Impact
“There is just one way to describe the impact of Adam Beck’s work: life-changing."
This page shares the impact of my work—my books, blog, forum, and more—through the comments of parents across the world who are raising bilingual or multilingual children.
"I followed his advice, and now our son is perfectly fluent in both languages."
“I read Adam’s book and also communicated with him personally about my concerns involving speech delay in my bilingual son Jack (3.5 years old, Russian and English). Adam’s knowledge and dedication to the subject was very impressive, and proved to be very helpful for me. I followed his advice, and now our son is perfectly fluent in both languages. I think Adam’s work is extremely important, and I will support him in whatever her does, since I believe that without language you cannot access the treasure of cultural traditions."
Elaine in the USA
Originally from Russia
"Adam's books and advice have made an amazing impact on our entire family."
"I started reading his work before I gave birth to my daughter almost five years ago, and have been following him ever since. My daughter is now trilingual (Italian, English, Spanish) like her mom, and is now learning to read in all three languages as well. With the guidance of Adam’s wisdom, my husband, who studied Spanish in school but never became fluent, now speaks Italian at an intermediate level and is also working daily on his Spanish. We will continue to implement Adam's advice with our son, who will turn 1 in a couple of weeks. Thank you, Adam, for all that you do; you are a gift to the world!"
Bruna in the USA
Originally from Italy
"I noticed extraordinary progress in my son's language ability."
"I can't say enough good things about Adam Beck's book Maximize Your Child's Bilingual Ability. Before I read it, I was hopeless that my almost 4-year-old son would become proficient in Portuguese, my mother tongue. However, after reading Adam's book and putting into practice every tactic suitable to our situation, I noticed extraordinary progress in my son's language ability. He is now 4 years and 5 months old and not only does he speak Portuguese with me, he interacts with his little brother, 20 months old, in Portuguese. I am beyond excited with such striking progress and forever thankful to Adam for providing invaluable tools for our bilingual children to thrive."
Deborah in the USA
Originally from Brazil
"Your book, especially, gave me a path to follow and motivation that it can really work."
"The Bilingual Monkeys website is such a wonderful resource and I'm grateful I found it at the beginning of our bilingual journey. Your book, especially, gave me a path to follow and motivation that it can really work. I also feel like I have tools to use when our minority language needs a boost. There have been so many times that I have gone to the forum to look up certain issues or checked the website for specific articles. I pass on the link to both the website and book to anyone who will take it! Thank you, Adam, for being such a practical and positive leader in the bilingual community!"
Heidi in Germany
Originally from the USA
“There is just one way to describe the impact of Adam Beck’s work: life-changing."
"Adam’s book and forum have been a turning point and life-savior on our bilingual journey. To this day, Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability remains my #1 book on raising bilingual kids and I recommend it above any other. It is probably the only book on the subject that you will want to re-read time and again. The Bilingual Zoo forum is a gem, full of great ideas, inspiration, and support. It brings us bilingual parents scattered all over the world into a close-knit community, bringing us out of our isolation on this challenging journey. Thanks to this inspiring and generous community, I didn’t give up on our trilingual dream. Had it not been for Adam’s amazing work, our journey would not be as successful as it is today, with my two daughters happily and naturally switching between their three languages. Adam’s work has turned our journey around and saved it from going off the rails. Today I’m in a position where I can help other parents and give back some of the wonderful help I got.”
Amy in France
"Adam's book is the best thing I’ve ever read about bilingualism."
"Adam’s book Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability is the best thing I’ve ever read about bilingualism. I love how practical it is, not just focusing on the different studies and data on the subject, but giving the reader a lot of practical ideas on what to do and how. It’s so thorough, I’ve read it more than once. I can’t recommend it enough. His forum, The Bilingual Zoo, has allowed me to get in touch with other families in similar situations as my own. This helps immensely, not just because we can share what works for us and the different resources we use, but because it allows us to feel like we aren’t alone on this journey. Because of it, we have met two bilingual families and one other member, which I love! This forum is my go-to online place whenever I have any free time. His blog, Bilingual Monkeys, has also helped our family with different ideas and resources. I’ve checked it many times for inspiration or resources. Finally, Adam himself has been wonderful to our family and we are very thankful to him."
