Ben: Karibu tena kwenye Vocafy Unpacked. Mimi ni Ben, na niko hapa pamoja na Clara. Leo tunarudi nyuma kwa karibu karne moja ili kumfahamu mtu ambaye mtazamo wake kuhusu kujifunza lugha unasikika wa kisasa kwa namna ya kushangaza.
Ben: Welcome back to Vocafy Unpacked. I'm Ben, and I'm here with Clara. Today we're going back almost a century to meet someone whose approach to language learning can sound surprisingly modern.
Clara: Hujambo Ben. Na huenda nikiri tangu mwanzo kwamba ninaipenda sana hadithi hii. Kató Lomb ni miongoni mwa wanafunzi wa lugha ninaowavutiwa nao zaidi.
Clara: Hi Ben. And I should probably admit from the beginning that I have a soft spot for this one. Kató Lomb is one of the language learners I admire most.
Ben: Hayo ni mapendekezo mazito. Alikuwa nani?
Ben: That's a strong recommendation. Who was she?
Clara: Alikuwa Mhungaria, alizaliwa mwaka 1909, na taaluma yake ya kwanza haikuwa lugha hata kidogo. Alisomea fizikia na kemia, kisha akapata shahada ya uzamivu katika kemia.
Clara: She was Hungarian, born in 1909, and her original academic world wasn't languages at all. She studied physics and chemistry and earned a doctorate in chemistry.
Baadaye akawa mtafsiri na mmoja wa wakalimani wa kwanza wa papo hapo. Katika kilele cha taaluma yake, alifanya kazi kitaaluma kwa kutumia lugha 16.
She later became a translator and one of the early simultaneous interpreters. At the height of her career, she worked professionally with 16 languages.
Ben: Lugha kumi na sita zinasikika kama jambo lisiloaminika.
Ben: Sixteen sounds almost unbelievable.
Clara: Ni kweli, lakini Lomb mwenyewe alikuwa mwangalifu alipoitaja idadi hiyo.
Clara: It does, but Lomb herself was careful about that number.
Alisema waziwazi kwamba hakuzijua lugha zote 16 kwa kiwango kimoja.
She openly said that she did not know all 16 languages at the same level.
Kulikuwa na lugha kama Kihungaria, Kirusi, Kiingereza, Kifaransa na Kijerumani ambazo angeweza kutumia kwa ufasaha mkubwa. Kwa baadhi ya lugha nyingine, angeweza kutafsiri baada ya kujiandaa. Na kulikuwa na lugha alizotumia kikazi hasa kupitia maandishi.
There were languages such as Hungarian, Russian, English, French and German that she could use very freely. With some others she could translate or interpret after preparation. And there were languages she mainly worked with through written texts.
Ben: Tayari nalipenda jibu hilo kuliko simulizi za kawaida za watu wanaojua lugha nyingi, ambapo mtu anadaiwa kuzungumza lugha thelathini kwa ukamilifu.
Ben: I already like that answer more than the usual polyglot story where somebody supposedly speaks thirty languages perfectly.
Clara: Kabisa.
Clara: Exactly.
Hakuwa na nia ya kuonyesha kujifunza lugha kama uchawi.
She wasn't interested in turning language learning into magic.
Kwa kweli, mojawapo ya mada zilizojitokeza mara kwa mara katika maandishi yake ilikuwa karibu kinyume kabisa. Alitaka kuondoa baadhi ya mafumbo yanayoizunguka dhana ya kuwa na kipaji cha asili cha lugha.
In fact, one of the recurring themes in her writing was almost the opposite. She wanted to remove some of the mystery surrounding the idea of being naturally gifted at languages.
Ben: Je, alikuwa miongoni mwa watu walioanza kujifunza lugha kwa ustadi tangu utotoni?
Ben: Was she one of those people who had been learning languages brilliantly since childhood?
Clara: La, na hiyo ndiyo sababu mojawapo inayofanya hadithi yake ivutie sana.
Clara: No, and that's one reason her story is so interesting.
Alikuwa amejifunza lugha kadhaa shuleni, lakini hakujiona kuwa mwanafunzi wa lugha mwenye uwezo wa kipekee.
