Looking for a less intense alternative to full-time immersion? Try learning through stories instead! 👉🏼 kzbin.info/www/bejne/moHUiIFomdGmeMk
@kandacehead95443 жыл бұрын
Are you Mormon, Olly?
@DafyddMorse3 жыл бұрын
I see what you did there😉 I would love to give this a go!
@MrTraveller.3 жыл бұрын
Fascinating
@Bozemanjustin3 жыл бұрын
it helps, that you think you are carrying out the will of God.
@francisdeault46903 жыл бұрын
1
@sandwichbreath03 жыл бұрын
That's so wild. Next time a Mormon greets me in the street, instead of a polite "no thank you,", I think I'm gonna end up talking to them about language learning instead, haha.
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
Right?! So interesting.
@13lizby853 жыл бұрын
I've a book of Mormon in Japanese to compare with English :) I struggle but I get on with it ❤️
@Ronlawhouston3 жыл бұрын
All of them do not get assigned to foreign-speaking assignments. Maybe soon, two guys with white shirts on bicycles may show up at Olly's door. I think I finally got on their do not call list. For a long time, I would get them all the time.
@IM2awsme3 жыл бұрын
@@Ronlawhouston but if they're in the US, wouldn't they still want to learn regional languages like Spanish, Mandarin, or even Navajo?
@Ronlawhouston3 жыл бұрын
@@IM2awsme - I don't think they go to language school unless they are assigned to that area. I will ask my Mormon friends.
@joelthomastr3 жыл бұрын
Professionalism 100%. By the end of the video I've still got no idea about your personal religious beliefs or your opinion of Mormonism itself. Well done!
@ivonnea.4623 жыл бұрын
Well his videos are about learning languages. Probably not relevant for his content.
@AllenBeach3 жыл бұрын
Agree. He did great!
@Beatsbasteln3 жыл бұрын
but is that a good thing? maybe calling out cult weirdos should be considered "professional". it's just the same as with "customer is always right". no, the customer is not. sometimes customers are rude and disrespectful and shouldn't be accepted, just like religious weirdos shouldn't be accepted as they often times don't respect a lot of minorities that should be respected, like people with certain sexuality or drug habits. instead we call it "professional" when people are just nice to each other, even if it's not justified. it is "professional" to be a robot without a soul. one of the reasons why i'm against being "professional". the word should only be about having a profession, but it's more often used to describe unhuman/capitalist character traits and advertisement even uses it to put a manly connotation on products that have nothing to do with paid work. i know this is getting a little offtopic but this is the spectrum of things that i see when someone writes "professional" unironically. alarm bells are immediatly ringing because of these reasons.
@AllenBeach3 жыл бұрын
@@Beatsbasteln fair criticism for sure. Thanks for bringing forward those points. I'm ex-mormon (and ex missionary) and pretty sensitive to people making the church seem "normal" or "mainstream." I see how that's harmful and misrepresenting the truth. In the case of this video, I feel like his focus was on the language learning technique and he actually did include a portion of a video by "Zelph on a Shelf," which critiques the way constant companionship messes with your sense of individuality and mental wellbeing. I appreciate that he shared that perspective. It came across as a way to highlight the cons of their entire system.
@cartoonhanks17083 жыл бұрын
Ngl, its a dumb religion. But better than a lot of other denominations. Johova's witness are basically evil. But mormons basically force kids to evangelize which in my reading and experience is not required by the bible (yeah I know "...baptize... (Sic) everyone in all nations..." The greek is as you go. Mormonism basically takes over your entire life. I've never met a strict mormon who enjoys their life, its always a differing interpretation of the mormon faith.
@johnmurdock50013 жыл бұрын
I did 20 years in the Texas penitentiary system. I am half white, half Mexican. I was part of a hispanic "group". A lot of my homeboys were from Mexico or Central America. I decided to learn Spanish. With a dictionary, verb book, and very basic conversation book I learned fluent Spanish. I told all of my homeboys to only speak to me in Spanish and I learned very quickly!
@1917yee3 жыл бұрын
Woah that's amazing!
@kaythia-s9h3 жыл бұрын
That's incredible, man! Have you used it a lot since getting out?
@roseforeuropa3 жыл бұрын
I guess that is one way to learn a language!
@steveg24792 жыл бұрын
Only Spanish? Obviously not a Mormon, because by their reckoning you should have learned 40!
@IAmMoto252 жыл бұрын
Why does that sound like you got your ass beat? 🤣
@VietnamMeetsDustin3 жыл бұрын
Great Video! I had a Mormon friend back in High School. If I remember correctly, he was sent to Pakistan or some country nearby. Came back speaking 3 or 4 languages and now works for the US government.
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
Very cool!
@muffinland3 жыл бұрын
Random fun fact: there's a disproportionate number of Mormons working in government because their squeaky clean lifestyle makes it very easy for them to get security clearance!
@Meimoons3 жыл бұрын
@@muffinland I was just now wondering how in the world would he be interested in working the government, let alone being allowed to work there. But a clean background makes all the more sense.
@corbinglenn25673 жыл бұрын
@@Meimoons he speaks 3 to 4 languages
@Default783343 жыл бұрын
@@muffinland A lot of them also end up in sales where their missionary experience serves them well. If you can sell God, you can sell pretty much anything.
@TimmyCherry3 жыл бұрын
While at the MTC I met a missionary from Hungary. He had been assigned to Germany and had to learn the German language. Problem was, the church had no program to teach German to a Hungarian speaker, so he was sent to the Utah MTC to study English for two months so that he could learn English well enough to learn German in a class of English speakers. I liked that guy...
@da961033 жыл бұрын
What do you know. You get two languages for the price of one assignment.
@jinkazama57203 жыл бұрын
Wow hes so lucky to know 3languages at a time
@fenrirr223 жыл бұрын
There was a very pretty American Mormon missionary girl here in Hungary some years ago, and she made videos on youtube about her mission in Hungary. I've never even heard about Mormons in Hungary prior to finding her Channel (I would have loved to meet with her, though she wouldn't have been able to convert me :D ). The shocking was that, she spoke very well in Hungarian, after 1 or 2 years in her videos and I knew foreign priests in Hungary (Roman Catholics) who spoke far worse the language after 4-5 years, even though they have already learned multiple other languages before that.
@rachelf54663 жыл бұрын
@@fenrirr22 My cousin just returned from Hungary! So yes there are definitely missionaries in Hungary. Compared to other places there aren't many, but they do exist. I can't say anything about her Hungarian though, since I don't know any myself :)
@paveladamek35023 жыл бұрын
Were you in Provo? Although not an LDS, I was a foreign exchange student at Provo High in the 90’s and I lived in the "tree street" area two blocks from MTC. Once I was walking down the street (in plain view of MTC at 900 East) and a young man walking towards me suddenly said hi and started talking to me in MY language. Obviously I was seen around and the word spread who I was :)) Fascinating. And I had never been in church with my host family before that interaction.
@atyoursix3 жыл бұрын
When I was 7 years old, 2 mormon fellas came to my school in brazil.. I knew some words in english, when I said the words to them, they said: You have an incredible intelligence, keep on the good job.. today I speak seven languages and sometimes I catch myself remembering about those 2 guys I will never meet again in my life, but gave me the best energy to become a polyglot, even tho im not even close to be a religious person
@CGodoyy3 жыл бұрын
I can ask one of them to call you. What about that? May I??? 😊 I was one of those young man….👍🏼
@atyoursix3 жыл бұрын
@@CGodoyy For sure, I would love to meet philosophical linguists.. I'm sure I can talk about everything in life to them.. is there a DM in youtube I can send you my number?
@jestes72 жыл бұрын
@@CGodoyy I recommend reading the CES letter.
@CleverGirlAAH2 жыл бұрын
Mormons keep very good records. You might be able to make some inquiries and find out who they were. The year and the area will basically get you there. Good luck!
@thatoneleaf98952 жыл бұрын
7 languages 😳 Which ones?
@atravismoore3 жыл бұрын
I served in Japan-11 weeks in the mtc. I was comfortable with the language in 6 months and confident at 1.5 years. My last 6 months were the most effective. Now, 12 years later I just got a job for a company based in Tokyo and will be moving there this winter.
@theknightswhosay3 жыл бұрын
That’s crazy. My brother has worked in Latin America for about 5 years. I don’t know how he does it. Spanish is easy compared to Japanese.
@Pruflas-Watts3 жыл бұрын
Which part did you serve in? I was in the Tokyo mission from 2008 - 2010. I still use my Japanese frequently as a side hustle for the National Guard.
@atravismoore3 жыл бұрын
@@Pruflas-Watts I served in the newly opened Kobe mission from 2007-2009. We actually stole President Tucker from the Tokyo South mission as Kobe's first mission president.
@adamharris3063 жыл бұрын
おめでとうございます。
@rockintelligence3 жыл бұрын
スゲーー!! That's freakin' awesome. I hope Covid will be over/settle down by winter and you'll have a great time living here. 日本で頑張ってね💪 from a Japanese person🇯🇵
@jakepruett5453 жыл бұрын
I learned Mandarin as a Mormon missionary and while I could understand 98% of what the teachers were saying to me at the end of (then) 12 weeks in the MTC, when I arrived in Taiwan I could understand maybe 2% of what actual native speakers were saying to me. Having the same conversations repeatedly helped me get back to 98% relatively quickly though.
@starlegends30923 жыл бұрын
Oh good
@nonplayercharacterbot1553 жыл бұрын
That's because they speak Taiwanese in Taiwan.
@Codec2643 жыл бұрын
@@nonplayercharacterbot155 taiwanese is a dialect of mandarin
@nonplayercharacterbot1553 жыл бұрын
@@Codec264 Taiwanese is mostly Hokkien.
@308030803080308030813 жыл бұрын
@@nonplayercharacterbot155 I've lived in Taiwan, and I speak Mandarin. Everyone who grows up in Taiwan learns Mandarin in school. Mandarin is the only language widely used in writing in Taiwan, and it's the language used for 95%+ of all business/education/government/entertainment purposes. But, about 70% of Taiwanese people also speak Southern Min, also called Hokkien, and nowadays often called "Taiwanese" by the Taiwanese people who speak it. This is a language shared between Taiwan and Fujian, the province on the mainland next to Taiwan. It is a Chinese language, closely related to Mandarin. The difference between them is like the difference between French and Italian.
