You're leveling up in courses, going from A2 to C1 quickly...but stalling in real life. What gives? This week's podcast covers a question from Maria, a talented language learner who has found herself stuck after moving to Germany. She says: I am fluent in English, or at least my Cambridge Certificate says so, I've been studying to a certain level Spanish and Turkish, but I cannot achieve the desirable level in German language. I've moved to Germany a bit over two years ago after marrying my Germ...
Oct 07, 2019•33 min
In this episode, I bring you a touching interview with Alexa Little, a computational linguist who runs a non-profit building language apps for languages that REALLY need them. Endangered Language Revival with Alexa Little from 7000 Languages One common question about endangered languages is what that definition actually means. Here is how Alexa put it: An endangered language is a language that is no longer being transmitted from older generations to younger generations. An indigenous language is...
Sep 30, 2019•1 hr 5 min
This week, I am on a listener inspired quest: Is there a set of language learning notes that can make you better at speaking another language? This Fluent Show episode brings you a discussion of the science of cognitive load, working memory, and long-term memory...all in the quest for finding the best notes ever to use in conversations. Show Patrons can read the detailed show notes now over Patreon! (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=337102) The truth is that there is absolutely no set of notes...
Sep 23, 2019•26 min
Bestselling author Scott Young presents his book "Ultralearning". Scott is well known for his project called "The Year Without English", which involved a year of full immersion and learning 4 languages. Intense, right? He thought so too, and became fascinated with this concept "There was a look on the plane, and that was our last time speaking English for a year." Scott's recently been obsessed with intensive personal learning projects (which he calls "aggressive" but that does NOT mean you need...
Sep 16, 2019•1 hr 16 min
The German Retreat in Berlin (https://www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/german-retreat-2019) Today I answer a listener question from Hadassah about memorizing vocabulary that describes ideas, not objects Here are a few handy tips in summary - listen to the show to hear my many examples and in-depth explanations. The post-it method. Write your words on post-its and stick them up around quirky places that do have a connection to the ideas you’re describing. The added creativity involved in connecting the a...
Sep 09, 2019•27 min
Hooray, it's conference time! In today's episode I'll bring you a mix of language learning goodies straight from Montréal, Canada. You'll hear What a language conference is all about Poetry, written on the spot by language learners A drinking song in a minority language you may have never heard of Language learning tips from an 8-year old who speaks four languages And how you can make the most out of attending these language events! As a podcaster bonus, I've also added reflections on Podcast Mo...
Sep 02, 2019•1 hr
Free gift with today's podcast: Sign up here for free affirmation cards to print & save (http://www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/affirmations) Read the in-depth blog article for this podcast on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk (https://www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/blog/language-mindset) Do any of these sound familiar? "I'm just not where I should be in languages, somehow everyone else seems to make better progress than me." "I don't have a talent for languages." "I don't know if I'm learning languages in the right ...
Aug 26, 2019•1 hr 10 min
Today’s theme: How to Learn Specialist Vocabulary Thank you to Bonnie for this episode introduction. Support This Podcast Like all podcasts, the Fluent Show is supported by your online reviews and word of mouth. If you liked this episode, please tell someone about it. Click here to tweet about the show (https://ctt.ac/00VIW), go to your Podcasts app and leave us a review, or simply text a friend about the Fluent Show. Thank you! For a deep dive into growing, memorizing and reviewing your own voc...
Aug 19, 2019•35 min
You can't see their faces, you can't see their hands, you can't hear their voices. But somehow, you still know how people are feeling when they communicate with you online. How does that work? 🤔 In this episode, I'm speaking to Dr Monica Riordan. She's an emoji expert and researcher who designs and conducts studies into how people express their feelings online. Here's the tweet I mentioned in the episode. How would you read it? a dog person!?!? (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ https://t.co/HoyMRqWoq1 — Chris...
Aug 12, 2019•1 hr 6 min
In this episode you'll hear how courses like the Michel Thomas series change the script on language learning and why they work. I'll share my personal language success mixture, and why I don't debate study methods on social media. Thank you to Maksimilian for this episode introduction. Support This Podcast Like all podcasts, the Fluent Show is supported by your online reviews and word of mouth. If you liked this episode, please tell someone about it. Click here to tweet about the show (https://c...