She had learned some languages at school, but she didn't describe herself as a remarkable language student.
Safari yake ya dhati ya kujifunza lugha kwa kujitegemea ilianza akiwa mtu mzima.
Her serious independent language-learning journey really began as an adult.
Mwaka 1933 alitaka kuongeza nafasi zake za kupata kazi, kwa hiyo akaanza kujifunza Kiingereza mwenyewe.
In 1933 she wanted to improve her employment prospects, so she began teaching herself English.
Ben: Kwa njia gani?
Ben: How?
Clara: Kwa kutumia riwaya.
Clara: With a novel.
Na haikuwa kitabu kilichorahisishwa mahsusi kwa wanaojifunza.
And not a specially simplified learner book.
Alianza kusoma kwa kina riwaya ya John Galsworthy.
She began working intensively with a novel by John Galsworthy.
Mwanzoni alielewa machache sana. Baadaye aliandika kwamba baada ya wiki moja alianza kupata mwelekeo ndani ya maandishi, baada ya karibu mwezi mmoja aliweza kuyaelewa, na baada ya miezi miwili alikuwa akiyafurahia.
At first she understood very little. She later wrote that after a week she was beginning to sense her way through the text, after about a month she could understand it, and after two months she was enjoying it.
Ben: Hiyo inaweza kutia moyo au kuogopesha, kutegemea ni ukurasa gani umekwama nao sasa.
Ben: That sounds either inspiring or terrifying, depending on what page you're currently stuck on.
Clara: Huenda ni yote mawili.
Clara: Probably both.
Lakini hili linatuonyesha jambo muhimu kuhusu Lomb.
But this tells us something important about Lomb.
Alikuwa tayari kuvumilia kuelewa kwa sehemu tu.
She was willing to tolerate partial understanding.
Hakuamini kwamba ni lazima ujue kila neno kabla maandishi hayajaanza kuwa na manufaa.
She didn't think you had to know every word before a text became useful.
Ben: Hiyo ni tofauti sana na jinsi wengi wetu tulivyofundishwa lugha shuleni.
Ben: That's quite different from how many of us learned languages at school.
Unasoma aya, unasimama kwenye kila neno usilolijua, unalitafuta kwenye kamusi, unaliandika, na unapofika mwisho tayari umesahau aya hiyo ilihusu nini.
You read a paragraph, stop at every unknown word, look it up, write it down, and by the time you reach the end you've forgotten what the paragraph was about.
Clara: Kabisa.
Clara: Exactly.
Lomb alitumia kamusi. Hakuzipinga hata kidogo.
Lomb used dictionaries. She wasn't against them at all.
Lakini hakutaka kamusi itawale usomaji wake.
But she didn't want the dictionary to control the reading.
Aliposoma kitabu kipya, mara nyingi alijaribu kwanza kubaini maana kupitia muktadha. Aliandika maneno muhimu pamoja na sentensi, badala ya kuyaorodhesha peke yake. Alipokisoma tena baadaye ndipo alipotafuta maana za mambo mengi zaidi ambayo bado hakuyaelewa.
When reading a new book, she often tried first to work out meaning from the context. She would record useful words together with sentences rather than as isolated items. Only on later readings would she look up more of what she still didn't understand.
Ben: Kwa hiyo, hadithi ilitangulia na ufahamu kamili wa msamiati ukaja baadaye.
Ben: So the story came first and complete vocabulary knowledge came later.
Clara: Hiyo ni njia sahihi ya kueleza.
Clara: That's a fair way to describe it.
Na alichochagua kusoma kilikuwa muhimu sana kwake.
And the choice of what to read mattered enormously to her.
Mojawapo ya mapendekezo yake rahisi zaidi ilikuwa kuchagua kitu kinachokuvutia kwa dhati.
One of her simplest recommendations was to choose something that genuinely interests you.
Hadithi ya upelelezi, maandishi ya kiufundi, jarida—chochote kinachokuvutia uendelee.
A detective story, a technical text, a magazine, whatever pulls you forward.
