I took 2 years of Spanish in High School and 2 semesters in college. I finally was able to test my proficiency in Spain and i was able to hold basic conversations and translate for my friends at a restaurant, but I realized how inadequate my learning experience was. Learning a language requires a lot of time, practice, devotion, and certainly a certain degree of immersion in the culture. These 30-min exercises are maybe enough for you to get by on a weekend trip, but certainly not for fluency.
@@OrientalPearl I think you are awesome! My daughter is your age and studied Italian in college and spent a semester abroad and lived with an Italian family but still has zero confidence in her language skills. She can understand it a bit but native speakers speak so fast that she can’t keep up. She’s a brilliant person but language proficiency takes so much time and effort and is so hard there is no way someone is learning a language in a month from some program so I agree with you.
@Rico Ten I like when you said that learning a language isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. The time gap from my last Spanish class to my short trip to Spain was over a decade, yet surprisingly I was able to dig into my brain’s archive and practice what I’ve learned. My Spanish wasn’t perfect but the locals appreciated my attempt at communicating in their native tongue and my reward is seeing the smile and excitement in their faces:)
Not everyone agrees with my opinion about the RUclips language learning community and that's ok, no need to unsubscribe, but I hope those who really enjoy this channel support it with a like or by watching the whole discussion, even if they don't agree. Hope we can have more language debates and discussions in the future. -Anming
You really need to stop obsessing over the number of subscribers, you have over 500k. The numbers will go up and down by hundreds or thousands, that's just the nature of the beast. Some will like your videos, some will not. That's just the way it is, you cannot please everyone. You need thick skin to do what you are doing too. For me personally, the videos can be a little cringy / repetitive. For some reason Americans living overseas can come across as a bit over the top and arrogant, like the guy that does all the "shocking" white guy videos. Just my opinion. All the best with your videos.
It's funny that you made a video about youtube gurus, but both of you have an interview with "God of Japanese language" who is selling an overpriced course that is supposed to heal your "infection."
If you want people to support and follow you, you should not be bashing other people. Concentrate on your own channel instead of criticizing other channels. From your point of you, who gives a cap what other people are doing. If you don’t want to be like that, then don’t. But you do sometimes. That makes you a hypocrite. Maybe you can actually make a complementing video about your fellow RUclipsrs. You might get more likes and followers and respect. You have bashed the other RUclipsrs many times. I guess any kind of plubicity is good publicity in the world of marketing. I’m not out to be a polyglot. I follow many multi language speakers including yourself. I find it entertaining, usually.
I'm glad you're both taking a stand against this type of predatory language learning. It can make it really confusing especially when you're just starting out with a language that you can easily be taken advantage of because you just don't know any better. Stick to your morals and keep them people, c'mon!
Hi Wushaw! Glad to see you here again. I’m on my way out to a big filming trip in the north of Japan. Yeah, it’s hard as a beginner because you don’t know what to believe and don’t have experience learning yet.
@@user-ry6jj6kx2s Raj has a course costing 1K..what do you say to that? His defence was that it is "nothing wrong charging" that amount of money. Benny's course is like 9.99. Raj couldn't stand the competition I guess, damn hypocrite....
@@jeromestavrosyeo I've never looked at Raj's courses, so I'm not in a place to pass judgement on it personally. That sounds quite expensive, but I have no idea what kind of course it is. My comment wasn't directed at any one person in particular. I just do think it's important for people to be made aware of these issues within the online language learning community. I don't like to see people who are just trying to learn, be ripped off. Whether it's for thousands, or a much smaller amount.
I really enjoyed the discussion on the topic. Nothing worth learning is easy IMO. I'm glad you're not afraid to speak out on issues like this. It's one of the reasons why I'm subbed to your channel. Not just for the funny reaction videos 😉
I feel that I can typically tell when a youtube "polyglot" is fake. 1) I can sometimes hear that the pronunciation is awkward and horribly off from native or proficient speakers (even while I don't know the language well myself..some of them are just quite bad). 2) People they interact with in this other language sometimes look as though they're thinking "what the hell is this person saying?" 3) There are a lot of edits throughout these conversations (there's usually an edit every time they're about to give a response in the language) 4) The person converses with all people at the most basic level "My name is...what is your name...where are you from...I would like some food.." If they're upfront about just learning the language and we're seeing their process of learning, great, no problem. As far as language learning channels, I typically just follow people that are native speakers of the language I want to learn: Piece of French, innerFrench, etc. Question: Do you ever miss living in the US?
You’re very smart to notice the little edits in those suspicious videos. Sometimes they are just trying to cut out the fat and make the video shorter, other times is editing out mistakes. Yeah, I do miss the US. I want to visit home.
Very same thoughts, @LuvThyMind29. I'm not a genius, I know my "English" just after years of internet, to the point that I read it quiet easily, I started long ago to watch shows undubbed (not only to learn it, but also to experience the original acting ability of the actors involved, with their own voices, rather than a dubbed acting in my own language), so I'm even used to listen to it, I can write in english quite often (worldwide social media use that) but even if its more than 20 years that I'm doing so, I'm still with my THICC Italian accent when I try to "speak", simply for one reason: LACK OF PRACTICE with "native english speaking people" on daily basis and on the most diverse and possible situations. (By the way: Hi from an Italian from Italy :D) And even if I'm amazed by all of those "polyglot" videos, just for the entertaining nature of them, it is VERY easy to get that A LOT are just the "basic sentences" that you can grasp from a basic dip in any language and memorized just to have the "surprise effect", but after a while, once I saw the very same sentences used and re-used in EVERY ONES, with little or no further interaction, that is fr me just a BIG "red flag" to really take them as "languages gurus"....
I once saw a video with a list of languages the person could use, he was presenting them one at a time. Then he got to Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, lumped them together, saying that if you know Swedish you will understand Norwegian, but if you learn Danish instead, you will be able to understand all three. As a native Swedish speaker, that hurt my brain in so many ways. Swedish and Norwegian are very similar, Danish too in some extent, but don't just lump three languages together just because you want to put them on your list of languages you supposedly know, just for bragging.
@@MMMNemesis reminds me of the guy I used to work with, who claimed to speak 7 or 8 languages. He knew Spanish, apparently, and then included French in his reptatoire as according to him it is "basically the same."
nice video! I like the "shock" videos, mainly for the reaction people get. I don't expect those speakers to be good at the language though, it appears to me they have just enough to impress people that were expecting them to have none. Neither do I believe they have limited skills. What impresses me is the engagement you get talking to strangers on the street. That is the best demonstration.
@ europhile26, The "shock" videos is only the first part of the clickbait titles. It has usually something like "Guy shocks natives speakers by speaking PERFECT X language in less, than one month of study."
Am a fan of yours. Learning a language isn’t easy. Your ability to speak in English, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese fluently speaks for itself. Thanks for keeping it real. Anyone who gives the impression that language learning is easy is simply deceptive. Btw I am a Singaporean. Many of us here speak English, Chinese, and Chinese dialects like Cantonese and hokkien. For you to pick up these languages you are speaking through hard work - kudos to u! We need u to speak up!
Thank you for bringing this topic up. I really had no idea there was such a seedy underworld of language videos out there. However, I do hate clickbait and misleading thumbnails. I’ve learned to stay away from what is obviously deceitful content (not to mention a waste of time). Love your videos Anming!
I am in a fb group for learners of my target language and as much as I want to give that community a chance it does worry me how big the pie chart number of members there are that struggle to even begin because they have this notion that there's a "fastest way to learn a language" so they fear to even start in case they get the "slow outdated way". I also have seen some toxicity of looking down upon people behind themselves in their journey. Today a person asked "why is this the way you write this instead of this way, I don't understand?" And I saw a bunch of gifs and memes and emojis doing facepalms or similar, and one person only responded "I am so glad I know this answer" without offering the beginner any answers. Some helped but they got so drowned out that I felt so bad for the author of the post. So many people in that group will eventually hate either the language or language learning altogether because of these mentalities making it harder to plant your seed and watch it grow into an adult strong tree.
This idea that there is or should be the best language learning method is so toxic imho. Especially if it leads people to procrastination on starting their studies. Learning becomes more efficient with practice, much like most other things. I study French and Swedish and now that I'm further along, I know better than ever what my weaknesses are and how to build them up because I have so much experience on independent learning, know exactly what my goals are and a library of materials to consult. I just don't hangout in language learning circles much anymore because I don't need them to answer my questions.
That’s right. I don’t like when people discourage others from learning, especially if they have been doing it for many years and they are criticizing the new learners.
Too many people in life forget what it's like to be a beginner. That's why good teachers are worth their weight in gold dust. It takes a particular kind of person who is expert in a subject be able to put themselves in the shoes of a beginner. Most of the stuff they know they don't even know how they acquired it. They may know tons about the subject but don't know how to teach it.
I fully agree, we should handle achievments that demand a lot of work, passion and concessions seriously, we shouldn't try to sell them like consumer products.
My language learning philosophy is prepare for the long haul (years and years/decades). Use every resource available. Live the language. Adopt the language. Try to have every kind of experience in the language. Read, write, listen, speak. Continually strive to fill in the gaps. Learn in context and program your mind. It's like building a house. It's a huge project and there are so many elements involved.
After of being learning japanese for two years and half , just recently i came to actually being able to starting to undertand the conversions after SO much study almost every day, i have learning it though many websites and of course much more recently through youtube channels (of some native japanese teachers) and to being honest after putting all this effort and hours(and continuing doing it) , now i have more willing to actually keep learning it because all the hardships that i went though worth, being able to actually starting to understand more intermediate conversations gives me an so rewarding feeling.
Absolutely agree with Stuart and you. If you're not a native speaker, you'll never be perfect, but also native speakers aren't always perfect. I speak a few languages (German, English, Hebrew, Norwegian and French) on different levels of fluency. It's not in my intention to shock anyone. but to be able to hold some kind of conversation with people from different countries. I admire people who are able to hold such conversations, because it connects people and that's the fun of it. That's why I also watch your channel because of your ability to connect with people and in that way build bridges to other cultures.
I’m glad that you liked that part of the video. Stuart said a lot more about that and I’m putting it in a second video with a lot of other RUclipsrs in it as well.
@@OrientalPearl Im Mexican and my parents speak Spanish and that's what I've grownup with. But, I grew up in the US so my Spanish is very rusty. Working with other Mexican people has made me aware of it. I completely agree with what you guys are saying. I really like your videos and watching you talking to people in their language. I tried learning French some years ago but gave up. Now I want to pick that up again because of you. Not only French but also Japanese. Any pointers?
You're the ONLY talking about this shit in the language learning community! And it's so important! And these cult-like fandoms... I don't get it. Thank you Anming for being raw. We need that here.
@@jackest4114 Project Uproot and he was charging about $500 for him to teach pitch accent to people, and wasn't very specific with the issue on how people learn pitch accent and was trying to say that only he knows the secret to learning pitch accent, well him and another scammer he worked with Ken Cannon who actually had to go to court for doing the same thing previously. Its weird how she never really talked about it considering that she already doesn't like people who try to sell courses that promise people fluency in 30 days time. Edit: Sorry about the hostility of my comment.
@@reflex9238 Fuck. I didn't know about that. But pretty much all Anming said in this video can apply to many RUclipsrs including him, I don't see a need to name-drop him. Anming is trying to speak up on this, not to pick a fight against 'x' RUclipsr. It's unecessary. With all the things she said, all the information given here is enough for a critical mind to see what's right and wrong. Thank you for informing me about this, I don't know why but I believe in Refold's method but I never ever trusted Matt.
Such a fantastic video! I need this to blow up in the language community because many people do not see the facade. That name drop was scary I was nervous lol since you never have done that. Your platform that you have is amazing and I hope many people realize you do marketing, so your opinion has a strong knowledge in it.
Thank you for this! I am a linguist and a teacher who has spent my entire life mastering languages and have recently opened my language centre to combat these INSANE trends in language learning where business are lying to their learners with crash courses for the sake of high turnover, and fake online polyglots telling people they can be fluent in 3 months. Also, the biggest learning centres advertise their courses differently in the Western Europe and differently in the Eastern Europe (apparently, same courses last 3 months in the UK and a year in Eastern Europe where we learn languages more realistically and are usually more proficient...). In addition, standards for fluency really need to be discussed, because what is considered fluent these days varies too much! Thank you for exposing this and telling the truth!
@@OrientalPearl Yes, besides being borderline fraudulent, and so far from what educators should stand for, it is also extremely demotivating for smaller businesses like mine. How do you compete against people who have an established following, marketing specialists, and guarantee fluency within months, giving out certificates left and right. As a teacher, I just could not put my name behind that and work for these businesses. It has also shaped the expectations of so many students, where they now think this is normal. Thank you for speaking out, and I will continue to do the same to bring back realistic outcomes, honest feedback and high standards to language learning.
This reminded me of the first time I moved from Eastern Europe to Western Europe😂 In Eastern Europe I claimed to speak 2 languages (my mother tongue and English). When my colleagues heard me speak some butchered German for a few minutes they were like, hold up, you're fluent in German?! Like no, dude, I literally struggled to spell an address in German😂 According to my Western European friends I speak 15-20 languages fluently. According to me I speak 2 languages fluently. Yeah, there is 1 more that I kind of speak as well (Dutch), but all the rest is just Hi/Thanks/1,2,3/Bye and for Westerners that's somehow fluency😂 To their defense my pronunciation is pretty good in about 20 languages, so I guess that's why they are mislead.