@jonathanstout99203 жыл бұрын
Former missionary here. Went Spanish speaking as 3 brothers and several in-laws. My wife is bilingual dual citizen and we speak Spanish at home to keep the language going for the kids. Worked for the government doing linguistic stuff. True gift of tongues
@RY04043 жыл бұрын
I've actually met one of these missionaries when I was very little, I remember I was out and about with my mom who didn't speak much English at the time when we ran into a missionary packing up his stand, and he started chatting with my mom, but after realizing that her English wasn't too great he immediately switched to flawless Chinese - she was absolutely shocked that a white guy in suburban Canada could speak fluent Chinese!
@rachelf54663 жыл бұрын
I LOVED being able to do this on my mission in the US! I learned Spanish. It was so great to see the excitement on someone's face when we started speaking their language!
@starlegends30923 жыл бұрын
Cool!
@nonplayercharacterbot1553 жыл бұрын
Wholesome!
@fruitytarian3 жыл бұрын
That's the superpower I want!
@taylorrubalcava59523 жыл бұрын
@@rachelf5466 It certainly a cool feeling. I am currently one of the missionaries talked about in the video as well so if any of your guys would like to talk about what our language studies look like hit me up: facebook.com/ElderRubalcava/
@chaserock46753 жыл бұрын
I was a Mormon missionary in the Philippines. The secret? Absolute immersion. Nothing more. Nothing less.
@jaydel33 жыл бұрын
Filipinos speak English though so why do they need to speak the local language
@shihdach69363 жыл бұрын
The only foreigner that I’ve met who spoke fluent Filipino was a Mormon missionary. Their technique in teaching languages is the best.
@mrrandom12653 жыл бұрын
I can't imagine how much fun you got there. Filipino women go crazy when they see a foreigner.
@beargrylls73993 жыл бұрын
Thank you for the tip !
@jinkazama57203 жыл бұрын
Thank you bro Chase Rock
@mangymako3 жыл бұрын
It’s true. Learned Russian in the MTC and was fluent and mistaken as Latvian in 6 months. My favorite part is we were all volunteers and completely driven to get it done. I could have gone home at any point. I didn’t know how to buy bread until I got to the country. Only gospel. And when you have to figure out how to survive, you memorize words and phrases really quickly. You have to dive into the deep end to learn a language fast. Be ready to mess up over and over and over again.
@cynthiacook16463 жыл бұрын
This is why, during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake, there was no problem with translators. Some news media even went to BYU to see what languages they spoke. They couldn't believe the different languages there. If someone didn't know the language, they would get a friend who did.
@M_SC3 жыл бұрын
That was a fun fact
@kemerydunn95323 жыл бұрын
Our language programs at BYU are insanely expansive and far reaching. So many languages youve never heard of it's awesome 😊
@lisanarramore2223 жыл бұрын
@@M_SC agreed!
@robbhays80773 жыл бұрын
After my mission to the Western Visayas, Philippines, I tested out of so many language credits that they almost kicked me out of BYU before I finished my degree (they have a max cap on undergrad credits).
@GarnetsWeb3 жыл бұрын
That's interesting because if anyone has ever seen the channel FluentWorld which is filmed at BYU, many of the students can only speak English. Perhaps things have changed over two decades, I don't know. That's still pretty cool though!
@always_hiking3 жыл бұрын
What I saw and experienced, as a missionary, is that we don’t become fluent in X weeks but little by little as we practice in our given countries. The missionary training center is good for starting but fluency happens by immersion and daily study throughout an entire mission. Many people have no idea how organized the LDS Church is with their missionary program.
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
It’s quite something, and very admirable.
@TimmyCherry3 жыл бұрын
Agreed... I was an LDS missionary twenty years ago and there's a definite "learning to swim by being thrown in a pool" element to it. Of course the MTC does a good job with it's learning structure, but everyone ends up getting to the mission field and learning the hard way. It works...
@ricko133 жыл бұрын
@@TimmyCherry how many languages do you speak?
@TimmyCherry3 жыл бұрын
@@ricko13 Native English speaker. Went to Paraguay on a mission and learned Spanish to near-native fluency while also becoming conversational in Guaraní and Portuguese.
@hiltonnicolau2543 жыл бұрын
Hi Evan Hilton! I'm Hilton Nicolau, I'm from Brazil, I'm curious, your second name is my first name! where in the world was your mission?
@tysonatkinson2916 Жыл бұрын
I served as a missionary and had spoken Mandarin Chinese for four years prior to entering the MTC. The 12 weeks i spent there was like an explosion of language skills. I already had the basics and even some intermediate skills but by the time i left i had a totally new understanding of Chinese and was able to learn much more quickly and apply what i learned in almost the same instant. I can’t say it was all just the program but it was a massive help.
@stevewhite50453 жыл бұрын
Can confirm. They had me speaking Russian conversationally in 9 weeks and downright fluently in 4 months. It was insane.
@Theroadneverending3 жыл бұрын
Holy shit. Can you please share some tips? I am learning French
@averymoon91623 жыл бұрын
Russian is so difficult, I need tips too!!
@martthesling3 жыл бұрын
Time to be become a Mormon 😂
@ivory_flames073 жыл бұрын
@@martthesling to clarify, just because you're a member doesn't mean you can just go to the MTC to learn a language. It's ONLY for missionaries who are going to a place where they need to learn a new language. Other missionaries still go, but they don't have any language classes because they don't need it.
@blameese3 жыл бұрын
HEyoooo! Doing the same thing right now! Where'd you go?
@travelingonline93463 жыл бұрын
I was in Japan to learn Japanese for one year. But I experienced this immersion method. Nobody would speak to me in English or German and nobody would understand me if I spoke any other than Japanese. The lessons were not as intensive as described here but they insisted that we learn all texts in the lesson by heart and had to prove it by acting out the dialogues of the lesson as a final test after each chapter of the class book. After 3 months I could speak fluently for any normal small talk. After 1 year I passed the JLPT level 2.
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
That's great work!
@eggytricky3 жыл бұрын
wow, japanese this good in only a year thats impresssive. most people would live in a foreign country for years and still dont know how to form a proper sentence
@kaze32403 жыл бұрын
wow
@gu3sswh0753 жыл бұрын
@@eggytricky that’s because they don’t even try or they don’t need to
@eggytricky3 жыл бұрын
@@gu3sswh075 that’s the sad part about it. Learning any language to a near fluent level is a very fulfilling experience I think no one should miss out on.
@coolbrotherf1273 жыл бұрын
I think this really shows 1) how important immersion is for quick learning 2) how specific application allowed for easier comprehension and 3) pattern recognition and reinforcement allows people to recall language a lot better
@cbpd893 жыл бұрын
Thanks to missionary service, I have family members who've learned Korean, Khmer, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Samoan. 50 years after his mission, my Dad still speaks Samoan very fluently, has held a chief title since his mission, and he has been able to help out Samoan families in our community with immigration, adoptions, and court translation as a result. Now, at age 71, he's still using his language skills almost daily.
@voltgaming22133 жыл бұрын
I don’t like missionaries but it’s ok,at least something good to learn from the missionaries, missionaries especially Cristian do shady things in my country, and in my culture we don’t force out religious believe on others
@cbpd893 жыл бұрын
I'm sorry you've had some negative experiences with missionaries. There are lots of different approaches to missionary work, and some of them are not good. Missionaries in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints generally prefer to do service where possible and teach those who invite them into their home or who are introduced through a friend. You are always welcome to say no.
@theephraimite2 жыл бұрын
@@voltgaming2213 our missionaries don’t force anything on anyone.
@alcestis25482 жыл бұрын
@@voltgaming2213 going on a mission is not forcing beliefs on anyone it’s just politely asking if you’d like to learn about the church, and if not they leave and don’t bother you ever again
@nonchablunt2 жыл бұрын
if only he had realized that he was spreading lies.
@aaronfletcher87453 жыл бұрын
My dad served a mission in Uruguay and was often mistaken for being a native spanish speaker. I really loved this video. It was unbiased and objective. There are few videos on the internet about my faith which are unbiased. One of my worries when clicking on this video was that I was going to be disrespected in some way, but I wasn't. I feel like it needs to be made known that I really appreciate that.
@abelpalmer5523 жыл бұрын
I feel you. This comment section is disheartening, but Olly's video was quite the opposite.
@fede52353 жыл бұрын
I'm from Uruguay and I often see many Mormons preaching around here, they seem to be very dedicated and respectful people
@aaronfletcher87453 жыл бұрын
@@fede5235 I'd like to think that most of us are, so thank you. You seem very respectful yourself. I hope you have a great day!
@crazydragy42333 жыл бұрын
@@abelpalmer552 kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJCYqoiOn72csLM Not to say that civil discourse can't be had but when the only way we can respect something is to ignore it it's not really respect.
@fede52353 жыл бұрын
@@aaronfletcher8745 same to you
@bfastje3 жыл бұрын
I was a missionary in the Philippines, and I loved it. One thing he didn't say in the video that should be mentioned is reading in the language. I still do Bible study in Tagalog to keep my language skill sharp. A common technique new missionaries use is reading a scripture in their native language and then in the new language. And doing this out loud. A friend of mine just recommended this video to me. It's very interesting thank you.
@mathmusicandlooks3 жыл бұрын
I will attest that reading scripture aloud in the target language was probably the single most effective tool for language learning in my experience
@FilverseZekeAndJhoanDimensions2 жыл бұрын
Kababayan!
@luisahumada60812 жыл бұрын
Kollipoki style...
@dylanv1994use Жыл бұрын
Hi, How can I get in touch with you?
@aldolopez95643 жыл бұрын
It gets even better. Missionaries are assigned to Paraguay as a spanish speaking country only to find that we speak two languages. Spanish and the native language guarani, which in the country side is almost mandatory. Now you not only have to learn one language but two. And let me tell you, they've been doing it wonderfully as long as i remember. Thanks for your hard work on making this video. (I served in Chile myself, were my mission president encouraged us to learn English with our companions, thanks to that i can watch KZbin videos with no Spanish subs and comment to you now, cheers)
@ydford17903 жыл бұрын
I learned a bunch of Guarani while I was there. It was a fun language to learn.
