Language & Travel Hacking

Latest Episodes:

Ask Benny: New Language Goals Plans! Focusing on 5 Languages From Now On Oct 06, 2022

Show notes

The life of a polyglot globe-trotter only knows one constant: change! In this new update, Benny explains why his decision to postpone his trip to Thailand is the best for his goals in Thai. In fact, he will be focusing on including five languages in his daily life in the next few months.

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

#118 Joaquin on the Bilingual-Trilingual Journey Sep 26, 2022

Show notes

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and French learner, Joaquin, explains how deciding to study in France helped him become serious about his goal to learn French, and how he kept his progress up by working hard to keep himself accountable.

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:

How to stay accountable when learning a new language
Why being bilingual doesn’t mean it’s always easy learning new languages
Joaquin, Elizabeth, and Benny’s ways to includes some fun language days to their learning schedule
Mini-missions and how they make learning languages seem more approachable
Joaquin’s experience with Language Hacking French

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Ask Benny: How do you learn vocabulary while traveling? Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

Since Benny started travelling again, he has had to adapt his learning to his new schedule and route. In this episode, he shares his tips on how to make the most of a little-known WordReference feature, using flashcards in the best way, and keeping working on the languages you know even while traveling abroad.

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

#117 Dr. Barbara Oakley on Learning How to Learn Sep 19, 2022

Show notes

Featured Resources

Rebel with a Clause

Patreon Extended Episode

Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear in the long-form episode:

Motivation around learning and how to make progress when you feel like you’re bad at something
Dr. Oakley’s 3 language survival tools
Advice Dr. Oakley would have given herself when she was starting out with language learning
How to get back into a language you stopped learning
How Dr. Oakley would start learning a new language today
Dr. Oakley asks Benny what to do when a teacher assigns you things that just don’t make sense for you personally

Learn more and access this bonus content on Patreon.

Featured in This Episode

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

How Dr. Oakley got into learning how to learn
Joining the military to learn a new language at the Defense Language Institute
Using the Speak from Day 1 Approach
How Dr. Oakley’s philosophies around language learning influenced her learning in other fields
Working as a Russian translator on Soviet trawlers, teaching in China, being an Army Captain in Germany, working as a radio operator at the South Pole Station and how these things shaped Dr Oakley’s perspectives
How teaching makes you a better learner through retrieval practice
The story behind the MOOC “Learning How to Learn”
Tricks for encouraging your kids to love learning

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

#116 Hez on What to Do When You Want to Learn Everything at Once Sep 12, 2022

Show notes

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and Spanish learner, Hez, chats with Benny and Shannon about fighting perfectionism and practicing patience in language learning.

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

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

What to do when you’re impatient and you want to learn everything all at once
Fighting perfectionism and being kind to yourself in the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
The Buddhist idea of a Beginner’s Mind
Keeping up your language learning during stressful periods in your life
Ways to have fun with your language learning

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Benny's Next Language Project - Next Stop: Another Continent Sep 07, 2022

Show notes

In this Ask Benny episode, Benny discusses his next language project. Benny will rediscover a language he already studied back in 2010 by flying from Brazil to a new surprise destination. He discusses his new approach to learning the language and his plans for preparing himself ahead of landing. Discover Benny’s next language project in this episode!

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

#115 Gabby Wallace on How Language Teachers Learn a Language Sep 05, 2022

Show notes

Gabby Wallace, creator of Go Natural English, joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to talk about teaching English online, how renovating houses is like learning languages, and what it was like to live in a favela in Brazil.

Featured Resources

italki

Patreon Extended Episode

Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear in the long-form episode:

Building a language teaching business online
Learning languages to travel - how to prepare and what to do with the language after travel is over
Shannon and Benny’s tips for avoiding language interference with similar languages
Gabby’s ideal day of language learning

Learn more and access this bonus content on Patreon.

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

What inspired Gabby to begin teaching English
How being a language learner makes you a better language teacher
Ways renovating houses and real estate connects to language learning
How to balance really diverse projects
Living in a favela in Brazil
How to choose topics for online content as a language teacher
Corporate language training

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Benny's Language Project Update (+ Mini Discovery Related to Learning Vocabulary) Aug 31, 2022

Show notes

In this Ask Benny episode, Benny gives an update on his current language mission in Jericoacoara, Brazil, and the new hacks and strategies he has worked on and used. If you're looking into vocabulary-learning tips specifically, this episode is for you.

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

#114 Luca Sadurny on Mosalingua and Ikigai Aug 29, 2022

Show notes

Luca Sadurny, co-founder of Mosalingua, talks about how learning French helped him discover that everyone can learn a language when using the right method. A discovery that later led to the foundation of the popular language learning resource Mosalingua.

Featured Resources

Mosalingua

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

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics discussed in this episode include:

Luca’s background and the background and development of Mosalingua
Ikigai, a concept which motivates you to learn languages in the right way
How everyone can learn languages if they have the right method
How to raise trilingual children and the one-parent-one-language approach
Time management techniques and how to find time for yourself

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

#113 Elena Mutonono on Tutoring in Ukraine and Creating an Online Business Aug 22, 2022

Show notes

Elena Mutonono, former ESL teacher and now coach for language teachers, joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to talk about language teaching, the ethics of the online language teaching space, and sustainable language teaching.

Featured Resources

Online Bound Podcast

Patreon Extended Episode

Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear in the long-form episode:

Redefining what a “good” language teacher is
Things language students should be aware of when choosing a teacher
Our roles as thought leaders in the language space

Learn more and access this bonus content on Patreon.

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Going from in-person tutoring in Ukraine to teaching online
Facing burnout as a language teacher and figuring out how to teach in a sustainable way
Finding balance by saying no to many things as a language teacher and what to say no to
Differences between online and offline teaching and setting realistic expectations for both
How choosing one focus can help you feel more fulfilled in your teaching career

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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