Let me introduce you to Prof. Argüelles, a highly renowned linguist and poliglot (see here).
He is one of the polyglots listed in Advanced Proficiency and Exceptional Ability in Second Languages (see here), and has been described by The New Yorker as “a legendary figure in the polyglot community”.
Prof. Argüelles is highly proficient in 10 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Catalan, Swedish and Korean, and has a knowledge of more than 60 languages.
But what makes him truly fascinating is how he learned all these languages.
He didn’t follow the traditional classroom route. Instead, he follows a highly disciplined, self-taught approach—one built on autodidactic learning.
He’s a strong advocate for independent learning, and believes that anyone can reach high levels of fluency on their own, using the right techniques.
I want to introduce you to one of his core techniques—one that focuses on reading, writing and internalizing the language deeply.
It’s called the Scriptorium Technique.
What is the Scriptorium technique?
In simple terms, Scriptorium is a process where you:
- Read a sentence aloud,
- Write it down slowly and carefully with a pen and a paper,
- Say it out loud again, focusing on structure, grammar, and meaning.
It’s a method designed to slow you down—so you can absorb how the language works.
It helps improve your spelling, grammar awareness, word order, and even your ability to construct correct sentences when speaking.
Click here to watch a video of Professor Argüelles explaining it himself
Talk to you soon. Bis bald.
Gruß
Manuel
P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are 5 ways I can help you take your German to the next level.