Language & Travel Hacking

Latest Episodes:

Ask Benny: What is Christmas like for a solo traveller? Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

Benny shares his plan of flying back to Ireland this year for the winter holidays. As a solo traveller, he appreciates this occasion to spend time with his family. Benny also shares his experience on how the weeks leading up to Christmas are different in the various countries he has visited or lived in during the period.

To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email ask@languagehacking.com

#126 Miguel on Community and Connection in Language Learning Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

Can anyone join the active polyglot community?

If you’re hesitant to join the active polyglot community, polyglot and language mentor Miguel, also founder of the blog The Multilingual Bronxite, shares about what he’s discovered from taking part in these communities.

In this interview with Benny, Miguel shares his perspective on the usefulness of the polyglot community. As a regular participant and speaker himself at international polyglot events such as Polyglotar, Miguel explains how the community is less intimidating than what would seem from the outside. As he puts forward, everyone is learning, so everyone is very open and like-minded!

Miguel also discusses how studying on your own can prove more valuable than learning languages the academic way as well as his opinion regarding immersion. Does it really help you learn a language, or does that depend on your skill level?

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Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

#125 Michael Campbell on the Power of “Reps” for Language Learners Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

How closely does improving your body impact improving your memory?

Michael Campbell, founder and CEO of Glossika, one of the most popular language resources on the Internet, shares how he has improved his physical and mental abilities by making important changes in his life.

In this unusual episode (which focuses more on self-improvement than languages), Micheal and
Benny discuss the benefits of changing diets and switching mindsets to achieve a healthier personal health.

Michael also compared using Glossika and learning languages to being consistent in going to the gym. The main comparison between being successful at both? Repetition.

Mentioned in this Episode

Glossika

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Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Ask Benny: How do language exchange events work? Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

Benny explains how language exchanges work by describing his own experience with the MundoLingo events. He covers how events are organised to make language recognition easy, shares how the set-up is ideal even for introverts, and mentions a few tips to make the most about the event.

To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email ask@languagehacking.com

#124 Olly Richards on Creating the StoryLearning Method Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

This episode includes a Black Friday promotion. Follow this link to get the Black Friday price.

Check out all our Black Friday deals on 50+ languages here.

How can language learning happen through reading stories?

Olly Richards, creator of the Uncovered Language Courses, is back on the Language Hacking Podcast to answer the question above.

Olly shares his story and explains how he combined his background in education, his polyglot skills, and his passion for writing in order to make language learning more accessible to the everyday language learner. He explains how there is more to language learning than just passive absorption

Benny and Elizabeth encourage Olly to talk about the structure of his courses, how they cover microskills needed by beginners to build solid bases in a new language, and the struggle to find the right native tutor to support the courses’ development.

The discussion also covers Olly’s recently released intermediate-level Uncovered courses and how they follow the same methodology as his beginner courses.

If you’re interested in testing out Olly’s Uncovered method, take advantage of the Uncovered Courses Black Friday promotion going on right now!

Follow this link to get the Black Friday price.

Mentioned in this Episode

Uncovered Language Courses Black Friday Deals
Olly’s first podcast episode: #005 | Olly Richards on Living Abroad and Story Learning
French Uncovered review: French Uncovered
Italian Uncovered review: Italian Uncovered
German Uncovered review: German Uncovered
Spanish Uncovered review: Spanish Uncovered
Japanese Uncovered review: Japanese Uncovered

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Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

#123 Kelsey Lechner on Speaking 6 Very Different Languages Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

How much does living in different countries shape your personality and influence your personal development?

In an episode packed with cultural exploration anecdotes, writer, translator, and educator Kelsey Lechner shares her experience with learning six vastly different languages, keeping her career tightly related to languages in unexpected ways, and adapting to new cultures while living in countries like Tanzania, Japan, and Bangladesh.

Kelsey also shares her flexible language learning strategy pointers, which she developed while learning Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Swahili, and Bengali. She and Benny discuss how social acceptance works when trying to adjust to new cultures, how to take missteps in cross-cultural communication in stride, and how to deal with culture shocks.

(Psss… Wait until minute 28 for a funny anecdote about how mixing up Bangladesh and Spanish led Kelsey to hit up on someone without meaning to!)

Mentioned in this Episode

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Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

#122 Brian Powell on How Learning a Dead Language Changed His Perspective Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

Are dead languages worth learning?

Latin learner, polyglot, and professional translator Brian Powell answers this question by explaining his experience with learning Latin and the way it changed his perspective on learning languages.

Among other topics discussed in this conversation with Benny, Brian explains the “Living Latin” movement, using Latin in a spoken way, and whether or not Latin is a useful stepping stone to learn modern romance languages.

Brian also shares about his love for grammar, insights on the other languages he has learned, including Arabic, Farsi, and French, as well as stories and tips from his career as a translator.

PS: Definitely listen to this episode if you want to hear Benny’s special pronunciation of Latin words :)

Mentioned in this Episode

Brian’s blog post on Fluent in 3 Months: How to Speak Latin: A Beginner’s Guide to Living Latin
Lingua Latina Per Se Illustrata
ScorpioMartianus YouTube channel
MagisterCraft
Latinitium
Assimil
italki
IndustryArabic

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Ask Benny: How Do I Create a Language Immersion Environment at Home? Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

Benny starts off this episode with a personal case study related to language immersion at home: studying Egyptian Arabic while still living in Brasil back in 2012. He then gives his favorite tips for home immersion.

To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email ask@languagehacking.com

#121 Nina on How to Break the Intermediate Plateau Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and Greek learner, Nina, shares her experience taking part in the Challenge and connecting with her husband, in-laws, and daughter through Greek with hosts Benny and Shannon.

We guarantee that anyone who completes the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge will have a 15-minute conversation in their new language after 90 days of learning. You can find out more here.

Featured Resources

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

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Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Figuring out how much you want your language teachers to correct you
How to get through the intermediate plateau
Learning multiple languages simultaneously
Reading to learn languages
Coming back to languages after a break
Becoming more direct with your language tutors in order to get the most out of your lessons
Balancing your energy and being more aware of your energy levels
Learning languages with the unpredictable schedule of having a new baby
Learning your partner’s native language
How Nina supports her daughter’s language learning and multilingualism

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

#120 Melanie on Learning French With Her 7 Kids Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and French learner, Melanie, discusses taking part in the Challenge and connecting with her kids through French with hosts Benny and Shannon

We guarantee that anyone who completes the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge will have a 15-minute conversation in their new language after 90 days of learning. You can find out more here.

Featured Resources

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Join Our Patreon

Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to bonus content and monthly exclusives.

Mentioned in this Episode

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Learning French in the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
How language helped Melanie find new ways to connect with her kids
Learning a language alongside her kids and how supporting one another goes both ways
Creating a language learning environment with 7 kids
Learning a heritage language
Ways to support your kids’ language learning
How being a part of her kids’ language learning journeys has helped Melanie improve her own learning

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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