Ben: Hilo linasikika kama jambo lililo wazi kabisa.
Ben: That sounds almost obvious.
Clara: Siku hizi, ndiyo.
Clara: It does now.
Lakini kuna maarifa ya vitendo nyuma yake.
But there's a practical insight underneath it.
Maandishi magumu katika lugha ya kigeni yanahitaji juhudi. Ikiwa hujali kinachotokea kwenye ukurasa unaofuata, ni rahisi sana kuacha.
A difficult foreign-language text creates friction. If you don't care what happens on the next page, it's very easy to stop.
Udadisi unakupa sababu ya kuendelea hata kama huelewi kila kitu.
Curiosity gives you a reason to keep going even when your understanding is incomplete.
Lomb aliandika kuhusu hili kwa uwazi kabisa. Kwa maoni yake, shauku ilikuwa mojawapo ya nguvu zilizowasaidia wanafunzi kuvuka nyakati ambazo lugha yenyewe ilianza kuwakatisha tamaa.
Lomb wrote very directly about this. Interest, in her view, was one of the forces that helped learners through those moments when the language itself became frustrating.
Ben: Na Kiingereza hakikuwa lugha pekee aliyojifunza kwa njia hiyo.
Ben: And English wasn't the only language she learned that way.
Clara: La hasha.
Clara: Far from it.
Kirusi kinatupa mfano mwingine mzuri.
Russian gives us another great example.
Mwaka 1941, Lomb aliamua kujifunza Kirusi.
In 1941, Lomb decided to learn Russian.
Alipata kamusi ya zamani ya Kirusi-Kiingereza yenye juzuu mbili katika duka la vitabu vilivyotumika. Ilikuwa imechapishwa mwaka 1860 na inaonekana ilikuwa katika hali mbaya sana.
She found an old two-volume Russian-English dictionary in a secondhand bookshop. It had been published in 1860 and was apparently in pretty terrible condition.
Aliinunua na kuanza kujifunza.
She bought it and started working.
Ben: Je, kujifunza Kirusi nchini Hungaria mwaka 1941 hakukuwa jambo gumu kisiasa?
Ben: Wasn't learning Russian in Hungary in 1941 politically rather awkward?
Clara: Kulikuwa kugumu sana.
Clara: Very much so.
Hungaria ilikuwa ikizidi kujiegemeza kwa Mataifa ya Mhimili, hivyo kusoma Kirusi hadharani kungeweza kuvutia macho yasiyotakikana.
Hungary was moving deeper into the Axis camp, so openly studying Russian could attract unwanted attention.
Lomb tayari alikuwa amebuni njia ya kujifunza kupitia maandishi, ambayo ilimsaidia kwa sababu fursa rasmi zilikuwa chache.
Lomb had already developed a way of learning through texts, which became useful because formal opportunities were limited.
Alijaribu kusoma fasihi ya kale ya Kirusi, lakini mwanzoni aliiona kuwa ngumu sana. Kisha akapata riwaya rahisi zaidi na kuisoma kwa kina badala yake.
She tried classic Russian literature but initially found it too difficult. Then she found a much easier novel and worked through that instead.
Baadaye, wakati wa vita, aliendelea kusoma Kirusi hata katika mazingira magumu sana.
Later, during the war, she continued reading Russian even under extremely difficult circumstances.
Ben: Kwa hiyo hii haikuwa kozi ya lugha iliyobuniwa kwa umakini.
Ben: So this wasn't a carefully designed language course.
Clara: Hata kidogo.
Clara: Not remotely.
Na hiyo ni mada nyingine inayojitokeza katika maisha yake.
And that's another theme in her life.
Alitumia chochote alichoweza kupata.
She used what she could find.
Vitabu, kamusi, redio, magazeti, mazungumzo na nyaraka za kiufundi.
Books, dictionaries, radio, newspapers, conversations, technical documents.
Aliwahi kueleza lugha ya kigeni kuwa kama ngome inayopaswa kushambuliwa kutoka kila upande.
She once described a foreign language as something like a castle that should be attacked from every direction.