@izzieluv3 жыл бұрын
My Aunt served in the Phillipines in the 70s and was told she would speak English. She ended up spending 9 months in a Refugee Camp and had to learn Tagolag and quite a few other languages as well. Also, in my mission (Arkansas Bentoville) there are a few areas that have a high population of people from the Marshall Islands and missionaries get put in these areas sometimes, so even though they are called to an English speaking mission they end up having to learn Mashaleese.
@jorgedasilva76653 жыл бұрын
Had a friend that learned Japanese, went to Japan, then learned Portuguese due to the high number of Brazilians there.
@mgsbigdog90793 жыл бұрын
There are so many places where the "standard" language you learn in the MTC has to be nearly supplanted by a unique language spoken in the field. In Ukraine (eastern half) I learned Russian in the MTC because it was the dominant language. But in the field I learned to speak Ukranian and then was introduced to the frustratingly inconsistent Surzhyk (Ukrainian-Russian hybrid).
@kelliehorn10823 жыл бұрын
Paraguay! That's where my brother served his mission!
@alamut85633 жыл бұрын
Let's be honest here: no one in the language learning community has expected such video. Thanks, Olly!
@taylorrubalcava59523 жыл бұрын
I am currently one of the missionaries mentioned in the video and I certainly wasn't expecting such a video either haha
@Veevaivoevum3 жыл бұрын
It’s so cool to see someone on KZbin talk about this. My dad went on a Lao speaking mission in the states and *scandalously* met my mom on his mission. He is still fluent, probably thanks to my whole mom’s side being lao lol, and they’re celebrating they’re 25th anniversary this year :)
@maniacal_engineer3 жыл бұрын
SCANDALOUS (my younger brother met his on his mission too - so did my bishop)
@orangecat2682 жыл бұрын
Lol, my sister and her husband met in the same mission. They had to be transferred away from each other!
@edgaraf94112 жыл бұрын
Religion is a disease
@Chandrika-222 жыл бұрын
"Tut tut" .. naughty naughty! P.S. How did they manage to do it? Tell all! 😉
@benjaminabel85962 жыл бұрын
I'm glad it worked out - I know there is a lot of judging when things like that happen, but love conquers all!
@Livhappy253 жыл бұрын
My nephew who is Brazilian and speaks Portuguese went on a mission to Japan and he learned Japanese and English on his mission. He now just got a great job with IBM and the fact that he had these skills helped and he can built a great career there. Especially exciting because in Brazil is hard to get a good job. We call this mission blessings
@SHINYFUNGAMES3 жыл бұрын
That’s so cool!!
@CrazyWatcher6703 жыл бұрын
U need to to post more comments like this and share your nephews experience with other people.
@Lucas-qr7ul3 жыл бұрын
It's relatively easier to get a good job in Brazil if you speak foreign languages and have experience abroad. It's something they give a lot of value. Mostly because it's not as common for a Brazilian to speak a foreign language when compared to europeans for example, that's why English courses in Brazil are so expensive. There was a recent study where they found out that only about 5% of Brazilians are able to communicate in English. Those are my observations as well as a Brazilian brought up in Europe.
@clari56833 жыл бұрын
Im not a missionary myself but went to US to learn English and came back to Brazil fluent in English and Spanish and got a job at IBM as well ... so this is real! : )
@taylorrubalcava59523 жыл бұрын
I am currently one of the missionaries mentioned in the video. It really is such a blessing, not just because of the opportunity to learn a new language (I learned Spanish). If you want to learn more about what we do for our language studies or our beliefs ht me up: facebook.com/ElderRubalcava/
@knowledgevoyage88283 жыл бұрын
Key to learning any language is motivation, and LDS missionaries have tons of motivation. Doesn't get much more motivated that believing you are spreading God's word.
@issecret13 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I think their motivation is underrated
@hebercluff16653 жыл бұрын
It's just a fact that people who have never really been religious will inevitably underestimate how big religion can be in another's life... ... Well, just the same as a person who's been religious their whole life can't really understand an atheists thoughts on God. Just saying that religion can have a huge influence on people
@jpcmt17213 жыл бұрын
Not motivation. It helps, but that's not it. Not a learning style. Not the clean haircuts. It's simply a spiritual gift folks. We all agree, unanimously. Just ask one of us.
@deathlight42103 жыл бұрын
@@jpcmt1721 evidence?
@wynsonrao51773 жыл бұрын
@@jpcmt1721 yeah, nope.
@ScottLowe3 жыл бұрын
Hey Olly! Former missionary here. I just wanted to say THANK YOU for this deep dive! Besides the excellent production and presentation, the video is obviously very well-researched. It was only 6 years ago that I was in the MTC, but it feels like a lifetime ago, and the memories of those first few weeks of the language learning process were pretty hazy and distant (I don't know how the guys you interviewed still had it so fresh in their minds with all the craziness of adjusting to missionary life!) BUT as I watched your video, memories of the process and my experience in the MTC came flooding back to me. And as much as I appreciate the warm fuzzy feelings of nostalgia it gave me, I'm even happier about the fact that I can finally pass some of this knowledge on to my subscribers, as they've always been curious about how I learned Portuguese so quickly. I'll definitely credit your channel and this video whenever I get around to making my own. Anyway, I appreciate all the effort that went into this project and look forward to checking out your other stuff. Mais um inscrito! p.s. se quiser trocar uma ideia em português ou sobre o Brasil, ou quem sabe fazer algum tipo de collab, é só chamar! Tamo junto!
@analuizacelino99083 жыл бұрын
caraca, eu já conhecia seu canal e te acompanhava a um tempo. não tinha ideia que vc havia vindo para o brasil como missionário
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
Mto obrigado pelo comentário. Legal que você gostou do vídeo. Eu te mando uma DM em IG e a gente conversa mais!
@tomogorman39473 жыл бұрын
Out of interest, are you still a missionary?
@LanggerDangger3 жыл бұрын
@@tomogorman3947 the mission lasts only two years and he was in the MTC 6 years ago so he's very much an RM(Return Missionary) at this point for 4yrs now. You only go once as a young adult in this church, otherwise you can go again after you're married retired and any kids you've had are grown up and living on their own. You don't get much choice where this time around either. Your spouse serves with you as your companion this time at least and not some random stranger.
@codyofathens33973 жыл бұрын
Something I've always wondered, and it's not something I've been able to find online. What kind of visa do y'all get? Like, wherever you go, you're there longer than a normal tourist visas timeline? Is there a special missionary visa? How does that work?
@carlosenriqueulloa3 жыл бұрын
Rules have relaxed, and now missionaries can call home and email every week. Back when I was a missionary, it was snail mail only, the internet was incipient. Almost 30 years later, I keep up my Swedish. I used 3 languages daily in my mission, English, Swedish and Spanish. I remember one day when I woke up and I spoke badly all 3. Then there are other days when I dreamed in flawless Swedish.
@starlegends30923 жыл бұрын
Oh cool im learning Swedish for fun
@Gwwin19973 жыл бұрын
Oooo I also served in Sweden. Every time I hear Swedish and especially when I get to speak it I am just overjoyed. Where did you serve while you were there?
@AnnaKaunitz3 жыл бұрын
@@Gwwin1997 Lyckades ni värva några till kyrkan? Svenskar tycker att det är cringe med kristet ”gudsprat” och mormon-missionärer, liksom med Jehovas vittnen. Men språket är underbart, det håller jag med om 🇸🇪
@carlosenriqueulloa3 жыл бұрын
@@Gwwin1997 I was there as a Spanish speaking missionary, believe it or not, so I started out in Malmö, and then spent the rest of the time in Stockholm, with some short trips to other places like Lund or Uppsala.
@carlosenriqueulloa3 жыл бұрын
@@starlegends3092 It is a fun language. Watch Disney in the language (Disney+ or KZbin clips), it's an enjoyable and easy way to pick up quite a bit. Jag gillar Svenska.
@cullencarlson39183 жыл бұрын
Serving as a missionary was the most challenging and rewarding thing I've done in my life. I served in Fiji and learned the language. Being immersed in the language and culture the way I was has made it seem ingrained into my being so to speak. Give me two minutes speaking Fijian and it'll start flowing like I'm a native. Great video!
@covertfurniture71723 жыл бұрын
Ni Bula Vinaka Cullin. When I went to Fiji in 77, no language training at all. Because there were only 5 expatriots allowed in the country then they didn't devote any time to it and the fact that English was the connecting language between Hindi and Fijian made it hard to focus on learning either. I regret not learning more Hindi when I was there as I meet more Indians now than Fijians and unfortunately, I became addicted to curry and now spend my life loitering in Indian Restaurants..
@strategoscastaneda90953 жыл бұрын
It's true 100%! A lived in Los Angeles, California, and I attended a Mormon church just for the purpose to practice English because that's what they offered to native Spanish speakers. I spoke to one of the Mormons and he explained to me how they learn languages and this video is telling the whole truth!
@CGodoyy3 жыл бұрын
I can ask one of them to call you. What about that? May I??? 😊 I was one of those young man….👍🏼
@mattheweppley3 жыл бұрын
I taught English in South Korea for two years, having studied Korean for about three years before I went to Korea. I met Mormons in my Korean city and the recently arrived (several weeks prior) missionary could almost speak better than me. I was very impressed with their conversational fluency. Your video was great, Olly, thank you for shedding some light on their methods!!
@sauceguy193 жыл бұрын
Pretty grateful that I got to serve in Spain. Language learning in that environment was incredibly fun and fulfilling. Fun fact: I returned almost 6 years ago and have still abandoned English in my prayers, unless it’s out loud at church. Because I was LDS for just a year before my mission, Spanish became the only way I talk to God by myself.
@lilyh4872 жыл бұрын
That's cool
@owlprice13452 жыл бұрын
That's beautiful, actually. This is inspiring.