Raquel in Spain
"What I vividly remember, though, a few pages into the book, is the feeling that I was holding a gold nugget. It was the book I had been searching for for a long time."
"I don’t remember how I discovered Adam Beck’s book Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability. What I vividly remember, though, a few pages into the book, is the feeling that I was holding a gold nugget. It was the book I had been searching for for a long time. Previous books or information on raising bilingual children that I had found were too academic to be truly helpful on a day-to-day basis. My oldest child was 5 and I was really struggling with our bilingual journey. I needed real-life advice, not a lecture on the latest discoveries on brain development (fascinating, but it had led me nowhere). Alongside great tips to apply every day, the book is a source of enthusiasm and perseverance, which in my opinion is the reason why Adam’s work differentiates itself from the rest of the literature on the topic. I recommend it to anyone who wants to raise their child bilingual. Half of the work in raising bilingual children is to keep going no matter what. On days where the motivation or energy dwindles, I open the book and recharge. The best way I could describe it is a down-to-earth, fun, invigorating guide full of optimism that will leave you feeling like you can move mountains (or teach your kid to write in the minority language!). Another way I can recharge when I feel down is by being part of The Bilingual Zoo community, a lively forum filled with parents who share their successes and setbacks. Even though bilingualism is widespread in the world, we can quickly feel isolated and alone in our journey without a support group. I didn’t think an online support group would be much help, but I was absolutely wrong. I have learned so much from other members. By publishing his book and setting up The Bilingual Zoo forum, Adam Beck has had such an impact on my family life. Raising bilingual children had become a source of constant frustration, and I didn’t want to continue down that path. At the same time, I wasn’t ready to give up on my goal or even lower my expectations. Now, the spark of joy is back. And when bad days happen, well, they come and go but I don’t let them bring me down. Thanks for everything you do for families around the world, Adam! Your work matters!"
Elise in the USA
Originally from France
"His novel, How I Lost My Ear, is a spectacularly fun story, with spitting llamas, a dancing bear, and so much more."
"Adam’s book, Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability, is my all-time favorite book to recommend to bilingual parents. Rather than forcing parents into a specific method, Adam concentrates on encouraging parents in their bilingual journey. He provides specific suggestions that are easy to put into practice and helps us, as parents, make it fun for our children to learn our languages. And his novel, How I Lost My Ear, is a spectacularly fun story, with spitting llamas, a dancing bear, and so much more! The illustrations are a perfect match for Adam’s imaginative story. I read aloud to my children in English, and one of them has always resisted our reading time. But when we started reading this book, he forgot to be annoyed at my reading to them, and laughed out loud at the story! He’s even taken the book to read on his own. I bought copies for other family members, because no child should be without this book in their library!"
Alisa in France
Originally fron the USA
"I've read a number of blogs about raising bilingual kids and yours is the best!"
"I’ve read a number of blogs about raising bilingual kids and yours is the best! As I’m a thorough person, I read every single post, from the very beginning, and I felt as if you were speaking directly to me. So I’ve followed the progress of your kids and your parenting and it’s been eye-opening and inspiring. Taking your blog as a whole, I’m struck by your reverence for life itself, your carpe diem attitude, and your exuberance, joy, and creativity. I like your sense of humor and how your blog posts are interspersed with light comic relief, while also getting across the serious messages and research that you’ve done. In terms of the impact, well, it has been life-changing for me as you’ve encouraged me firstly to not give up hope, then to persevere."
Vaishali in the UK
"I used your book for a post graduate project on bilingualism, for my personal life, and for my work supporting bilingual families, children in schools, and teachers."
"I came across your book when I was pregnant with my daughter. I used your book for a post graduate project on bilingualism, for my personal life, and for my work supporting bilingual families, children in schools, and teachers. I have recommended your book, blog, YouTube channel, and other resources to everyone I have encountered on this path. Thanks so much for your hard work in this quest. Infinitely grateful, amigo!"
