Podcast

Hyperpolyglot Richard Simcott on How to Learn & Retain Multiple Languages

Aug 24, 2020

Richard Simcott is a "hyperpolyglot" (named one of Britain's most multilingual people by HarperCollins), the creator of SpeakingFluently.com, and the co-founder of the Polyglot Conference, an annual event that brings together language lovers from all over the world.


He returns to the Language Mastery Show six years after our first conversation to talk about how he juggles so many languages, the "minimum effective dose" required to move a language project forward, and how he chooses which languages to pursue.


Richard is a fountain of language learning wisdom and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!

Topics Discussed


  • Why anyone who loves language belongs at a polyglot event, even if you don’t consider yourself a “polyglot.”
  • The origins of the first Polyglot Conference and how the event has evolved over the years.
  • Why perfection isn’t possible in languages and why mistakes are an inevitable—and often helpful—component of learning a language.
  • The power of visual input and why you should focus on mastering pronunciation first.
  • Why successful language learning is really just successful goal setting and habit formation.
  • The weekly “minimum effective dose” required to make progress in a language.
  • Why shorter, more frequent learning sessions are better than longer, less frequent learning sessions.
  • How Richard balances learning new languages and maintaining those he’s already learned.
  • How Richard chooses which languages to learn and the critical importance of having a strong WHY.


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