The world of EdTech is growing and dynamic, offering greater access to exciting and diverse learning materials to students around the world. In this episode of Language Chats, we had the pleasure of speaking with Philippa Kruger, Global Head of Languages at Education Perfect. We chat about Philippa’s background as a French teacher and how she progressed into the exciting world of EdTech, what EP is, how it came to be what it is today (hint: it started with languages!) and how it can help student...
Apr 26, 2021•35 min•Ep. 44
If you haven’t already listened to Part 1 of this conversation, you can listen to it here. This is Part 2 of our chat with linguist Karla Zuluaga, who gives us an introduction to Australian indigenous languages and their current context, based on her studies, knowledge and experience to date. In this second half of our conversation, we chat about bringing indigenous languages into education in indigenous and non-indigenous communities, as well as how we can better inform ourselves on indigenous ...
Apr 12, 2021•30 min•Ep. 43
There are over 250 indigenous languages in Australia, but most Australians know very little (if anything at all) about them. There is important work being done around the country to document, revitalise, revive and share the languages which have existed in Australia since long before colonisation, but if you’re like us and you want to know more - where does one even begin? In this episode of Language Chats, we speak with linguist Karla Zuluaga who gives us an introduction to Australian indigenou...
Mar 29, 2021•30 min•Ep. 42
Have you ever taken part in an online language challenge to keep yourself on track and stay motivated in your learning? Debs Bensaul ( @franklyfrancophone | @essentiallyitalian | @towardsfluency ) is a long-time Language Chats listener and member of our Language Lovers AU Community . Based in Sydney, Debs is a committed learner of French and Italian who regularly takes part in the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge as a learner and volunteer community coach. We talk about her experiences of learning l...
Mar 15, 2021•27 min•Ep. 41
What’s been your experience with tutors and teachers? Have you had mostly native teachers or a mix of non-native and native teachers? In this episode of Language Chats, Bec and Penny chat about their experiences over the years, and the pros and cons of both. Plus are you going to be at the Women in Language online conference? It's from 4-7 March 2021 - you can get your ticket here ! Italki Get your Women In Language ticket here! 4-7 March 2021 Language Lovers AU Community on Facebook Bec @bec.la...
Mar 01, 2021•26 min•Ep. 40
You might not know it yet, but you’re about to get very enthusiastic about linguistics. Yes, that’s right! The science of language and communication is fascinating and we recently had the pleasure of chatting with Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne, hosts of Lingthusiasm , a podcast that’s enthusiastic about linguistics. We talk about what linguistics is, why it is so interesting and relevant (especially to those who love learning other languages!), whether we should all learn the International...
Feb 15, 2021•47 min•Ep. 39
Was 2020 a year you needed a break from language learning? Did you step back and change your direction and plans? In this episode of Language Chats, Bec and Penny reflect on the past year and think about the learnings they will take with them into 2021. Consistency, not being hard on ourselves, getting back to what we love doing, not wanting to lose our sense of self and discovering what really works for us are just some of the learnings we talk about! Are you taking on something new this year? ...
Feb 01, 2021•30 min•Ep. 38
Mistakes are a natural part of the learning process but that doesn't mean that they are always pleasant! In this episode of Language Chats, we chat all about embarrassing mistakes we’ve made in our language learning, how we recovered and what we learned. From tonal mishaps to pronunciation blunders, we’ve made a few! What funny/embarrassing experiences have you had when trying to speak another language? Let us know ! We love hearing from you. And don’t forget you can join our Facebook group to b...
Dec 14, 2020•27 min•Ep. 37
How does a love of music and a love of language come together? In this episode of Language Chats, we speak with Melbourne-based speech pathologist and opera singer, Sarah Lobegeiger de Rodriguez, who describes herself as “a person with a complete and utter fascination with sound”. We chat about her love for music, words and sound, how this impacts her experience of learning other languages, fighting for empathy with respect to accents, and the complex way that our voice and language can influenc...
Nov 23, 2020•40 min•Ep. 36
This year has been a test for us all! When life intervenes (and this is not just during pandemics, but other life changes can throw up big changes in how we approach language learning), it’s important to have a few reasons at your disposal to keep you going in language learning. In this episode, we chat about our different motivations for language learning and what has kept us on track this year during the pandemic and why even when we have lots of time we still find we get tripped up and find s...
