How My Motivations Pushed Me to Learn My Third and Fourth Languages

In this article, I delve into my personal journey of learning multiple languages, exploring the unique experiences and motivations that drove me to add a third and fourth language to my repertoire. I was drawn to these languages through my personal and professional experiences, which will be explored in detail below.

Living and Working Abroad: The Driving Force

For me, the journey to learning my third and fourth languages began when I decided to live and work in countries where these languages are spoken. This experience was particularly special because, in many of these places, not everyone speaks English. This reality highlighted the importance and value of being multilingual, a fact which resonates strongly with both my personal and professional endeavors.

Education and Geography: The Birth of Languages

During my education in Slovakia, I was faced with a unique language challenge - almost everyone can speak both Slovak and Czech. Additionally, the school curriculum mandates that we learn two more languages, with English being the first. After that, students have the option to choose between German, Russian, French, Spanish, or Japanese. This diversity in language learning played a crucial role in my decision to choose some of these languages as my third and fourth.

Personal Struggles and Professional Disappointment

After graduating with a Commerce degree in 2016, I was keen on conquering the world with this knowledge. However, the reality was quite different. Within four months, I found myself working night shifts with minimal compensation. This experience led me to reevaluate my career path. When I noticed my friend making decent money after taking up German with her degree, it sparked an idea. I decided to give language a try, both as a means to make money and an alternative to a less fulfilling career path.

Choosing Languages Based on Utility and Interest

My third language, German, was compulsory at school. For my fourth, fifth, and sixth languages (French, Spanish, and Russian), I chose one based on personal utility and interest. French was particularly appealing to me as I could take it to the highest level, allowing me to start late and still have time for free tuition. French was also a useful language at the time, as many people in Europe started learning English in secondary school. Spanish and Russian were equally appealing, with Spanish being easy to pronounce and Russian offering a unique grammar that was relatively easy to handle, despite the lack of shared vocabulary.

Language for Fun and Necessity

Esperanto, my seventh language, was chosen for a fun challenge, while my eighth language, Dutch, came into play when I moved to the Netherlands. Esperanto is exceptionally easy to learn, almost coming for free, while Dutch was a practical necessity due to my new environment. I have taken classes in Modern Greek and Hebrew and studied Mandarin and Latin at home, though they only reached low levels and therefore do not count in this context. Mandarin proved to be particularly challenging due to tones, which are hard to grasp without musical sensibility.

Conclusion

My journey to learning multiple languages is a testament to the influence of personal and professional experiences, utility, and determination. Through these experiences, I have come to understand the importance of being multilingual and the unique challenges each language brings. This journey is an ongoing process, and I continue to seek new linguistic challenges that can broaden my horizons and enrich my life.