How People in the Past Learn Multiple Languages?

It’s kinda intriguing to know how people in the past could learn languages. They didn’t have Google Translate and maybe they also didn’t have a written dictionary.

They acquired new language through immense immersion. A full immersion can be done by living, trading, or marrying someone into a community speaking different language. It’s like how children learn by imitating, watching, and listening.

Rote memorization is how they memorised vocabularies. Also, they utilize the learning materials that are written in both languages written in columns side by side.

We don’t know how much conversation practice ancient learners did.

The people who are bilinguals in antiquity were mostly a scholar, merchant, or traveler.