It's been almost a year since I last published an episode, but today we are back and ready to relaunch The Future is Bilingual Podcast! This podcast is for everyone interested in languages and in making the future more multilingual, multicultural, diverse and inclusive. If you would like to be a guest, please reach out to me at [email protected] or contact me via my website https://thefutureisbilingual.wordpress.com/. You can follow me on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual and @arabicwordbyword...
Apr 13, 2025•14 min
Today's podcast guest is Urmi, a polyglot who speaks 4.5 languages (I love this description!) She grew up in Italy speaking both Italian and Bengali as her first languages. She currently resides in Montréal, the largest city in the French-speaking Canadian province of Québec. She tells us about living and working in a bilingual city and how they know which language to use with clients at work. We discuss how Urmi learned all 4.5 languages and how she continues to maintain them while also working...
Jun 01, 2024•42 min
Today's interview is with Christina, Heather's friend and colleague at Freestyle Languages. Christina's life has brought her into contact with many languages and she has embraced each opportunity to broaden her horizons and learn more. She tells us about how she learned Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, French and Moroccan Darija, and not only that but how she maintains them. Our discussion covers many topics including traveling and living abroad, learning a language for a relationship, and teaching all...
Jan 15, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Suzy is an Armenian-American EFL (English as a foreign language) instructor, multilingual poet and mom raising two young multilingual children. She grew up bilingually and much of her poetry focuses on the immigrant experience, especially for children of immigrants like herself. She shares with us her journey learning her various languages, how she met her French husband, and how they are raising their two children to be trilingual in Armenian, French and English. Suzy and Heather, who both teac...
Nov 25, 2023•59 min
Today's episode is a deep dive into the complex linguistic reality in India with Dr. Devina Krishna, assistant professor of linguistics at Patna Women's College in India. Not only is she an expert in the field but she is also raising her son to be multilingual. We get into the languages they speak and what communication looks like (spoiler: there is some code switching happening!). India has 22 official languages and we discuss mutual intelligibility between them and the logistics of recognizing...
Sep 23, 2023•56 min
So many truth bombs and inspiring tales in this interview episode with Anita, the founder of Bhasha Kids (@BhashaKids)! Anita is a Malayalam-American mom whose company helps kids (and adults!) connect with South Asian Languages and Cultures. Anita and Heather talk all about raising multilingual kids and the best ways to support them in their language learning journey, like why it's worth getting a tutor and/or resources. They also get into linguistic topics such as phonological awareness and t...
Sep 02, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Today's interview is with Tanner, a college student majoring in music business and minoring in Japanese. We talk a lot about Japan and Japanese culture, but first we discuss the other languages she has studied and what got her interested in Japanese. We touch on how her classes are taught using a flipped classroom model, which Heather also uses when teaching with Freestyle Languages. Tanner shares her experiences, tips and interests related to learning Japanese but also dabbling in Mandarin Chin...
Jul 04, 2023•57 min
Today's interview is with Maria Twena, a second-generation Latina, a bilingual children’s book author, and the creator of "MariVi: The Master Navigator". Maria tells us about what it was like growing up and straddling not only two languages but also two cultures and two opposing worldviews, one collectivist and one individualist. She only realized as an adult how challenging her experiences had been and that many bicultural children share these same experiences. She created her book series "Mari...
Jun 07, 2023•47 min
Today's guest, Jesse, is a multilingual father of two and a seasoned English teacher living in Spain. He first started teaching English in South Korea and shares stories of his seven years spent over there. Throughout the episode we talk about the importance of intentionality when raising our children, for example we both make a concerted effort to expose our children to different cultures and different ways of living. We also get honest about parenting and the struggles we face raising bilingua...
May 21, 2023•1 hr 22 min
Bienvenue au premier épisode du podcast "The Future is Bilingual" en français ! 🎉 Nous savons que les mots "natif" et "non-natif" sont problématiques, mais ils font partie de notre réalité et peuvent sembler inévitables. Réfléchissons un peu plus sur ce sujet. Cet épisode est divisé en trois parties : 1. Mes expériences personnelles en tant qu'apprenante de langues, y inclus un grand secret 2. Mes expériences professionnelles en tant qu'enseignante de 4 langues 3. Les réflexions partagées avec ...