@the_flying_airplane5335 Жыл бұрын
I was raised in the church, yet still Spanish feels like a more sacred language to me due to the mission. I think since you spend the most actively religious part of your life in Spanish, your brain makes that connection that that language is sacred.
@RadenYohanesGunawan Жыл бұрын
@@the_flying_airplane5335of course, Spanish is the closest language to Latin, the language of God.
@anavalenzuela66893 жыл бұрын
I had a similar but different experience. I went to the Soviet Union (yes, I am THAT old) to study chemistry, but I needed to learn Russian first. So I went to an immersive preparation pre-university. The first half of the year, Russian teachers taught us the Russian language. They only talked to us in Russian. All the grammar was taught in Russian. Besides, the groups were mixed. People in each group spoke different languages, so, we could not help a lot each other. It was Russian or nothing. It took a large amount of vodka for me to start speaking Russian and even bigger amounts to stop me talking. Immersion works.
@gomesasfe2 жыл бұрын
Wow! That's frankly amazing!
@piper37782 жыл бұрын
That's really inspiring!
@RealGigaMind2 жыл бұрын
Well babies learn their mother tongue in that particular language. They are not taught their mother tongue in baby language.
@hellfirepictures Жыл бұрын
@@RealGigaMind That's completely different. Babies don't already have an operating system for language running. We do. It's like a laptop coming completely blank for you to install what you want, or already running windows and you want to run linux as well. Doing both slows the system down and screws things up. So being a baby, it's easy to learn ANY language. Being an adult, it's not.
@Day13May3 жыл бұрын
Being Mormon, it's awesome to see such a nice and tolerant comment section!
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
I’d like to think we have a great community over here!
@patrickohooliganpl3 жыл бұрын
You Mormons are not fanatics, unlike much of the mainstream Christianity..You are nice and tolerant peoples yourselves. Shadiversity and Metatron are one of the best KZbin channels.
@pep5903 жыл бұрын
Yes, probably most people on here are kind and not hateful bigots, unlike much of mainstream atheists.
@jayc59643 жыл бұрын
I thought ur prophet hated that word isn’t it a “victory for satan”
@ANARDCUDUBH993 жыл бұрын
Fair Play to the Mormons: They practice what they preach.
@dancinhorse3 жыл бұрын
truth, I grew up in an area that was mostly Mormon, they were the best neighbors.
@sm36753 жыл бұрын
I deeply respect Mormans as a Muslim. Great people with big hearts.
@CleverGirlAAH2 жыл бұрын
@@sm3675 That's very kind of you (speaking as an ex-Mormon, but still spiritual in regards)
@evanberrett91523 жыл бұрын
It's rare you find a video about Latter Day Saints that has this respectful attitude and neutrality. Thanks for the great content!
@dg74383 жыл бұрын
I'm from Utah and didn't realize the language behemoth center just in my backyard. Very cool.
@dannyk8473 жыл бұрын
Provo Utah to be exact
@mikemurphy83503 жыл бұрын
I’m from Murray Utah and I didn’t know either.
@dg74383 жыл бұрын
@@mikemurphy8350 I'm in Murray to. haha
@ondutytoday58013 жыл бұрын
I'm from Ukraine, and I knew about this. But it was near my university work. And I was really impressed that missionaries told me that, they learned Ukrainian in a 3 months. I learned English more than 20 years, and Im not fluent, especially in grammar. I wish that I was more passionate about languages in that time, to learn more about this center.
@dg74383 жыл бұрын
@@ondutytoday5801 I'll be in Ukraine for 6 weeks end of this August. I've been trying to learn Russian past year or so, but getting discouraged..would be nice to know Ukranian also
@Greg419823 жыл бұрын
I spent my Mormon Mission in the Czech Republic in 1995-1997. The grammar is hard and I never got perfect at it, but still. I was there about three months before I realized I was speaking to complete strangers in their native language without even really thinking about it. Thanks for this great video!
@nalytafikarilalaramananaiv42472 жыл бұрын
I like your video a lot. I am an LDS from Madagascar. We speak Malagasy and people who went to school may speak French. I was called to serve in Kenya back from Apr 2011 - Apr 2013. I went to Johannesburg SA's MTC and had only 3 weeks to learn English. It was tough, but I can tell you, I was able to speak English after the 3 weeks. One of the greatestyearsr of my life.
@Ronlawhouston3 жыл бұрын
They learn to speak very well. My ex-wife was Vietnamese, and they would often come outside the Asian mall here in Houston. I told her they were Mormons and she went up and started speaking with them in Vietnamese. When they were finished I asked how he did (the missionary.) She said he was good.
@dozog3 жыл бұрын
He was so good that she is now your ex-wife ?
@Ronlawhouston3 жыл бұрын
@@dozog - Good one.
@lordshardik3 жыл бұрын
This guy has pretty perfectly described the experience of learning a language as a Mormon missionary. During my time as a missionary, I broadened my vocabulary quite a bit outside religious topics (cuz you know, sometimes you gotta tell someone you want pineapples on your pizza or even just have a conversation), but being able to start out focusing on a very narrow, topical vocabulary was really helpful.
@verot84443 жыл бұрын
Pineapples on a pizza? Don't ever try this in Italy. 🙂
@asaasa79003 жыл бұрын
@@verot8444 That sounded so threatening but I like it.
@voltgaming22133 жыл бұрын
ASA ASA Romans got their things straight
@jwh01222 жыл бұрын
9:35 sentence structure 10:04 speaking: focus on specific things 16:05 glimpse of mastery 18:42 partner system
@victoriarose98022 жыл бұрын
Notice how they weren't taught life skills like how to buy food or catch a bus.
@clooxies2952 Жыл бұрын
@@victoriarose9802Because they learn to preach Mormonism…
@LisaVanGemert3 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for this! I have three sons who served missions where they had to learn languages (Russian & two Spanish). One is now a Spanish Linguist in the Army. This video will help me explain to people how my son who couldn't count to seven in Spanish when he entered the MTC now, after a mission and years of study, speaks and reads at an academic level. One other point: The missionaries also quickly grow to love the people and desire to communicate with them. That motivation is key.
@KamilaSousamusic3 жыл бұрын
Huge admiration for these people and their ability and resilience!
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
I admire anyone who works this hard at things
@Ronlawhouston3 жыл бұрын
Don't get me wrong, LDS are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. I just don't want you to come to my door trying to change my beliefs.
@benjackson78723 жыл бұрын
@@storylearning Me too
@benjackson78723 жыл бұрын
@@Ronlawhouston Same
@kelaarin3 жыл бұрын
@@Ronlawhouston You can always just politely refuse when they do. They're not nearly as aggressive as solar reps.
@Fantabbydozy26083 жыл бұрын
This is phenomenal really. Regardless of your feelings on religion or politics etc you have to respect the dedication. I’m impressed.
@fabsmaster53093 жыл бұрын
I did this as a missionary and nobody becomes truly fluent in 9 weeks. When you first arrive, your life is like watching a Korean drama without subtitles. You learn much more in your first month in the field than you do in the training center in 9 weeks. Language learning becomes a necessity for your social survival which drastically increases neuroplasticity AKA the capacity to rewire your brain to learn something new. You also are surrounded by native speakers having regular conversations rather than just reciting the religious jargon you learned beforehand, so that helps too. Where I was, the average foreign missionary would take 4-5 months to reach fluency. Although, if you were like me and didn’t have any other English speakers around, you might become fluent in about half that time.
@cthulhutentacles49943 жыл бұрын
Thank you for your story, it offers some insight into what human beings can accomplish when required. I believe also that this mission trip for Mormons is very important to their faith, so does it add more pressure to be able to learn another language?
@mathmusicandlooks3 жыл бұрын
@@cthulhutentacles4994 My experience as a missionary was very much the same, the most rapid learning I experienced with the German language happened my first few months in Germany. Learning the language is very important, particularly for those one seeks to teach. In terms of pressure, however, I’d say there were other aspects that contributed far more. After all, one is literally going out acting as a representative for Jesus Christ to teach His gospel. You go out knowing that your actions, lifestyle, even mannerisms will be what others remember and associate not only with you but all others of your faith. THAT is what adds pressure to the life of a missionary.
@Aomajc63 жыл бұрын
@@cthulhutentacles4994 Yes. It's very important to Mormons and there is a certain certain amount of blind trust in your leaders. I served in French Polynesia. We arrived at 10 pm at night and 8 am the next morning they had us filling out paperwork for our bank accounts and stuff like that with no translators. I could read French pretty well by that point but I had no idea what most of the legal jargon on those documents said. I just signed them because I was supposed to. By 4 pm that afternoon they had me on a small plane bound for the island of Tubuai. They neglected to tell me that the plane would make stops along the way. I disembarked and saw a big sign that said Raivavae on the other side of the tarmac. I got back on the plane and asked the flight attendant, "Tubuai?" She explained to me that this was the island of Raivavae and Tubuai would be another stop so I sat back down. My only English-speaking partner was my partner in the MTC, all the rest were natives, so I was 100% immersed for about 21 months. I can say I was fluent in French in less than 5 months. Natives would come up to me and would assume I was from France, not the US. It took me about 8-10 month to feel fluent in Tahitian. Overall, it was a great experience.
@wendycarr14123 жыл бұрын
I completed a mission nearly 20 years ago in Russia. Learning the language was more challenging than I had anticipated, but it came. Worth every challenge and struggle. When I finished college I returned to Russia to work. It was amazing to live there again. My time there introduced me to some of the best people in the world.
@alexejnovak86933 жыл бұрын
No way you loved that shithole. Or you just never understood ahat is going on there...
@GangsterGreg3 жыл бұрын
@@alexejnovak8693 Or perhaps she genuinely enjoyed her time there in the same way I (an Australian) enjoyed living there? The Soviet Union dissolved 3 decades ago, no-one wants to listen to your butthurt agony.
@sofia.moshnova3 жыл бұрын
@@alexejnovak8693 woa, tell me what is going on there cause i really want to know. Imho u r speaking bullshit, stop spreading hate
@kelaarin3 жыл бұрын
@@alexejnovak8693 The people aren't the government. I too lived there for two years in the early 90s. The government was overthrown twice in two weeks, and we never saw a thing - the people simply didn't care what was going on in Moscow; they had their own lives to think about.
