A twenty-year-old in Ghent has picked up enough Japanese to read manga panels without translation, learned conversational Korean from drama subtitles, and is currently studying Turkish grammar on her way to work every morning. She was not bilingual as a child. Her parents speak a little halting English and Flemish Dutch. Perhaps the most intriguing aspect is that she is not unique among her peers.
The way that young people interact with foreign languages has changed. Generally speaking, Gen Z—those born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s—seems to be picking up languages more quickly and casually than their parents did. Naturally, not all of them achieve fluency, and it’s important to distinguish between dabbling and true proficiency. However, the sheer number of young people actively using multiple languages—often three or more—feels genuinely novel. This combination of cultural incentive, access, and motivation may not have existed in any previous generation.
Technology is the clear accelerant. What once required costly night classes or university credits is now something you can do in between bus stops thanks to language-learning apps like Duolingo, Babbel, and Busuu. However, the deeper current is lost when this is reduced to an app story. Language apps weren’t the only thing Gen Z came across. Through social media, fan communities, and streaming services, they learned about entire cultures in ways that made foreign languages seem less alien. Teenagers who watch Korean dramas on Netflix are engrossed rather than learning. They learn phrases through emotional context, imitating intonation as a child might, which is more in line with the description of implicit, unconscious language learning given by researchers at places like Ghent University. Children learn passively, without overanalyzing grammar tables, which is why they have historically outperformed adults in language acquisition. It’s possible that Gen Z is unintentionally copying something similar when they sing along to Japanese city pop or browse through Portuguese-language TikTok videos.
Although it’s not the whole picture, the career calculus is important. Gen Z is aware that multilingual candidates are increasingly valued by employers in the tourism, healthcare, media, and tech sectors. Nowadays, students at internationally connected universities view learning a third language as a professional tool that will help them stand out in the increasingly competitive job market rather than as an academic curiosity. According to a survey conducted by Management and Science University, trilingualism is being framed by students as a “career superpower,” which may sound a bit breathless but actually reflects a real calculation. Cultural awareness, flexibility, and international confidence are no longer considered soft skills. In sectors of the economy that work across time zones, they are essential.
The neurological aspect is more difficult to quantify. Polyglots, or those who speak five or more languages, exhibit a unique pattern in brain imaging, according to an MIT study published in 2024: their language networks react more strongly to languages they are proficient in, with the odd exception of their native tongue, which the brain processes with surprisingly little effort. It is implied that efficiency, a form of neural shorthand, is produced by deep familiarity. It’s still unclear if the more casual multilingualism of Generation Z has comparable effects on the brain or if the depth of engagement is more important than the breadth. On this point, researchers appear cautious.
Additionally, there is a cultural phenomenon that does not neatly fit into a productivity narrative. Language is viewed by Generation Z as identity play. On social media, they use code-switching, incorporating Arabic phrases into otherwise Bangla text or blending English with Hindi slang. The six languages she uses on a daily basis—Bangla for conversation, English for studying, Banglish for texting, Hindi for movies, Arabic for scripture, and Korean for dramas—were succinctly described in a widely shared Facebook post from a university student in Dhaka. The post concluded with a request that people not judge her grades. It was both humorous and illuminating. Languages are not separate academic subjects for this generation. Wearing them all at once creates a layered experience.
It’s reasonable—and probably incorrect—to wonder if this makes Gen Z true polyglots or more akin to linguistic tourists. There has never been a clear distinction between familiarity and fluency. It appears that the old model, in which most people spoke one language fluently and perhaps stammered through a second, is disappearing, the appetite is genuine, and the tools are unparalleled. Not evenly, not everywhere, but clearly. It’s possible that the polyglot generation isn’t fluent in every language. However, far more of them are being touched than anyone anticipated.
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