The #AgilePolyglot Manifesto

If you love learning languages, join our team of language-lovers!

Photo by Hannah Wright on Unsplash

I have been studying languages for 35 years. At different epochs in my life, I’ve described languages as my art, my passion, my love, and my source of energy. Languages have connected me with wonderful people from all corners of the globe and taught me everything I know.

When my language-study stalls, life is off-kilter. I feel like Dorothy back in Kansas, wishing I could go back over the rainbow where my senses can experience color once again. I feel disconnected and dull-witted. My priorities somehow got out of whack.

And that’s where I find myself now. Black-and-white. Wrong side of the rainbow. Maybe you, my friend, would like to help me out. I think I can help you, too.

In my day job I live in the world of Agile IT development. (I am a certified Scrum Master, for those of you in that world.) This approach values the interactions of individuals over everything else so that the team can produce great things while remaining flexible to change and keeping a sustainable pace.

I realized that’s what I want for my language-study! I want a group of language-learners who work as team to keep each other’s spirits high and skills sharp, so that everyone learns really fast and feeds each other with encouragement and energy. I don’t really feel connected to people on social media, so I’m looking for a group who will meet in real time. I’m calling us the #AgilePolyglot.

Come join us!

The point of this #AgilePolyglot team is to create a rhythm and relationship that works for all members of the team. In good faith and trust, we work with each other to help ourselves and the rest of the team. The number of languages known is not important for this group, but only the desire to make progress in one.

I borrowed the following principles from the Principles of Agile Software, but I rewrote for this team. This is the first draft; I expect it will develop as we develop as an #AgilePolyglot team.

1. Welcome changing approaches, even late in our progress. Agile processes harness change for our language-learning advantage.
2. Deliver working language skills, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale. (Read more here.)
3. Build language-learning goals around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and they’ll get the job done.
4. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a team is face-to-face conversation. (Read more here.)
5. Usable language skills are the primary measure of progress. (Read more here.)
6. Agile processes promote sustainable development. Agile polyglots should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
7. Continuous attention to techniques and details enhances agility.
8. Simplicity — the art of maximizing the amount of work not done — is essential. (Read more here.)
9. The best learning methods come from motivated learners.
10. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Photo by Timon Studler on Unsplash

Based on how this method functions in IT, I suggest we try the following for about six weeks.

• Planning. Every two weeks, we meet together by video for about an hour and come up with individual and common goals. The goals will be recorded on a common board online. (I tip my hat to Lindsay from Lindsay Does Languages and Shannon from Eurolinguiste who follow something like this on social media.)
• Standup meeting. Every day (or 4–5x / week), we meet by video for 15 minutes. Everyone speaks briefly to say what they accomplished the day before, what they plan to accomplish that day, and any frustrations or roadblocks they’re facing.
• Retrospective. At the end of every two-week period, we meet for about an hour to discuss what worked and what didn’t. We look at both what our language-learning techniques are delivering, and what the group as a whole is delivering. Are we learning as quickly as we’d like? Why or why not?
• Ad hoc. If you and someone else would like to go deeper on something, anyone is free to meet with others in any way that will help language-learning.

After six weeks, let’s evaluate. Is the #AgilePolyglot method helping? Do you prefer to work in the team or on your own? Do you love meeting with some folks but find others less helpful? Should we continue, go in a different direction, or quit?

With that proposal, I welcome any feedback. You’re invited whether you’re learning your 11th new language or restarting your first new language for the 11th time. Please share this article and the hashtag #AgilePolyglot with your friends. I’ll be putting together a Slack group for people to join.