Nov 08, 2020•37 min•Ep. 35
Some language apps are really gamified, some have video, animations or audio, and some use spaced repetition. There have been some fad apps that have come in and been replaced by others – there sure is lots going on in this app world! In this episode of Language Chats, Bec and Penny reveal their favourite apps and others that aren’t near the top of the go-to list. What apps do you love or loathe? Let us know! And don’t forget to join our Facebook group to be part of future discussions just like ...
Oct 26, 2020•28 min•Ep. 34
Lina Vasquez is a Latvian-Australian personal development coach, polyglot, YouTuber, speaker and entrepreneur. Having been immersed in a multicultural environment from a young age, she studied law and languages in Australia and Germany and now speaks a total of eight at various levels. Lina has always been curious and a free soul and her experiences of other countries as a teenager, led her to create this global life for herself. Penny and Bec got to “meet” Lina at the recent 2020 Women in Langu...
Oct 12, 2020•38 min•Ep. 33
From the Quebecois accent to the Southern Vietnamese accent, we've both had experiences of struggling with accents or feeling proud of their accent in their second language. In this episode, we ask if accents matter, or is the main goal actually just comprehension? In this episode, we’ve done something a bit different and put some questions out to our Language Lovers AU Community Facebook group about accents and language learning and got some amazing responses back. What are your experiences of ...
Sep 28, 2020•32 min•Ep. 32
Is there such a thing as a right time to introduce a new language? Do we need to be at a certain level such as B1 or equivalent before adding in a new language? Or does it all come down to your motivation and goals and it when it just feels right? In this episode, Penny and Bec talk about if there is a right time to introduce a new language into your language learning mix. What's been your experience with adding a new language? Let us know here , in our Facebook Group or Instagram ! @languagelov...
Sep 08, 2020•27 min•Ep. 31
What we’re watching!We love watching foreign language TV and in this episode we round up our latest discoveries. From German fantasy thrillers to Danish political drams and Spanish food documentaries to Indian love stories, we cover all kinds of genres and languages in this episode! What have you been watching? Let us know here , in our Facebook Group or Instagram ! Head to our website for the shownotes and links for this episode....
Aug 25, 2020•30 min•Ep. 30
Excuse us while we have a little fangirl moment on the podcast because, in this episode, we chat with someone who has been a massive inspiration to us both - Kerstin Cable from fluentlanguage.co.uk and The Fluent Show ! Kerstin tells us about where Fluent Language started, how her podcast grew out of a series of interviews on her blog, a bit about her personal experience of learning languages and about Women In Language, an online conference that she organises with Lindsay Williams and Shannon K...
Aug 10, 2020•46 min•Ep. 29
In this episode, we chat with Maddy Norris - a fellow language lover here in Australia and long-time Language Chats listener! Maddy is a NAATI -certified Mandarin Chinese to English translator and has also spent time learning a number of other languages including Japanese, Korean and French. She tells us a bit about her experience of studying languages in Australia at school and university, working as a translator and her language learning ambitions that lie ahead. Can you relate to some of Madd...
Jul 27, 2020•31 min•Ep. 28
If we had our time again, would we choose the languages we studied? Languages are often chosen for us, rather than us choosing them when we’re kids. If Bec had her time again, would she choose French? Is it really a choice? Penny chose to learn Japanese after school in year 7, but what drew her in? In this episode of Language Chats, we talk about language learning as children in school. How difficult is it for kids to develop an emotional connection to the language if it’s thrust upon them? How ...
Jul 13, 2020•27 min•Ep. 27
In this episode, we’re chatting with a fellow Melbournian and Australian language lover - Michele Frolla from The Intrepid Guide . Now based in the UK, Michele tells us about how she became interested in languages, how her blog and website The Intrepid Guide came about and, most recently, how she has started sharing her own love of ltalian through her new online course! Do you love to learn even just a little bit of a language before you travel? Like Michele, have you seen the impact of having a...