@@andij605 Same, I was a lecturer and a linguist in Eastern Europe and I moved to Western Europe for personal reasons, having to then transfer my career, as well. I was utterly floored and shocked when I saw the standards for fluency in the West compared to the East...Now I am trying to dispel all these myths and lies surrounding fluency and basically help people understand how to learn.
@@romancelanguagecentre I learned this the hard way myself - I'm Canadian and it's common (or was when I was younger) to be bilingual. So ofc I did the French in school and thought yeah, I'm decent enough. (*laughs head off now*) I moved to Europe and holy shit was it BAD. I could barely understand anything, I could barely converse to order anything in the restaurants... and this was after 6 years of French every day at school. 🤦 My husband still loves to take the piss over it and I definitely earned it. Now, I am fine in French and was getting better at German, but for various reasons, had to come home. I did learn my lesson in that while I can get by in Japanese, I don't consider myself even remotely fluent at all. And I can say very basic things in Korean. Very basic. I do intend to continue learning these languages, but I know now it takes a lot more time and effort on my part just to get the basics, something I didn't know or think about when I was younger. (and stupid lol)
I’m trying to learn a language right now and your channel has been a good motivator for me, I’m glad youre honest with your approach, it gives your videos substance. Channels that use clickbait and exaggerate their skills are fine for entertainment but have no real substance and are more of a time waster.
Well oriental pearl just make sure the right languages are taught and respected. I know a lot of countries use different dialects it could be sound or vowels. Great job doing this, it’s very important especially being a foreigner that you don’t disrespect them. And I believe they will respect you back more for doing it right. Love what you do and keep going you got my support.
I do not know how I found your channel and am not currently a foreign language student but I am fascinated by your content and experiences. This was a really informative episode. Keep on doing your thing!
Really appreciate you making this video. Whilst I enjoy the entertainment value of these polyglot channels, they've always felt very inauthentic to me. I wish more language-based youtubers talked about this deceptive side of the community.
Wow, I really enjoyed your discussion here, and greatly admire both of you for your fluency in Mandarin Chinese! As a native speaker of Hindi and English, and someone who is fluent in Korean (I am a professional translator), I am learning Japanese, and even though there are a lot of similarities in terms of nouns sounding similar between Korean and Japanese, the kanji constitute a battlefield of their own. It's nice to have someone trying to counter the misinformation and predatory tactics that some "language gurus" will employ to try and sell people on their miracle language learning programmes, and for the most part I agree with your view that language learning is hard and requires hours and hours of hard work both regularly and consistently.
Thank you for this! I remember when I first started learning languages and seeing these methods like “learning a language in 5 days.” I never could fully believe these methods either because each language has so many dynamics and linguistics that build it
I've been wanting to learn a language for a while now and I've settled on Korean. There are so many videos about getting fluent in a short amount of time, it can definitely set unrealistic expectations. So I've been trying to follow people who do videos on different studying methods, what they do in a study session, how to structure a language study sessions, how to study/learn vocab to speaking to writing etc without the promises of getting proficient in a short amount of time. Which I don't know if you've done videos like that, I just started watching your vids, but I would be interested in videos like that. I appreciate this discussion because often when watching videos of polyglots conversing in another language and promising to give you a quick an easy method to learn another language. They make it seem like its super easy, but then you actually try and it's not that easy, and people give up because it's not easy like the polyglot promised it would be. I really wish I could just stick a book on learning Korean under my pillow every night and learn by osmosis in 4 minutes or whatever but it just doesn't work like that lol. ... unfortunately.
You’re right. Most of the videos emphasize the “short amount of time” thing. To me 3 years for proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing to university level is lightening speed. Fluent in 1 month is idiotic and a straight lie.
I saw one of your Japanese videos first and didn't realise you also spoke Chinese. That's incredibly impressive and also motivational. I hope others can learn to just display their skills in a positive manner and reach an audience that way.
Some of these polyglots make me laugh. I can speak phrases from at least 10 languages; does that make me a polyglot? Nope... it just means I can find the bathroom in many different places. I speak English, Spanish, and Swedish fluently(ish).
It's time to start naming names. This is a great topic, but it will remain abstract until we know who you are talking about and can actually judge for ourselves what that person is doing.
I don't understand why people have to make a big deal out of everything, pick sides, and attack others over stuff like this, there is just more important things in the world to get worked up over. I enjoy watching your channel, Chris Broad's channel, Sharla's channel, and so on. I have not had any impression really of clickbait or lying to anything. Chris for example has been pretty honest about his Japanese speaking and set fairly realistic expectations, he's expressed how difficult it was for him and even till this day admits his Japanese is far from perfect. Same with most of other channels i follow too. So not sure where all this is coming from Tbh. Again, i suggest not focusing on the negativity and trolls out there, focus on the positive, do what you enjoy, and surely, you'll have an audience who enjoys watching your videos for that, those who have an issue with your videos can just not watch your channel. I tried learning some Japanese myself but realistically reason i' m not really going to probably ever successfully learn Japanese is due to at my age it's completely unrealistic if not impossible for me to ever move to Japan let alone stay for any length of time, i do hope to visit one day on like vacation but based on my age I'm not even eligible for any of the programs to get a job there if i really wanted to, but i still enjoy watching channels about Japan and my fascination is still there with the culture. At the very least i think I'm taking a lot of the good about the Japanese culture and grow my appreciation for life in general.
This video is for a different RUclips community. My channel serves 2 audiences and this video was not made for the j-vlog audience. 😊 I used to make videos just for the language learning audience, but recently RUclips recommended my videos to a different audience. Either way I’m glad to have both you here and the original audience as well.
I've been studying Dutch for about a year. I've made a lot of progress and love watching Dutch TV shows. But I still have a long way to go to achieve what I would consider fluency. What got me early on were many of the comments on language learning videos. There's always somebody who posts that you can be fluent in six months or less. Then the comments follow with "yeah, it only took me about three months to get to that level, blah, blah." That used to bother and discourage me, but now I ignore it. I have a tutor who is a native speaker and I trust what she tells me, not comments on youtube.
The most important factors in learning anything is time and dedication. Does natural innate talent help? Sure, some people may have to work harder than others but not having that innate ability is certainly no roadblock. The one thing that truly helps is loving what you are learning. If you love what you are learning then the time and dedication comes naturally.
Thanks for visiting Nick. I don’t think most people are casual viewers. They don’t follow the language learning community in much detail, but I think you know a lot more and follow things a lot more than the average viewer. I think that’s a good thing. You’re much more in-touch.
@@OrientalPearl Thanks for the reply, just saw this. Yeah I try to keep up with the community which might be my downfall haha I try to keep my Japanese immersion running as much as possible but get pulled into stuff on YT. I've been following you for a long time and your videos have definitely been inspiring and make me want to get really good at Japanese so I can connect with people that I never would have been able to had I not decided to take up the task. Hope your videos continue to do well. - Nick
You hit on some really great points. ❤The first one that stood out to me was when you talked about speaking up against these "gurus". It brings so much hate upon you and your channel and sometimes changes nothing that the audience believes. Humans like to believe what they believe and if anyone questions that, they get upset. 😒It's like a shoot the messenger type of situation..even if it is truth. The other thing you said hit close to home. The part about making people believe you can learn languages overnight or easily, and then when they can't or don't, they feel defeated and get down on themselves.😔 Reminds me of reality TV shows like The Biggest Loser who made you believe people were losing 11 lbs a week when it wasn't true..and instead of the show being encouraging, it was having the opposite effect and people were getting down on themselves for not being as good..or doing as well. It's the same with the languages. Very good video💜 Someone had to say it.
im a recent viewer to this channel after coming from "xiaomanyc". I have no idea what is going on, as these two channels are primarily my exposure to language learning (there was one more, Dogen, but I havent watched many videos unfortunately). I think its good for this to be spoken sbout without making it a complete calling out/"slandering" video. This was a healthy discussion.
This was a really interesting video, with someone I'd never heard. On my journey to learn different languages my motive to learn some of these languages was very different. In school in junior high we were all required to learn French, and for two weeks Iwas eager, and learned a lot of terms which I still remember. Then the school was chosen for a pilot project, and only one class was to learn French, and I wasn't in that class. In high school I was again required to learn French, but I was no longer motivated, and only learned how to mimic phrases with no understanding of the words. After two years I got out of class having learned nothing. Because at one point I worked a Canadian Government job where I was required to answer phone in both of the Official Languages of English and French. I'm a contrarian, and the greeting was the full Departmental name in ones primary language and just hello in other language, So after my indicating I thought it was a stupid policy to give a greeting in a language I could not function. I complied but in my own fashion. I learned to mimic the pacing and pronunciation to answer in French, a language I could not speak, and say hello in English I was theoretical fluent in, as it was my first language. Apparently my French language greeting was so good that my friends whose first language was French said, I sounded like my first language was French. Since most people wanted wanted to engage in English it confused some people initially, until they realized I could fully converse in English. Where it was really fun was when I dealt with other Government employees usually in same department whom wished to converse in French and found I could only greet them and then say I didn't speak French in French. These individuals who could usually also speak English would become upset that I couldn't converse in French. I would point out policy was to greet in both official languages which I always did. Policy did not say anything about being able to communicate in both official languages or that most of the greeting had to be in the language of greatest fluency. However, in travelling to non English fluent language countries I always learned basic greetings and phrases, because I thought it was the polite thing to do. I never really had a problem learning these snippets of languages. When a friend wanted to go into a government paid French immersion training course, he convinced me go and take the language learning aptitude test. My friend had aptitude to learn a second language and I apparently didn't. I never tried to really learn a second language for years, until I went to visit a friend whom lived in a country where Mandarin was primary language so I though I would try to learn Mandarin. I crashed and burned, learning only a few greetings, because I didn't have a real drive to learn Mandarin. However, I found that being a fan of Japanese history, I wanted to learn Japanese. However, being basically lazy. I tried a few of those RUclips learn Japanese in 15 minutes a day, or 7 days, or thirty days and reached a plateau and didn't improve. I got a Japanese teacher who I could only see one day week for an hour. I improved a little but like Stuart said, because I only did a couple hours a week of homework I was progressing very slowly. I found I improved when I was in Japan, but didn't get to retain most of the improvement upon returning to Canada. Then the last two an a half years happened, and after no classes for six months, my instructor told me that she didn't think she was helping me, and dropped me as a student. I know what she said but really I still wasn't putting in the effort. I purchased a few courses, books, and because for the first time I really enjoyed the language and culture of Japan, I was finally ready to put in the required effort. About this time I discovered the Oriental Pearl Channel hosted by Anming and she spoke directly to my growing realisation of the effort required to become functional in Japanese. After viewing a couple of her video's I immediately subscribed. She said that when she was learning Chinese and Japanese, she spent six to 8 hours a day, every day. I've occasionally spent more time, but I always spend a minimum of four hours every day on Japanese language studies. My Japanese has improved from horrible to bad. I draw inspiration from Anming, and I enjoy all of the content on her channel. Another long winded post, but it's what I've learned and why I enjoy Anming and the Oriental Pearl channel.
Hi Jim. It was really interesting reading about your background learning French and your struggles with learning Japanese. I feel your pain with the plateauing issue. I had the same problem in the beginning with Japanese. I got frustrated and wanted to quit. If I had a teacher at that time, they probably would have dropped me. The thing that took me up from beginner to intermediate was tripling my study time from 30 minutes a day to 1.5 hours a day, plus enrolling in a Japanese language school (in China). After 3 months my Japanese friends were absolutely shocked at the progress. When in doubt, double down, or triple down. Never give up Jim. Fight!
Jim, my nephew lived and taught in Japan for years and is fluent now but he said it was really hard to learn. If you lived in France or Japan for a year and rarely or never spoke English and listened to their radio and watched their TV shows you would naturally start dreaming in those languages. So much more interesting than slogging through lessons.
@@i.m.7710 I agree that the easiest way to improve in a non native language is through study and emersion in the target language. I've never been able to spend more than 14 days in Japan. I have wanted to spend around four months in Japan, studying the language and living and functioning in Japanese. However, as I was putting a plan together the last two years occurred. Hopefully, Japan will reopen to North Americans within a year, and I can make that happen.
@@jimross7648 I lived 3 years in Miami and got hooked on the Cuban/American good music radio stations and Univision TV novellas and super funny female comedians. All my coworkers and many customers were from South America, and a wonderful boyfriend. I’m too lazy to study anything, but that’s when I started dreaming in Spanish. I moved back to California and I’m sorry I’m not a fan of Mexican music so the radio and tv watching stopped and so did the learning. I can get by pretty well with people who don’t speak English. And my pronunciation, like yours, was always very good.
i am more of a dilettante in learning thai. i listen to xiaomanyc and oriental pearl because i enjoy their experiences and draw some motivation/inspiration from them in learning a new language despite my geezer status. i have raj’s book , cracking thai fundamentals,and am working my way through it. not many real shortcuts in this life. work at it steadily, immerse yourself if you can, listen to experts such as raj. take inspiration from some youtubers such as oriental pearl, raj, thai talk with paddy, xiaomnyc, , and tune out marketing/clickbait. above all, be polite and respectful and disregard the vitriol. xiaomanyc did the clueless white guy video that has a clickbait title. still his videos are fun and don’t ovepromise imho. love oriental pearl and stuart jay raj
I feel the same! The videos are entertaining! As pointed out, nobody is forced to listen. We can all choose to watch or move on. I don't feel deceived or that I'm marketed towards. I can buy or not buy. I've never bought a single thing from a you tube sponsor. Seriously seems more like a video saying, "I'm better because I do it THIS way instead of how they do it." Who cares. Do you and let them do them. Move on. Just seems like a little self absorbed you tube policing going on here IMO. I have my favorite to watch because he is entertaining. It really can be that simple people. Enjoy life and let others do the same.