Ben: Huyo ndiye Lomb hasa.
Ben: That's very Lomb.
Clara: Kabisa.
Clara: Very much so.
Na hilo ni muhimu kwa sababu falsafa yake haikuwa tu, "soma riwaya na upuuze kila kitu kingine."
And it matters because her philosophy wasn't simply "read novels and ignore everything else."
Pia alisikiliza redio, alitumia kamusi, aliwatafuta walimu na wazungumzaji wazawa, alichunguza mifumo ya lugha, alitafsiri maandishi na kufanya mazoezi ya kuzungumza kwa makusudi.
She also listened to radio, used dictionaries, sought teachers and native speakers, studied patterns, translated texts and deliberately practised speaking.
Mtazamo wake ulikuwa mpana.
Her approach was broad.
Ben: Vipi kuhusu sarufi?
Ben: What about grammar?
Simulizi ya kawaida kuhusu hadithi yake ni kwamba kimsingi alipuuza sarufi na kujifunza kila kitu kwa njia ya kawaida kupitia muktadha.
The usual retelling of her story is that she basically ignored grammar and learned everything naturally from context.
Clara: Huo ni ufafanuzi uliorahisishwa kupita kiasi.
Clara: That's too simple.
Hakupenda wazo kwamba kujifunza lugha kunapaswa kuanza na kumalizika kwa kukariri orodha za msamiati na sheria za sarufi.
She disliked the idea that language learning should begin and end with memorising vocabulary lists and digesting grammar rules.
Alipendelea kugundua mifumo kupitia lugha yenyewe, kisha kutumia sarufi kumsaidia kuelewa alichokuwa akiona.
She preferred discovering patterns through the language itself and then using grammar to help make sense of what she was seeing.
Kwa hiyo, hakuwa akisema kwamba sarufi haina manufaa.
So she wasn't saying that grammar is useless.
Alikuwa akibadilisha mpangilio wa vipaumbele.
She was changing the order of importance.
Lugha kwanza; uchambuzi uifuate ili kuisaidia.
Language first, analysis in support of it.
Ben: Hiyo inaonekana kuwa tofauti muhimu.
Ben: That feels like an important distinction.
Clara: Ni muhimu.
Clara: It is.
Tunapaswa pia kukumbuka kwamba Lomb alikuwa akieleza mambo yaliyomfaa kwa miaka mingi.
We should also remember that Lomb was describing what worked for her over many years.
Vitabu vyake si majaribio ya kisayansi yenye udhibiti.
Her books aren't controlled scientific experiments.
Baadhi ya mawazo yake yanaendana vizuri na mambo ambayo walimu na watafiti wa lugha wanajadili leo. Mengine ni uchunguzi tu wa mwanafunzi mwenye uzoefu wa kipekee.
Some of her ideas fit comfortably with things language teachers and researchers discuss today. Others are simply the observations of an exceptionally experienced learner.
Kinachomfanya avutie ni kwamba aliendelea kuuliza maswali ya vitendo.
What makes her fascinating is that she kept asking practical questions.
Ni nini kinachonifanya niendelee kuvutiwa?
What keeps me interested?
Ni nini kinachonifanya niogope kuzungumza?
What makes me afraid to speak?
Ninawezaje kuifanya lugha hii iwe sehemu ya maisha yangu?
How can I fit this language into my life?
Ninaweza kujifunza nini kupitia muktadha kabla sijatafuta maelezo?
What can I learn from context before reaching for an explanation?
Ben: Hapo ndipo tunapofikia mlinganyo wake maarufu.
Ben: Which brings us to her famous equation.
Clara: Ndiyo.
Clara: Yes.
Hatimaye, Lomb alieleza mtazamo wake kuhusu mafanikio katika kujifunza lugha kwa kutumia fomula rahisi kimakusudi.
Lomb eventually expressed her view of language-learning success with a deliberately simple formula.
Muda uliowekezwa ukijumlishwa na motisha, kisha kugawanywa kwa kiwango cha kujizuia, hutoa matokeo.
Invested time plus motivation, divided by inhibition, gives the result.
