Language & Travel Hacking

Latest Episodes:

#38 Chuck Smith on Why You Should Learn Esperanto Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Benny and Shannon talk to Chuck Smith, a notable figure in the language learning and Esperanto communities about Esperanto and its culture, and why Esperanto should be your next language.

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Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

What Esperanto is and its history
Why learn Esperanto?
Does Esperanto really help you learn other languages?
The lack of irregular verbs in Esperanto
The lack of taboos and exclusivity in Esperanto
The empowering nature of Esperanto conversations
The unique aspects of Esperanto culture
Going to Esperanto events in Europe
Founding Amikumu
Why grammar books may not be the best way to reach your language learning goals

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#37 Bryce and Michele on Falling in Love while Learning Each Other's Language Feb 15, 2021

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This episode features Bryce, who learned conversational Portuguese in just 90 days with the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge.

We actually 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.

In this episode, Benny and Shannon talk with two Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participants, Bryce and Michele, who are husband and wife learning their native languages with help from one another.

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Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

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Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Connecting with your partner and their family through their native language
Speaking Portuguese for an hour during the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
Language learning milestones and building confidence
Learning English while living in Kansas and dealing with culture shock
Having patience with your partner
Falling in love as a motivation
Raising multilingual children and connecting with them through language
How to practice a language with your partner
Approaching language learning like an air infantryman
Using Dream Teams in the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
Bringing Brazilian culture into the American home
Advice for when you and your partner don’t speak the same language

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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Ask Benny: What's Your Current Language Project? Feb 10, 2021

Show notes

This is the first episode of our new "Ask Benny" series where Benny answers listener questions. In this episode, Benny gives an update on where he is with his own language learning projects.

To ask Benny a question, please email ask@languagehacking.com

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#36 Lýdia Machová on Learning a New Language Every 2 Years Feb 08, 2021

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In this episode, Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy discuss everything from language interpreting to language coaching, the Goldlist Method to novelty in language learning with Lýdia Machová.

In our chat with Lýdia, we also cover how to become more than a passive language learner, finding ways to enjoy your language learning, why you should focus on one specific language skill at a time, why Lýdia focuses on a language for two years, and how to be okay with giving up a language.

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Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

What’s involved in working as a language interpreter
How to become more than a passive language learner
Finding ways to enjoy your language learning
Making language learning fun, systematic, intensive, and effective
The importance of novelty in language learning
Using the Goldlist method
Why you should focus on one specific language skill at a time
Why Lýdia focuses on a language for two years
How to be okay with giving up a language
How many languages polyglots actually speak

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#35 Richard Simcott on Being a World Famous Polyglot Feb 01, 2021

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In this episode, we talk to renowned polyglot Richard Simcott about learning languages at university, raising a multilingual child, and finding motivation to learn languages through human connection.

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Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Studying language at university
Secrets to working on more than one language at a time
How to maintain languages with anchor languages
Reactivating, improving and learning languages
Finding motivation to learn languages through human connection
Uploading videos and becoming a part of the polyglot community
The origins of the Polyglot Conference and shifting to the online space
What language learning resources and methods Richard Simcott uses
How Richard is learning Korean with his daughter
Criteria for choosing a language tutor
Raising multilingual children

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#34 Lindie Botes on Being a Third Culture Kid Jan 25, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy have a conversation with Lindie Botes about learning multiple languages, growing up as a third culture kid, and what it’s like growing up bilingual.

In our chat with Lindie, we discuss transitioning from language learner to language mentor, gaining the confidence you need to put yourself out there, and different systems and processes for keeping track of your language learning.

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Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Transitioning from language learner to language mentor
Gaining the confidence to put yourself out there as a language learner
How to deal with criticism and ignore trolls as a polyglot YouTuber
Getting inspiration from a parent language learner
Being a “third culture kid”
How a polyglot chooses the languages they learn
Learning Japanese from Korean with language laddering
Learning multiple languages at once
How to learn other writing systems
Systems and processes for keeping track of your language progress
How design influences Lindie’s language learning
How the online language community has influenced Lindie
Growing up bilingual and whether or not it gives you an advantage learning other languages
Do you have a different personality in different languages?
Journaling in another language

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#33 Katie Harris on the Joy of Languages Jan 18, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we chat with Katie Harris, the founder of Joy of Languages, host of Easy Languages Italian and the creator of the #languagediarychallenge. Katie is also a previous student in the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge.

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.

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Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Moving to Italy, living in Italy and avoiding the English bubble
Finding joy when learning languages and motivating yourself with cocktails!
Doing something you love in another language vs doing something you love while learning another language
How to feel calm before a video conversation
Katie’s experience with the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
What to do when the novelty wears off in language learning
The importance of language learning communities
Journaling in a foreign language on Instagram
Katie’s experience as a host of Easy Languages and overcoming the nerves around approaching strangers in another language
Watching hours of French reality TV
Learning multiple languages

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#32 Evelyn on Learning Korean During Lockdown Jan 11, 2021

Show notes

This episode features Evelyn, who learned conversational Korean in just 90 days with the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge.

We actually 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.

In our chat with Evelyn shares how she made huge leaps forward in her Korean learning with the support of community in the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge.

Featured Resources

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

How to maintain motivation through community
Fighting perfectionism when learning a very different language
Why the resources you use don’t matter as much as the time you’re putting in
Having success during lockdown with the Fluent in 3 Months challenge
Keys to her success with the Korean language and what makes Korean easy
How the community helped her overcome learning plateaus
Using drills to learn Korean
Thinking differently because of Korean
Understanding Gangnam Style
How to deal with bad days in language learning

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#31 Nelson Dellis on Building Memory Superpowers Jan 04, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we talk to US memory champion Nelson Dellis about learning a heritage language, teaching his kids new languages, and memory hacks used by the champions.

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Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Going from memory champion to language learner
Learning Flemish to get closer to his family
Memory champion techniques to learning languages
Using images to remember words
Breaking down words for easier recall
Enhancing your memory in a short space of time
The power of speaking and language exposure
Multigenerational learning: learning with his mom and teaching his son
Fixing fossilized errors
Using Drops to learn words when starting a language
Balancing revision vs learning

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#30 Nissa on learning Bengali in 3 Months Dec 28, 2020

Show notes

This episode features Nissa, who learned conversational Bengali in just 90 days with the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge.

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.

Nissa shares about learning a less-commonly-taught language, and coming to understand herself through languages.

Featured Resources

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Mentioned in this Episode

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Understanding the world and herself better through languages
Studying French in high school as a good student but still not being able to speak the language
Breaking through the comprehension wall
Learning Bengali with the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
Learning a language with few or no resources
Making real progress in a short period of time by focusing on processes
Overcoming perfectionism and fear of making mistakes
How to best undertake a 90 Day Challenge and Dream Teams
Learning with a nonnative speaker
Best ways to utilize a language tutor
Learning Yupik, an Eskimo language
Giving up on languages

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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