Silvia in Scotland
Originally from Spain
"The Bilingual Zoo is the perfect place to meet other parents of bilingual kids."
"I consider myself very lucky to have come across your blog in the vast expanse of the Internet, and I never go more than two or three days without checking the forum. The Bilingual Zoo is the perfect place to meet other parents of bilingual kids, exchange tips, and encourage each other. Your book has also been a great source of motivation, and I've given away copies to other bilingual families because I consider it the most practical, hands-on book on the subject. And this wouldn’t be complete without mentioning your personal words of advice and encouragement to me, on the forum, in emails, and to my great delight in person when we finally met."
Mayken in France
Originally from Germany
"I found Adam's blog years ago, when I had already started our journey as a bilingual family. I immediately fell in love with it."
"I found Adam’s blog years ago, when I had already started our journey as a bilingual family. I immediately fell in love with it. I loved the practical advice that I could immediately use. Here was a teacher and parent, who was some years ahead of us on the bilingual journey, sharing all he had learnt. Then came Adam’s book, Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability, which I read with much interest and where I also found inspiration and tips for our bilingual family. I love the practical advice in the book and have since recommended it to all bilingual families I come across. The Bilingual Zoo forum has also been a great source of inspiration and encouragement. There are always good tips from other parents facing the same difficulties, interesting information about resources, and motivation for the days when the bilingual journey seems too hard. Plus I now see some of the parents there as friends."
Marta in Germany
Originally from Spain
"I have two fully bilingual children (German/English, 5 and 3) and besides my own efforts as a parent, I owe that exclusively to you."
"Honestly, if I hadn’t stumbled across your work, I wouldn’t have started raising them that way. I’m not a native speaker of English, so I always thought it would be 'impossible,' yes, 'inappropriate' for me to even attempt raising bilingual children. I read a few books and articles on the topic of child bilingualism, but it was reading your book, specifically, that gave me lots and lots of practical ideas when I didn’t even know where to begin. It gave me perspective. It encouraged me. And it was reading stories of other parents in similar circumstances at The Bilingual Zoo forum that made me understand that my own language skills don’t have to be a deal breaker. Your book Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability, the forum, and your blog, taken together, give me a sense of community, a feeling of being understood and not alone. And while I’m still very aware of my own limitations, I walk this journey together with many others and my children’s language skills continue to thrive. So thank you for being out there and for doing what you’re doing!"
Angelika in Austria
"I only wish that your book was available many years ago."
"When my daughter was born in 1982, there was little information available about bringing up bilingual children. In fact, at that time, it was even frowned upon. It was very difficult sometimes to keep on plodding forward. I persevered and my daughter grew up to be not only bilingual but an English teacher in Norway. She was already grown up when your blog came along, but I decided to use your suggestions on my grandson. It was very reassuring to me that many of the things you recommended were the very same things I used to help my daughter on her bilingual journey. I only wish that your book was available many years ago. I would have received the encouragement that I so sorely needed at the time."
Amelia in Norway
"Your book and your work have been tremendously valuable for me"
"My name is Margit and we live in the U.S. We are raising our little girl in English (my husband) and German (me). Your book and your work have been tremendously valuable for me, from helping me understand what it is involved in raising bilingual children and how we can support our little one, to helping chart out the journey and its steps along the way. Our daughter will turn 2 in May, and it’s amazing how well she has been picking up both languages to date. Many thanks for the inspiration!"
Margit in the USA
Originally from Germany
"The parents at this forum are very, very supportive of each other."
"I use Adam’s book Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability as a guide in teaching my children my language, Mongolian. When it comes to bilingual parenting, there isn’t any manual. Everyone is trying different things by trial and error. However, Adam’s contribution is in putting a framework around practices implemented by many parents, including his own. I’m also a member of The Bilingual Zoo. The parents at this forum are very, very supportive of each other. They genuinely cheer for each other, help each other, and make extra efforts to motivate each other. I would have given up a long time ago if I hadn’t found out how dedicated and persistent other parents can be by following this forum."