@alexejnovak86933 жыл бұрын
@@kelaarin , yeah, not the facf that Russians supported Putin for 4 times in elections and supported the annexation of Crimea. Not mentionning the fact that almost half of respondends in opinion polls sympathize with Stalin (e.g. Levada centre)...No, these people are the government, resp. they got what they deserve
@RyanReeder3 жыл бұрын
Another fun fact for you: Prior to the Language Training Mission (LTM), a precursor to the MTC that existed between about 1963-1976, missionaries were sent directly to the countries where they would serve without any language training; missionaries would learn in the field. The idea for spending a portion of time in language training originated simply because of visa delays in some countries.
@Person1062 жыл бұрын
That sounds terrifying.
@sauceguy192 жыл бұрын
That’s almost how the Spain MTC was. My first week, they took us to a park in Madrid to just have at it as best (or worst) we could.
@infiniteplanes57752 жыл бұрын
Not if you have faith in the gift of tongues
@elliezannell3406 Жыл бұрын
My Dad did that in Hamburg Germany. He loved it and thinks it's the best way. He still has his little notebooks where he would write new words he had heard and then looked them up later. Also, watching movies in German was essential to learning the language. It's been almost 60 years since his mission and his German is pretty decent considering he doesn't know many German speakers in CA.
@hellfirepictures Жыл бұрын
@@elliezannell3406 Yeah but it's relatively easy for English speakers to learn German by dint of the fact they share the same grammar structures, alphabet, and some vocabulary. Try that with Arabic and you'll not get very far as there are no similarities. I lived in the Middle East for four years and barely learned a word. Though it wasn't helped by absolutely every person there being able to speak English I guess 😄
@michaelwoolley83453 жыл бұрын
This was awesome!!! I served in the Philippines from '07-'09 and loved it. So much I could say about my own experiences with each segment. I'll just share my favorite experience with the Tagalog language; I was out over 20 months and getting ready to go home soon. One day in the market I was talking with a lady about items she was selling. She had her back to me for the first part and after a few minutes she turned around and saw me for the first time and shout in surprise, "you're white!!!" Loved speaking Tagalog!!!!!
@letswatchrandomvideos84733 жыл бұрын
Ang astig naman niyan idol! Balik ka dito at pasyal ka sa Pilipinas balang araw!
@clarakesi3 жыл бұрын
Do you have any tips for learning Tagalog? I've only ever learned Romance languages and don't know where to start.
@JamesWrightLBC3 жыл бұрын
I started learning Korean in the MTC in Provo back in the early 1980s, back when missions were only 18 months long. We had 8 weeks in the MTC. And yeah - 14 hours on a plane later, we were on the street, wondering if they taught us the right language in Provo. :) They did, and once your ear got used to how they talked in the area you were assigned to, it started to gel. It was an amazing experience.
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
Amazing! You’ll enjoy my video on Derek which is coming out in the next couple of weeks.
@WhiTiger3 жыл бұрын
My cousin also served in Korea in the 80's. He said it was a difficult language to learn.
@nalaagirl3 жыл бұрын
My dad served in Korea in 78 and 79.
@whoselacitis3 жыл бұрын
I wonder what would the missionaries do when they need to use the restroom when they are on the street
@puppetaccess3 жыл бұрын
@@storylearning I am really looking forward to this.
@jsaintclair13 жыл бұрын
This video on the MTC in Provo, Utah took me back to France in the 1960's where I totally immersed myself in medical school for 6 years, so much so that I stayed in France for the next 40 years, practicing internal medicine. Total immersion is the key, as well as total dedication. As often as not, it'll change the trajectory of your life!
@stevebills57163 жыл бұрын
Fascinating - and respectful - video, thank you. I was a missionary in France and- having mentioned that I'd learnt French at school on my application - I had about 2 weeks in the British MTC with no language training at all. I spent my first couple of weeks in France wondering if some mistake had been made - I could read and write in (basic, school-taught) French, but I couldn't understand anything any one was saying to me. (Well OK, except maybe "bonjour" and "ca va?" 🙂) But when you are immersed and you do have that primary goal, ie learning first to teach and testify about something very precious to you, it is amazing how quickly you learn, and from that "bridgehead"-type foundation then expand over the months to fluently discuss all sorts of day to day topics. I will never regret the extraordinary opportunity of serving a mission. Highly recommended 🙂
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing your experience!
@myleemontag16903 жыл бұрын
That's awesome! Except, now I'm worried about that haha
@roywall81693 жыл бұрын
Having this experience, I must say that I agree with your conclusion. Motivation is the key. Since the mission program is 100% voluntary, it is populated by those who want to be there. There really is nothing quite like it.
@publicidentity7014 Жыл бұрын
I both studied at the MTC and later taught there for three years. I treasure both experiences. It was an exciting and uplifting environment for both language and cultural study. The teaching methods were great, and it helped that the students were super-motivated. After my missionary service, I studied Spanish in college, which expanded my fluency to a much broader scope, given that the missionary life is mostly focused on faith-related vocabulary. I used Spanish daily for many years in my government career working in the Cuban and Nicaraguan emigre communities in Miami, and in Puerto Rico and New Mexico. Learning a second language well opens up a new world of experience, understanding and appreciation and allows one to make friends and enjoy poetry, literature, drama and music from other cultures. I just wrote some slam poetry in Spanish and overlaid it on a rock chord progression ( and some lead) guitar music I composed. At age 66, I'm still studying foreign languages. Great fun. I always encourage young people to learn at least one foreign language.
@Rosannasfriend3 жыл бұрын
I had no idea that Mormons learn languages fast in the first place. This video is going to be very educative for me.
@starlegends30923 жыл бұрын
Im a member of the Church myswlf, and I was wondering how people learned there langwages when they went on missions. Ive never been on one cuz im just a teen🤷♀️
@Hvantmiki3 жыл бұрын
I am always impressed by them. I spoken english for 30 years pretty much every day, but I still have a distinct Norwegian accent while these guys sound fluent with a native norwegian accent and then I learn they only been here 2 months.
@ocwill3 жыл бұрын
Takk for det 🙂
@theknightswhosay3 жыл бұрын
My older cousin married a Norwegian about 40 years ago and they lived in the U.S. since. She can’t lose the accent either.
@asaasa79003 жыл бұрын
It's not like having a foreign accent is bad, though. It's just a difference in speech.
@gratefuldead47143 жыл бұрын
i always love hearing people speaking english with accents! it’s almost an insight into your own culture
@DieAlteistwiederda3 жыл бұрын
Some people just have a harder time losing their accent and never forget having an accent is never a bad thing it just means you can speak more than one language. I'm German and while I mostly sound like a native English speaker when I speak now, at least according to all the shocked Anglophones that thought I was joking when I told them where I live, I still fuck up a random word and sound very German or because German has so many French loan words we pronounce very French some words just sound too French which catches naitve English speakers off guard too.
@joshuahamilton76303 жыл бұрын
Loved this video! Serving a mission in the Philippines made me realize just how WELL my church teaches languages. I had taken 3 years of Spanish in high school, but I learned more Tagalog in those 6 weeks than Spanish I had learned in all 3 years.
@letswatchrandomvideos84733 жыл бұрын
Nakakaintindi at nakakapagsalita na po ba kayo ng Tagalog?
@moonchild7083 жыл бұрын
i can confirm learned more in a 3 month college spanish class than 3 years of middle/high school spanish combined
@juliew11633 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this, Olly! Being a former missionary myself (France!), your video reminded me that the purpose and motivation were the key for me - both to initially have the desire to become a missionary and what carried me through the tough days that challenged my decision to put myself through such an intense experience. My purpose was not to learn a language for myself, but so that I could be of service to the God I love and His children in the area where I was assigned to go. When I returned home I always thought it would be cool to learn more languages, but it wasn't the same - I didn't have the same purpose or motivation that I had as a missionary. I've only recently rediscovered a similar purpose in learning my 3rd language (Spanish!) - a genuine desire to love and serve the people - and it's making all the difference in my progress. Thank you for your professional touch on something very close to my heart!
@bobliljenquist98603 жыл бұрын
I went through the MTC back in '75 and, though I have nothing to do with the Mormon church now, it was an invaluable experience. I went to Chile for two years and I have maintained and improved my Spanish skills greatly since then. The religious focus was limiting afterwards (from a fluency perspective) but what a great way to start!
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
Thanks Bob. Do you have any sense of how the training programme has changed over the years?
@Limemill3 жыл бұрын
I feel like, from that point of view, being a Mormon is a bit like being an AIESEC member for some: basically a chance to get a budget-friendly exposure to the world at large, for which you have to bear with some inconveniences and group-think
@sarahhughes13023 жыл бұрын
@@Limemill That's a massive oversimplification- being LDS is very much a lifestyle, it's not the kind of thing you can do for half an hour on Sunday morning and then not think about the rest of the week. It's not as restrictive as some other religions, but it does require much more commitment than somebody who just wants to travel cheaply would be willing to give.
@Limemill3 жыл бұрын
@@sarahhughes1302 it is of course an oversimplification. But what I meant was more along the lines of how many recruits enlist in the US military because it's their only shot at a decent education and, well, a respected, paying profession at that. Or how many people in Thailand end up being monks primarily because it's an occupation that comes with respect, lodging and food. That is not to say that the former only care about themselves and not their country and the latter have no spiritual aspirations, it's just that these are pathways available to them to make their other dreams come true. Of course, all three lifestyles (for the lack of a better term) come with an overwhelming amount of regulations and shape your life in very specific ways whether or not you like it, but they come with perks that some find hard to find elsewhere
@bobliljenquist98603 жыл бұрын
@@storylearning Unfortunately, I do not. I have not kept up since leaving the church, though I would suspect it has become even more sophisticated over the last 45 years. We did a lot of memorization of the "lessons" as a starting point; the grammar and vocabulary came later (mostly with the natives of the country).