Jun 29, 2020•30 min•Ep. 26
Technology, access to resources, and motivations to learn a new language have completely changed in the three decades since Australia’s National Policy of Languages was written. In this episode, we chat about what these changes mean for adult independent learners today, plus the power of online communities for support, motivation and inspiration. We also lament the lack of public profile people celebrating their bilingualism - and mention a few names you might not even know speak a second langua...
Jun 16, 2020•28 min•Ep. 25
In this episode, we share with you some of our general observations about what we like to call ‘the language learning landscape’ in Australia. For as long as we’ve known each other, we’ve been talking about elements of this in bits and pieces - our experiences of learning languages at school and uni, which languages were perceived as being ‘useful’ or ‘good for your career’ while others were seen to be an ‘unusual choice’ (!), the power and prominence of English despite the many languages used i...
Jun 01, 2020•24 min•Ep. 24
In this episode, we’re chatting with another language lover living in Australia - Brisbane-based Evan Walters studied French at school and has been learning Russian for the last five years. We chat about his language learning story, his different motivations for learning French and Russian, the role of long-term goals and routine, and the place of travel in his language learning. Are you an Australian language lover who would like to share your story? We’d love to hear from you! Get in touch wit...
May 18, 2020•33 min•Ep. 23
There’s been a lot of changes to life in 2020. Bec and Penny chat about their language goals and progress so far this year and the impact of Covid-19. Bec has discovered she enjoys her ‘blended learning’ approach for German and Penny is intent on not being too hard on her self and celebrating her weekly French class. More: www.languagelovers.com.au/podcast
May 04, 2020•30 min•Ep. 22
Just a couple of episodes ago, in Episode #019, we chatted about whether online lessons could be a good option for you as a language learner. In the meantime, COVID-19 has impacted the world in a huge way - many of us are spending a lot more time than usual at home, travel is out of the question and online learning for young people as well as adults has become more than just an interesting option, but a fact of life. As Bec gets ready for her first experience of finding and booking some one-on-o...
Apr 20, 2020•23 min•Ep. 21
While Bec was in Scotland recently, she had the opportunity to meet and speak with Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages (also known as the Radio Lingua Network). Bec got to chat with Mark about his own story as a language lover and how Coffee Break Languages came to be, as well as the podcasts and other products that Coffee Break Languages offers to language learners all around the world. Have you listened to any of the Coffee Break Languages podcasts? Which one would you like to start wi...
Mar 26, 2020•26 min•Ep. 20
In this episode of Language Chats, Penny and Bec chat about how online language lessons work, the pros and cons of learning online and some tips on how to choose your teacher or tutor. Penny is a long-time convert to online language lessons and challenges Bec to give it a go! Do you take language lessons online? Let us know how you find it!
Mar 09, 2020•22 min•Ep. 19
Have you dreamed about using your language skills in your job? In this Language Chats episode, Bec shares her experience of using French in the workplace. Bec shares how a bilingual office operates in Australia as well as some tips about how to make the leap and work in an environment using your second language. Do you use your language skills in your job? Get in touch and let us know! We love hearing from you.
Feb 24, 2020•26 min•Ep. 18
Lindsay Williams is a polyglot from the UK and learns, teaches, blogs, vlogs, eats, sleeps, and breathes everything language. Languages were never really a thing for Lindsay until she decided to take Spanish at GCSE because she wanted to translate Shakira songs. Since then, it’s been a growing passion that has led to her making languages her business. Lindsay Does Languages was born in 2012 as a local company in the heart of little old England offering private language tuition. Since then, Linds...
Feb 10, 2020•33 min•Ep. 17
Penny and Bec chat about language travel in this episode - what it is and how to get the most from it! Penny is a long-term fan of language travel and has been on language trips to to Vietnam, China and Taiwan as part of her Vietnamese and Chinese learning. With an upcoming French language trip planned for New Caledonia, Bec asks Penny why she loves language travel so much. Penny loves the face-to-face connections that language travel allows you to have, the opportunity to use phrases, words and...
Jan 27, 2020•24 min•Ep. 16
How do you feel about grammar? Does it scare you like it does Penny? Or are you grammar-lover like Bec? In this episode we chat about the technical terms that can be off-putting and ways to overcome our fear of learning grammar. What’s your experience been with learning grammar? Are you a grammar lover or a grammar phobe?
Jan 12, 2020•28 min•Ep. 15
