Is It Possible To Speak 10 Languages?

When you are learning your first foreign language it can almost seem impossible. You will really doubt yourself and wonder if it is really something you can do.

You also don’t need to be learning a language for very long before you find out that some people can speak many languages, but is it true, can they really do it?

The truth is yes, they can. There are people, called polyglots, who can actually speak 10 languages. There are even some polyglots who can speak over 15 languages. This sounds insane, but they really can do it.

Is It Easy To Speak 10 Languages?

Speaking more than one language is difficult. Speaking 10 is extremely difficult and quite rare. Not a lot of poeple will achieve this!

For most people who really try, they can reach about 5 or 6 languages to a high standard, but even this incredible level is extremely challenging and will take an epic amount of work to do this.

Can Polyglots Actually Speak 10 Languages?

When you hear a polyglot say they can speak 10 or more languages you really have to wonder if they are special or is there something they are not telling us.

The truth is, some of them are definitely special. They really can speak 10 languages, but this is from putting in a lifetime of hard work and study as well as naturally being quite good with languages.

Sadly there is a lot of polyglots who stretch the truth and while they have “studied” 10 languages, they really only know the basics in a lot of them. They may only know a few languages to a high level, then the rest they are still very much beginners. 

This always brings up the debate of “when can you say that you speak a language?” and “what is fluency?” most people generally settle on the definition of “being able to speak a language” to mean that you can actually hold down a conversation about many topics.

If you can get by in any situation, not just the simple stuff, you can say that you speak the language.

(You can read more about How Many Languages Do You Need To Speak To Be A Polyglot?)

Does It Matter What Languages You Speak?

I think it is also important to look at what languages someone speaks. If you I told you I speak Swedish, Norwegian and Danish, it sounds impressive. However, these languages are pretty much mutually intelligible as they are so similar. It’s almost like me trying to tell you I speak English, American and Australian …okay maybe it’s not that extreme, but you get the idea.

If I told you I speak Swedish, Japanese and Arabic, this would be much more impressive. These 3 languages are completely different and even use 3 separate alphabets.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with learning similar languages, it is an easy way to get more languages under your belt, and it still takes a lot of work to achieve, but I do think it is important to just take that into consideration.

It might just help us realise that what we think might be totally impossible, could actually be very obtainable.  

(You can read more about – What Is The Best Language To Learn?)

How Long Does It Take To Learn 10 Languages?

This is really difficult question to answer as it really depends. It depends when you started learning and how long you have been doing it for. Some polyglot started as adults, while others may have already been fluent in 3 or 4 languages while still in school.

No two people will have the same language journey and no two people will have the same reasons for learning.

The only thing I can tell you is that it takes a lot of work and can take many years. The good news is that once you have learned one, the subsequent languages will get easier. Once you can prove to yourself that you can do it, you will find the next ones are not as stressful, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard work still!

Is There Any Benefit To Speaking 10 Languages?

This is really a yes and no type answer. I could easily list 100 reasons why it’s amazing and equally a 100 reasons why you would be wasting your time. Really it is a very personal question and only you can answer this. If you think there is a benefit to this, then that is all that matters.

In general it’s always good to know more, but if you don’t really have a use for it, then you have to ask what the benefit is. It sure does look impressive, but if you are not using the languages, or don’t have any real reason to, it’s all a bit pointless.

The good thing is that with the internet, you can probably find a use for language. You can easily reach out to people all around the world and make new friends and give yourself a reason to know a certain language.

You can of course say that the extra languages open you up to different cultures around the world and make travelling easier, which is very true. However, for most of us, we spend the majority of our time at home and work, so it can be hard to find a use for the language, outside of the internet.

Do You Need To Speak 10 Languages?

This is also very personal. If you think you need to speak in 10 different languages throughout your day, then go for it.

Most polyglots say they really only use 5 or 6 and even some of these get used less often than others. I think for most of us it is not necessary to learn this many languages and personally I have no interest in learning this many.

You should just focus on the ones that interest you and that you have a use for. You will probably find that these are more than enough to keep you busy and I would not worry about trying to reach such levels of language learning unless you really want to.

(You can read more information about – Is There A Limit To How Many Languages You Can Learn?)

Conclusion

When it comes to language learning, anything is possible. It really boils down to asking yourself if you want to actually learn 10 languages, and if you do, then why.

It will take you a long time and a lot of work to get there, but if you have the passion for it, then you can make it happen.

(You can read more about – How Do Polyglots Learn So Many Languages?)