@simpleperrydiselife3 жыл бұрын
We(LDS) believe in the gift of tongues (the ability to learn another language by the power of the Holy Ghost) our method of learning another language is also spiritual. We believe that reading the scriptures and praying to our Heavenly Father in the target language is very important to learn as well. Even though I went to a mission speaking my native language, I learned to understand English reading the scriptures in English with my companion.
@jakegrist84873 жыл бұрын
I've spent a lot of time with Mormon missionaries. I spent over two years with about 12 total, as best as I can recall. My impression was that they are all exceptionally disciplined. That's the most reliable constant. I was also in the US military. The Mormons were far more disciplined than we were. I also came to think that their unusual discipline and highly organized social structure left them exceptionally intelligent. I've never met a Mormon that didn't make me want to be a Mormon. I am not a member of the church, but I would never set myself to dissuade another person from becoming one. I'll leave it at that. I'm not surprised that they've accomplished incredible feats in the science of learning languages, or anything else for that matter.
@carlosenriqueulloa3 жыл бұрын
What a kind comment. Thank you.
@M_SC3 жыл бұрын
You’re confusing efficient/effective with intelligent. You’re confusing science with practice.
@stuckupcurlyguy3 жыл бұрын
If only their actual beliefs weren't so ridiculous! Why aren't there versions of this discipline in secular organisations?
@reddrake44513 жыл бұрын
@@stuckupcurlyguy because the self is fairly poor motivation. This is why people fail fairly simple goals like making thier bed or working out. It's really easy to justify or make excuses for the inability or failure to act when your self or peers are the bar you attempt to reach. God or godliness is likely unobtainable but it leaves little room for the self especially when you really want to obtain it. The military gets fairly close but it's more selective than building the seal teams for example most people quit, those who do not achieve the goal. But it's because they want it and they have faith in themselves or the system to see it through to the end.
@rexregisanimi3 жыл бұрын
@@M_SC I'm a Latter-day Saint and a Physicist. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints produces (per capita) more science PhDs than almost any other group in the United States. Most Latter-day Saints embrace science and scientific thinking (something skewed by the extremely conservative political views of many American Latter-day Saints). Stereotypes are prevalent about us but, like most stereotypes, they are almost entirely wrong.
@korean33643 жыл бұрын
I served my mission in Korea. After returning home, I co-authored the Korean language book series Korean From Zero! My wife is Korean (and our daughter has dual US/Korean citizenship) and I use the language all the time, everyday. I spent 12 weeks in the MTC and still remember my first day arriving in Korea and trying to understand what was going on. It was always scary talking to people, especially because people can be really mean and speaking Korean was so hard for me. Personally, I really only felt comfortable with the language at about 20 months or so. Being put in situations where you make mistakes is a really important aspect of learning a language. It's embarrassing and painful, but in the end, it improved my language acquisition skills and I did learn Korean. I really don't think I could have done it without my mission experience. Completely changed my life and I am grateful for the experience everyday! It never really ends though, I still learn new things all the time even after learning for 13+ years haha. 감사합니다! 잘 봤어요^^ Reed
@TheMasterhomaster3 жыл бұрын
Sorry, I don’t take advice from a person with an username of “bad man.”
@Bazilisk_AU3 жыл бұрын
Ooooh, if the ‘Japanese from Zero’ series was anything to go by, then the Korean from Zero book sounds amazing. Thank you for your hard work !
@Wakewook3 жыл бұрын
안녕하세요 선생님. I learned from your Korean From Zero! series when I first started Korean. Really glad to have found it because the way you introduced the BASIC form was super helpful. As an intermediate student that way of thinking still helps me a lot. 감사합니다!
@CanteLizzie2 жыл бұрын
I attend BYU, which is a Mormon-run university right next to the MTC. In general BYU has really good language programs because there's so many missionaries. My freshman year I lived in BYU's foreign-language student residence, where I was only allowed to speak my target language (Japanese). The first Sunday I was there I was asked to give a lesson to my roommates in Japanese on a chapter of the Bible. At the time I literally knew no religious words in Japanese and so it was rough! This method definitely taught me a lot though, even outside of a religious context, so I can definitely see how 9 weeks of just this would be super helpful.
@CanteLizzie2 жыл бұрын
Also interesting to see is how these former missionaries perform in regular language classes. I take Japanese classes and missionaries are sent straight into 300 level language classes because of their experience. I've noticed that they're REALLY good at conversation, pronunciation, and basic fluency but, especially as it's more advanced vocabulary at this level, they generally don't know more vocab than non-missionaries. They still do very well in the classes, of course.
@josephjensen51763 жыл бұрын
I stumbled on this channel just a few days ago, and I can't believe what I've discovered: so many excellent video(s) and methods for language learning. I've been so impressed by the way you're able to break down the different approaches and methods of learning languages. Subscribed! Also, I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints myself and I found this video so enlightening! I've had a lot of friends and relatives go through the MTC program themselves, including my father (he served a Spanish-speaking mission in Chile) who then later on taught me how to speak it while I was a teenager. This is probably the best breakdown of the methods and practices that go into their training that I've ever seen. I personally think you did a fantastic job of portraying these missionaries and their experiences in a respectful way, and I really appreciate that! Amazing video!
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
Hi Joseph, thanks so much and I really appreciate that you've been enjoying the channel. I'm also delighted to hear that the video hits the mark! We worked hard on it.
@taylorrubalcava59523 жыл бұрын
I am also a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and am actually currently one of the missionaries mentioned in the video haha. It has been such a difficult but also such a rewarding and worth it experience and I also appreciate video. Well done
@tomrains78993 жыл бұрын
I have to say that was one of the most interesting videos I’ve watched in a long while. Very well done. Hats off to the missionaries.
@storylearning3 жыл бұрын
Thanks 👍
@taylorrubalcava59523 жыл бұрын
Seeing as I am currently one of the missionaries mentioned in the video: thanks haha! If you'd ever like to learn more about what we do to learn a language so quick or more about our beliefs we can chat: facebook.com/ElderRubalcava/
@GWGuitarStudio3 жыл бұрын
I have been through the language training at the Mission Training Center to learn French and later, at the Defense Language Institute to learn German. The difference between these programs is motivation and the seeking of the biblical “gift of tongues.” Latter-day Saints believe in spiritual gifts and miracles. Missionaries are taught to pray for the gift of tongues. Their amazing progress can be attributed to that influence. When ai had been in France for about four months, I met with a professor who taught theology at a university in Toulouse. In an hour of that appointment, my ability to speak the language at his level was magnified. We discussed advanced theological concepts beyond what our memorized lessons included. At the end of the discussion, the professor asked how long I had been speaking French. I told him that I had speaking it for less than six months and he was astonished. He said, “I wonder if I have just witnessed a manifestation of the gift of tongues?” I assured him that he had, because I didn’t have that level of ability on my own.
@thaynehansen70793 жыл бұрын
I was a missionary in Mexico. I think something that was hugely effective in the MTC was a sense of competition among the missionaries. We would have contests to see who could go the whole day without speaking English first. There were days I would walk around holding an English to Spanish dictionary all day long so I could look up words whenever I needed to.
@AngeliqueRouge3 жыл бұрын
That's interesting! I think it's a good idea to try it with language exchange partners too
@SHINYFUNGAMES3 жыл бұрын
I served in Mexico City!
@BruceBalden3 жыл бұрын
I remember talking to some LDS missionaries in HK. They were glad of an anglo voice, even though I wasn’t conversion material
@AwwZack3 жыл бұрын
Served in Leon, Mexico here. Met my wife at the MTC when I went back to work there. Fun environment!!
@starlegends30923 жыл бұрын
Coool
@Nerocrossius3 жыл бұрын
A big part of the missionary language experience is that, as daunting as it might be, you’re never alone in your learning and there is a lot of room for collaboration-in the MTC you’re surrounded by teachers and peers all speaking the language and then on the mission itself you have your partner who you talk and learn from constantly. As a former missionary I appreciate your professionalism in the video, thank you!
@ingela_injeela6 ай бұрын
Though I do not acceot their teaching, nor their prophet, I do admire them for their dedication in language learning.
@marvcarrell57773 жыл бұрын
I'm a native English speaker (U.S.) and can find a beer and a bathroom, etc pretty easily wherever I am traveling (as can most people), and while working in Mongolia for months at a time (not mission work), I was absolutely amazed at how immediately fluent the young American Mormon missionaries were in Mongolian, so thank you for this understanding of their language acquisition process. Yes, I can easily find a beer and a bathroom in Mongolian, but not a whole lot more. :-)
@tannerspencer27023 жыл бұрын
I studied Spanish all of middle school and high school. Then I served my mission in Brazil, speaking Portuguese. I then came home and studied Spanish in college. Hands down my fluency in Portuguese is still far above Spanish even though I studied Spanish formally for much longer. My reading and writing skills in both languages are about the same, but my comfort level in Portuguese is higher. When I took Spanish in college, my class was made up of four groups of people, native speakers, missionaries who served in a Spanish speaking country, missionaries who served Spanish speaking, and then me someone who served Portuguese speaking but studied formally in school. It was fascinating to see the difference in skill and level of mastery with these people. A lot of missions these days do have smart phones and tablets but are used in a controlled manner. Some missionaries do learn slang. And as part of our training we receive, we are supposed to make connections with the people we teach, so non religious vocabulary is essential. I loved learning all that I could, but I also know some people who came home not knowing anything more than religious vocabulary. You get out of it what you put in. I'm trying to learn Italian on my own now and the process isn't even comparable to how I learned Spanish or Portuguese!
@brostoevsky223 жыл бұрын
I learned Russian at university after my mission in Spain. It seems like a weird choice, but I was hoping that letter would say Russia on it. Seeing Barcelona, Spain on it made me very happy. During university I got into the polyglot online community for a bit then learned French and Portuguese for a bit. My Russian is better than my Spanish now, but I've lived in Moscow for 6 years. A lot of principles I used to learn Spanish back in 2008-2010 really helped me with Russian. Purpose and motivation are everything. They helped me plow through "Crime and Punishment" by Dostoyevsky and "War and Peace" by Tolstoy in Russian recently.
@JacobWHill3 жыл бұрын
It's so refreshing to see other people talk about my religion in a positive way. I went to Louisiana on my mission. Best time of my life.
