Feeling Exhausted Learning a New Language? Perhaps You're Using the Wrong 'Map'.

Have you ever felt this way: after mastering English, you then tackle Japanese, and it feels like you're starting from scratch, everything needs to be rebuilt. Every word, every grammatical rule, seems like an insurmountable mountain. We often assume that learning a language is just like this – a rigorous, almost ascetic practice.

But what if I told you that the reason you feel so tired might not be because you're not trying hard enough, but because you've been using the wrong 'map' from the very beginning?

A Story About 'Learning to Cook'

Let's change our perspective and imagine learning a language as learning to cook.

Let's say you're a Chinese chef, a virtuoso in the eighteen culinary arts of Chinese cuisine (that's your native language). Now, you want to learn how to cook Italian food (your target language C).

You have two cookbooks in front of you:

1. An English Cookbook: This one is written for an American who only knows how to use a microwave. It will start by teaching you 'how to turn on the stove' and 'what dicing is', verbose and tedious. As a seasoned chef, wouldn't you find this cookbook extremely inefficient? (This is like us using Chinese to learn a language with a completely different grammatical structure, like Korean).
2. A French Cookbook: By chance, you've previously learned French cuisine (your second foreign language B). Both French and Italian cuisine emphasise sauces, love using spices, and rely on wine. This cookbook directly tells you: "The method for this sauce is similar to French Béchamel, but add a little more Parmesan cheese." You understand it immediately, because the underlying cooking logic is similar. (This is like you using Japanese to learn Korean).

See the difference?

Starting with a 'beginner' cookbook, you'll waste a lot of time on fundamentals you already understand. But with a 'colleague's' cookbook, you can get straight to the core, achieving twice the result with half the effort.

Find Your Learning 'Springboard'

This method of 'leveraging existing strength' has a specific name: 'language ladder' or 'language springboard'. Simply put, it means using a foreign language you already know (B) to learn a new foreign language (C).

Why is this method so efficient?

1. Save Energy, Kill Two Birds with One Stone: When you learn Korean using Japanese materials, you're not only acquiring new knowledge but also constantly consolidating your Japanese. Time is limited, but this method ensures every minute is spent wisely. Want to become a polyglot? This is almost an essential skill.

2. Shared Logic, Instant Comprehension: Languages don't exist in isolation; they're like family, with their own 'lineage'. Languages from the same family often share similar vocabulary, grammar, and ways of thinking.

   • If you know Spanish, learning French becomes much easier.
   • If you understand Mandarin, learning Cantonese has a shortcut.
   • If you've mastered Japanese, you'll find that Korean's grammatical structure is astonishingly similar.

   Take a classic example: In Japanese, there's the concept of 'classifiers' – for instance, you can't just say 'three', you have to say 'san-bon' (three books) or 'san-mai' (three coins). An English native speaker might need to read a three-thousand-word article to grasp this. But if you use Japanese to look up Korean classifiers, the explanation might be just one sentence: "Japanese '個 (ko)' is '개 (gae)' in Korean." — A mutual 'I get you' understanding instantly clears learning obstacles.

3. Better Resources, More Authentic Explanations: Want to learn some niche languages? You'll find resources in Chinese or English are scarce. But if you switch to a 'springboard' language, for example, using Mandarin to find resources for Minnanese, or Turkish to find resources for Azerbaijani, you'll discover a whole new world.

Beware the 'Taking for Granted' Trap

Of course, this method also has a sweet trap: complacency.

Because the new language seems to come so easily, you might unconsciously switch to 'autopilot mode', thinking, "Oh, this is just like Japanese," and then overlook those subtle but crucial differences. Just like French and Italian cuisine, while similar, they are not the same thing. If you keep making Italian pasta with a French cooking mindset, you might end up with 'French-style pasta', not authentic Italian flavour.

How to avoid falling into this trap?

The answer is simple: stay curious and actively 'perceive' the differences.

Don't settle for 'it feels similar'; instead, ask, "What exactly is different about them?" When you notice a tiny difference and commit it to memory, your brain will carve out an independent space for this new language, instead of letting it reside under the umbrella of the old language.

From Today, Be a Smart Learner

Learning languages is never just about who works harder, but who learns smarter. Instead of always struggling uphill from the base, learn to find that 'springboard' that lets you leap forward.

Use the knowledge you've already acquired to unlock a whole new world. This is not just an efficient strategy, but also an exciting experience – you'll discover so many wonderful resonances and connections between languages.

And in this process, the most important thing is to start speaking and using it. Don't be afraid to make mistakes; bravely use your 'springboard' language to communicate with the world. If you need a bit of support and confidence, you can try tools like Lingogram. It's a chat app with built-in AI translation, allowing you to get help anytime while conversing with friends worldwide. This way, you can take that step with greater confidence, transforming theory into real ability.

Stop being an 'ascetic' in language learning. Find your springboard, and you'll discover that the door to a new world is much closer than you think.