StoryLearning Podcast

Olly reveals his plans for 2019 In Today's Episode: New Uncovered courses - learn a new language through the power of story: Italian French Japanese Arabic Language Influencer Summit - coming up in Berlin at the end of March. New video libraries of real conversations, fully transcribed and translated: Thai Russian Conversations Vol. 2 - the plot thickens! New books of short stories with Teach Your...

Welcome part 5 of my conversation with Lydia Machova, from LanguageMentoring.com In Today's Episode: Make a Success of Long-Term Learning: I estimate it takes 500 hours (European language, B2 level, efficient time) = 2 years of 1 hours a day with breaks (2 months learning, 1 month break) ... but it's not necessary to learn non-stop! (My Swahili: 11 months, 5 of them off 🙂 ) - but I' m so much fur...

Welcome part 4 of my conversation with Lydia Machovha, from LanguageMentoring.com In Today's Episode: To speak from day 1... or not? Start with self-talk, then other speakers Output is so much more important than the person you're talking to! Use other students, don't look for professional native speaker teachers you won't learn mistakes from others (just negligible influence) - because lots of li...

Welcome part 3 of my conversation with Lydia Machovha, from LanguageMentoring.com In Today's Episode: Start with lots of input: Listening and Reading TV series are the best - much better than movies without subtitles or with original subtitles Podcasts: many Slovak listeners listen to you for your accent 🙂 Read bilingual books or create them with translations Combination of both is great: Amazon...

Welcome part 2 of my conversation with Lydia Machovha, from LanguageMentoring.com In Today's Episode: Create time, don't wait till you have it.... When I wake up, it's my first priority A little test... if you receive a phone call saying that a loved one had been taken to hospital, you would find the time to put everything else aside... Language learning can also become a priority in your life, ev...

Welcome to this 5-part series, where I'm joined by my friend Lydia Machovha, from LanguageMentoring.com We'll be discussing the fundamentals of language learning, according to Lydia's framework for teaching and learning. Lydia is a professional interpreter, speaks 9 languages herself, has organised the Polyglot Gathering in Bratislava, and now teaches people to learn languages independently. In To...

Kausalya asks: "How do you decide what to do every day in your core study time? In Today's Episode: My "Core Study Time" is quiet, focused time that I spend on my target language every morning I don't have any kind of weekly routine where I do specific activities every day Rather, I focus on one activity, often for a period of 2-3 weeks I call these Sprints, which you can read more about in this a...

Brendan asks: "Is there a place for romanisation in language learning? In Today's Episode: What is romanisation? Considerations for romanisation in different languages The dilemma for publishers Should you use romanisation or not? Resources Mentioned: Judith Meyer's Script Hacking books: Script Hacking Arabic Script Hacking Hebrew Script Hacking Korean Script Hacking Russian Script Hacking Greek S...

In this episode, Olly discusses whether you should use translations when reading. In Today's Episode: Should you use translations when reading? Translation is inevitable (in your head) Translations can be useful Activities relying on translation can be powerful But you always need to think about the point of the activity and what you’re trying to achieve Translation can be useful to help you: Get...

In this episode, Olly announces a new programme to help you master grammar in your target language. In Today's Episode: What is Grammar Hero? The vital missing ingredient from your textbooks, and how Grammar Hero fills the gap How long it took us to create the programme The unexpected crises that hit towards the end! Join Grammar Hero Today: Enrolment in Grammar Hero is now open, and is available...

In this Part 3 of this series, Olly finishes the deep dive into learning grammar. In Today's Episode: The students who come top in grammar tests (without studying grammar) How I stopped translating in my head when speaking Italian The 5-step process you need to get grammar right when speaking (naturally, and without hesitating) Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank italki for supporting the show...

In this Part 2 of this new series, Olly continues the deep dive into learning grammar. In Today's Episode: How to learn new grammar The grammar points you must avoid The best kind of material to study with Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank italki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit:  https://iwillteachyoualanguage.com//italkishownotes Do You Hav...

