Chamber 🏰 of Tech Secrets #26
The power of learning other languages
The Chamber 🏰 of Tech Secrets is open. After a few week hiatus, we are back! I have had some great personal experiences since our last edition, including a trip to Holland to speak at EdgeCase 2023 and a trip to Croatia for vacation with my wife. I also made an appearance on the Dutch Kubernetes podcast which will be published this week.
Learning Languages
Over the years, I have attempted to learn several languages, including Spanish, Italian, and, of course, Golang. 🤣 When I study a language and have a chance to practice speaking it and listening to it actively, I get pretty good (read, serviceable). After spending ~40 days in Italy over 2-3 years and practicing via the wonderful Michael Thomas method, I was able to (fairly easily and confidently) write emails in Italian to 15 Refugios along Alta Via 2 — a famous path through the Dolomites in northern Italy — in preparation for a hiking trip. I could also hold my own ordering meals and exchanging simple conversations with servers in restaurants, and such. I have visited northern Spain frequently for several years, and generally start to get proficient by the time my trip ends. I have never attained fluency, though. On a visit to Ecuador a few years ago, I held a 25 minute conversation with a cab driver, and I don’t believe I said anything completely stupid. 😉
I find the process of discovering how a language works to be fun and somewhat magical. My wife and I just returned from Croatia. The process of learning to pronounce the names of towns with interesting characters (š, č) or how to say “cheers” (živjeli) was an enjoyable experience for me, and it had me practicing saying the names of towns while driving along the coast (which I am sure my wife looooooved). I also find it honors the locals when you at least make an effort to communicate on their terms.
Secondary effects
The practice of learning a new language forces me to step outside of thinking in my own primary language and to reassess my thought such that it can be expressed in a different structural way. I think about how to formulate my thoughts rather than spewing them indiscriminately. This is referred to as “Enhanced Metalinguistic Awareness”: the ability to think about language abstractly and to understand its structure. Multilingual people often have a heightened awareness of how languages work, which can make them more effective communicators in their native language.
A similar process exists when learning the intricacies and syntax of a new programming language. As with a programming language, the speaker (typer) seeks to be understood and to express intent via a language that is not their primary… at least for now (← LLM mention of the post).
The process of learning languages — whether programming or spoken — seems to be a healthy process for the human brain and one that leads to better thinking and better communicating in all areas of life.
Applications to work and beyond
Clarity of communication in primary language: Languages have the power to improve your thinking about your thinking (how meta) and help you express your ideas in a more understandable way. This is obviously critical to effective influence at work.
Learning to think fast about how your statement will be interpreted: The language learning process forces you to think rapidly about your intent and search for words to express it. Many options are rapidly cancelled out as they will be misinterpreted.
Promotes active listening: If you are learning a new language and want to understand the often rapid speakers, you must be fully attentive to their words and learn to process their intent rapidly without focusing on what you want to say next.
Helps learn more languages: I suspect that, to a large degree, this applies to both spoken languages and programming languages.
Cognitive Flexibility: Multilingualism has been associated with improved cognitive flexibility. This is the ability to switch between different tasks or problem-solving strategies. Learning another language often requires one to switch between different linguistic structures and thought patterns, and this can transfer to other areas of cognition.
Problem-Solving Skills: Several studies have shown that multi-lingual people tend to have better problem-solving abilities.
When I work on learning a new language, I generally feel like the quality of my thinking improves.
I am back to learning Spanish and Italian in parallel and hope that, this time, it will really stick.
First time hearing about the Micheal Thomas method. Worth it I take it?
I use preply.com for 1:1 tutoring with a native speaker, in almost any language.
One way to become humble, and expand the brain, is learning a new language. Impressive language journey!... and nice tie back to tech.