I really enjoyed this discussion! The one about fluency really hit home. I went to a Francophone school and speak French as a second language (as much as I want to say I'm fluent, I'm far from perfect, so I'll just say I'm good), and when some people find out they say "oh I can too!" When I try to engage in a conversation, I find out that they only know certain phrases, and have a hard time understanding. This disappoints me, especially when they say they're fluent. We learn it in regular school here in Canada, but from what I've heard it's basic and everybody just forgets everything they've learned. It honestly makes me sad when people pretend that they're so good, because speaking to others is the main way I upkeep my French. If someone wants to show what they've learned, by all means, I'd love to hear it! But saying they can speak it makes me feel like I can't help them learn (it's hard to explain...)
The only person I'm trying to shock by learning or mastering a foreign language is myself...I'd be really shocked if I did that. And I look forward to this shock. Thank you for inspiring us English speakers to learn a foreign language.
music is what inspired me to learn japanese. i want to know what they’re saying, the words sound very beautiful and complex. こちらこそありがとうございます for reading!
There are so many types of decent polyglots. Luca Lampariello vs Moses McCormick, they had a style completely different and a goal completely different. But when I see a polyglot using the "I learn spanish in 30 seconds", that drives me crazy because I know how much work, time and dedication it takes to reach a semi-fluency in a foreign language
Very interesting and informative video. Plenty of insightful perspectives offered within. I have a good friend living in Bangkok (for decades) who is friends with Stuart for years, and he speaks well of him. I am still amazed and impressed with people being able to speak these languages Thai, Chinese, Japanese etc.
Honestly language learning isn’t glamorous and I think that’s why these types of predatory things appeal to people Language learning takes A LOT of time and dedication. It also means that you’re never quite “fluent” if you understand what I mean. People always have the goal of wanting to be fluent but it’s the journey that’s really the beauty of learning a language imo. And fluency is so subjective and usually takes many MANY years. When I started learning Japanese I didn’t realize just how much time and effort it would take. It took so much time and effort that it added to me being exhausted and I had to stop temporarily so I can continue when I don’t have as much “regular” schoolwork. It’s unfortunate but it’s a reality we have to face - that language learning takes a lot and if you truly want to learn a language you can’t just go to one class a week and expect to know the language, like you said.
So glad yt updated their practices! They have a section on "click bait" in the new Guidelines and suggest people use the report button for "spam and misleading" information! Great video indeed 😊
I was finally actually able to speak my second language at near fluently only because I did a combination of applying these factors.... Completing the fundamental lessons course via RUclips and books(including reading writing proper pronouciation).. Then practice with real-life people in person, apps, and online, and I lived in that particular country for a couple of years picking up on every nuance and mannerism within the culture... Plus while i there i never spoke a word of my own language
I love this so much! I'm 9 months into learning Korean (with a private teacher) and I feel like I know nothing. Sometimes I get discouraged because I can't have a full fluid conversation, but I do know a lot of grammatical info and I have come a long way. I just feel like I'll never be fluent, but then I remember sometime it takes years, or even a decade to be 'fluent', especially if your older or it's not your native language, you may still be learning vocab forever and that's ok. ITS OK TO NOT BE PERFECT, AS LONG AS YOU TRY ♥️♥️♥️ 사랑해요!
I would like to add that I am only studying for fun/ possible future travel, and I only have class once a week. I do work on projects/homework during the rest of the week outside of lessons, but I have a full-time job and a side job as well, so I don't spend as much time practicing as I would like. I'm hoping to buckle down more and study harder, but I am happy to learn nonetheless!
Happy Chinese New Year, Miss Alyssa/Anming, 祝你新年快樂，身體健康，心想事成，萬事如意。🏮🐅🧧 No matter which is right or wrong, the method of learning a language can be various and effective. 📚 Apart from it, you look glorious in the cheongsam (旗袍). 🌸
I've been learning Thai for a few years and Stuart is a legend. He just started doing an interesting video series using my friend David Martins 4000 Thai sentences. Great interview
David's sentence repository is pure gold. Never have I seen such an authentic set of language in one concise resource. It would be a sin to NOT do something with it, as I think if someone were just using it as a spaced repetition resource etc, they'd be missing some of the extremely rich lessons hidden in there. Sadly, RUclips doesn't seem to find the series sexy enough.
To be honest i don't watch a lot of these youtubers and to be more honest i only watch your channel and one german channel. 😂 But i can share my experience with learning japanese. I tried it a couple times in the past, but i never really gotten into it and i would say it was most likely because of the wrong materials and way too high expectations. After i discovered your channel on january 25th the fire reignited and i was more passionated then ever before, but also more patient. So i'm now past day 16 and i can only do a basic selfintroduction with name, age, origin and job. I just finished the lesson about ます and hammered hiragana ,katakana and a few kanji in my head. I'm still super excited and motivated, but i want to point out that i've learned 8 hours straight on some days. If i a had to guess i did like 4 hours on average every day. I don't know if i did big progress or not and i don't really care, cause i enjoy learning it rather then seeking for the miracle solution. So that was a lot of words for a simple thing: Just have fun learning languages!
Thank you for sharing your experience. I made the same mistake as you as a kid learning Spanish. I had extremely high expectations and fell flat on my face. I thought it was because I wasn’t good at it, when in reality I didn’t realize the sheer amount of time it takes everyday to get good.
@@OrientalPearl Hi Anming! 😃 Yeah i think it's a hurdle that every languagelearner has to overcome at some point. Sadly i had to reach the age of 32 to finally realise that impatience kills the whole experience. 😅 Hope you have a lovely week, Mark
Thank you so much for discussing this issue, Anming. It's a problem that I've come across trying to find another language to learn (my Spanish is conversational at best because U.S. high schools are terrible to learn languages in. 😅) It's so overwhelming with all the apps and programs that are out there. I keep hearing that the Pimsleur method is definitely more efficient than some other apps that are available. I'm leaning more towards that, as well as a robust way to learn at least 3 languages. I'd love to be able to speak in all the languages the world has, but that's so many. 😅Maybe if I was a secret agent or a vampire I could learn more than a handful of languages. (I'm still in the planning stage, I'll need to be able to dedicate time to at least one language first).
I’m glad that you got something out of this video. I’d like to do some more language discussions. There will be another discussion video coming out in 2 weeks. Yes, I got a lot out of Pimsleur.
It takes hours and hours of complete immersion into a language to get it. Speaking with native speakers is the way and most of said native speakers are happy to help. What I've learned is this: you don't have time to translate, so learn to think in that language.
I feel like it depends on the RUclipsr as well. Take Ikenna for example. He does not promise mastery within a short period of time, but rather a basic level of conversational fluency. If you voice the goal of your course clearly, then it obviously won't be a fraud.
This is the discussion that I, and I'm sure some of your other subscribers, didn't know we needed to hear. Thanks for looking out. I love to hear your laugh, it's so warm! You're beautiful!
Well, you managed to figure out English so I'd say second and third languages is just a matter of time. Maybe it will take you more time than someone else but in the end it doesn't matter (student who struggled with Japanese in college now working in Japan and not as an English teacher either)
@@OrientalPearl I have a question, probably a question you've heard millions of times hehe. If I wanted to achieve eventual fluency in my target language how many hours per day would you recommend me study and immerse myself in that target language? I'm currently doing this Monday Japanese tv for an hour Japanese reading half an hour Tuesday Japanese tv for an hour Two hours studying Wednesday Japanese tv for an hour Two hours studying Thursday Japanese tv for an hour Japanese reading half an hour Friday Japanese tv for an hour Two hours studying Saturday Japanese tv for an hour Lesson with tutor for an hour Sunday Japanese tv for an hour Two hours studying And I was doing this before Monday Half an hour reading An hour Japanese tv Tuesday Japanese tv for an hour Two hours studying Reading half an hour Wednesday Japanese tv for an hour Two hours studying Reading half an hour Thursday Half an hour reading An hour Japanese tv Friday Japanese tv for an hour Two hours studying Reading half an hour Saturday Lesson with tutor an hour Sunday Japanese tv for an hour Two hours studying Reading half an hour
Thank you so much. Thanks to this discussion, I realized I was being hard on myself trying to perfect the languages I'm studying right now within a short timespan. Some of these videos on RUclips make language learning look as easy as drinking water when in reality, it's about hard work, time, and dedication. I'll be patient from now on keep putting in the work. Thanks to you both❤️❤️
This kinda reminds me of when I took a creative writing class in college. It was a similar experience to what was described here right down to the cult-like enviroment and gatekeeping. Only difference is that language gurus, as far as I'm aware, don't make fighting riot police as a prerequisite to participate further into their lessons.
@@Chanhee Long story short but my creative writing professor essentially wanted the class to participate in anti-goverment protest for an assignment with the pretense of describing the event in a poetic manner. Extra credit for being part of it. The professor was with an anarchst group and the protest was organized by a friend of his, a fact that I found out later on. I didn't go and the protest unsurprisingly turned into a brawl with the cops. I withdrew from the class shortly after - It wasn't much of one as the lessons became less about writing techniques and storytelling, and more about idealogies and (perceived) oppression leading up to the "assignment". This was in US btw so its not like the country was unstable or anything.
@@OrientalPearl Two of my classmates got arrested at the protest and the professor possibly. About three weeks after I left, the class was cancelled indefinetly and the sheriff showed up to search his office. Didn't find anything else out other than his connection to the protest.
Very well said! You are so wise and very diplomatic and make your points very intelligently. Keep up the awesome work! I will be watching for more videos!
Learning a language is kind of like learning to play a musical instrument. You can learn how to play Smoke on the Water on one string and then tell everyone you play guitar. If that’s as far as you want to go with it then great, but it’s kind of limiting. If you want to learn 10 more songs on five more strings it’s going to take a little more time and effort.
Another valuable video, loved both you and Jay in this. I appreciate when language learning RUclipsrs have no method to push or product to sell but rather just try to pursue their personal goals that aren't centered upon impressing fellow polyglots or push a product. Which isn't shameful by itself, but it's been done to death and it's not my own passion to pursue. People here in the comments have been criticizing you for criticizing others and accusing you for hypocrisy. We all have a right to criticize; to pretend otherwise is to preach subservience. It would be odd if making popular videos made one immune to criticism, disrespectful even, as we would no longer be treating them as our peers. There are many people and powers working to divide ourselves into us and them. Criticism from the viewpoint of equals is one thing we have to keep doing to work against that. Though, lastly I think you could have talked more about what we should replace the charlatanism with. 30 days to conversational fluency is of course unrealistic, but what would more realistic expectations be like instead? I just notice how my skills improve with daily practice over time and I get to do things in my target languages while I'm not yet fluent enough to be easily able to follow a talk show without exhaustion, but I don't know how to spin that into a story that others could see as motivating. Yet these scams are so prevalent we can parody them with ease. Also, cool 😎 dress Anming! And thanks for your videos in general.
I think you brought up some great points to continue the discussion on. And yes, I find it ironic when people criticize me for making a critical video. 😆 “You can criticize others, but I’ll criticize you in this comment”. Ironic…
on the subject of learning languages, my daughter is super interested in language. she watches kid learning videos so often, with chinese, spanish, japanese, arabic and korean. she is exposed to a lot of language videos. she's 4 years old. i think she finds characters interesting. she came home on the bus the other day singing some vowels song in arabic.
I was the one who pointed out first your Japanese has a “more” Chinese accent than American accent. Interestingly, your Chinese sounds like an overseas Chinese (namely Shanghainese) who stayed in Japan for many years.
Oh hello fellow Detroiter! I just found your channel and I'm glad you're addressing this stuff! I am NOT a polyglot but I love languages and I think it's cool you are talking about this stuff. I briefly dabbled in a few languages in college at WSU but ultimately I decided that it was better for me to just have a general interest in languages and linguistics. I respect when people get so immersed in non-native languages like you have! Cheers!
Favorite thing is you're always genuine. You tell it, how it is and not afraid to call people out. Always rooting for you & will always have love and respect for you & what you do.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that you’ve been here since the very beginning. I’m glad to have so many kind people like you here that aren’t afraid to hear an honest opinion.
@@OrientalPearl It's all about being yourself & being honest, not with just yourself but with others! We can all have opinions & chat about stuff. I always enjoyed that about you! Don't ever change or let anyone tell you otherwise.
Ken and Matt: Hey Whales! So we have this secret key.... Benny: You can learn Japanese fluently in 3 months Steve Kaufman: I know 20 languages (most are A1 level) Xioama: I learned French in one day
I though the same, certain names come to mind. Usually the "I'm so good" brigade. No, it takes a lifetime to become truly fluent. A problem I have is when videos are rehearsed monologues or day to day situations that even an elementary language user can achieve. I can do most of what they do in their "kudos videos" in Spanish when I'm in Mexico. But when my OH's dad started talking politics regarding Russia and Ukraine, with views I didn't agree with, I struggled like hell. My OH is pretty advanced, enough to do a masters degree in law in the UK, and even she struggles to assist translating complex conversations. The only YT teachers I take seriously are the ones who acknowledge that they still, after decades of using the language with native speakers, have a lot to learn (ie George Trombley for Japanese).
