more difficult to learn a language, according to Scientific Daily. After we master our first language, the rules of the language can interfere with learning a second language.

 “There are even pronunciation/accent differences within different countries that speak the same language,” Alex said. 

Communication goes beyond barriers, and learning a new language can open you up to a new world of opportunities. Language learning is straightforward as long as you are willing to learn and put yourself out there.

Bonjour, 你好 , مرحبًا, Hallo, Добрий день, olá