@alaynabedwell49603 жыл бұрын
Former missionary in Korea here- great video! I actually had the privilege of being taught by Derek Driggs in the MTC. :) The immersion and motivation is definitely a game changer when it comes to language learning, and I think your analysis was excellent. One thing I just wanted to point out- some of the rules you mentioned have changed in recent years, especially in light of the pandemic. Missionaries can use smartphones to contact and teach people online, but the media allowed on them is still restricted. Missionaries can also contact home once a week. And the “special underwear” (called garments) you mentioned is not just for missionaries, but for any faithful members of the church who have made certain promises with God. Your commentary was very respectful, so thank you!
@holdendewit70882 жыл бұрын
Ngl I got a little upset that he showed a picture of them but I know he didn’t mean any harm. He was perfectly respectful other than that
@aubreyjean5323 жыл бұрын
I served my mission in guatemala and went to the international mtc in Guatemala city. I can say that this video is 100% accuarate. Me costó muchísimo en poder aprender el español, pero valió la pena. Al principio, la gente guatemalteca se burlaba de mí mucho por no poder hablar bien, pero, cuando hablaba mejor, siempre me decían que manejaba bien el español yo. Ahora, estoy aprendiendo el portugués! Muchas gracias por compartirlo!!
@LimegreenSnowstorm3 жыл бұрын
¡Qué chévere! ¿Cómo va el aprendizaje del portugués? ¡Yo también aprendí el portugués después de la misión!
@rayeiswriting43723 жыл бұрын
Bless you for having a whole video that focuses on people of a religion without being controversial
@collinsmith75723 жыл бұрын
Hey I'm the second guy that comes up speaking Hmong at the beginning of the video! What in the world?? You did miss one point that I think helps every missionary learn their language. They read the entire Book of Mormon in their target language. It is a book we are extremely familiar with and by the time we finished it in our target language we usually were to some degree fluent. It is full to the brim with very complex grammar and a vocabulary with thousands and thousands of words you would not learn from a standard course or book. What I did was I began reading the Book of Mormon in Hmong and if at any time I did not know a word I would highlight it and define it in the margins. Sometimes I could not find a translation so I would then resort to asking a native what the word meant often times in Hmong. By the time I got about 3/4 of the way through I was maybe highlighting a word every three pages or so and I knew all the rest or could guess unknown words based on context. By the time I got to the end I understood nearly 100% of what native speakers, specifically the older generation which uses deeper meaning words, were saying. During my entire time reading it was all aloud as well. I would say this benefited me extremely.
@rangeandravine3 жыл бұрын
That's my method of learning swahili right now. I just purchased the Kitabu cha Mormoni and will have my English one next to me for reference. There is one major thing that is being left out of this equation of learning a language for this type of experience and that is a special gift that many will discount as untrue, unrealistic, false, lies, etc. and that is the gift of tongues and especially help and guidance through the Spirit. I am sure that all missionaries who have served a mission in another language can attest that they did not learn the language all on their own, but received assistance through a higher power who enlightens the mind and opens it up to higher learning at that speed so that they can teach with power, confidence and truth. I've seen it in many missionaries lives. I've known some missionaries that have learned multiple languages to the level where they could at least communicate to a level to teach about the gospel during those 2 years and understand what investigators are saying to them. As mentioned previously, fluency is not the ability to speak every word spoken perfectly in a perfect accent as one who is native to that country, but to be "able to express oneself easily and articulately", and "able to speak or write a particular foreign language easily and accurately." Thousands of missionaries are capable of doing this, and do every year. People discount miracles, but the ability to learn a language this fast to be able to speak fluently and teach effectively is a miracle.
@papabrtrk3 жыл бұрын
@@rangeandravine Amen,well said,and so true! There is definitely something to be said about the “Gift of Tongues”. I’m a firm believer that when you are in tune with the Sprit, that He, “Quickeneth all things”, especially understanding anything pertaining to the Gospel. I like the idea of the B.O.M. in the target language along with the English version helped me also. I didn’t serve a mission . I joined the church at 24 and felt my mission was to find a wife. I feel there is a difference in how fast you learn when you are called to a mission versus learning a language on your own. What I’ve learned is that your training is intense and focused,whereas for me I studied at my own pace. Kudos to you Brother and good luck in your future endeavors! 🙏
@xerk29453 жыл бұрын
Wow, what a fantastic idea to read a book you know really, really well! I could do this with Narnia or the Bible or Harry Potter. Great tip.
@vivianchen1342 жыл бұрын
@@xerk2945 Harry Potter is a great choice. I’m reading the Spanish version of it and although there are many many words I don’t know, I can still figure out what’s going on
@jacqueschouette74742 жыл бұрын
I taught myself Italian this way also. I already spoke French and English, so I would read a chapter in French and then the same chapter in Italian. I did this for the first book (Nephi) and then after that, just read it in Italian. If you know the story already, it helps you to focus on the language.
@daniellitster19323 жыл бұрын
I found the comment about specific topics interesting. I learned Japanese in the MTC as a missionary, Russian at DLI while in the military and Mandarin in Beijing for business. People often ask me which language I speak best and the answer is: it depends on the topic. Unsurprisingly, I am much more proficient when speaking about religion in Japanese, military topics in Russian, and discussing finance in Mandarin.
@carlosenriqueulloa3 жыл бұрын
I think you were in my National Guard unit. C Co 300th MI Bn?
@daniellitster19323 жыл бұрын
@@carlosenriqueulloa Very likely, that was my unit :)
@carlosenriqueulloa3 жыл бұрын
@@daniellitster1932 If you see the videos I've posted you'll see who I am. My username is my initials.
@AlenaAlena7773 жыл бұрын
Wow!!! I want to meet you!!!
@hebercook9 ай бұрын
I was a trainer at the missionary training center for 5 years. Great video, thanks for putting it together! I was always SO impressed by the voluntary dedication to the work and study the missionaries did, even though it was 100% volunteer work. I'm not a linguist-- linguists, chime in if you agree: you can't learn a 2nd language unless you voluntarily put in the effort. My missionaries that intentionally chose to study hard excel. I think the MTC environment inspires missionaries to choose to study. (As opposed to middle school or primary school, where kids seem forced to study without much success).
@Joshuacowley3 жыл бұрын
Hey great job on your research! I work at the MTC in the language learning department and I can tell you put serious time into checking your facts! It’s an amazing thing to see so many young people come to the MTC and be introduced to a new language and new culture that will change their lives forever! It sure did that for me!! Cheers!
@caleblimb32753 жыл бұрын
One thing I would add to this awesome video: one way that Mormon Missionaries use to study is to read text that they're familiar with in the new language such as the Bible or Book of Mormon. When reading something that you're not super familiar with, you need at least good 90% comprehension or so in order to be able to figure out the rest of it from context. But if it's a book that you're really familiar with and have read a time or two then you can get away with possibly just 50% comprehension and still be able to figure out what the rest of the words are. This doesn't need to be a religious book, just something that that you're really familiar with. Maybe you've read Harry Potter or some other book a couple times, try reading it again in the new language you're trying to learn. I'm no language education expert so I don't know if this increases how well you learn a language, but it's certainly a more interesting way to study in my opinion and the hardest part of learning a new language for most people is just doing it.
@madi71783 жыл бұрын
Yes I was waiting to see if someone mentioned this. Any Latter-Day Saint can tell you that we know Nephi Chapter 1 like the back of our hand, maybe not to the point of memorization but we know what it talks about. I consider that a huge leap in word familiarization because then you already know the general meaning of the passage.
@LimegreenSnowstorm3 жыл бұрын
Can confirm! When I felt called to learn Portuguese after the mission, the first thing I did was read O Livro de Mórmon. That and a couple semesters of Portuguese later, and I’m somewhat fluent! Now I’m reading the Book of Mormon in French :D
@hard2getitrightagain3142 жыл бұрын
The reading isn't done for comprehension. The purpose of the reading is to accustom one's own ears to the sound of one's own voice in the target language. It is extremely effective to read, or read back, the target language with no thought at all for understanding of the written material. Understanding will ultimately happen. It cannot be avoided.
@Aomajc63 жыл бұрын
As a former teacher at the MTC, I wanted to make a few additions. The missionaries that I taught were being sent to French Polynesia which was (to my knowledge) the only mission where they are taught 2 languages; French and Tahitian. They were given 10-11 weeks to learn both languages. 6 weeks of French and then the remaining time was in Tahitian. English was not allowed during the weeks of Tahitian language learning. If you had a question you could ask it in French. We had a 100% success rate with French, but I would say that it is much lower for Tahitian (about 50% if I had to guess). The first group that I trained admittedly had a terrible experience learning Tahitian, so I rewrote the entire curriculum given to me to use in the downtime before my next group of missionaries. success rates went up considerably after that. Another crazy experience was when we had a French speaker sent to Japan. The poor girl spoke no English and there was no common language with the instructors. They brought me in at about week 5 to help her out. She also didn't have a French -> Japanese dictionary using the same alphabet all the English -> Japanese students were using ( I was told there are 3 different alphabets). Anyway, helping her out was probably my most intense experience at the MTC. I would teach my own class and then spend 4-5 hours helping her communicate with her English-native partner. The partner would help me understand what the Japanese teacher had taught that morning. I don't think she ever fully caught up to the others in her classroom but she was fluent enough to travel to Japan and start her mission. I agree with what you said about them being fluent in one topic area. I do find that even after 2 years in French Polynesia, teaching at the MTC, a bit of time in France, and transcribing French off and on, I still struggle with some topics. I once took on a project transcribing materials for a robotics conference in Haiti and it was a huge struggle. It took me hours to transcribe a couple pages. I made sure to have a Haitian friend read through it before sending it back and he said it was all correct (except for a few Haitian-specific quirks).
@vivi494512 жыл бұрын
Do you have to be Mormon to teach at the MTC?
@The15iceiceice152 жыл бұрын
Great story
@brucebehymer Жыл бұрын
45 years ago, when I served, many of us going to Guatemala were trained in Spanish in the MTC and then, after about 3 months in country, went through 5 week classes where we were taught one of the 5 Mayan languages that the mission also used at that time. So, two languages as well.