Aug 05, 2019•33 min
This episode effortlessly covers the full language world, from Sean Paul to the UN Declaration of Human Rights. via GIPHY It's the United Nations Year of Indigenous Languages Up to 95% of the world’s languages might be extinct or endangered by the end of the century. And most of them are indigenous, meaning that they spoken by the indigenous people of a region. In this show, you'll discover What’s an indigenous language? Why does it matter so much that we preserve these languages? Hint: Because ...
Jul 29, 2019•1 hr 10 min
How can you keep an older language fresh while starting on a new one? Do you have to worry about forgetting everything you've learnt within weeks? This week, head over to the blog for detailed notes and an article on this topic: Click or tap here to read the blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk (https://www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/blog/maintain-languages) Conclusions: You can’t just forget a language, but in order to keep it fresh you need to engage in maintenance activities and accept a learni...
Jul 22, 2019•27 min
This week, I'm answering a listener question with help from a special guest. Gareth Popkins is a serial language learner with decades of experience. He's a native English speaker but fluent in Welsh, Russian, German, and currently learning Japanese and Basque. He regularly builds preparation for language exams into his study routines, so today I asked Gareth to come on the show and share his views on the following quesion. Evan asks: I see many people who reach advanced C1/C2 level with a few of...
Jul 15, 2019•33 min
How do you feel about your memories of learning languages at school? Did you leave feeling like you were just not a language person? Got tales of cheating on every exam? Perhaps your teacher even threw things? Oof! Language lessons can leave scars, and now that you're an independent learner it's time to break free and purge those bad memories. This week, I'm bringing you real life stories from Canterbury, UK and my best strategies to help you turn the tables and start successfully learning a lan...
Jul 08, 2019•23 min
“If we can produce proficient, correct language, it seems all is great no matter how we feel about it.” My guest for this week’s podcast is María Ortega Garcia, who you will get to know well during the course of our interview. María is a rebel. She encourages you not to break the rules, but to look beyond the rules. Here are some questions we discussed: How could you play with a language you love? Who owns the rules of a language? Can we see beyond the need to be correct, to achieve a higher lev...
Jul 01, 2019•1 hr 13 min
I'm continuing the Fluent Show's little business series with a solo episode about online language teaching. Last week you already heard a little bit about how Lindsay and I got started, what we value in our businesses and our brutally honest views about both the sacrifices and the rewards of doing this work. So in today's episode: Effective Teaching! I've got three fundamentals that I believe made me a better language teacher. Let your student do their student thing. Allow them to know their own...
Jun 24, 2019•32 min
This week…something completely different. If you ever wondered what it’s like to run an online business in languages, this episode is for you. Lindsay and I offer you one of the most in-depth looks we have ever offered into our businesses, mindsets, and how we work. Did you enjoy this chat? Then there is MORE! We have recorded more episodes in this business series, and they can all be yours. Get our chat about MAKING AND SELLING PRODUCTS at www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/teach-thrive-success Get our c...
Jun 17, 2019•1 hr 5 min
This week I'm answering a listener question from Erin who was curious about applying her skills when she cannot attend a language retreat! The key with a retreat is to step out of learner mode and step into speaker mode, so that you apply what you are learning. But do you have to get away for that? This question is HUGE - it could really crack how you approach language learning and make a difference to whether you are successful or not. So in today's podcast episode, I'll share one idea that Des...
Jun 10, 2019•27 min
It's Top Tools time! In this regular feature, Lindsay and I dedicate the full episode to bringing you our tips for the most exciting language learning tools of the season. In this episode, get to know * Music Planet Roadtrip * Insight Timer * Evertype * Teach Yourself Library * Genius * Pleco Click or tap here to read full show notes and get all links on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk (https://fluentlanguage.co.uk/blog/toptools-springsummer-2019) Teach & Thrive Sign up here (https://www.fluentlanguage...
Jun 03, 2019•58 min
In this episode, I am answering a listener question from Leandro. I'm going through a really hard time on learning languages. I'm a Portuguese native speaker and I'm learning English and French. Most of time I'm really motivated learning English, because I love British 19th century literature and I fancy reading all the books in English. My level is not that bad, I guess. But, most of time I'm so unmotivated to learn French and keep with my daily studies. Sometimes I get so frutrated I want to b...
