The benefits of speaking multiple languages - What in the World podcast, BBC World Service

Main ideas / concepts / lessons

• Polyglots and multilingualism

  • The episode introduces polyglots as people who speak more than one language.
  • The hosts frame multilingualism as more than vocabulary—also involving idioms, expressions, and cultural context.

• Personal language histories and lived advantages

  • Hannah Gelbart (host) describes speaking multiple languages (including mother tongue(s) from Rwanda plus languages learned through education and migration).
  • Victoria Uwonkunda (host) explains how her multilingual ability is shaped by moving between countries and learning languages necessary for everyday survival and schooling.
  • The episode emphasizes that learning languages can come from immersion, necessity, and social exposure, not only from classroom study.

• Language “meaning” goes beyond literal translation

  • Several examples show why expressions are hard to translate directly:
    • English: “raining cats and dogs” (idiomatic meaning vs literal translation)
    • Spanish: “I’m off milk” (means “in a bad mood,” not literally dairy-related)
    • Norwegian: “buying a cat in a bag” (means getting a bad deal)

• What multilingualism does to the brain (research-based)

  • A cognitive neuroscientist explains brain adaptation: the brain changes shape/efficiency to match linguistic demands.
  • Key cognitive skills developed:
    • Attention/focusing on one language while suppressing another
    • Switching between languages depending on the speaker
  • Research claim:
    • Brain imaging studies suggest multilingual speakers have stronger brain networks involved in these skills from childhood through adulthood.
    • This may relate to later onset of dementia symptoms compared with monolinguals (as described in the episode).

• Benefits in real life

  • Multilingualism helps with:
    • Meeting different people
    • Acting as an icebreaker during travel
    • Better connection to human stories and cultures
    • A claimed sharpening of memory/mental “being on top of things”
  • Cultural “code” knowledge matters too—language comes with identity and culture.

• Learning challenges and mindset

  • The Turkish polyglot (İclal Dağcı) describes early struggle with grammar (crying over tables, verb aspects, noun cases), then overcoming difficulty through emotional connection.
  • Her strategy: learning via music, which helps acquire words naturally.
  • The episode argues languages aren’t inherently “hard”—it’s often the approach and mindset.

• What determines whether a language feels “easy” or “difficult”

  • A language app representative (Lisa) lists factors:
    • Native language similarity (e.g., English → Spanish/Dutch easier than English → Mandarin/Arabic)
    • Writing systems (shared alphabets vs multiple scripts like Japanese)
    • Grammar complexity (e.g., simple vs many cases/conjugations)
    • Pronunciation (phonetic languages vs irregular systems like English; tonal languages like Thai)
    • Availability of learning resources (apps/media vs limited resources)

• Practical tips to learn a new language

  • The hosts emphasize immersion and communication practice.
  • They also stress being bold and speaking despite accents, because other people can still understand.

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Methodology / instructions (detailed bullet list)

How to learn multiple languages (implied strategies from contributors)

• Use immersion to force/encourage speaking

  • Spend time where you must use the language in daily life.
  • Seek environments where you can’t rely only on English (or wherever the local language is unavoidable).

• Learn through real-world interactions

  • For example: learn in markets, streets, and neighborhoods (listening to how people speak and behave; picking up intonation).
  • Engage with kids/people in the community to naturally collect everyday vocabulary.

• Use media consumption with support

  • Watch TV/films where subtitles let you connect spoken audio to text (noted specifically for Norway with subtitled content).

• Build emotional connections

  • Associate language learning with something enjoyable (e.g., music).
  • Practice by singing along to lyrics to acquire words naturally.

• Prioritize speaking early and often

  • Never be afraid of your accent.
  • Don’t wait until you feel “native-like”—use the opportunity to practice.
  • Insist on speaking when traveling; encourage conversation with locals.

• Use learning tools/resources

  • Use apps, online media (Netflix, TikTok, memes), and lookup tools for words you encounter.

• Choose learning paths based on “difficulty” factors

  • When evaluating difficulty, consider:
    • native language similarities
    • writing system demands
    • grammar complexity
    • pronunciation/tonal requirements
    • availability of learning materials

Tips for choosing a starting point / language learning approach

• Start with languages close to your current language(s) if you want quick early progress.
• For hard languages, plan for extra work in:
  • grammar systems
  • memorizing scripts/characters
  • tonal/pronunciation accuracy
  • building access to quality resources

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Speakers / sources featured (identified in the subtitles)

• Hannah Gelbart (host; polyglot)
• Victoria Uwonkunda (Vic) (host; polyglot)
• İclal Dağcı (Turkish polyglot; studying in Italy; learning tenth language)
• Professor Frédérique Liégeois (cognitive neuroscientist, University College London)
• Lisa (works for the language learning app Ling)