@1Lightdancer6 ай бұрын
What cool experiences! I'm learning Cherokee - also a class IV language. 27 hours - online lessons - so far, and headed to an intensive/ some immersion this weekend - I have several Syllabary charts around as prompts for the ones used less often (86 symbols for the vowels and the different syllables used) I like the idea of getting short sentences down, and building on that.
@spencersimko27413 жыл бұрын
MTC Spanish teacher here. I really appreciated this video! It was pretty accurate for the most part. I do have a couple notes though. The curriculum has changed recently, within the last month or so. We now do 2 weeks of gospel instruction (teach them how to be missionaries) in English, and then the remaining time (4 weeks for Spanish) is 100% in the target language. We've also introduced tutors (pre-mtc, in MTC and post MTC) to help with specific difficulties. I'd be happy to answer any other questions! One other non-language related note: we do prefer to not be called Mormons, but rather members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or simply just members of the Church.
@WuLe9932 жыл бұрын
Common man, be realistic. I can understand that you don't like to be called that specific word, but average, non affiliated people are not going to replace a single word name with a ten word sentence.
@Kaiserland1112 жыл бұрын
@@WuLe993 I definitely get that. He's just expressing our preference, as we want people to know that we are Christians. No hard feelings.
@rosapasquale81792 жыл бұрын
May I know what is your technique in learning a new language? Or what methods works for u?
@luisahumada60812 жыл бұрын
It's your opinion Spencer, and please don't speak for everyone. I don't have any issue for being called mormón...
@AWidgetIHaveNot3 жыл бұрын
What an incredible video, I had no idea about Mormon missions at all. Fair play to anyone who gets through such an intense program and subsequent placing in a country. Gruelling yet rewarding.
@Kaiserland1112 жыл бұрын
I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often nicknamed the "Mormons," and I served a 2-year mission to Russia. I LOVED the experience of teaching about Jesus Christ and doing so in such a beautiful, difficult, and historic language, so much so that I studied it in college alongside my primary major. It's an extremely efficient process and we're all HIGHLY motivated by our message, so it works quite well. Thanks for the awesome and accurate video!
@briansimmons86433 жыл бұрын
Music and singing is probably the best way to learn a language, or much of anything else. Its an underated method.
@lisanarramore2223 жыл бұрын
Agreed!
@Gigusx3 жыл бұрын
Not a fan (of singing) personally, but I think it would help anyone who likes to sing. It helps to have fun when trying to learn anything. I've definitely learned a ton through music too!
@carlosenriqueulloa3 жыл бұрын
Yes. I still remember the fist song I understood completely in English.
@kellydalstok89003 жыл бұрын
And immersion helps a lot too. At fifteen I stayed with English acquaintances in London during my Christmas holidays on my own, and during the summer holidays and the next I stayed with them again. There were no mobile phones and google translate, so I had to figure it out by myself. We also watched a lot of tv.
@bobbodaskank3 жыл бұрын
I think one interesting quality of language in music is that it can reinforce proper meter. Like, if you shift all the words in an English song one note to the right, it makes the English sound broken and weird. It follows that singing in a language you're trying to learn will impress a certain meter into your mind for how the language is vocally constructed.
@ng115283 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for this video! This brought back so many memories of my experience in the MTC and mission in Spain. I still remember just after a couple days, still knowing nothing about the language, having to give a lesson in Spanish. My partner and I scripted everything and read it to our investigator. He told us "Good job, but try again this time without any notes." I was honestly so surprised with how much I didn't know I knew until I was forced out of my comfort zone and forced to just start speaking. 3 years later I'm still studying every day but I learned the most by far when I was fully immersed in Spain.
@daviddrysdale88823 жыл бұрын
I went to Brazil as a young LDS missionaries and somehow, once in Brazil, I picked up Portuguese with pretty good fluency in about 2 months! Olly, you're exactly right! There's a tremendous amount of passion regarding the message and that makes a huge difference!
@Anvilbanger3 жыл бұрын
Well done video! I spent 10 years in the US military as linguist. I never attended Defense Language Institute (tested out of it) or the Missionary Training Center. One thing I have noticed about both military linguists and LDS Missionaries is that, for the most part, while they may be very proficient at their respective "jobs", many cannot so much as order a meal in a restaurant , etc. As one former LDS Missionary put it, " I could talk doctrine all day, but I couldn't get a flat tire fixed on my bicycle.".
@JamesWrightLBC3 жыл бұрын
I know the MTC approach has changed a lot since 1983. Back then we had entire lessons to memorize, so at least in theory you can teach a lesson the first day you get there. It's evolved since then to be more free form, and I think that helps the missionaries to own the language and their understanding by using their own words.
@mellostation3 жыл бұрын
I still remember missionaries visiting my house when I was younger and for some reason they knew we were Vietnamese and were asking if our parents were home, etc. My older sister was the one who answered the door and she was the most fluent out of us siblings but when she closed the door after talking to them she turned around and was mind blown that they were so fluent, especially because they knew the Vietnamese word for apartment which she had to ask for them to translate to English lol.
@patrss3 жыл бұрын
I used to be a Jehovah's Witness missionary and that's how I became fluent in Haitian Creole as well. Immersing yourself in the language 24/7 from the beginning is the best way to learn in my opinion.
@binguscat25143 жыл бұрын
I’m curious as to how close is Haitian Creole to French. Can you understand much French, spoken or written ?
@patrss3 жыл бұрын
@@binguscat2514 Yes, French is actually my mother tongue. Most of the vocabulary used in Haitian Creole came from French, but the spelling is totally different as well as the pronunciation, so even though some French speaking people might understand a few words here and there in Creole, it's not that easy if you haven't learned the language. The grammar is also very different. I feel like the relationship between French and Haitian Creole is similar to Spanish speaking people being able to understand a few words in Portuguese here and there without having studied the language.
@EvelynElaineSmith3 жыл бұрын
I spent a summer as a high school student taking a Spanish immersion course, and then as an adult I spent a summer at the University of Texas taking four semesters in a summer to get off my foreign language requirement for a Ph.D. Immersion definitely helps learners remember a language.
@Maddy-h4o3 жыл бұрын
@@patrss r u still one?
@patrss3 жыл бұрын
@@Maddy-h4o No, I'm not a JW anymore
@izumi06083 жыл бұрын
I've always wondered this. Every time the mormons come to me and start speaking in my own language with a very high fluency, I ask them when they started studying the language and they say they started studying like a several months ago and that is really shocking to me. Sometimes it makes me think that they really are blessed by God or maybe the faith itself has an extraordinary power that I am not yet aware.
@keithklassen53203 жыл бұрын
I'm sure that is an intentional effect.
@jamesmccloud75353 жыл бұрын
Careful now lol
@hagamapama3 жыл бұрын
It helps that they are very young. at 18 the language center is still malleable, making it easier to pick up language basics than it will be even 4 years later.
@JJ-po1qk3 жыл бұрын
Love this thought 🤍
@taylorrubalcava59523 жыл бұрын
HI Kanai! I am currently one of the missionaries mentioned in the video and we certainly think that God has a lot to do with it haha. We do feel very blessed. I know I couldn't have learned Spanish in 3 months without His help. Faith is certainly an extraordinary power, and if you ever want to learn more about it I'd be happy to chat: facebook.com/ElderRubalcava/
@DavidSmith-lp5tz Жыл бұрын
I’m a returned Peace Corps volunteer. -Honduras ‘84-87. We had 16 weeks of intensive language training in country before we received our assignments. Our instructors used all of the approaches you covered and more. Peace Corps language training might be a future episode for you.
@stephenjackson50653 жыл бұрын
What a coincidence that you released this now! I was talking to some missionaries about this like two days ago! Also I’m so grateful that you are respectful and encourage respect towards missionaries. So many people online berate them and are so hateful, so thank you!
@lindalockhart12663 жыл бұрын
Stay on topic (learning a language). I have had a terrible experience with mormons
@CleverGirlAAH2 жыл бұрын
@@lindalockhart1266 You tell them to stay on topic, then immediately go off topic yourself. 🧐 Interesting.
@erikschmitz18413 жыл бұрын
I work in an international office at a university, and there are several staff that have gone on Mormon missions after going through the language learning described in this video. I have been impressed with their language proficiency and professionalism.
@jpcampbell2 жыл бұрын
When I did it. Spanish was 9 weeks. You learn how to have “church” conversations in 9 weeks. The rest is up to you to continue upon arrival. It’s really about full immersion in a topic bubble and then you branch out. You will end the two years with some level of fluency based on your dedication. I arrived in Santo Domingo and didn’t understand anything. But I could speak to “that one thing” really well. When anyone responded I’d have to turn to my senior companion for help. You have a companion who helps and you speak a ton of English each day. After two months, I felt like I understood everything barring new vocabulary words. After two years I got back home and Spanish speaking people here thought I was native and still do 30 years later.
@lizhumble99533 жыл бұрын
This sounds like a great way to learn really. If I really needed to learn a language quickly I would prefer to do it in a concentrated way like this.
@biohacker79683 жыл бұрын
Can we create a school that mimics these? like 3 months immersion program without the Religion, it can have some self improvement built into it? That will be cool.
@robinohara2263 жыл бұрын
i think the fact that you know you will be shipped off to that country creates a lot of the motivation required to learn this fast.
@eb61953 жыл бұрын
That's what the US military tried to do.
@Dragoman063 жыл бұрын
Middlebury Intensive language programs. Look them up.
@mrpillows3 жыл бұрын
I think their religion plays a big role in why they have so much success though. They aren’t doing it for themselves, they are doing it to spread their beliefs to other people. It gives them the drive to stick through the program.
@tubeguy40663 жыл бұрын
@@mrpillows not to mention the entire pressure of your family, friends, and community have on you. If you stop learning a language, people won't really care. If a Mormon stops learning it, they will be seen as a "disgrace". Not saying that's good or bad, just saying it helps with the motivation.
@dravox3 жыл бұрын
This is both brilliant information about language learning, but is also fabulous social anthropology. The Mormons are amazing, I've gotta say.