In this Part 1 of this new series, Olly takes you on a deep dive into learning grammar the natural way. In Today's Episode: Why we struggle with grammar How to stop translating in your head How do immigrants learn English without studying grammar? Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank italki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit:  https://iwillteachyo...

Ron asks: "How do you learn colloquial language with limited resources?" In Today's Episode: There's a perennial problem with materials in minority languages Textbooks are simple and boring The next level up is native level... far too hard It's a real problem without a good solution Long-term, you're only going to crack this problem by learning to understand native material and speaking with peopl...

Fletcher asks: "Have your views on flashcards changed?" In Today's Episode: I've been using input-based methods to learn languages recently But does this change my approach to learning vocabulary with flashcards? Do I display the word in the target language first on my flashcards? Resources Mentioned: Make Words Stick - my popular guide for using flashcards to memorise words and phrases in another...

Johanna asks: "How important is it to review your lesson notes?" In Today's Episode: The principle of review is super important In the past, I've spent 15 minutes at the end of the day reviewing what I did in the morning, and it's very effective The foundation of memory and mastery is repetition Your teacher is right that reviewing your notes is the best way to learn the stuff from the lesson Howe...

In this solo episode, Olly gives you some updates on what's been going on. In Today's Episode: Update on the Short Story Book launch, worldwide and in US & Canada How to claim your book launch bonuses Random coincidences Language Masters event in London with Michel Thomas About the Language Influencer Summit Polyglot Conference 2019 New language material to master grammar Resources Mentioned: Shor...

In this episode, you're going to hear an interview I did on another podcast, the newly-released Reaching for Words show. The reason I wanted to share this episode on this show was that I thought the interview was uncommonly good, and host Rob asked me a lot of good questions that allowed us to discuss a lot of common topics from a beginner perspective. In Today's Episode: Rob talks with Olly Richa...

Austin asks: "Any tips for learning French together with my wife?" In Today's Episode: Learning your partner's language can be fraught with problems Learning a new language with your partner sounds like a great idea! The activity itself, and the benefit for your relationship is far more important that the efficacy of the approach, I think You might find yourself with different learning preferences...

Maria asks: How can I integrate revision into my schedule? In Today's Episode: Revision needs to be meaningful and you need to know it works It's possible to waste a lot of time with revision, time that you  could  be spending with more content It can be tricky with multiple languages I tend to think of revision now more as a question of repeating content - listening/reading to things over and ove...

Ellen asks: How should I supplement my university language course? In Today's Episode: It's good to think about how you want your language skills to develop post-uni, not just how to pass your exams! Many people studying languages at uni cannot speak when they graduate At uni, you'll get a huge amount of "education"... there's no risk of you not learning all the important stuff It's natural to wan...

Terry asks: What should I do when I lose my motivation? In Today's Episode: Motivation to learn makes or breaks your learning project Sunk cost fallacy - the more time you've put into something the harder it is to let go Languages need to be a living breathing part of your life, or it's hard to keep them up Resources Mentioned: IWTYAL 256: The extraordinary power of haircuts in language learning N...

In this episode, I finally reveal the "big news" I've been teasing you with for over 2 years! In Today's Episode: For complete information on today's episode, please visit the main blog post at: Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank italki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit:  https://iwillteachyoualanguage.com//italkishownotes Do You Have A Questio...

In this episode, I react to the never-ending belief that children's book are good for language learning. In Today's Episode: Why I'll never recommend that adults should use kids' books for language learning: The vocabulary is NOT high-frequency The grammar is NOT simple The content is NOT interesting or relevant Readings from: Harry Potter and the Philsopher's Stone Hansel and Gretel Jack and the...

In this episode, Olly continues a new series covering what he believes to be the fundamental rules of language learning. Click here to listen to part 1 Click here to listen to part 2 The Rules: Rule 7: Listen with the transcript Rule 8: Don't worry about something until it’s actually a problem (Spanish varieties, Italian dialects, a notorious grammar point) Rule 9: Do something every day...however...