Undraa in Denmark
Originally from Mongolia
"It has been reassuring and thought-provoking to read Adam’s blog and newsletters through the years."
"I was sure that I wanted to pass on my language to our kids, but there have been nay-sayers over the years about the multiple languages…and when one of them is your mother-in-law, one might think twice (but not in my case). Now, at 5 years old, the oldest one speaks three languages and has passive knowledge of a fourth. We’re still waiting to see how the 2 year old will develop. I certainly appreciate the strategies that Adam has shared and will be bearing them in mind as they grow older. Many thanks, Adam!"
Vipar in Cyprus
I found your articles and advice to be really in tune with my own aspirations
"This is Madeleine, I live in France, and I’m raising a little girl to be bilingual in French and English. I started reading your blog when I was pregnant—ready from the very beginning to be proactive about this. I found your articles and advice to be really in tune with my own aspirations: I want Alice to speak, read, and write equally well in both languages. Although she’s only two and I haven’t yet been able to use your advice about reading (I find a lot of your ideas on this topic fantastic), I can already see how important it is to get things right from the word go. Alice is talking in sentences already and mixes English and French with an ease and fluidity I find incredible. I agree 100 percent with your conviction that it won’t happen naturally—this thing takes time, effort, and planning. I have a bilingual colleague who has a child exactly the same age as Alice. We chat about lots of things, including language acquisition. For the first year and a half there wasn’t much difference as neither child was talking, but now she can’t get a single word in the minority language out of her daughter. I think she made the mistake of simply assuming her daughter would be naturally bilingual—but it doesn’t work like that. Your blog gives me ideas and reminds me not to “lower the arms”—to keep the bilingual goal a priority. It has also inspired me to start my own group—we meet once a month to encourage, reflect, and discuss our bilingual journeys. Thank you for everything you do!"
Madeleine in France
"Our greatest inspiration were Adam’s books Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability and I Want to Be Bilingual."
"We’re totally excited to explore this bilingual world with our newborn daughter. Our greatest inspiration were Adam’s books Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability and I Want to Be Bilingual. It is amazing to track her small first steps and turn our bilingual goal into a reality."
Anna in Ukraine
"I really enjoy the variety of posts available filled with both facts and stories."
"I have three kids who we are raising multilingual (five languages and learning a sixth) and multicultural (American and Turkish in France). I have been reading your blog for about seven years or so. I really enjoy the variety of posts available filled with both facts and stories. I have just started reading your book Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability and I’m really enjoying it so far!
Adrienne in France
Originally from USA
"I read through various posts that Adam has put up and these posts raise my spirits."
"My name is Frankie. I’m from Ireland and I live in Japan with my Japanese wife and two children. My wife and I have been trying hard to help our kids handle two languages. I often research about how to do this and I found out about Adam Beck’s website. I think I tend to research deeper when I feel my kids have not gotten as good as I feel they should have (I feel a bit gloomy at those moments). So the great thing is, I read through various posts that Adam has put up and these posts raise my spirits. They keep me motivated to keep trying out things to help my kids be more bilingual."
Frankie in Japan
Originally from Vietnam
"Your book and forum give me a lot of inspiration and strength to continue this journey."
"As family of Vietnamese and Chinese heritage, children born in Australia and now living in Japan, we greatly appreciate the ability to build connections and share tips with the online community. I like the book, and the real-life stories shared by the bilingual community online. They give me a lot of inspiration and strength to continue this journey. I even think about designing something small for the Vietnamese community.”
Nhu in Japan
Originally from Vietnam
"Adam and his blog empower me so much and I gain much more confidence."
"My name is Thu Dung and I am Vietnamese. I read Adam’s book Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability. I love it so much. It gives me a lot of insights. My son is now 8 months old and I’m raising him to be bilingual. It’s very challenging, but I’m making efforts every day. Sometimes I get worried and I feel discouraged and I need someone to encourage me. At those times, Adam and his blog empower me so much and I gain much more confidence."
Thu Dung in Vietnam