I was scrolling down in the comments when he started speaking Danish and I was not expecting that XD That's the language I'm leaning right now and I am having one hell of a time.... It is so incredibly difficult for me! I'm on a hunt to find people (who i don't know very well) that I can speak very broken Danish with!
I was once offered a job in Copenhagen and thought I would learn some Danish before I went. I bought a book and the first two sentences were, "Why do you want to learn Danish? Most Danes speak English". I didn't go there and never learned any Danish but I still admire this honest advice. I enjoy Nordic Noir and find Danish a pleasant and expressive language to listen to.
Cool video. I think you both nailed it on the dot. As a language learner, I'm looking for inspiration and a realistic outlook. The obstacles and challenges that await. Not fluff or false promises, simply because the " host " or influencer, wants to come out smelling like a rose. Appreciate the both of you coming to this point and keeping language learners interest at heart.
Right now I am learning german mostly because my grandma and papa speak it when there angry at me 😂 but I look to this channel as inspiration to learn new languages and I love it, don't lose sight and keep working towards your goal. I also like the culture in japan but I hate how people are picking at you but I think they are just jealous. Stay strong!💪
She’s probably talking about xiaomanyc. I watched his videos and thought it was so fake. I think he genuinely learned Mandarin but the other stuff are scripted BS. I speak Filipino, Spanish, and English. When he was speaking Filipino it was literally just: how much what’s good what do you recommend a little learning a little hellos and good byes But the video was promoted as “I can speak this language.” Also his pronunciation sounded like he is speaking Hindi. The people on the video were just respectful and didn’t say anything rude. They just see white guy attempting and find it interesting and humorous.
i really like this channel, youtube is filled with videos about how cold and impossible it is to fit in, over in japan, and thats part of the reason i always hesistated to learn japanese but seeing videos like yours and some others really shows that its only as cold and lonely as you make it, so thanks for showing the good side of japan and what makes it as good as it is
Omg just from the thumbnail clip I'm already invested 😆 I'm from northeast Ohio and with every new video I feel more comfortable with you I can really tell you're from Michigan!
Just stumbled upon your channel a couple of days ago, and I’m loving the content. Hoping to get my HSK-4 soon. Studying Chinese outside of China is a bit tricky. Is there any channels or shows you’d recommend in improving ones Chinese ?
I love how Stuart’s accent changes with every language. I have lived in a few different countries and always tried to learn at least a couple of words.
Thank you for the video 🙏 I am a linguist and a qualified EFL teacher (although I’ve moved away from teaching). So this subject is close to my heart, but I after this video I was left a bit confused. Yes, people claiming to be experts and creating ineffective products using personal hype are annoying in any area, not just language learning. You are saying that you don’t necessarily think their products are bad. So what is the problem then? The marketing techniques they use? Well, lots if marketing trends are informed by human behaviour and behavioural economics research. The fact that they dare create something without a degree in the subject and get money for that? I’d say well done, because potential customers would be taking their money to someone anyway and these people managed to attract customers. Psychologically we will always believe in a miracle, so clickbait-y lines will always attract people, not everyone, but still a lot. I used to be surrounded mostly by linguists and language enthusiasts, so talking about languages was easy and enjoyable. Then I started meeting people from different backgrounds and realised that the standards of fluency are very subjective (what people put into the meaning of the word “fluent”). Not everyone wants or needs to keep digging for more cultural detail. Every learner has their own goals, standards and requirements for themselves. So whatever makes them feel like they achieved their goals has the right to exist 🤷♀️ The discussion here could have been about what actually works in language learning and what products are good examples of that. Don’t get me wrong, I used to feel so angry if I came across a bad quality language learning product, but actually, people buy what they want to buy. If you want to contribute to a change in the market, create a good product or educate the audience on how to choose a good language learning strategy and tools. Some learners (with particular backgrounds) actually can get fluent in a different language in 3 months. Again, thank you for your video, I really enjoy your channel (not planning to unsubscribe 😁), it’s good to keep the discussion going. Take care 🙏😊
Thank you so much for adding to the discussion Anastasia! I think you asked a lot of good questions. There are instances where I think the product or advice isn’t good, but yes most of the time I don’t think it’s inherently bad and as Stuart said modeling off of successful learners can be good. But most times it’s too intense for the casual learner and they are promised by the guru “you’ll be super fluent, buy my program, I have ‘the secret’, look at me I did it”. Then big surprise… there’s no secret and people’s expectations are sky-high not knowing the actual secret was crazy hours of work and sacrifice, not some “secret method”. It’s telling people what they want to hear, not what they need to hear.
Wow, I’m very impressed with Stuart’s Bahasa Indonesia. I can converse in Bahasa without the accent but Stuart speaks it like a native. Good on you mate! And thanks AnMing for the interesting interview. Hope to watch more of such sharing of ideas with other RUclipsrs
I think it’s really important to understand that your language journey is where you want to take it and it really upsets me as someone who’s worked hard in learning Japanese the past three years, that there are people who say you can be fluent in a super fast amount of time, or that you need to do what they did. The fact of the matter, I think, is that if you want to learn a language it’s going to take time. It took me about 2 years to really and truly understand how Japanese is set up. I used Japanese pod 101 for example and realized the way they were marketing Japanese and how they taught it wasn’t sufficient for me. I ended up finding a book series and other types of media to help me learn Japanese and get to where I am today. I’m currently an intermediate speaker. However, I never believe I a, fluent, nor do I think being fluent is a big deal. Yes, people want to be able to speak a language in a small amount of time, but…the reality is that it’s going to take you many years to learn a language. Creating a system for yourself and building your own confidence is important. Don’t put yourself up against someone else and try to be like them, just be yourself and do you with the language(s) you’d like to learn. Having ambition is important. I really think if you want to learn a language, trust yourself, don’t be afraid to MAKE MISTAKES, and be humble and honest with yourself in your own expectations and what expectation you set for yourself. This was just a little tidbit of my thoughts, but what do you think orientalPearl? I’m curious to know about your opinion. I share a lot of the same thoughts and opinions you have about this issue. (Like even when Japanese people say my Japanese is good, I still say that it’s not that good because I know I have a long way to go until I feel comfortable enough to say that I am fluent. But when are we ever really fluent in any language? A philosophical question for you. Food for thought ) ☺️✌🏻 much love from a fellow language learner.
Two years into german, I can 'have' a conversation. I practice daily, but partially out of fear that I'll lose the ability I do have. When I first started, many of youtube videos talking about fluency in 3 months did discourage me. Thankfully, it was not enough to quit, I love learning the languages and failing and making mistakes - I'll keep going as long as I can.
Since returning to Japan a second time to live permanently, Im more committed to learning Japanese than my first stint. My first 4 years were spent in a very English bubble at work and social circles, sadly I didn't learn much Japanese at all, which I regret. Now Im back to stay (wife is Japanese) and want to have a much better/deeper/enriching experience than the first time, so Im really focused on my Japanese. Several of my closest friends (expats) that have been here for 20+ years and sound very fluent to me, however they are always downplaying their skills and say "I'm conversational". My business partner last time is Aussie, but has been here for a long time, speaks very well in business settings and can read a Japanese newspaper, but even he says "Im not fluent". I know I have a long way to go, and will always have more to learn, important to break through the self imposed roadblocks and inevitable plateaus.
Ha, great video. You are my guru :) Much respect. Hoping before I leave this earth I can have a decent conversation in at least one other language. Just so hard for me. but will keep trying.
Like him or hate him Bald and Bankrupt is an example of how to COMMUNICATE with people in another language. He doesn’t speak gramatically correct russian sometimes but is not afraid to engage everyday people in day to day situations. If you’re so stuck on speaking without error to the point of being afraid to open your mouth, you’ve missed the point of learning the language.
@@OrientalPearl Do you love the fact that he is a sex tourist/con artist, who along with Harald and Tim were members of a pickup artist forum (all of which have deleted their accounts since), traveling the world, comparing notes and mostly looking for cheap sex under the guise of making a YT travel channel? On the PUA forum Bald used to gloat how he got a blowjob for $6 dollars from a poor Belarussian hitchhiker girl... His friend Tim used the whole "sponsor a poor family" charade with Harald on one of the young Filipina province girls he called an "8 that he needed to broken in", he ended up getting her pregnant of course. But giving the girl's dad a few hundred dollars on film for YT makes it all better right? 🙂 Actually, I have no problem with sex tourists, at least they pay fair prices and are upfront with the girls and everyone understands the situation. They aren't trying to trick them in any way possible for free sex as part of a game, and going around the world acting like do-gooders on RUclips when they literally are there to bang. I un-subbed from all 3 of those guys years ago.
![Summer Walker - Heart Of A Woman [Official Lyric Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SFddctbZzw8/mqdefault.jpg)
I took 2 years of Spanish in High School and 2 semesters in college. I finally was able to test my proficiency in Spain and i was able to hold basic conversations and translate for my friends at a restaurant, but I realized how inadequate my learning experience was. Learning a language requires a lot of time, practice, devotion, and certainly a certain degree of immersion in the culture. These 30-min exercises are maybe enough for you to get by on a weekend trip, but certainly not for fluency.
That’s right. It’s takes a lot of time. But living in an environment where you can use it everyday speeds it up substantially.
@@OrientalPearl I think you are awesome! My daughter is your age and studied Italian in college and spent a semester abroad and lived with an Italian family but still has zero confidence in her language skills. She can understand it a bit but native speakers speak so fast that she can’t keep up. She’s a brilliant person but language proficiency takes so much time and effort and is so hard there is no way someone is learning a language in a month from some program so I agree with you.
That's why j feel like the US needs their students to learn at least ONE other language like in Germany and other countries! Since elementary age
It helps when you feel passionate about a culture. I think true lasting passion is lacking in these RUclipsrs.
@Rico Ten I like when you said that learning a language isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. The time gap from my last Spanish class to my short trip to Spain was over a decade, yet surprisingly I was able to dig into my brain’s archive and practice what I’ve learned. My Spanish wasn’t perfect but the locals appreciated my attempt at communicating in their native tongue and my reward is seeing the smile and excitement in their faces:)
Not everyone agrees with my opinion about the RUclips language learning community and that's ok, no need to unsubscribe, but I hope those who really enjoy this channel support it with a like or by watching the whole discussion, even if they don't agree. Hope we can have more language debates and discussions in the future. -Anming
Keep going do more videos I'm fan
really enjoy your channel, please keep doing what you do!
You really need to stop obsessing over the number of subscribers, you have over 500k. The numbers will go up and down by hundreds or thousands, that's just the nature of the beast.
Some will like your videos, some will not. That's just the way it is, you cannot please everyone. You need thick skin to do what you are doing too.
For me personally, the videos can be a little cringy / repetitive. For some reason Americans living overseas can come across as a bit over the top and arrogant, like the guy that does all the "shocking" white guy videos. Just my opinion. All the best with your videos.
It's funny that you made a video about youtube gurus, but both of you have an interview with "God of Japanese language" who is selling an overpriced course that is supposed to heal your "infection."
If you want people to support and follow you, you should not be bashing other people. Concentrate on your own channel instead of criticizing other channels. From your point of you, who gives a cap what other people are doing. If you don’t want to be like that, then don’t. But you do sometimes. That makes you a hypocrite. Maybe you can actually make a complementing video about your fellow RUclipsrs. You might get more likes and followers and respect. You have bashed the other RUclipsrs many times. I guess any kind of plubicity is good publicity in the world of marketing. I’m not out to be a polyglot. I follow many multi language speakers including yourself. I find it entertaining, usually.
Thank you!
Just because you can order coffee in 20 languages and find your way around airports does not mean that you are fluent in 20 languages.
This is very very true!
But you will really enjoy different coffees… and do that well!
100% agreed Dan!
Exactly! That „polgyglot“ TikToker who got called out!
I'm glad you're both taking a stand against this type of predatory language learning. It can make it really confusing especially when you're just starting out with a language that you can easily be taken advantage of because you just don't know any better. Stick to your morals and keep them people, c'mon!
Hi Wushaw! Glad to see you here again. I’m on my way out to a big filming trip in the north of Japan. Yeah, it’s hard as a beginner because you don’t know what to believe and don’t have experience learning yet.
Predatory language learning..hahah..spare me the melodrama people. Don't have to call them out, not necessary.....
@@jeromestavrosyeo it's necessary if they are taking money from people for poorly developed, overpriced courses
@@user-ry6jj6kx2s Raj has a course costing 1K..what do you say to that? His defence was that it is "nothing wrong charging" that amount of money.
Benny's course is like 9.99.
Raj couldn't stand the competition I guess, damn hypocrite....
@@jeromestavrosyeo I've never looked at Raj's courses, so I'm not in a place to pass judgement on it personally. That sounds quite expensive, but I have no idea what kind of course it is. My comment wasn't directed at any one person in particular. I just do think it's important for people to be made aware of these issues within the online language learning community. I don't like to see people who are just trying to learn, be ripped off. Whether it's for thousands, or a much smaller amount.