May 11, 2023•48 min
In this episode, I attempt to tackle the highly controversial topic of native speakerism and what it means to be a good language teacher. The episode is divided into three main parts: 1. My personal experiences learning multiple languages, including a shameful secret 2. My professional experiences as a teacher of 4 languages 3. What I learned from others during an open discussion I lead at the Polyglot Gathering online this past March on the same topic. There are so many things that could and ne...
May 11, 2023•58 min
Episode 57 - Tiffany takes us on a journey around the world from Colombia to France to the U.S. and back again. She tells us about her adoption, growing up bilingual in France, what it was like going to an international school, how she met her husband, and how they are raising their two children multilingually. So much wisdom in this episode! Tiffany works as a communications associate at The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law so I am delighted to have this episode come out on Earth Day 2023! I...
Apr 22, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 6Ep. 4
Episode 56 - Today's episode is with Lauren from Polyglot Station and Language TV Club ! She is a language enthusiast and a speech language pathologist. She tells us how she started Polyglot Station and where the idea for the Language TV Club came from. They regularly have clubs in German, Italian, French, and Spanish, but they also include other languages. The idea is we all watch the same show on our own time on Netflix and meet to talk about it in the target language. It’s the perfect way for...
Mar 14, 2023•46 min•Season 6Ep. 3
Episode 55 - In this episode, Heather chats with Mackenzie, one of the hosts of the podcast The ABCs of Matrescence , about how she is raising her two children completely in French while living in the US. Mackenzie's husband is Vietnamese and she tells us about how they considered adding Vietnamese into their family language plan and what their final decision was. We get all the details on how Mackenzie's raising her children in French, her second language, and how much dedication it really take...
Feb 05, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Season 6Ep. 2
Episode 54 - Looking for new ways to practice your language without breaking the bank? No matter what language you're learning or how advanced or rusty you are, this episode gives you close to 40 ideas to try without spending a penny. Let me know if I forgot something or what you favorite tip is! You can find me on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual , on my website or by writing to me at [email protected]. If you enjoy this podcast, please let a rating on your favorite podcast app and a review ...
Jan 10, 2023•42 min•Season 6Ep. 1
Episode 53 - This short episode invites you to say goodbye to 2022 and welcome in the new year with one simple question. The end of the year is an exciting time with lots of energy, but it's also a difficult time for many and can be filled with negative thoughts and self doubts. Let's focus on what we love and what brings us joy as we create plans for the new year. I will tell you about 3 things I'm currently working on doing more of to give you some examples. Other episodes from the archives to...
Dec 23, 2022•14 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Episode 52 - In this episode, Heather talks about the idea of celebrating a "weekly win" as you go about your language learning journey. What is a weekly win and why do we need them? Tune in to find out. --- This idea came to life during a work meeting at Freestyle Languages, where Heather teaches French and Spanish. To learn more about our classes, teaching style, private tutoring, free monthly events, and more, check out our website at https://www.freestylelanguages.com. New students can use t...
Nov 10, 2022•16 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Episode 51 - Stuck in a language learning rut? Wish you had a more consistent study routine? This short episode gives you a weekly plan with different ideas for each day of the week. To see the original instagram post click here. --- Enjoy this podcast? Please take a minute to leave a rating & review here or on your favorite streaming service (Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, etc.) You can also help support it by buying me a coffee here Click here to follow the podcast on Instagram ...
Oct 28, 2022•11 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Episode 50 - Today's interview is with Yoshito, also known as @multilingual_dad on Instagram. Yoshito was a guest on Episode 35 of the podcast where he told us his own story about growing up bilingual and how he and his wife are raising their two sons multilingually. In this episode, we focus on Yoshito's newest book "In Search of the Lost Words". This graphic novel is designed specifically with bilingual kids in mind while his first book was written for parents raising bilingual kids. He tells ...
Oct 07, 2022•51 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Episode 49 - Today's guest is Misty, a self-proclaimed small-town girl from the US. She and Heather, the host, met while studying abroad in France, and Misty takes us back to those first days arriving in a new country and realizing how much she still had to learn, despite years of studying French. She met her French husband there and we talk about how they've balanced their use of French and English over the years depending on their situation and goals. Misty and Heather discuss the real struggl...
