The Fluent Show

How does being multilingual affect your identity? Do you feel that through these language journeys you've taken, your identity and world views have changed? When recording this week's episode, Lindsay and I dug deep and discussed our perspectives about being multilingual people. It was a surprising discussion! Click or tap here to let us know what you think over on Patreon Thank you for listening...

You've come a long way from being a beginner in your target language, so you know that you can make great progress. But the better you get, the harder it seems to improve even more. How can you reach the next level? In this episode of the Fluent Show, I'm sharing a few tips to help you feel GREAT about your language skills no matter where you're at. Learn more about the role of patience, clarity a...

When was the last time you sang a song in your target language? What about dancing in it? In today's interview, you'll learn what it means to connect to a language through music, and how the culture-first approach helped my guest Tamara Marie from Spanish con Salsa discover new connections, experiences and even insights into her own ancestry. The origins of Salsa as a music style and a way of life...

Have you ever broken a streak or lost track? Powered by lots of fun real life examples, this episode will help you learn how to stay consistent in language learning. Put this on your schedule and structure your time . Be super specific Trust your gut and choose what you enjoy and what challenges you If you lose your streak, reconnect to your original motivation Thank you to Dela for this episode i...

We're discussing all things pen & paper! We discuss the state of handwritten notes in modern language learning, how we do it ourselves, and why pen and paper could be the key to giving you an everlasting language memory. Also featured: Soap operas, Lindsay's a student again, and the Women in Language conference running 17-20 September 2020: www.womeninlanguage.com Thank you for listening to th...

This week's listener question comes from Lee, a new online tutor looking for guidance on the difference between community and professional tutoring on italki. After working at italki as a community tutor, I want to branch out and become a professional tutor. My lessons are extremely structured and informative although I am not a professional teacher so I was wondering as to whether or not I should...

Imagine you're walking down the street in another country, bumping to lots of cool new people and chatting about big and small life questions with them. And all that in another language! Can't quite travel there? Not ready to speak fluently? Don't worry, Easy Languages has your back! This hugely popular YouTube channel brings you conversations with people from the street, sharing authentic languag...

We're halfway through the year, so today's episode is an in-depth review of how it's gone so far. This is my #clearthelist entry for July 2020. I'm sharing how it's going with my Chinese studies, my Welsh language, and what I want to try next. You are invited to review your year and make notes as you follow along with this episode. Here are a few questions you can use for reviewing your own progre...

After a ridiculous change of topic from ✊🏾 to 🍷 and a discussion of what's new in emoji world, Lindsay and I go back to the deep, deep well that is talking about Duolingo! We both have the apps on our phones and we use Duolingo in different ways. How do you use yours? We Shared These Tips for Getting More Out of Duolingo Use the "Practice" button to get unlimited hearts and review what you've l...

You say "either" and I say "either" You say "neither" I say "neither" "Either" "either", "neither" "neither" Let's call the whole thing off George & Ira Gershwin This week on the Fluent Show, I'm answering a listener question about accents. What is an accent? Can your accent change even though you're not trying? Is it possible to learn a different accent? Can you get an accent by listening to...

The intro of today's episode makes reference to the 8th of the month. This is because the episode publication was delayed by a week after recording to allow all listeners to get a chance to hear the Fluent Show statement about racism. Right, let's get to it: When there's something étrange in your vocabulaire , who you gonna call? A LINGUIST! Today I've got a very special linguist on the show: Math...

I really want to say "this goes without saying" about many of the things I'm saying to you today. But maybe it does not. Racism is not welcome here. Thank you for listening to today's episode. And as maker of the Fluent Show, I can also tell you that every person who works on the team stands behind this message. Please read Lindsay's very well-written perspective here . Here are 4 wonderful Fluent...

You're probably taking your fair share of online lessons in your target languages these days. Add to that a few Zoom hangouts, maybe some extra business meetings...and soon they add up to 10-15 hours of online meetings per week. For many online language teachers, this kind of online meeting schedule is part of a standard working week. It really is exhausting! In this week's episode, I'm helping an...