Hearing an American and Australian speak Mandarin is like music to my ears.
What a logical discussion! :D
Thanks for watching again! You’ve been a big supporter.
Wow much respect to you for saying that.
Question, do you hear an American or Australian accent when they speak mandarin?
@@wacktastic1 They have an accent, but not a heavy one.
Hearing an American speak proper English is music to my ears.
I really enjoyed the discussion on the topic. Nothing worth learning is easy IMO. I'm glad you're not afraid to speak out on issues like this. It's one of the reasons why I'm subbed to your channel. Not just for the funny reaction videos 😉
Me too.
Thank you so much Henry! I had a feeling that there were others other there that felt the same way.
Same here haha
How much is xiaomnyc making per year that he clickbaits all his vids?
The worst are financial gurus
I feel that I can typically tell when a youtube "polyglot" is fake.
1) I can sometimes hear that the pronunciation is awkward and horribly off from native or proficient speakers (even while I don't know the language well myself..some of them are just quite bad).
2) People they interact with in this other language sometimes look as though they're thinking "what the hell is this person saying?"
3) There are a lot of edits throughout these conversations (there's usually an edit every time they're about to give a response in the language)
4) The person converses with all people at the most basic level "My name is...what is your name...where are you from...I would like some food.."
If they're upfront about just learning the language and we're seeing their process of learning, great, no problem.
As far as language learning channels, I typically just follow people that are native speakers of the language I want to learn: Piece of French, innerFrench, etc.
Question: Do you ever miss living in the US?
You’re very smart to notice the little edits in those suspicious videos. Sometimes they are just trying to cut out the fat and make the video shorter, other times is editing out mistakes. Yeah, I do miss the US. I want to visit home.
Very same thoughts, @LuvThyMind29.
I'm not a genius, I know my "English" just after years of internet, to the point that I read it quiet easily, I started long ago to watch shows undubbed (not only to learn it, but also to experience the original acting ability of the actors involved, with their own voices, rather than a dubbed acting in my own language), so I'm even used to listen to it, I can write in english quite often (worldwide social media use that) but even if its more than 20 years that I'm doing so, I'm still with my THICC Italian accent when I try to "speak", simply for one reason: LACK OF PRACTICE with "native english speaking people" on daily basis and on the most diverse and possible situations. (By the way: Hi from an Italian from Italy :D)
And even if I'm amazed by all of those "polyglot" videos, just for the entertaining nature of them, it is VERY easy to get that A LOT are just the "basic sentences" that you can grasp from a basic dip in any language and memorized just to have the "surprise effect", but after a while, once I saw the very same sentences used and re-used in EVERY ONES, with little or no further interaction, that is fr me just a BIG "red flag" to really take them as "languages gurus"....
I once saw a video with a list of languages the person could use, he was presenting them one at a time. Then he got to Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, lumped them together, saying that if you know Swedish you will understand Norwegian, but if you learn Danish instead, you will be able to understand all three. As a native Swedish speaker, that hurt my brain in so many ways. Swedish and Norwegian are very similar, Danish too in some extent, but don't just lump three languages together just because you want to put them on your list of languages you supposedly know, just for bragging.
@@MMMNemesis reminds me of the guy I used to work with, who claimed to speak 7 or 8 languages. He knew Spanish, apparently, and then included French in his reptatoire as according to him it is "basically the same."
@@jemthompson2019 heh? that’s like saying “i know english and spanish is pretty similar so i speak both fluently” lol
nice video! I like the "shock" videos, mainly for the reaction people get. I don't expect those speakers to be good at the language though, it appears to me they have just enough to impress people that were expecting them to have none. Neither do I believe they have limited skills. What impresses me is the engagement you get talking to strangers on the street. That is the best demonstration.
I think this is a good point. Gotta admire the social skills!
@ europhile26,
The "shock" videos is only the first part of the clickbait titles. It has usually something like "Guy shocks natives speakers by speaking PERFECT X language in less, than one month of study."
Am a fan of yours. Learning a language isn’t easy. Your ability to speak in English, Japanese and Mandarin Chinese fluently speaks for itself. Thanks for keeping it real. Anyone who gives the impression that language learning is easy is simply deceptive. Btw I am a Singaporean. Many of us here speak English, Chinese, and Chinese dialects like Cantonese and hokkien. For you to pick up these languages you are speaking through hard work - kudos to u! We need u to speak up!
Thank you so much! I like keeping it real.
AY SINGAPOREAN🤝
"Your ability to speak english"
What? She's American Lol
@@wiritoyou didn’t read the full sentence
Thank you for bringing this topic up. I really had no idea there was such a seedy underworld of language videos out there. However, I do hate clickbait and misleading thumbnails. I’ve learned to stay away from what is obviously deceitful content (not to mention a waste of time).
Love your videos Anming!
Thanks Frank! Nice to see you here again.
I am in a fb group for learners of my target language and as much as I want to give that community a chance it does worry me how big the pie chart number of members there are that struggle to even begin because they have this notion that there's a "fastest way to learn a language" so they fear to even start in case they get the "slow outdated way". I also have seen some toxicity of looking down upon people behind themselves in their journey. Today a person asked "why is this the way you write this instead of this way, I don't understand?" And I saw a bunch of gifs and memes and emojis doing facepalms or similar, and one person only responded "I am so glad I know this answer" without offering the beginner any answers. Some helped but they got so drowned out that I felt so bad for the author of the post. So many people in that group will eventually hate either the language or language learning altogether because of these mentalities making it harder to plant your seed and watch it grow into an adult strong tree.
This idea that there is or should be the best language learning method is so toxic imho. Especially if it leads people to procrastination on starting their studies. Learning becomes more efficient with practice, much like most other things.
I study French and Swedish and now that I'm further along, I know better than ever what my weaknesses are and how to build them up because I have so much experience on independent learning, know exactly what my goals are and a library of materials to consult. I just don't hangout in language learning circles much anymore because I don't need them to answer my questions.
That’s right. I don’t like when people discourage others from learning, especially if they have been doing it for many years and they are criticizing the new learners.
Too many people in life forget what it's like to be a beginner. That's why good teachers are worth their weight in gold dust. It takes a particular kind of person who is expert in a subject be able to put themselves in the shoes of a beginner. Most of the stuff they know they don't even know how they acquired it. They may know tons about the subject but don't know how to teach it.
I fully agree, we should handle achievments that demand a lot of work, passion and concessions seriously, we shouldn't try to sell them like consumer products.
My language learning philosophy is prepare for the long haul (years and years/decades). Use every resource available. Live the language. Adopt the language. Try to have every kind of experience in the language. Read, write, listen, speak. Continually strive to fill in the gaps. Learn in context and program your mind. It's like building a house. It's a huge project and there are so many elements involved.
After of being learning japanese for two years and half , just recently i came to actually being able to starting to undertand the conversions after SO much study almost every day, i have learning it though many websites and of course much more recently through youtube channels (of some native japanese teachers) and to being honest after putting all this effort and hours(and continuing doing it) , now i have more willing to actually keep learning it because all the hardships that i went though worth, being able to actually starting to understand more intermediate conversations gives me an so rewarding feeling.
That’s awesome. Keep going!
@Dbzlarino27 Hi I would like to know which websites and youtube japanese teachers did you follow? :)
I really enjoyed your honest, informed conversation. There is that predatory gurus problem in many fields, not just in languages teaching.
Thank you! I like having open discussions.
Absolutely agree with Stuart and you. If you're not a native speaker, you'll never be perfect, but also native speakers aren't always perfect.
I speak a few languages (German, English, Hebrew, Norwegian and French) on different levels of fluency. It's not in my intention to shock anyone. but to be able to hold some kind of conversation with people from different countries.
I admire people who are able to hold such conversations, because it connects people and that's the fun of it. That's why I also watch your channel because of your ability to connect with people and in that way build bridges to other cultures.
I’m glad that you liked that part of the video. Stuart said a lot more about that and I’m putting it in a second video with a lot of other RUclipsrs in it as well.
@@OrientalPearl Im Mexican and my parents speak Spanish and that's what I've grownup with. But, I grew up in the US so my Spanish is very rusty. Working with other Mexican people has made me aware of it. I completely agree with what you guys are saying. I really like your videos and watching you talking to people in their language. I tried learning French some years ago but gave up. Now I want to pick that up again because of you. Not only French but also Japanese. Any pointers?
Nothing is perfect as Perfection is relative and subjective.
You're the ONLY talking about this shit in the language learning community! And it's so important! And these cult-like fandoms... I don't get it. Thank you Anming for being raw. We need that here.
I’m glad that you appreciate the content. I think a lot of others are worried about the repercussions of having a public discussion like this.
Yet she never spoke up on MattvsJapan's scam who was on her channel before and who she promoted.
@@reflex9238 What scam are you talking about?
@@jackest4114 Project Uproot and he was charging about $500 for him to teach pitch accent to people, and wasn't very specific with the issue on how people learn pitch accent and was trying to say that only he knows the secret to learning pitch accent, well him and another scammer he worked with Ken Cannon who actually had to go to court for doing the same thing previously. Its weird how she never really talked about it considering that she already doesn't like people who try to sell courses that promise people fluency in 30 days time.
Edit: Sorry about the hostility of my comment.
@@reflex9238 Fuck. I didn't know about that. But pretty much all Anming said in this video can apply to many RUclipsrs including him, I don't see a need to name-drop him. Anming is trying to speak up on this, not to pick a fight against 'x' RUclipsr. It's unecessary. With all the things she said, all the information given here is enough for a critical mind to see what's right and wrong. Thank you for informing me about this, I don't know why but I believe in Refold's method but I never ever trusted Matt.
Such a fantastic video! I need this to blow up in the language community because many people do not see the facade. That name drop was scary I was nervous lol since you never have done that. Your platform that you have is amazing and I hope many people realize you do marketing, so your opinion has a strong knowledge in it.
Thank you so much Jason. I’m glad that we have common ground on this topic.
Thank you for this! I am a linguist and a teacher who has spent my entire life mastering languages and have recently opened my language centre to combat these INSANE trends in language learning where business are lying to their learners with crash courses for the sake of high turnover, and fake online polyglots telling people they can be fluent in 3 months. Also, the biggest learning centres advertise their courses differently in the Western Europe and differently in the Eastern Europe (apparently, same courses last 3 months in the UK and a year in Eastern Europe where we learn languages more realistically and are usually more proficient...). In addition, standards for fluency really need to be discussed, because what is considered fluent these days varies too much! Thank you for exposing this and telling the truth!
Yes, you brought up a good topic. I also should have talked about how businesses use this predatory marketing to sell their apps.
@@OrientalPearl Yes, besides being borderline fraudulent, and so far from what educators should stand for, it is also extremely demotivating for smaller businesses like mine. How do you compete against people who have an established following, marketing specialists, and guarantee fluency within months, giving out certificates left and right. As a teacher, I just could not put my name behind that and work for these businesses. It has also shaped the expectations of so many students, where they now think this is normal. Thank you for speaking out, and I will continue to do the same to bring back realistic outcomes, honest feedback and high standards to language learning.
This reminded me of the first time I moved from Eastern Europe to Western Europe😂 In Eastern Europe I claimed to speak 2 languages (my mother tongue and English). When my colleagues heard me speak some butchered German for a few minutes they were like, hold up, you're fluent in German?! Like no, dude, I literally struggled to spell an address in German😂 According to my Western European friends I speak 15-20 languages fluently. According to me I speak 2 languages fluently. Yeah, there is 1 more that I kind of speak as well (Dutch), but all the rest is just Hi/Thanks/1,2,3/Bye and for Westerners that's somehow fluency😂 To their defense my pronunciation is pretty good in about 20 languages, so I guess that's why they are mislead.
@@andij605 Same, I was a lecturer and a linguist in Eastern Europe and I moved to Western Europe for personal reasons, having to then transfer my career, as well. I was utterly floored and shocked when I saw the standards for fluency in the West compared to the East...Now I am trying to dispel all these myths and lies surrounding fluency and basically help people understand how to learn.
@@romancelanguagecentre I learned this the hard way myself - I'm Canadian and it's common (or was when I was younger) to be bilingual. So ofc I did the French in school and thought yeah, I'm decent enough. (*laughs head off now*) I moved to Europe and holy shit was it BAD. I could barely understand anything, I could barely converse to order anything in the restaurants... and this was after 6 years of French every day at school. 🤦 My husband still loves to take the piss over it and I definitely earned it. Now, I am fine in French and was getting better at German, but for various reasons, had to come home. I did learn my lesson in that while I can get by in Japanese, I don't consider myself even remotely fluent at all. And I can say very basic things in Korean. Very basic.
I do intend to continue learning these languages, but I know now it takes a lot more time and effort on my part just to get the basics, something I didn't know or think about when I was younger. (and stupid lol)
I’m trying to learn a language right now and your channel has been a good motivator for me, I’m glad youre honest with your approach, it gives your videos substance. Channels that use clickbait and exaggerate their skills are fine for entertainment but have no real substance and are more of a time waster.
I’m really happy to hear you feel that way. I understand the pursuit of entertainment content, but I do think it shouldn’t have to be deceptive.
Well oriental pearl just make sure the right languages are taught and respected. I know a lot of countries use different dialects it could be sound or vowels. Great job doing this, it’s very important especially being a foreigner that you don’t disrespect them. And I believe they will respect you back more for doing it right. Love what you do and keep going you got my support.
