The Fluent Show

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 it's a HUMAN RIGHT Should any country at all have an official language? And where do you start if you want to learn an indigenous language? And we think you love a quiz as much as we do, so don't miss out the indigenous language quiz in this episode. 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 revie

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 learning curve when you immerse again Learning more languages, even at the same time, is awesome But don’t expect miracles, consider your goals and limitations Interference is a normal process of language acquisition 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

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 their languages, but just learned them for the heck of it (or they grew up with it in their homes). These people probably never took an official test to get a certificate proving that they are C1/C2 level or something. Why might one want to get this certificate, or any other sort of qualification, to prove their language abilities? Is it worthwhile or not? You may find yourself wondering why a language exam would be useful for you at all, especially if you’re not studying for work or school. But there are a few exc

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 language as an adult. Thank you to Anne (http://www.fluent.show/guests/anne) 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!

“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 level of connection and an authentic self-expression? Does being so touchy-feely mean we'll miss all our goals? This was a fascinating conversation about permission, ownership, and what we think we’re all allowed to do in another language. It helped me understand my role as language coach and language teacher in a whole new way. “It doesn’t need to have any specific goal or purpose. It’s just pleasure and self-expression.” “For me, a foreign language has to come along with my own personality and background. I can’t be fo

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 answers and ask more questions. Put effort into explaining grammar in a way that makes sense. Make the tech and the setup a non-question. This includes boundaries. In today's show, I'm also answering a listener question from Chenelle about successful collaborations How do I go about approaching someone about my project in order to get them to come on board with me? For us as one-person enterprises, it's often so beneficial to collaborate with others when it comes to creating successful projects like courses, books,

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 chat about ONLINE MARKETING on the Teach Languages Online podcast -- published on 21 June 2019 And finally, our conversation about OUR FIRST ONLINE COURSES at www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/teach-thrive 13 Tool Recommendations ✅ Click or tap here to to get a list of recommendations for the essentials we use every single day in our business. (http://fluentlanguage.co.uk/blog/online-teaching-tools) Support This Podcast Like all podcasts, the Fluent Show is supported by your online reviews and word of mouth. If you liked

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 Design Your Own Immersion Day Make sure you PREP!! Queue up podcasts, decide what you're reading, book conversations, look around for recipes or restaurants, listen to top tools. And set a date in the diary! Radio or TV in the morning, perhaps a podcast - try to take in your target language first thing in the morning. Get chatty with some self-talk in the kitchen while you're making breakfast. On the commute, why not read in your target language or get some sat nav cues for a route you know? Not everyone speaks their ta

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.co.uk/teach-thrive) if you're interested in Lindsay & Kerstin's new workshop series for ambitious online language teachers and creators. 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! You can now play the Fluent Show through google home

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 burn all my materials of study out. I have two questions: how to handle with frutration? And how to get better at pronunciation by myself? Ready to hear my answers? Then tune in! Leandro's good practices with English: You have a very clear thing that you love and enjoy in the target language - English 19th century literature You can picture a goal, a situation that feels possible to you - reading all the books in English You are feeling fairly confident and you don’t struggle with self doubt - like you say, your level

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 learn how Paul became a translator, and his answers to these questions: How can we make languages SEXY as a career choice? What kind of personality type do most translators have? (and why Kerstin is NOT an ideal candidate) Do you have to be bilingual to work as a translator in the EU? How do you get a job as an EU translator? What does the EU do to contribute to language diversity? Plus, halfway through the episode Paul went ahead and surprised me with a quiz about the EU's official languages, which is just THE BEST. Su

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://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvvS3RfzSQwiVf7Ocejf6yg/about) 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! Special Guest: Nicky Roberts.

“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-languages-in-the-world) Thank you to the Fluent Language Learners Facebook Group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/fluentlanguage) for their contributions. You can join this group if you also want to talk about languages over there and check in regularly with other learners. 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 l

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) and the Loire Valley (June 2019). My guests also share tips on creating an immersion environment no matter where you live. Fluent German Retreat in München, August 2018 https://uploads.fireside.fm/images/9/9103f3da-a263-4bfe-b5a3-58649ff9b5f7/gddl7kPs.jpg Special Guests: Anne Semmler and Renato and Catarina.