Polyglot, Author, and LingQ Founder Steve Kaufmann

With 10 languages under his belt, Steve Kaufmann is an extremely accomplished language learner.  He has written a wonderful book called (click the link or photo to buy it on Amazon) and created an extremely useful language learning system called LingQ (for more on LingQ, see my review in the Learning Tools & Materials section).

On top of all this, Steve maintains an informative blog well worth checking out: The Linguist on Language.  Here he shares his views on language learning and other topics of interest.  Many of the articles stir up quite a debate and it is enjoyable to go through the comments to see the vast array of viewpoints (though I must admit I sit firmly in Steve’s corner on nearly all language learning matters…)  If you prefer audio, you can subscribe to The Linguist on Language podcast.

With fluency in so many languages, most would immediately claim that Steve is “simply a natural at language learning” and that they themselves have no hope of learning 10 foreign tongues, let alone one.  But  having learned 4 of those languages after the age of 55, he lays waste to the myth that “only children can acquire a language well”  along with other common beliefs in his popular Pick the Brain article: 7 Common Misconceptions about Language Learning.

Read my interview with Steve to hear more about language learning myths, how to learn Mandarin effectively, and the role of a good teacher.

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Copyright © 2010 by John Fotheringham. For more tips, tools, and tech for Mastering ANY Language, go to LanguageMastery.com

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