It’s Never too Late to Learn a Language

As we grow older, the drive to learn new things significantly decreases. Will I be good at it? Is it worth it? What’s the point? Only you can answer those questions, but instead of asking “why?”, we ask “why not?”. 

There are many reasons why people choose to learn a new language: a new job, connect with your heritage or family, or even simply out of curiosity. Whatever the reason may be, there are plenty of resources and opportunities. 

In a recent article by CBC News, Kristi Talbot, a Mohawk women with ties to the Six Nations community in Ontario, is prioritizing language revitalization. Talbot, learned Kanien’keha (Mohawk) from her mother at a young age, and wants to continue that tradition with her own daughter. 

Talbot began translating nursery rhymes into Kanien’keha to share with her daughter as a way to stay connected with her culture and continue a family tradition. While continuing this translation journey, Talbot realized she wanted to teach the language to anyone interested, so she posted about the opportunity on social media. Surprisingly, there were over 100 responses. 

The inspiring part of this story is the wide range of backgrounds Talbot taught. Her students included mothers, grandmothers, fathers, educators and caretakers. 

“It’s never too late,” said Talbot. 

While it may seem intimidating, this story represents the desire to learn a language at any age. Many students in Talbot’s class want to reconnect with their culture, but that’s not the only reason to learn a new language.

Wherever the desire to learn a new language stems from, there will always be people to teach and learn with.