Ben: Hilo ni jambo ambalo mwanakemia hasa angefanya.
Ben: That's a very chemist-like thing to do.
Clara: Ni kweli.
Clara: It is.
Na alijua vizuri kabisa kwamba ujifunzaji wa binadamu hauwezi kwa maana halisi kufupishwa kuwa mlinganyo.
And she knew perfectly well that human learning couldn't literally be reduced to an equation.
Jambo muhimu lilikuwa uhusiano kati ya vipengele hivyo.
The point was the relationship between those factors.
Tumia muda mwingi zaidi wenye maana pamoja na lugha.
Spend more meaningful time with the language.
Kuwa na sababu kubwa zaidi ya kuijifunza.
Have a stronger reason to learn it.
Na punguza hali ya kujizuia inayokuzuia kuitumia.
And reduce the inhibition that stops you from actually using it.
Ben: Alimaanisha nini hasa aliposema hali ya kujizuia?
Ben: What exactly did she mean by inhibition?
Clara: Sehemu moja muhimu ilikuwa kuogopa kufanya makosa.
Clara: One important part was fear of making mistakes.
Unaifahamu hali hiyo.
You know the feeling.
Unajua kwa jumla unachotaka kusema, lakini huna uhakika kama sentensi ni sahihi, kwa hiyo huneni chochote.
You know roughly what you want to say, but you're not sure the sentence is correct, so you say nothing.
Kwa Lomb, kusita huko kungeweza kuwa kikwazo kikubwa.
For Lomb, that hesitation could become a serious obstacle.
Aliamini kwamba mawasiliano yasiyo kamili bado yalikuwa na thamani.
She believed that imperfect communication still had value.
Ben: Hapo ndipo kauli yake maarufu ilipotoka.
Ben: That's where her famous line comes from.
Clara: Ndiyo.
Clara: Yes.
Alipenda kusema kwamba lugha ni kitu pekee kinachofaa kukijua, hata kama hukijui kikamilifu.
She liked to say that languages were the only thing worth knowing even poorly.
Na wazo lililo nyuma ya kauli hiyo linavutia zaidi kuliko nukuu yenyewe.
And the idea behind that line is more interesting than the quote itself.
Ikiwa Kiitaliano chako si kamili lakini kinakusaidia kuuliza ni treni gani inaenda Milan, tayari lugha hiyo imetimiza jambo muhimu.
If your Italian is imperfect but it helps you ask which train goes to Milan, the language has already done something useful.
Sentensi isiyo kamili kisarufi bado inaweza kuwaunganisha watu wawili.
A grammatically imperfect sentence can still connect two people.
Ben: Hilo halimaanishi kwamba makosa si muhimu.
Ben: Which doesn't mean mistakes don't matter.
Clara: Kabisa.
Clara: Exactly.
Lomb alitaka kusahihishwa. Aliwathamini walimu na wazungumzaji walioweza kumsahihisha.
Lomb wanted corrections. She valued teachers and speakers who could correct her.
Lengo halikuwa kusherehekea makosa.
The point wasn't to celebrate mistakes.
Lilikuwa kutoruhusu kuyaogopa kuzuie mawasiliano.
It was not to let the fear of them prevent communication.
Hilo ni wazo tofauti kabisa.
That's a very different idea.
Ben: Kwa hiyo kujiamini hakukumaanisha kujifanya kwamba unasema kwa usahihi.
Ben: So confidence wasn't pretending you were correct.
Clara: Sawa.
Clara: Right.
Kulimaanisha kuwa tayari kujaribu, kubaini kuwa umekosea, kujirekebisha na kuendelea.
It was being willing to try, discover that you were wrong, adjust, and continue.
Ben: Umetaja motisha katika mlinganyo pia. Je, alimaanisha aina ya motisha ambayo unajilazimisha kusoma kila usiku kwa sababu umenunua kozi ghali?
Ben: You mentioned motivation in the equation too. Did she mean the kind of motivation where you make yourself study every night because you've bought an expensive course?
Clara: Si hivyo hasa.
Clara: Not quite.