Jul 17, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Episode 48 - Today's guest is Heidi, an American expat raising her two young children first in Italy and now in Germany. She tells us about her experience learning languages later in life and recounts some of the struggles of raising multilingual kids when you're still learning the language yourself. She shares how she dealt with expectations related to her kids' and her own language learning and how her relationship to language learning has transformed over the years. Despite being a busy mom, ...
Apr 22, 2022•1 hr 13 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Episode 47 - The New Year is almost here and many of us are reflecting on what we'd like to improve in our language learning and/or family language plan. In today's episode, Heather and Marcin discuss 10 things you can try doing more of in 2022 to have more success passing on and/or learning one or more languages. No matter which tips you decide to try in 2022, remember that success comes from starting small, celebrating each win, and being consistent. Happy New Year! Bonne année ! ¡Feliz año nu...
Dec 27, 2021•59 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Episode 46 - In this episode, Inna and Heather talk about what's been happening since Inna published her bilingual children's book "Trilingual Me! Moi, trilingue!" last year. We discuss how she's been promoting her book, highlights from the year, workshops she's done for teachers, and an after-school program she ran at her local library. She also does virtual classroom visits so reach out to her if you're a teacher and interested in that. We also get into different ways to read a bilingual book ...
Dec 15, 2021•38 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Episode 45 - Today's guest, Sandra, is a multilingual mom from Peru. She tells us how she started teaching her daughter Spanish at 4 years old and why she creates her own materials about Peruvian culture. She takes us on a trip around the world as she recounts how learned her multiple languages, how she met her husband, and how they're blending their two languages, cultures, and religions. You can find out more about Sandra, her Spanish lessons, and her Peruvian materials by visiting her website...
Dec 10, 2021•59 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Episode 44 - This episode is a brief update about Heather's new life in Canada. She talks about some expressions she's noticed used a lot in Quebec, which courses she's taking at the University of Ottawa, and how her language studies are going.
Oct 13, 2021•11 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Episode 43 - Today's guest, Natalia Simons, is the author of two bilingual children's books and the founder of Bilingo Books. Her first book is called "The Spanglish Girl/La Chica Espanglish" and her second book is "The Mexiglish Girl/La Chica Mexiglish". We talk about her motivation to write these books, how she was able to publish them on her own within the same year, and what other books she'd like to publish in the future. She tells us about growing up bilingual and why she believes her case...
Oct 03, 2021•36 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Episode 42 - In this episode, Heather speaks with Tetsu Yung, a well-known polyglot and multilingual father in the bi/multilingual parenting community. Tetsu himself grew up multilingual and is now raising his four children to speak five languages (Mandarin, Japanese, French, English and Spanish). We first talk about his journey learning languages and all the places it took him before focusing on his family and multilingual parenting. How does his family balance five languages? One method they u...
Sep 18, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Episode 41 - Marcin and Heather tackle the topic of language immersion. What is it? Why is it important? How can we as parents and language learners create an immersive environment for ourselves and our children? We tell you about all that and more from the perspective of a language learner and a parent raising multilingual kids. We end the episode with an ideal immersion day for each of us. We'd love to hear from you about how you're using immersion for yourself and/or your kids. --- Join the B...
Jul 02, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Episode 40 - This Multilingual Motivation (MLM) episode is all about watching TV in your target language (TL). Why should you watch TV shows or series in your TL? What if you're a beginner? We will answer these questions and discuss what you can do to get the most out of this "study" time. --- I'd love to hear what shows you're watching or have already watched in your TL. Are there any you've heard about and are planning to start watching soon? Find me on Instagram @TheFutureIsBilingual and comm...
Jun 14, 2021•17 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Episode 39 - In today's episode, Heather speaks with Marisol, a multilingual mom originally from Mexico but raised in the U.S. She tells us how she and her husband are raising their daughters in three languages using the OPOL (one parent, one language) method. We discuss the role their daughters' international school plays in their multilingual upbringing and how much exposure they get to all of their languages daily. Marisol reminds us that each child is an individual with their own personality...
May 31, 2021•59 min•Season 3Ep. 19