Thank you so much! Stuart is a great person to talk to about different dialects. He’s studied quite a few.
I do not know how I found your channel and am not currently a foreign language student but I am fascinated by your content and experiences. This was a really informative episode. Keep on doing your thing!
I’m glad to have you here!
Really appreciate you making this video. Whilst I enjoy the entertainment value of these polyglot channels, they've always felt very inauthentic to me. I wish more language-based youtubers talked about this deceptive side of the community.
Thank you Rachel. We share the same opinion about this subject.
who are they talking about?
Wow, I really enjoyed your discussion here, and greatly admire both of you for your fluency in Mandarin Chinese! As a native speaker of Hindi and English, and someone who is fluent in Korean (I am a professional translator), I am learning Japanese, and even though there are a lot of similarities in terms of nouns sounding similar between Korean and Japanese, the kanji constitute a battlefield of their own. It's nice to have someone trying to counter the misinformation and predatory tactics that some "language gurus" will employ to try and sell people on their miracle language learning programmes, and for the most part I agree with your view that language learning is hard and requires hours and hours of hard work both regularly and consistently.
Thank you so much! I’m also enjoying discovering the similarities between the Japanese and Korean languages.
Thank you for this! I remember when I first started learning languages and seeing these methods like “learning a language in 5 days.” I never could fully believe these methods either because each language has so many dynamics and linguistics that build it
I've been wanting to learn a language for a while now and I've settled on Korean. There are so many videos about getting fluent in a short amount of time, it can definitely set unrealistic expectations. So I've been trying to follow people who do videos on different studying methods, what they do in a study session, how to structure a language study sessions, how to study/learn vocab to speaking to writing etc without the promises of getting proficient in a short amount of time. Which I don't know if you've done videos like that, I just started watching your vids, but I would be interested in videos like that.
I appreciate this discussion because often when watching videos of polyglots conversing in another language and promising to give you a quick an easy method to learn another language. They make it seem like its super easy, but then you actually try and it's not that easy, and people give up because it's not easy like the polyglot promised it would be.
I really wish I could just stick a book on learning Korean under my pillow every night and learn by osmosis in 4 minutes or whatever but it just doesn't work like that lol. ... unfortunately.
You’re right. Most of the videos emphasize the “short amount of time” thing. To me 3 years for proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing to university level is lightening speed. Fluent in 1 month is idiotic and a straight lie.
I saw one of your Japanese videos first and didn't realise you also spoke Chinese. That's incredibly impressive and also motivational. I hope others can learn to just display their skills in a positive manner and reach an audience that way.
Thank you so much! I learned Chinese first and lived in China for about 6 years before coming to Japan. 😊
Some of these polyglots make me laugh. I can speak phrases from at least 10 languages; does that make me a polyglot? Nope... it just means I can find the bathroom in many different places. I speak English, Spanish, and Swedish fluently(ish).
This is true and that’s about the level of fluency people need to make a RUclips video lol
It's time to start naming names. This is a great topic, but it will remain abstract until we know who you are talking about and can actually judge for ourselves what that person is doing.
This video will help you understand more: ruclips.net/video/PbQerKaxs9s/видео.html
I don't understand why people have to make a big deal out of everything, pick sides, and attack others over stuff like this, there is just more important things in the world to get worked up over. I enjoy watching your channel, Chris Broad's channel, Sharla's channel, and so on. I have not had any impression really of clickbait or lying to anything. Chris for example has been pretty honest about his Japanese speaking and set fairly realistic expectations, he's expressed how difficult it was for him and even till this day admits his Japanese is far from perfect. Same with most of other channels i follow too. So not sure where all this is coming from Tbh. Again, i suggest not focusing on the negativity and trolls out there, focus on the positive, do what you enjoy, and surely, you'll have an audience who enjoys watching your videos for that, those who have an issue with your videos can just not watch your channel. I tried learning some Japanese myself but realistically reason i' m not really going to probably ever successfully learn Japanese is due to at my age it's completely unrealistic if not impossible for me to ever move to Japan let alone stay for any length of time, i do hope to visit one day on like vacation but based on my age I'm not even eligible for any of the programs to get a job there if i really wanted to, but i still enjoy watching channels about Japan and my fascination is still there with the culture. At the very least i think I'm taking a lot of the good about the Japanese culture and grow my appreciation for life in general.
This video is for a different RUclips community. My channel serves 2 audiences and this video was not made for the j-vlog audience. 😊 I used to make videos just for the language learning audience, but recently RUclips recommended my videos to a different audience. Either way I’m glad to have both you here and the original audience as well.
I've been studying Dutch for about a year. I've made a lot of progress and love watching Dutch TV shows. But I still have a long way to go to achieve what I would consider fluency. What got me early on were many of the comments on language learning videos. There's always somebody who posts that you can be fluent in six months or less. Then the comments follow with "yeah, it only took me about three months to get to that level, blah, blah." That used to bother and discourage me, but now I ignore it. I have a tutor who is a native speaker and I trust what she tells me, not comments on youtube.
Hey, ik ben Nederlands. Ik hoop dat je veel plezier hebt in het leren van Nederlands 😇
Finally, a realistic take on language learning! Just discovered your vids and love it.
PS: I adore your soft drawling english accent:)
The most important factors in learning anything is time and dedication. Does natural innate talent help? Sure, some people may have to work harder than others but not having that innate ability is certainly no roadblock. The one thing that truly helps is loving what you are learning. If you love what you are learning then the time and dedication comes naturally.
So glad you made a video on this. Now I can say all my favorite language RUclipsrs have made a video about these "recent events".
Please, What the "events" people are referencing ?
@@barrrie Project Uproot with Matt vs Japan and Ken Cannon
Thanks for visiting Nick. I don’t think most people are casual viewers. They don’t follow the language learning community in much detail, but I think you know a lot more and follow things a lot more than the average viewer. I think that’s a good thing. You’re much more in-touch.
@@OrientalPearl Thanks for the reply, just saw this. Yeah I try to keep up with the community which might be my downfall haha I try to keep my Japanese immersion running as much as possible but get pulled into stuff on YT. I've been following you for a long time and your videos have definitely been inspiring and make me want to get really good at Japanese so I can connect with people that I never would have been able to had I not decided to take up the task. Hope your videos continue to do well.
- Nick
Anming always gonna keep it real. That's why I like her channel. 🙂
Thank you! More to come.
You hit on some really great points. ❤The first one that stood out to me was when you talked about speaking up against these "gurus". It brings so much hate upon you and your channel and sometimes changes nothing that the audience believes. Humans like to believe what they believe and if anyone questions that, they get upset. 😒It's like a shoot the messenger type of situation..even if it is truth. The other thing you said hit close to home. The part about making people believe you can learn languages overnight or easily, and then when they can't or don't, they feel defeated and get down on themselves.😔 Reminds me of reality TV shows like The Biggest Loser who made you believe people were losing 11 lbs a week when it wasn't true..and instead of the show being encouraging, it was having the opposite effect and people were getting down on themselves for not being as good..or doing as well. It's the same with the languages. Very good video💜 Someone had to say it.
Thank you so much for always making great contributions to the discussion! I love reading you comments. The Biggest Loser is a good comparison!
im a recent viewer to this channel after coming from "xiaomanyc". I have no idea what is going on, as these two channels are primarily my exposure to language learning (there was one more, Dogen, but I havent watched many videos unfortunately). I think its good for this to be spoken sbout without making it a complete calling out/"slandering" video. This was a healthy discussion.
Thank you! I don’t like personal attacks and these videos are not about attacking people. It’s more about discussing ideas or criticizing methods.
It is good that you sound these warnings. Greatly appreciated.
We need names of these scammers!!
This was a really interesting video, with someone I'd never heard. On my journey to learn different languages my motive to learn some of these languages was very different. In school in junior high we were all required to learn French, and for two weeks Iwas eager, and learned a lot of terms which I still remember. Then the school was chosen for a pilot project, and only one class was to learn French, and I wasn't in that class. In high school I was again required to learn French, but I was no longer motivated, and only learned how to mimic phrases with no understanding of the words. After two years I got out of class having learned nothing. Because at one point I worked a Canadian Government job where I was required to answer phone in both of the Official Languages of English and French. I'm a contrarian, and the greeting was the full Departmental name in ones primary language and just hello in other language, So after my indicating I thought it was a stupid policy to give a greeting in a language I could not function. I complied but in my own fashion. I learned to mimic the pacing and pronunciation to answer in French, a language I could not speak, and say hello in English I was theoretical fluent in, as it was my first language. Apparently my French language greeting was so good that my friends whose first language was French said, I sounded like my first language was French. Since most people wanted wanted to engage in English it confused some people initially, until they realized I could fully converse in English. Where it was really fun was when I dealt with other Government employees usually in same department whom wished to converse in French and found I could only greet them and then say I didn't speak French in French. These individuals who could usually also speak English would become upset that I couldn't converse in French. I would point out policy was to greet in both official languages which I always did. Policy did not say anything about being able to communicate in both official languages or that most of the greeting had to be in the language of greatest fluency.
However, in travelling to non English fluent language countries I always learned basic greetings and phrases, because I thought it was the polite thing to do. I never really had a problem learning these snippets of languages. When a friend wanted to go into a government paid French immersion training course, he convinced me go and take the language learning aptitude test. My friend had aptitude to learn a second language and I apparently didn't.
I never tried to really learn a second language for years, until I went to visit a friend whom lived in a country where Mandarin was primary language so I though I would try to learn Mandarin. I crashed and burned, learning only a few greetings, because I didn't have a real drive to learn Mandarin.
However, I found that being a fan of Japanese history, I wanted to learn Japanese. However, being basically lazy. I tried a few of those RUclips learn Japanese in 15 minutes a day, or 7 days, or thirty days and reached a plateau and didn't improve. I got a Japanese teacher who I could only see one day week for an hour. I improved a little but like Stuart said, because I only did a couple hours a week of homework I was progressing very slowly. I found I improved when I was in Japan, but didn't get to retain most of the improvement upon returning to Canada. Then the last two an a half years happened, and after no classes for six months, my instructor told me that she didn't think she was helping me, and dropped me as a student. I know what she said but really I still wasn't putting in the effort. I purchased a few courses, books, and because for the first time I really enjoyed the language and culture of Japan, I was finally ready to put in the required effort. About this time I discovered the Oriental Pearl Channel hosted by Anming and she spoke directly to my growing realisation of the effort required to become functional in Japanese. After viewing a couple of her video's I immediately subscribed. She said that when she was learning Chinese and Japanese, she spent six to 8 hours a day, every day. I've occasionally spent more time, but I always spend a minimum of four hours every day on Japanese language studies. My Japanese has improved from horrible to bad.
I draw inspiration from Anming, and I enjoy all of the content on her channel. Another long winded post, but it's what I've learned and why I enjoy Anming and the Oriental Pearl channel.
Hi Jim. It was really interesting reading about your background learning French and your struggles with learning Japanese. I feel your pain with the plateauing issue. I had the same problem in the beginning with Japanese. I got frustrated and wanted to quit. If I had a teacher at that time, they probably would have dropped me. The thing that took me up from beginner to intermediate was tripling my study time from 30 minutes a day to 1.5 hours a day, plus enrolling in a Japanese language school (in China). After 3 months my Japanese friends were absolutely shocked at the progress. When in doubt, double down, or triple down. Never give up Jim. Fight!
Don’t give up! You’ve got this! And Jesus loves you!
Jim, my nephew lived and taught in Japan for years and is fluent now but he said it was really hard to learn.
If you lived in France or Japan for a year and rarely or never spoke English and listened to their radio and watched their TV shows you would naturally start dreaming in those languages.
So much more interesting than slogging through lessons.
@@i.m.7710 I agree that the easiest way to improve in a non native language is through study and emersion in the target language. I've never been able to spend more than 14 days in Japan. I have wanted to spend around four months in Japan, studying the language and living and functioning in Japanese. However, as I was putting a plan together the last two years occurred. Hopefully, Japan will reopen to North Americans within a year, and I can make that happen.
@@jimross7648 I lived 3 years in Miami and got hooked on the Cuban/American good music radio stations and Univision TV novellas and super funny female comedians. All my coworkers and many customers were from South America, and a wonderful boyfriend. I’m too lazy to study anything, but that’s when I started dreaming in Spanish. I moved back to California and I’m sorry I’m not a fan of Mexican music so the radio and tv watching stopped and so did the learning. I can get by pretty well with people who don’t speak English. And my pronunciation, like yours, was always very good.
i am more of a dilettante in learning thai. i listen to xiaomanyc and oriental pearl because i enjoy their experiences and draw some motivation/inspiration from them in learning a new language despite my geezer status. i have raj’s book , cracking thai fundamentals,and am working my way through it. not many real shortcuts in this life. work at it steadily, immerse yourself if you can, listen to experts such as raj. take inspiration from some youtubers such as oriental pearl, raj, thai talk with paddy, xiaomnyc, , and tune out marketing/clickbait. above all, be polite and respectful and disregard the vitriol. xiaomanyc did the clueless white guy video that has a clickbait title. still his videos are fun and don’t ovepromise imho. love oriental pearl and stuart jay raj
Thanks for contributing to our discussion Timothy. I’m happy that you are drawing inspiration from everyone’s videos.
