Have you ever noticed that very young children seem to have no problem picking up multiple languages simultaneously, and yet we as adults seem to struggle with even the most basic verb forms of a foreign tongue? If you have tried to learn a new language after the age of about six, then some language theorists would argue that you missed out on a critical period, or, from a less extreme perspective, a sensitive period for language acquisition.These periods refer to the ideal windows of time during early childhood after which acquiring language is more difficult at best, and impossible at worst.  (It should be noted, however, that the critical period is only a hypothesis, and some language theorists on the other end of the spectrum believe that the critical period is a myth.)

Before age six, proponents of the critical period say that the brain has the capacity to process language in a qualitatively different way, absorbing it without the need for explicit instruction.  In fact, there have been some instances of children deprived of any language exposure whatsoever – the most famous being Genie or “The Wild Child”, and this results in a permanent language deficit among other mental disabilities.  While cases such as this act as strong evidence for a critical or sensitive period for first language acquisition, there is less of a consensus on the topic of second language acquisition.  The general idea, however, remains the same: when it comes to picking up a new language with fluency, younger is better.

So what does this mean for today’s adult who is hoping to learn a new language for traveling purposes, career endeavors, or just for fun in today’s rapidly globalizing world?  The good news is that this far from being a hopeless enterprise.  After all, many of us have achieved fluency in a second (or third, or fourth, or tenth!) language well after the age of six, whether it was in school, while living abroad, or through self-directed educational techniques.  Why is it that we appear to have this ability with foreign languages when children like Genie are virtually unable to master just one language after years of deprivation?  One possible explanation is that we already have the advantage of being fluent in at least one language, the native tongue (a.k.a. L1).  Unlike programs such as Rosetta Stone that emphasize total immersion in the second language (a.k.a. L2), we at Brainscape take advantage of this principle in our language education software by using direct translation as one of the primary pathways through which adults can learn new languages. (Click here to learn more about the effectiveness of translation.)  Research suggests that the native language can be extremely useful in acquiring new languages (Avand, 2009; Cook, 2001; Kern, 1994).

On top of the apparent benefits of L1-L2 translation, Brainscape provides today’s time-starved adult learner with a convenient, accessible, and highly effective tool for learning languages (including Spanish, French, and Chinese) in both web and mobile formats.  Thus, if you are one of the many busy adults out there who would like to learn a new language but does not have the time to buckle down and take a course or use one of the expensive and time-consuming total immersion products out there, Brainscape’s easy to use, adult-friendly software might just be the answer. No more excuses!

References

Avand, A.-Q. (2009). Using translation and reading comprehension of ESP learners. Asian ESP Journal, 5(1), 44-60.

Cook, V. (2001). Using the first language in the classroom. Canadian Modern Language Review, 57(3), 402-423.

Kern, R.G. (1994). The role of mental translation in second language reading. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 16(4), 441-461.