Kwa Lomb, motisha mara nyingi ilihusiana na mahitaji halisi.
For Lomb, motivation was often very concrete.
Alijifunza Kiingereza kwa sehemu kwa sababu alihitaji ajira.
She learned English partly because she needed work.
Alianza kujifunza Kijapani kwa sababu alikuwa amejitwika jukumu kubwa la kutafsiri hati miliki ya uvumbuzi wa kikemia iliyoandikwa kwa Kijapani, wakati ambapo ilikuwa vigumu sana kupata mwalimu au kitabu cha Kijapani nchini Hungaria.
She began Japanese because she had taken on the rather ambitious task of translating a Japanese chemical patent at a time when finding a Japanese teacher or textbook in Hungary was extremely difficult.
Udadisi wake ulikuwa muhimu pia.
Her curiosity mattered too.
Alifurahia kwa dhati kutegua fumbo la lugha.
She genuinely enjoyed solving the puzzle of a language.
Ben: Kwa hiyo motisha haikuwa lazima iwe ndoto kubwa ya maisha.
Ben: So motivation wasn't necessarily some grand lifelong dream.
Clara: Kabisa.
Clara: Exactly.
Ingeweza kuwa hitaji la kikazi, udadisi, kitabu ulichotaka kuelewa, mtu uliyotaka kuzungumza naye, au furaha tu ya kufumbua jambo.
It could be professional necessity, curiosity, a book you wanted to understand, a person you wanted to speak with, or simply the pleasure of figuring something out.
Na alijaribu kuunganisha kujifunza lugha na shughuli nyingine za maisha, badala ya kukifanya kuwa jukumu lililotengwa kabisa.
And she tried to connect language learning with the rest of life rather than making it a completely separate duty.
Ben: Hilo linatupeleka kwenye ushauri mwingine unaohusishwa naye: kuitumia lugha kila siku.
Ben: Which leads into another piece of advice associated with her. Daily contact.
Clara: Ndiyo.
Clara: Yes.
Mojawapo ya mapendekezo ya vitendo ya Lomb ilikuwa kutenga muda fulani kwa ajili ya lugha kila siku.
One of Lomb's practical suggestions was to spend some time with the language every day.
Ikiwa muda ulikuwa mchache, alipendekeza angalau kujaribu kujisemea peke yako kwa dakika kumi.
If time was short, she suggested at least trying a ten-minute monologue.
Hilo ni tofauti sana na kudai kwamba dakika kumi ni kipimo kamili kilichothibitishwa kisayansi.
That's quite different from claiming that ten minutes is some scientifically perfect dose.
Ben: Kwa hiyo hakuna kipima muda cha kimiujiza.
Ben: So no magical timer.
Clara: Hakuna.
Clara: No.
Jambo lake kuu lilikuwa kuendelea bila kukatiza.
Her larger point was continuity.
Usikae mbali na lugha kwa muda mrefu kwa sababu tu huwezi kupata nafasi ya kipindi kirefu cha kujifunza.
Don't disappear from the language for long periods just because you can't fit in a serious study session.
Badilisha shughuli ikiwa inahitajika.
Change the activity if necessary.
Soma kitu.
Read something.
Sikiliza.
Listen.
Jitungie monolojia fupi akilini.
Think through a little monologue.
Pitia kamusi.
Look through a dictionary.
Dumisha uhusiano wako na lugha.
Keep the relationship with the language alive.
Ben: Je, kweli alijisemeza mwenyewe?
Ben: Did she really talk to herself?
Clara: Alipendekeza sana kile alichokiita monolojia au mazungumzo ya ndani.
Clara: She strongly recommended what she called monologues or inner monologues.
Aliamini kwamba wanafunzi wanapaswa kujizoeza kujenga mawazo katika lugha hiyo hata wakati hakuna mtu wa kuzungumza naye.
She thought learners should practise constructing thoughts in the language even when there was nobody around to talk to.
Hilo ni muhimu kwa sababu ya kivitendo sana.
That's useful for a very practical reason.
Mazungumzo hayakupi muda usio na kikomo wa kuunda kila sentensi.
