How Mormon Missionaries Learn Languages Fast
Looking for precise and professional language translation? Look no further! I specialize in accurately translating English to Haitian Creole, French, and Spanish.
Trust me to deliver exceptional results that capture the essence of your message. Contact me today for flawless language translations.
🤿 In this video, I take a deep dive into one of the most intense (and SHORT!) language training programs in the world: the full-immersion experience at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in Provo, Utah (and various other MTCs around the globe).
🤯 Each year, 36,000+ new Mormon missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) receive just 6 to 9 weeks of language training—depending on the difficulty of their mission language—before being sent off to various corners of the globe.
I generally avoid talking politics and religion in polite company, but I was curious to learn more about how Mormon missionaries learn languages so quickly and what lessons the rest of us can apply in our own language learning adventures.
‼️Important: All commentary in the video is about language learning, NOT religion. Please be respectful and keep that in mind when leaving any comments below.
📖 LEARN A LANGUAGE THROUGH THE POWER OF STORY
If the Missionary Training Center isn't an option for you, don't despair! You can start learning languages right from the comfort of home with my story-based Uncovered courses.
Forget the boring textbooks and time-wasting apps and learn a language the natural, effective way with stories.
👉🏼
✍🏼 BLOG VERSION:
Read more about this amazing process here!
📖
📺 WATCH NEXT:
This Mormon Missionary Learned AMAZING Korean. Here's How.
How to learn a new language with stories:
Michel Thomas Method: Behind the Scenes of a Live 4-Day Recording to Learn Korean:
How This Guy Learned Fluent Japanese by Age 21 | Method Breakdown @Matt vs. Japan:
How This Guy Learned Fluent Chinese by Age 21 | Method Breakdown @Xiaomanyc 小马在纽约:
✍🏼 BLOG VERSION:
Prefer reading? Check out a blog post version of this video here:
👉🏼
⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Intro
01:22 – The School
02:33 – The Letter
06:50 – The Daily Routine
08:26 – The Method
13:24 – The Practice
17:33 – The Mission
18:42 – The Partner
📰 VIDEOS & PHOTOS USED:
Watch Latter-day Saints Speak 50+ Languages:
"The Missionary Training Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Provo, Utah, United States" by Ricardo630 is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0:
Process of a Latter-day Saint Mission Call:
Missionary Training Centers of the World:
Preparing to serve in Estonia, MTC, etc.:
Peace in Christ (Sung by Missionaries in 21 Languages) 2020:
Provo Missionary Training Center Tour:
Mormon missionaries learn Tagalog at Missionary Training Center:
My favorite part of the MTC: Role-playing:
Learning to speak Tagalog
Mormon missionaries in Australia: a day in the life
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.
Right?! So interesting.
I’ve a book of Mormon in Japanese to compare with English 🙂 I struggle but I get on with it ❤️
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.
@Ron Hunter but if they’re in the US, wouldn’t they still want to learn regional languages like Spanish, Mandarin, or even Navajo?
@Im2awesome – I don’t think they go to language school unless they are assigned to that area. I will ask my Mormon friends.
Looking for a less intense alternative to full-time immersion? Try learning through stories instead! 👉🏼 https://youtu.be/dPqWN2dlsBg
I see what you did there😉
I would love to give this a go!
Fascinating
it helps, that you think you are carrying out the will of God.
1
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…
What do you know. You get two languages for the price of one assignment.
Wow hes so lucky to know 3languages at a time
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 😀 ). 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.
@Gabor F 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 🙂
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.
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!
Well his videos are about learning languages. Probably not relevant for his content.
Agree. He did great!
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.
@Beats basteln :3 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.
Can confirm. They had me speaking Russian conversationally in 9 weeks and downright fluently in 4 months. It was insane.
Russian is so difficult, I need tips too!!
Time to be become a Mormon 😂
@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.
HEyoooo! Doing the same thing right now! Where’d you go?
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.
That’s cool
That’s beautiful, actually. This is inspiring.
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.
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
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.
@VOLT GAMING our missionaries don’t force anything on anyone.
@VOLT GAMING 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
if only he had realized that he was spreading lies.
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.
Wow! That’s frankly amazing!
That’s really inspiring!
Well babies learn their mother tongue in that particular language. They are not taught their mother tongue in baby language.
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.
Nakakaintindi at nakakapagsalita na po ba kayo ng Tagalog?
i can confirm learned more in a 3 month college spanish class than 3 years of middle/high school spanish combined
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.
I will attest that reading scripture aloud in the target language was probably the single most effective tool for language learning in my experience
Kababayan!
Kollipoki style…
Hi, How can I get in touch with you?
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
I can ask one of them to call you. What about that? May I??? 😊 I was one of those young man….👍🏼
@Video History I recommend reading the CES letter.
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!
7 languages 😳 Which ones?
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.
That sounds terrifying.
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.
Not if you have faith in the gift of tongues
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!
caraca, eu já conhecia seu canal e te acompanhava a um tempo. não tinha ideia que vc havia vindo para o brasil como missionário
Mto obrigado pelo comentário. Legal que você gostou do vídeo. Eu te mando uma DM em IG e a gente conversa mais!
Out of interest, are you still a missionary?
@Tom O’Gorman 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.
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?
It’s so cool to see someone on YouTube 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 🙂
SCANDALOUS (my younger brother met his on his mission too – so did my bishop)
Lol, my sister and her husband met in the same mission. They had to be transferred away from each other!
“Tut tut” .. naughty naughty!
P.S. How did they manage to do it? Tell all! 😉
I’m glad it worked out – I know there is a lot of judging when things like that happen, but love conquers all!
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
This is phenomenal really. Regardless of your feelings on religion or politics etc you have to respect the dedication. I’m impressed.
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).
Do you have to be Mormon to teach at the MTC?
Great story
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.
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!
Woah that’s amazing!
That’s incredible, man! Have you used it a lot since getting out?
I guess that is one way to learn a language!
Only Spanish? Obviously not a Mormon, because by their reckoning you should have learned 40!
9:35 sentence structure
10:04 speaking: focus on specific things
16:05 glimpse of mastery
18:42 partner system
Notice how they weren’t taught life skills like how to buy food or catch a bus.
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.