The woman who learned 28 languages

ESL Lessons: True Stories

A printable worksheet for story-based English conversation classes.

Difficulty: Intermediate B1

PDF: The woman who learned 28 languages

Warm-up

Do you know anyone who speaks more than one language?

Vocabulary Match

simultaneous •• same time
famous •• goal
motivation •• words
success •• reason
target •• well-known
vocabulary •• win

Vocabulary Answers

simultaneoussame time
famouswell-known
motivationreason
successwin
targetgoal
vocabularywords

True Story

Listen and fill in the blanks with words from above.

Kató Lomb, born in 1909 in Hungary, was one of the world's first ________ interpreters. She learned 28 languages in her life, and she was still learning at the age of 92.

Kató believed that anyone could learn a language at any age. She thought that having fun while learning was important. Instead of studying with a teacher, she read novels in the ________ language and used them to understand grammar and ________.

Kató also believed that ________ and practice were key to ________. Her ________ saying was, "Language is the only thing worth knowing, even poorly."

Kató Lomb, born in 1909 in Hungary, was one of the world's first simultaneous interpreters. She learned 28 languages in her life, and she was still learning at the age of 92.

Kató believed that anyone could learn a language at any age. She thought that having fun while learning was important. Instead of studying with a teacher, she read novels in the target language and used them to understand grammar and vocabulary.

Kató also believed that motivation and practice were key to success. Her famous saying was, "Language is the only thing worth knowing, even poorly."

Quiz

  1. When and where was Kató Lomb born?
  2. How many languages did Kató Lomb learn?
  3. Did Kató Lomb believe that language learning is only for young people?
  4. What did Kató Lomb think were the key factors for success in language learning?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. Kató Lomb was born in 1909 in Hungary.
  2. She learned 28 languages.
  3. No, she believed that anyone could learn a language at any age.
  4. She believed that motivation and practice were key to success.

True or False

  1. Kató Lomb was one of the world's fastest simultaneous interpreters. T F
  2. Kató Lomb believed that it was important to have fun while learning. T F
  3. Kató Lomb thought studying with a teacher was the best way to learn. T F

True or False Answers

  1. False
  2. True
  3. False

Conversation

A:Did you hear about Kató Lomb?
B:No, who is she?
A:She was an interpreter. She learned 28 languages!
B:Wow, that's amazing. How did she do it?
A:By reading! She loved to read novels in foreign languages.
B:Oh, I want to try that with graded readers!

Discussion

  1. How do you learn new words?
  2. Do you think it's possible to learn a language at any age?
  3. What language would you like to learn and why?
  4. What types of foreign language entertainment do you enjoy, such as music, movies, books, social media, and more?

Further Reading

https://kepmas.hu/en/learning-new-language-age-92-kato-lomb-one-worlds-first-simultaneous-interpreters

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