Every 6 months or so, the Fluent Show brings you a new set of top tools . These are our recommendations for language learning tools you might have missed. It's a LONG episode so follow along with our full list of top tools on the blog if you like. Intro : Lindsay's Language Marathon and our italki Language Challenge progress Top Tools Hall of Fame Top Tools has now been running since 2016, with a...

This week on the show, I answer a cry for help from a frustrated listener in Denmark. Imagine you can speak your target language beautifully. But when it comes to the person you love most, suddenly you clam up and worry and you realise you can't speak to her at all! Why does this happen? What's going on? Listen to hear more about these three problems and how anyone can solve them and get things mo...

Do you dream of travelling the world and living in other countries? Want to see it all, live everywhere, and enjoy the best every country has to offer? In today's episode, you'll meet someone who knows how to do all that! Sara Maria Hasbun is a language-loving entrepreneur who loves to travel the world. And she's as awesome as all of that sounds! In today's episode, Sara shares her story and exper...

Welcome back! I start by sharing my love for 爱情公寓 (iPartment) on Yabla, and answer Sara's question: What’s the best tool you use for making sure you get some language learning in every day? To answer this question, I talk you through the Language Habit Toolkit method which brings together psychology, motivation, and a lot of handy templates that get you started immediately. Here's the system i...

Lindsay is back on the Fluent Show today and we're talking about the best books about languages and linguistics. *NOTE: The Fluent Show is now on a podcast break until 6 May, but you can catch up with mini episodes of "Fluent in Isolation" at Patreon.com We discussed the following books - all linked below on amazon.com and on hive.co.uk. Popular Science David Crystal’s ANYTHING, out of which we di...

Hot Potato News: Scottish Gaelic Learn about the true pronunciation of this language's name, and why it's important to get it right. Where and How to Start Teaching Online It’s a great time to start offering online lessons because Life has just moved online Your school or in-person tutoring may just have been cancelled You can connect with people around the world, and right now that’s even more re...

"In languages, when you want to learn, you learn." Steve Kaufmann is a language learner from Canada who has studied over 17 languages so far. He is an advocate of reading in other languages, even from the start...and turns out this is something he did even back in the 60s. I've met Steve in person a few times at events like the Polyglot Gathering and Langfest, and he is ALWAYS full of energy and e...

Word of the day : Hamsterkaufen - to hoard or panic buy. 🐹 Listener Elizabeth asks for advice about what to do when she remembers words in her target language on one day, but finds that they've disappeared the next day. It's a dilemma: Should she review and get the information perfect before moving on? Or just stick with the programme and hope that things will stick eventually? This show contains...

What makes a language textbook great? Why should you use a language textbook? And which ones are the best ones out there? In today's episode, Lindsay and I sat down to dig through our language bookshelves and bring you a HUGE list of language textbooks that we have loved. Click or tap here to download a PDF of all book recommendations This PDF is a great file full of links to both Amazon and Hive,...

It is difficult to learn several languages together. You may forget some, you may lose some, BUT hey you’re learning more than one language. In this Q&A episode I answer a question from the wonderful Elizabeth: When did you know you were ready to start Mandarin? And how do you keep your Welsh healthy, happy and well-fed? What does a two language study routine look like for you? In my answer, I...

NEW PATREON LEVEL!! I've just set up a brand new supporter tier at the $2/month level - join us here. The patron benefits for the $2 level are access to the patron-exclusive feed with added posts, early access, and bonus clips. You can ALWAYS upgrade or downgrade your tier and you'll never lose access to the patron-only messages. The show is free for all, and your support is valued no matter what....

NEW PATREON LEVEL!! I've just set up a brand new supporter tier at the $2/month level - join us here. The patron benefits for the $2 level are access to the patron-exclusive feed with added posts, early access, and bonus clips. You can ALWAYS upgrade or downgrade your tier and you'll never lose access to the patron-only messages. The show is free for all, and your support is valued no matter what....