I feel the same! The videos are entertaining! As pointed out, nobody is forced to listen. We can all choose to watch or move on. I don't feel deceived or that I'm marketed towards. I can buy or not buy. I've never bought a single thing from a you tube sponsor. Seriously seems more like a video saying, "I'm better because I do it THIS way instead of how they do it." Who cares. Do you and let them do them. Move on. Just seems like a little self absorbed you tube policing going on here IMO. I have my favorite to watch because he is entertaining. It really can be that simple people. Enjoy life and let others do the same.
I really enjoyed this discussion! The one about fluency really hit home. I went to a Francophone school and speak French as a second language (as much as I want to say I'm fluent, I'm far from perfect, so I'll just say I'm good), and when some people find out they say "oh I can too!" When I try to engage in a conversation, I find out that they only know certain phrases, and have a hard time understanding. This disappoints me, especially when they say they're fluent. We learn it in regular school here in Canada, but from what I've heard it's basic and everybody just forgets everything they've learned. It honestly makes me sad when people pretend that they're so good, because speaking to others is the main way I upkeep my French. If someone wants to show what they've learned, by all means, I'd love to hear it! But saying they can speak it makes me feel like I can't help them learn (it's hard to explain...)
Thanks for sharing your experience learning French. You brought up some good points.
@@OrientalPearl thank you, sorry for the long-winded speech :)
The only person I'm trying to shock by learning or mastering a foreign language is myself...I'd be really shocked if I did that.
And I look forward to this shock.
Thank you for inspiring us English speakers to learn a foreign language.
Totally agree!
music is what inspired me to learn japanese. i want to know what they’re saying, the words sound very beautiful and complex. こちらこそありがとうございます for reading!
@@EmmaJohnsonShenanigans Japanese music is so beautiufl
Definitely Stuart deserves more recognition. He's like a hidden gem on RUclips which is sad.
There are so many types of decent polyglots. Luca Lampariello vs Moses McCormick, they had a style completely different and a goal completely different. But when I see a polyglot using the "I learn spanish in 30 seconds", that drives me crazy because I know how much work, time and dedication it takes to reach a semi-fluency in a foreign language
Very interesting and informative video. Plenty of insightful perspectives offered within. I have a good friend living in Bangkok (for decades) who is friends with Stuart for years, and he speaks well of him. I am still amazed and impressed with people being able to speak these languages Thai, Chinese, Japanese etc.
Honestly language learning isn’t glamorous and I think that’s why these types of predatory things appeal to people
Language learning takes A LOT of time and dedication. It also means that you’re never quite “fluent” if you understand what I mean. People always have the goal of wanting to be fluent but it’s the journey that’s really the beauty of learning a language imo. And fluency is so subjective and usually takes many MANY years.
When I started learning Japanese I didn’t realize just how much time and effort it would take. It took so much time and effort that it added to me being exhausted and I had to stop temporarily so I can continue when I don’t have as much “regular” schoolwork. It’s unfortunate but it’s a reality we have to face - that language learning takes a lot and if you truly want to learn a language you can’t just go to one class a week and expect to know the language, like you said.
You’re right. The studying process isn’t very glamours, the end product is.
So glad yt updated their practices! They have a section on "click bait" in the new Guidelines and suggest people use the report button for "spam and misleading" information!
Great video indeed 😊
I was finally actually able to speak my second language at near fluently only because I did a combination of applying these factors.... Completing the fundamental lessons course via RUclips and books(including reading writing proper pronouciation).. Then practice with real-life people in person, apps, and online, and I lived in that particular country for a couple of years picking up on every nuance and mannerism within the culture... Plus while i there i never spoke a word of my own language
I love this so much! I'm 9 months into learning Korean (with a private teacher) and I feel like I know nothing. Sometimes I get discouraged because I can't have a full fluid conversation, but I do know a lot of grammatical info and I have come a long way. I just feel like I'll never be fluent, but then I remember sometime it takes years, or even a decade to be 'fluent', especially if your older or it's not your native language, you may still be learning vocab forever and that's ok. ITS OK TO NOT BE PERFECT, AS LONG AS YOU TRY ♥️♥️♥️ 사랑해요!
I would like to add that I am only studying for fun/ possible future travel, and I only have class once a week. I do work on projects/homework during the rest of the week outside of lessons, but I have a full-time job and a side job as well, so I don't spend as much time practicing as I would like. I'm hoping to buckle down more and study harder, but I am happy to learn nonetheless!
It sounds like you’re on the right track.
I couldn't have put it any better
Happy Chinese New Year, Miss Alyssa/Anming, 祝你新年快樂，身體健康，心想事成，萬事如意。🏮🐅🧧
No matter which is right or wrong, the method of learning a language can be various and effective. 📚
Apart from it, you look glorious in the cheongsam (旗袍). 🌸
Happy Chinese New Year to you too!
I've been learning Thai for a few years and Stuart is a legend. He just started doing an interesting video series using my friend David Martins 4000 Thai sentences. Great interview
The funny thing is I saw his videos years ago and still remember to this day how cool I thought his skills were.
David's sentence repository is pure gold. Never have I seen such an authentic set of language in one concise resource. It would be a sin to NOT do something with it, as I think if someone were just using it as a spaced repetition resource etc, they'd be missing some of the extremely rich lessons hidden in there. Sadly, RUclips doesn't seem to find the series sexy enough.
To be honest i don't watch a lot of these youtubers and to be more honest i only watch your channel and one german channel. 😂 But i can share my experience with learning japanese. I tried it a couple times in the past, but i never really gotten into it and i would say it was most likely because of the wrong materials and way too high expectations. After i discovered your channel on january 25th the fire reignited and i was more passionated then ever before, but also more patient. So i'm now past day 16 and i can only do a basic selfintroduction with name, age, origin and job. I just finished the lesson about ます and hammered hiragana ,katakana and a few kanji in my head. I'm still super excited and motivated, but i want to point out that i've learned 8 hours straight on some days. If i a had to guess i did like 4 hours on average every day. I don't know if i did big progress or not and i don't really care, cause i enjoy learning it rather then seeking for the miracle solution. So that was a lot of words for a simple thing: Just have fun learning languages!
Thank you for sharing your experience. I made the same mistake as you as a kid learning Spanish. I had extremely high expectations and fell flat on my face. I thought it was because I wasn’t good at it, when in reality I didn’t realize the sheer amount of time it takes everyday to get good.
@@OrientalPearl Hi Anming! 😃 Yeah i think it's a hurdle that every languagelearner has to overcome at some point. Sadly i had to reach the age of 32 to finally realise that impatience kills the whole experience. 😅
Hope you have a lovely week,
Mark
Thank you so much for discussing this issue, Anming. It's a problem that I've come across trying to find another language to learn (my Spanish is conversational at best because U.S. high schools are terrible to learn languages in. 😅) It's so overwhelming with all the apps and programs that are out there. I keep hearing that the Pimsleur method is definitely more efficient than some other apps that are available. I'm leaning more towards that, as well as a robust way to learn at least 3 languages. I'd love to be able to speak in all the languages the world has, but that's so many. 😅Maybe if I was a secret agent or a vampire I could learn more than a handful of languages. (I'm still in the planning stage, I'll need to be able to dedicate time to at least one language first).
I’m glad that you got something out of this video. I’d like to do some more language discussions. There will be another discussion video coming out in 2 weeks. Yes, I got a lot out of Pimsleur.
@@OrientalPearl Thanks! I'll be sure to check it out. My notifications are on. 😊
I Enjoy watching your videos when I have a chance so keep up the good work
Thanks so much. I’m glad that you are enjoying them.
Thank you for bringing this topic to light. It took me tons and tons of digging on YT to find out there are fakes.
It takes hours and hours of complete immersion into a language to get it. Speaking with native speakers is the way and most of said native speakers are happy to help. What I've learned is this: you don't have time to translate, so learn to think in that language.
That’s right. Once you get to the point where you can start understanding without translating in your head then you’re really on the right track.
@@OrientalPearl that's what my Dad taught me. He's fluent in Mandarin.
Your videos help me stay dedicated in learning Japanese regardless of how limited my actual speaking is
ありがとうございます
I feel like it depends on the RUclipsr as well. Take Ikenna for example. He does not promise mastery within a short period of time, but rather a basic level of conversational fluency. If you voice the goal of your course clearly, then it obviously won't be a fraud.
thanks for mentioning about Ikenna - his channel and guests are very interesting.
This is the discussion that I, and I'm sure some of your other subscribers, didn't know we needed to hear. Thanks for looking out. I love to hear your laugh, it's so warm! You're beautiful!
Thank you! I’m so glad that you said that. I think other RUclipsrs often tell people what they want to hear and not what they need to hear.
I’ve bought into the idea that I’m bad foreign languages but am trying to overcome this. Studying French again snd am considering Japanese
No, you’re selling yourself short. You need to double down and study at least an hour a day. You would make substantial progress of you did.
Well, you managed to figure out English so I'd say second and third languages is just a matter of time. Maybe it will take you more time than someone else but in the end it doesn't matter (student who struggled with Japanese in college now working in Japan and not as an English teacher either)
@@OrientalPearl
I have a question, probably a question you've heard millions of times hehe. If I wanted to achieve eventual fluency in my target language how many hours per day would you recommend me study and immerse myself in that target language?
I'm currently doing this
Monday
Japanese tv for an hour
Japanese reading half an hour
Tuesday
Japanese tv for an hour
Two hours studying
Wednesday
Japanese tv for an hour
Two hours studying
Thursday
Japanese tv for an hour
Japanese reading half an hour
Friday
Japanese tv for an hour
Two hours studying
Saturday
Japanese tv for an hour
Lesson with tutor for an hour
Sunday
Japanese tv for an hour
Two hours studying
And I was doing this before
Monday
Half an hour reading
An hour Japanese tv
Tuesday
Japanese tv for an hour
Two hours studying
Reading half an hour
Wednesday
Japanese tv for an hour
Two hours studying
Reading half an hour
Thursday
Half an hour reading
An hour Japanese tv
Friday
Japanese tv for an hour
Two hours studying
Reading half an hour
Saturday
Lesson with tutor an hour
Sunday
Japanese tv for an hour
Two hours studying
Reading half an hour
Thank you so much. Thanks to this discussion, I realized I was being hard on myself trying to perfect the languages I'm studying right now within a short timespan. Some of these videos on RUclips make language learning look as easy as drinking water when in reality, it's about hard work, time, and dedication. I'll be patient from now on keep putting in the work. Thanks to you both❤️❤️
Great discussion, and I'm really enjoying these conversations you're having with other language learners. Keep up the great work!
Thanks! I’d love to reach out to more new people too.
Great video. You are doing some good in a world that needs it today. Thanks for doing this.
Thanks for watching Dan. I’m not sure if we did much, but I’m glad you do. 😆
This kinda reminds me of when I took a creative writing class in college. It was a similar experience to what was described here right down to the cult-like enviroment and gatekeeping.
Only difference is that language gurus, as far as I'm aware, don't make fighting riot police as a prerequisite to participate further into their lessons.
What's riot police have to do with your comment
@@Chanhee Long story short but my creative writing professor essentially wanted the class to participate in anti-goverment protest for an assignment with the pretense of describing the event in a poetic manner. Extra credit for being part of it.
The professor was with an anarchst group and the protest was organized by a friend of his, a fact that I found out later on. I didn't go and the protest unsurprisingly turned into a brawl with the cops. I withdrew from the class shortly after - It wasn't much of one as the lessons became less about writing techniques and storytelling, and more about idealogies and (perceived) oppression leading up to the "assignment".
This was in US btw so its not like the country was unstable or anything.
Wow, that’s a crazy story. Did anyone get in trouble?
@@OrientalPearl Two of my classmates got arrested at the protest and the professor possibly. About three weeks after I left, the class was cancelled indefinetly and the sheriff showed up to search his office. Didn't find anything else out other than his connection to the protest.
@@PeninsulaCity2024 US is pretty unstable in my book : )
Very well said! You are so wise and very diplomatic and make your points very intelligently. Keep up the awesome work! I will be watching for more videos!
Learning a language is kind of like learning to play a musical instrument. You can learn how to play Smoke on the Water on one string and then tell everyone you play guitar. If that’s as far as you want to go with it then great, but it’s kind of limiting. If you want to learn 10 more songs on five more strings it’s going to take a little more time and effort.
That’s right. And the higher you go the more practice you’ll need.
I agree and I'm that person who can only play smoke on the water and brag it to my non-musician friends💀
You are amazing pearl! I watch you all the time and can’t get over how you can speak these languages. Believe me this is very unique!
Another valuable video, loved both you and Jay in this. I appreciate when language learning RUclipsrs have no method to push or product to sell but rather just try to pursue their personal goals that aren't centered upon impressing fellow polyglots or push a product. Which isn't shameful by itself, but it's been done to death and it's not my own passion to pursue.
People here in the comments have been criticizing you for criticizing others and accusing you for hypocrisy. We all have a right to criticize; to pretend otherwise is to preach subservience. It would be odd if making popular videos made one immune to criticism, disrespectful even, as we would no longer be treating them as our peers. There are many people and powers working to divide ourselves into us and them. Criticism from the viewpoint of equals is one thing we have to keep doing to work against that.