May 27, 2019•22 min
Learning a language gives you a huge career advantage over others who don't have a language. One example is working for the EU, one of the world's largest international organisations. But could the EU be for you? My guest for today’s episode is Paul Kaye, language officer of the European Commission's representation in London. Get Paid For Your Languages Paul is the European Commission's language officer in the UK, so he was my top person to ask about the secrets of working there. Listen in and l...
May 20, 2019•1 hr 5 min
In this episode, I answer a listener question with the listener on the line! My friend Nicky Roberts (near-miss Welsh learner of the year 2018) meet up with me at last year's Welsh national festival and during our long chat he asked this question: When do you stop being a learner and consider yourself a speaker? Is it a problem to hold on to your identity as a "learner" and hide from speaking your target language? This week, I brought Nicky to the show to talk about it. Thank you to Nicky (https...
Apr 29, 2019•41 min
“The merit of all things lies in their difficulty.” - Alexandre Dumas In this podcast, Lindsay and I discuss what makes a language easy or hard to learn, and share our own Top 5 easiest languages. Listen to find out more. Want to Join The Discussion? We have a full blog article to go with this episode, where you can leave a comment to tell us your own thoughts: Click or tap here to read the full blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk (http://kerstin-hammes.squarespace.com/blog/easiest-language...
Apr 22, 2019•1 hr 14 min
In today's episode, my retreat group from the summer retreat in Munich What happens when you only speak your target language for a week? How do you prepare for a language retreat? What is the most important mindset you can have while doing language immersion? What happens after the retreat? Are you eager to experience a language retreat for yourself? Head to www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/retreats (https://www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/retreats) to discover the upcoming retreats - in Hamburg (June 2019) an...
Apr 15, 2019•51 min
This episode, I'm bringing you an interview with experimental psychologist and author Dr Roger Kreuz. Along with Richard Roberts, Roger is the co-author of my favourite language learning book ever, Becoming Fluent (https://www.worldcat.org/title/becoming-fluent-how-cognitive-science-can-help-adults-learn-a-foreign-language/oclc/1041131561?loc=). “People think about fluency as perfection as opposed to something that’s achievable by almost anybody with some effort. There really is a different way ...
Apr 08, 2019•1 hr 4 min
Click or tap here to get the free guide to building your language learning habit (https://fluentlanguage.activehosted.com/f/15) Thank you to Bonnie Z for this episode introduction. Today’s question comes from Elizabeth - here's a summary of what she's asking: I am attempting to learn Japanese. I’m trying out different methods in order to establish a routine that works best for me. This is starting to frustrate me because I feel like I am going in circles without making any real progress in the l...
Apr 01, 2019•33 min
Inspired by one of the discussion panels at Women in Language, Lindsay and I dedicated this episode to creativity in language learning. We shared 9 cool ideas that you can use for your own language learning routine, and then got to the deeper question: Why do you feel like creative language learning activities aren't "real learning?" Make sure you read the in-depth blog article on fluentlanguage.co.uk (http://fluentlanguage.co.uk/blog/creativity-in-languages) to join our conversation about creat...
Mar 25, 2019•1 hr 6 min
¡Hola Radioyentes! This week I'm answering a listener question (asked in Spanish AND English!): When is it the right time to start learning another language? The question came from Tomás, 45 years old and a native speaker of Spanish. Tomás has good English and regular exposure through books and TV, but he feels unsure about whether he's ready to add a new language like German or English. This has happened to me a few times, and I’ve also studied up to 3 languages at the same time. In this episod...
Mar 18, 2019•28 min
What's it like to realise you're getting good at the language you're learning? Where do you go when you don't need handholding anymore? In today's episode, I'm talking to Nicole Miles, an advanced level French learner preparing for her C1 exam this year. Her language learning story is all about how she made it work as an adult learner with a positive attitude. If you wonder about advanced level study, the kinds of questions that come up when you’re like "OMG I’m good at this", and moving towards...
Mar 11, 2019•1 hr 2 min
Do you love languages, and want to live and learn, create a successful career or travel the world as a multilingual person? This year, let the Women in Language conference show you how! This is one of my FAVOURITE language projects and you'll have SO MUCH FUN with us. Women in Language is a 4-day online event filled with talks presentations from 30+ female language experts who have done amazing things and documented their journey. The conference is open to everyone, regardless of gender identity...
Mar 04, 2019•40 min