Conversation doesn't give you unlimited time to build every sentence.
Kufanya mazoezi ukiwa peke yako kunakusaidia kutambua mambo unayoweza kueleza na sehemu unapokwama.
Practising on your own lets you notice what you can express and where you get stuck.
Ben: Kwa hiyo, badala ya kusubiri mazungumzo halisi ndipo nigundue kwamba sijui hata kidogo jinsi ya kueleza nilichofanya jana.
Ben: So rather than waiting for a real conversation to discover that I have absolutely no idea how to explain what I did yesterday.
Clara: Hasa.
Clara: Precisely.
Unaweza kugundua tatizo hilo ukiwa salama jikoni kwako.
You can discover that problem safely in your kitchen.
Kisha unaweza kutafuta maneno unayokosa.
And then you can find the missing language.
Ben: Kuna unyenyekevu fulani unaovutia katika haya yote.
Ben: There's something appealingly unglamorous about all this.
Soma kitabu.
Read a book.
Tumia kamusi inapokusaidia.
Use a dictionary when it helps.
Sikiliza redio.
Listen to the radio.
Jisemeshe mwenyewe.
Talk to yourself.
Endelea.
Keep going.
Clara: Hiyo ni mojawapo ya sababu ninazompenda sana Lomb.
Clara: That's one of the reasons I like Lomb so much.
Mafanikio yake yalikuwa ya kipekee, lakini ushauri wake mara nyingi ulikuwa wa kawaida.
Her achievements were extraordinary, but her advice usually wasn't.
Hakuwapa wanafunzi mbinu ya siri ambayo ingerahisisha lugha bila juhudi.
She didn't give learners a secret technique that would make a language effortless.
Alisisitiza muda, udadisi, ustahimilivu na utayari wa kuendelea licha ya kutokuwa na uelewa kamili.
She emphasized time, curiosity, persistence and willingness to work with incomplete knowledge.
Ben: Na kuwa tayari kuonekana mjinga kidogo wakati mwingine.
Ben: And willingness to look slightly foolish sometimes.
Clara: Kabisa.
Clara: Absolutely.
Lakini kuna jambo jingine moja ambalo nadhani tunapaswa kulizingatia kwa makini.
But there's one more thing I think we should be careful about.
Ni rahisi kushawishika kugeuza maisha ya Lomb kuwa uthibitisho kwamba mtu yeyote anaweza kujifunza lugha 16 ikiwa atatumia tu mbinu sahihi.
It's tempting to turn Lomb's life into proof that anybody can learn sixteen languages if they just use the right method.
Hilo si somo halisi.
That's not really the lesson.
Ben: Kwa sababu ni wazi alikuwa mtu wa kipekee.
Ben: Because she was clearly an unusual person.
Clara: Wa kipekee sana.
Clara: Very unusual.
Alikuwa na ustahimilivu wa ajabu, udadisi mkubwa wa kiakili, na alitumia miongo kadhaa akifanya kazi na lugha kitaaluma.
She was extraordinarily persistent, intellectually curious and spent decades working professionally with languages.
Maisha yake yanaonyesha kile ambacho mwanafunzi mmoja wa kipekee aliweza kufanikisha akiwa mtu mzima.
Her life demonstrates what one remarkable adult learner achieved.
Hayatuambii kwamba kila mtu atafikia kiwango kilekile.
It doesn't tell us that everyone will reach the same destination.
Jambo ambalo maisha yake yanapinga ni dhana kwamba kujifunza lugha kwa dhati ni kwa watu walioonyesha kipaji chake tangu utotoni pekee.
What it does challenge is the idea that serious language learning belongs only to people who were obviously gifted at it from childhood.
Ben: Hasa kwa sababu alianza kufanikisha mengi ya haya akiwa mtu mzima.
Ben: Especially because she started building much of this as an adult.
Clara: Kabisa.
Clara: Exactly.
Na aliendelea kujifunza kwa miongo kadhaa.
And she continued learning for decades.
Huenda hiyo ndiyo sehemu ya hadithi yake inayonitia moyo zaidi.
That may be the part of her story I find most encouraging.