Though, lastly I think you could have talked more about what we should replace the charlatanism with. 30 days to conversational fluency is of course unrealistic, but what would more realistic expectations be like instead? I just notice how my skills improve with daily practice over time and I get to do things in my target languages while I'm not yet fluent enough to be easily able to follow a talk show without exhaustion, but I don't know how to spin that into a story that others could see as motivating. Yet these scams are so prevalent we can parody them with ease.
Also, cool 😎 dress Anming! And thanks for your videos in general.
I think you brought up some great points to continue the discussion on. And yes, I find it ironic when people criticize me for making a critical video. 😆 “You can criticize others, but I’ll criticize you in this comment”. Ironic…
on the subject of learning languages, my daughter is super interested in language. she watches kid learning videos so often, with chinese, spanish, japanese, arabic and korean. she is exposed to a lot of language videos. she's 4 years old. i think she finds characters interesting. she came home on the bus the other day singing some vowels song in arabic.
I was the one who pointed out first your Japanese has a “more” Chinese accent than American accent. Interestingly, your Chinese sounds like an overseas Chinese (namely Shanghainese) who stayed in Japan for many years.
That’s really interesting! Maybe it’s because I have a lot of Chinese friends living overseas. I lost that cool Harbin accent I had a lot time ago.
I'm a huge fan of your interviews and discussions about language learning.
So nobody mentioned Matt VS Japan? Cuz if we talk about gurus milking its community, I think he may be the youtube character who fits the most.
Oh hello fellow Detroiter! I just found your channel and I'm glad you're addressing this stuff! I am NOT a polyglot but I love languages and I think it's cool you are talking about this stuff. I briefly dabbled in a few languages in college at WSU but ultimately I decided that it was better for me to just have a general interest in languages and linguistics. I respect when people get so immersed in non-native languages like you have! Cheers!
Man I can’t even speak proper English how will I ever be able to speak properly in other languages. 😵
You can though. Don’t see yourself short.
Favorite thing is you're always genuine. You tell it, how it is and not afraid to call people out. Always rooting for you & will always have love and respect for you & what you do.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that you’ve been here since the very beginning. I’m glad to have so many kind people like you here that aren’t afraid to hear an honest opinion.
@@OrientalPearl It's all about being yourself & being honest, not with just yourself but with others! We can all have opinions & chat about stuff. I always enjoyed that about you! Don't ever change or let anyone tell you otherwise.
Ken and Matt: Hey Whales! So we have this secret key....
Benny: You can learn Japanese fluently in 3 months
Steve Kaufman: I know 20 languages (most are A1 level)
Xioama: I learned French in one day
Bro, Stuart speaking Indonesian just opened my eyes... well more like my ears- THATS A BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE 😍
I think so too!
Hi Pearl, but are you indirectly talking about Matt vs Japan in this video.
I though the same, certain names come to mind. Usually the "I'm so good" brigade. No, it takes a lifetime to become truly fluent.
A problem I have is when videos are rehearsed monologues or day to day situations that even an elementary language user can achieve.
I can do most of what they do in their "kudos videos" in Spanish when I'm in Mexico. But when my OH's dad started talking politics regarding Russia and Ukraine, with views I didn't agree with, I struggled like hell.
My OH is pretty advanced, enough to do a masters degree in law in the UK, and even she struggles to assist translating complex conversations.
The only YT teachers I take seriously are the ones who acknowledge that they still, after decades of using the language with native speakers, have a lot to learn (ie George Trombley for Japanese).
I was scrolling down in the comments when he started speaking Danish and I was not expecting that XD That's the language I'm leaning right now and I am having one hell of a time.... It is so incredibly difficult for me! I'm on a hunt to find people (who i don't know very well) that I can speak very broken Danish with!
Dansk er et sjovt sprog
I was once offered a job in Copenhagen and thought I would learn some Danish before I went. I bought a book and the first two sentences were, "Why do you want to learn Danish? Most Danes speak English". I didn't go there and never learned any Danish but I still admire this honest advice. I enjoy Nordic Noir and find Danish a pleasant and expressive language to listen to.
Cool video. I think you both nailed it on the dot. As a language learner, I'm looking for inspiration and a realistic outlook. The obstacles and challenges that await. Not fluff or false promises, simply because the " host " or influencer, wants to come out smelling like a rose. Appreciate the both of you coming to this point and keeping language learners interest at heart.
Thank you so much Robb. I’m glad that you and I are looking for the same thing on RUclips.
Right now I am learning german mostly because my grandma and papa speak it when there angry at me 😂 but I look to this channel as inspiration to learn new languages and I love it, don't lose sight and keep working towards your goal. I also like the culture in japan but I hate how people are picking at you but I think they are just jealous. Stay strong!💪
I’m so glad that you’re inspired by the channel!
She’s probably talking about xiaomanyc. I watched his videos and thought it was so fake. I think he genuinely learned Mandarin but the other stuff are scripted BS. I speak Filipino, Spanish, and English. When he was speaking Filipino it was literally just:
how much
what’s good
what do you recommend
a little
learning a little
hellos and good byes
But the video was promoted as “I can speak this language.” Also his pronunciation sounded like he is speaking Hindi. The people on the video were just respectful and didn’t say anything rude. They just see white guy attempting and find it interesting and humorous.
Thank you. You’re one of the few people that actually named someone I can go see what the hell they are actually talking about now!. Cheers 👍👍.
he never claims to speak anything well beside mandarin
I love how real you keep it with people! It’s great! Keep calling these frauds out!
Get 'em
Ha ha! Hey I’ve see your channel before! Awesome videos.
i really like this channel, youtube is filled with videos about how cold and impossible it is to fit in, over in japan, and thats part of the reason i always hesistated to learn japanese but seeing videos like yours and some others really shows that its only as cold and lonely as you make it, so thanks for showing the good side of japan and what makes it as good as it is
Xiaoma is funny so I give his bait a pass. Also he's a genuine Polyglot.
Once again, you’ve put out another very interesting video. Thanks!
Thanks for watching. I’m so happy that it was interesting for you.
When i first saw your vlog/video I'm really impressed on how you can speak Japanese language and you did it very well, keep it up beautiful lady!💓
Thank you so much. It means a lot.
Omg just from the thumbnail clip I'm already invested 😆 I'm from northeast Ohio and with every new video I feel more comfortable with you I can really tell you're from Michigan!
Michigan girl born and raised.
Just stumbled upon your channel a couple of days ago, and I’m loving the content. Hoping to get my HSK-4 soon. Studying Chinese outside of China is a bit tricky. Is there any channels or shows you’d recommend in improving ones Chinese ?
That’s so awesome! Welcome to the channel! i’m planning on doing a video about how to study Chinese, Japanese, and Korean very soon.
@@OrientalPearl Awesome, appreciate it.
New hsk4 or old hsk4?
I love how Stuart’s accent changes with every language. I have lived in a few different countries and always tried to learn at least a couple of words.
Thank you for the video 🙏 I am a linguist and a qualified EFL teacher (although I’ve moved away from teaching). So this subject is close to my heart, but I after this video I was left a bit confused. Yes, people claiming to be experts and creating ineffective products using personal hype are annoying in any area, not just language learning. You are saying that you don’t necessarily think their products are bad. So what is the problem then? The marketing techniques they use? Well, lots if marketing trends are informed by human behaviour and behavioural economics research. The fact that they dare create something without a degree in the subject and get money for that? I’d say well done, because potential customers would be taking their money to someone anyway and these people managed to attract customers. Psychologically we will always believe in a miracle, so clickbait-y lines will always attract people, not everyone, but still a lot. I used to be surrounded mostly by linguists and language enthusiasts, so talking about languages was easy and enjoyable. Then I started meeting people from different backgrounds and realised that the standards of fluency are very subjective (what people put into the meaning of the word “fluent”). Not everyone wants or needs to keep digging for more cultural detail. Every learner has their own goals, standards and requirements for themselves. So whatever makes them feel like they achieved their goals has the right to exist 🤷♀️ The discussion here could have been about what actually works in language learning and what products are good examples of that. Don’t get me wrong, I used to feel so angry if I came across a bad quality language learning product, but actually, people buy what they want to buy. If you want to contribute to a change in the market, create a good product or educate the audience on how to choose a good language learning strategy and tools. Some learners (with particular backgrounds) actually can get fluent in a different language in 3 months. Again, thank you for your video, I really enjoy your channel (not planning to unsubscribe 😁), it’s good to keep the discussion going.
Take care 🙏😊
Thank you so much for adding to the discussion Anastasia! I think you asked a lot of good questions. There are instances where I think the product or advice isn’t good, but yes most of the time I don’t think it’s inherently bad and as Stuart said modeling off of successful learners can be good. But most times it’s too intense for the casual learner and they are promised by the guru “you’ll be super fluent, buy my program, I have ‘the secret’, look at me I did it”. Then big surprise… there’s no secret and people’s expectations are sky-high not knowing the actual secret was crazy hours of work and sacrifice, not some “secret method”. It’s telling people what they want to hear, not what they need to hear.
Wow, I’m very impressed with Stuart’s Bahasa Indonesia. I can converse in Bahasa without the accent but Stuart speaks it like a native. Good on you mate! And thanks AnMing for the interesting interview. Hope to watch more of such sharing of ideas with other RUclipsrs
Who are the gurus they talk about
I think it’s really important to understand that your language journey is where you want to take it and it really upsets me as someone who’s worked hard in learning Japanese the past three years, that there are people who say you can be fluent in a super fast amount of time, or that you need to do what they did. The fact of the matter, I think, is that if you want to learn a language it’s going to take time. It took me about 2 years to really and truly understand how Japanese is set up. I used Japanese pod 101 for example and realized the way they were marketing Japanese and how they taught it wasn’t sufficient for me. I ended up finding a book series and other types of media to help me learn Japanese and get to where I am today. I’m currently an intermediate speaker. However, I never believe I a, fluent, nor do I think being fluent is a big deal. Yes, people want to be able to speak a language in a small amount of time, but…the reality is that it’s going to take you many years to learn a language. Creating a system for yourself and building your own confidence is important. Don’t put yourself up against someone else and try to be like them, just be yourself and do you with the language(s) you’d like to learn. Having ambition is important. I really think if you want to learn a language, trust yourself, don’t be afraid to MAKE MISTAKES, and be humble and honest with yourself in your own expectations and what expectation you set for yourself. This was just a little tidbit of my thoughts, but what do you think orientalPearl? I’m curious to know about your opinion. I share a lot of the same thoughts and opinions you have about this issue. (Like even when Japanese people say my Japanese is good, I still say that it’s not that good because I know I have a long way to go until I feel comfortable enough to say that I am fluent. But when are we ever really fluent in any language? A philosophical question for you. Food for thought ) ☺️✌🏻 much love from a fellow language learner.
Two years into german, I can 'have' a conversation. I practice daily, but partially out of fear that I'll lose the ability I do have. When I first started, many of youtube videos talking about fluency in 3 months did discourage me. Thankfully, it was not enough to quit, I love learning the languages and failing and making mistakes - I'll keep going as long as I can.
Since returning to Japan a second time to live permanently, Im more committed to learning Japanese than my first stint. My first 4 years were spent in a very English bubble at work and social circles, sadly I didn't learn much Japanese at all, which I regret. Now Im back to stay (wife is Japanese) and want to have a much better/deeper/enriching experience than the first time, so Im really focused on my Japanese. Several of my closest friends (expats) that have been here for 20+ years and sound very fluent to me, however they are always downplaying their skills and say "I'm conversational". My business partner last time is Aussie, but has been here for a long time, speaks very well in business settings and can read a Japanese newspaper, but even he says "Im not fluent". I know I have a long way to go, and will always have more to learn, important to break through the self imposed roadblocks and inevitable plateaus.
I wish you the best of luck in your Japanese language journey. Yes, it’s easy to adapt to the gaijin community here and get too comfortable with it.
Ha, great video. You are my guru :) Much respect. Hoping before I leave this earth I can have a decent conversation in at least one other language. Just so hard for me. but will keep trying.
Like him or hate him Bald and Bankrupt is an example of how to COMMUNICATE with people in another language. He doesn’t speak gramatically correct russian sometimes but is not afraid to engage everyday people in day to day situations. If you’re so stuck on speaking without error to the point of being afraid to open your mouth, you’ve missed the point of learning the language.
OMG I LOVE his channel. Huge fan. He’s a social butterfly and very good at narrating.
@@OrientalPearl Do you love the fact that he is a sex tourist/con artist, who along with Harald and Tim were members of a pickup artist forum (all of which have deleted their accounts since), traveling the world, comparing notes and mostly looking for cheap sex under the guise of making a YT travel channel? On the PUA forum Bald used to gloat how he got a blowjob for $6 dollars from a poor Belarussian hitchhiker girl... His friend Tim used the whole "sponsor a poor family" charade with Harald on one of the young Filipina province girls he called an "8 that he needed to broken in", he ended up getting her pregnant of course. But giving the girl's dad a few hundred dollars on film for YT makes it all better right? 🙂
Actually, I have no problem with sex tourists, at least they pay fair prices and are upfront with the girls and everyone understands the situation. They aren't trying to trick them in any way possible for free sex as part of a game, and going around the world acting like do-gooders on RUclips when they literally are there to bang. I un-subbed from all 3 of those guys years ago.
That's true. Shame he was banned from returning to the RF. Some of it was cringey- patronising though 🫣 I wouldn't subscribe, too irritating.