Hakuchukulia kujifunza lugha kama hatua unayokamilisha.
She didn't treat language learning as a phase you complete.
Ilibaki kuwa shughuli aliyofanya katika maisha yake yote.
It remained something she did throughout her life.
Ben: Ikiwa Kató Lomb angekuwa ameketi hapa pamoja nasi, unadhani angemwambia nini mwanafunzi ambaye amekuwa akisoma kwa miezi sita na anahisi anaendelea polepole kupita kiasi?
Ben: If Kató Lomb were sitting here with us, what do you think she'd tell a learner who's been studying for six months and feels hopelessly slow?
Clara: Ni wazi siwezi kumsemea.
Clara: I obviously can't speak for her.
Lakini kulingana na maandishi yake, nadhani angeuliza maswali kadhaa ya vitendo.
But based on her writing, I suspect she'd ask some very practical questions.
Je, unatumia muda wa kutosha pamoja na lugha hiyo?
Are you spending enough time with the language?
Je, unajifunza kupitia mambo yanayokuvutia kwa dhati?
Are you working with things that genuinely interest you?
Je, unajitarajia kuelewa kila kitu mapema mno?
Are you expecting yourself to understand everything too soon?
Na je, unaogopa kufanya makosa kiasi kwamba unakwepa mazoezi yale yale unayohitaji?
And are you so afraid of making mistakes that you're avoiding the very practice you need?
Ben: Hiyo ni orodha ya kujikagua inayokosesha raha.
Ben: That's a rather uncomfortable checklist.
Clara: Zile zenye manufaa mara nyingi huwa hivyo.
Clara: The useful ones often are.
Ben: Kwa hiyo, ungeufupishaje mtazamo wake bila kuugeuza kuwa kichocheo kingine cha mtandaoni cha kupata ufasaha?
Ben: So how would you summarize her approach without turning it into another internet recipe for fluency?
Clara: Endelea kuwa na udadisi.
Clara: Stay curious.
Tumia muda wa kutosha pamoja na lugha.
Spend real time with the language.
Soma mambo unayotaka kuelewa kwa dhati.
Read things you actually want to understand.
Tumia muktadha, lakini tumia pia kamusi na maelezo unapovihitaji.
Use context, but use dictionaries and explanations when you need them.
Rudia kuitumia lugha mara kwa mara.
Return to the language regularly.
Jizoeze kuitumia kujieleza badala ya kusubiri hadi ujihisi mkamilifu.
Practise producing it instead of waiting until you feel perfect.
Na usidhani kwamba lugha isiyo kamili ni lugha isiyo na manufaa.
And don't confuse imperfect language with useless language.
Ben: Hiyo ni bora zaidi kuliko, "mjuzi wa lugha nyingi anajifunza lugha 16 kwa mbinu moja ya ajabu."
Ben: That's considerably better than "polyglot learns sixteen languages with one weird trick."
Clara: Bora zaidi sana.
Clara: Much better.
Na inamwakilisha vizuri zaidi yeye mwenyewe.
And much closer to the woman herself.
Ben: Clara, sasa ninaelewa kwa nini unamkubali sana.
Ben: Clara, I can see why you're a fan.
Clara: Nilikuonya tangu mwanzo.
Clara: I warned you at the beginning.
Ben: Kató Lomb alikuwa mwanakemia, mtafsiri, mkalimani na mwanafunzi wa lugha katika maisha yake yote. Lakini huenda urithi wake wenye manufaa zaidi ni rahisi sana.
Ben: Kató Lomb was a chemist, translator, interpreter and lifelong language learner. But perhaps her most useful legacy is much simpler.
Kujifunza lugha si lazima kuanze na kipaji au ukamilifu.
Languages don't have to begin with talent or perfection.
Kunaweza kuanza na udadisi na utayari wa kuendelea.
They can begin with curiosity and the willingness to keep going.
Clara: Nadhani angelipenda hilo.
Clara: I think she would have liked that.
Ben: Clara, asante.
Ben: Clara, thank you.
Clara: Ni furaha yangu.
Clara: My pleasure.