Language & Travel Hacking

Latest Episodes:

#19 Turia Pope - from False Beginner to Spanish Homeschooler Oct 12, 2020

Show notes

This episode features Turia, who learned Spanish to the conversational level in just 90 days with the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge.

Turia shares her experience going from an on-again-off-again Spanish learner to a confident Spanish speaker with the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge. She also shares how she travels alone with her children in Spanish-speaking countries, developing a homeschooling curriculum for Spanish for her children, and how she responded to emergency situations in Spanish.

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.

Featured Resources

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

How the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge helped Turia become a confident learner after 20 years of learning on and off again
How Turia is teaching her three kids to speak fluent Spanish
Moving to Spain for immersion and learning about the culture
Incorporating Spanish into a homeschooling curriculum
Navigating tricky or nightmare situations in another language
What it’s like traveling alone with kids
Turia’s favorite rituals and resources for learning Spanish
Making friends and building relationships in Spanish
Letting kids’ language studies be child-led

More Resources

After we recorded this episode, Turia was kind enough to share more specific resources with us.

Spanish champs - a program that includes a script and is song/activity based. It also includes a dvd with clips incorporating the songs taught.
Talkbox Mom - a subscription service that offers resources to help you switch your day to day interactions into your new language.
Whistlefritz - a foreign language show for kids by kids available on Amazon prime.

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#18 Kerstin Cable on Slow Learning Oct 05, 2020

Show notes

Kerstin Cable from the Fluent Language Blog shares her experience learning English to full fluency as a native German speaker, her method for acquiring new vocabulary and her long-term, slow approach to learning new languages.

Featured Resources

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

How the bigness of our world inspired Kerstin to learn languages
Learning English using 90s Brit-pop
Kerstin’s curiosity and excitement for learning Welsh
Kerstin’s biggest challenges learning Mandarin
Using mnemonics and visual images to learn new vocabulary
How to find your language learning personality so you can find the right approaches and resources for you
How Kerstin takes language learning slow, studying only 2-3 hours a week
Kerstin’s top tips for language learners from her experience as a one-to-one language coach
How to choose the best language learning resources for you
Using handwriting in vocab notebooks as a memory strategy
How teaching German helps Kerstin feel like she knows the language better than ever
Kerstin’s German student immersion retreats
“Your solid vocab memory” - Kerstin’s method of acquiring, memorizing, and reviewing vocabulary

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#17 Jane T - The Motorhome Language Learner Sep 28, 2020

Show notes

This episode features Jane T, who learned several languages to the conversational level in just 90 days with the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge.

Jane quit her job after her husband retired to start traveling around Europe in a motorhome, learning languages along the way. Shannon and Benny talk with Jane about her motorhome journeys and how she learns languages while she travels. Jane also shares how community helps with overcoming limiting self beliefs 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

Mentioned in this Episode

Jane’s blog

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

How Jane quit her job after her husband retired to start traveling around Europe, learning languages along the way
How traveling in a motorhome gives Jane and her husband the freedom to travel affordably while always having their home with them
How the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge helped Jane get through the false starter phase of language learning
The power of accountability and community
How to learn languages with an unpredictable schedule and unreliable Internet
The Comprehensible Input approach to language learning
Talking to yourself in a language to get both practice and build your confidence
How to overcome self-limiting beliefs
Common language learning roadblocks and tips for getting through them
How to filter what you’re learning to what’s relevant to you

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#16 Will John on Mixing Football and Language Skills Sep 21, 2020

Show notes

Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy talk to Will John, a professional soccer player from the US who has played for teams in many different countries, including Denmark, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Morocco and Georgia. Will shares his top tips from his experience learning languages as he travels the world…

Featured Resources

Muzzy in Gondoland

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Will’s first foreign language: learning Spanish as a kid by watching Spanish-language TV shows.
The strategies Will used to learn Danish when he moved to Denmark
Tips for learning a language with immersion and with immersion.
The power of rehearsal in language learning
How to avoid the “English bubble” when living abroad
Job opportunities that open up when you’ve got language skills
How Will mixes his languages and football skills, and applies his football training methods to language learning
Facing fears and creating online videos in other languages
Why reading matters in language learning
Feeling “ok” in the danger zone - and why that matters for language learners

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#15 The Power of Friendship in Language Acquisition with Debs Bensaul Sep 14, 2020

Show notes

This episode features Deb Bensauls, an enthusiastic language learner who learned conversational French AND Italian 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.

Debs shares about travelling on her own using her French skills, using the language at work to create a better experience for her clients. She also discusses the power of friendship in language learning, and how being in a learning community changed her approach to French and gave her the confidence to learn Italian.

Featured Resources

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

The power of learning a language with friends and community.
Why being the quiet one in the back makes the language classroom ineffective.
How to build confidence in your languages and speaking.
How the online language community helped Debs become the polyglot she was always meant to be.
Why it’s important to share both the ups and downs of language learning.
The dangers of comparison and how to overcome them.
Strategies for overcoming overwhelm when it comes to learning resources.
How learning your second language is different than your first.
How Debs has been able to use her language skills at work in the medical field.
What happens when a giant spider interrupts your language exchange.
Debs favorite language learning rituals including mindmaps and sticky notes.

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#14 Women in Language: Championing Female Voices in Language Learning Sep 07, 2020

Show notes

Shannon joins the co-founders of the Women in Language conference, Lindsay Williams and Kerstin Cable. Together with Elizabeth Bruckner they share the story behind the Women in Language online event and what’s in store for this year’s conference.

Featured Resources

Women in Language

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

The story behind Women in Language
Past events and stories from attendees
Elizabeth’s Women in Language workshop about language exchanges
Why it’s important to amplify and champion lesser heard voices
How Women in Language’s speaker selection process brings new speakers to the conversation
How you can attend the 2020 Women in Language event

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#13 How to Learn a Language “By Ear” with Idahosa Ness Aug 31, 2020

Show notes

Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy have a conversation with Idahosa Ness, founder of the Mimic Method. In this episode of the Language Hacking Podcast, Idahosa details his language learning strategies, employing music, rapping, mimicry and deliberate practice.

Featured Resources

The Mimic Method

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

How Idahosa developed the Mimic Method by learning multiple languages

Freestyle rapping as a language tool
Mouth and tongue training to form sounds in a new language
Learning to tune your ear to a new language
How to sound like a native and integrate into other cultures
How to overcome perfectionism by getting into the flow

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#12 Suzanne - "I go to the Tapas Bar and talk in Spanish for hours" Aug 24, 2020

Show notes

This episode features Suzanne, who learned several languages to the conversational level 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, Shannon and Benny chat with Suzanne about how learning in community built confidence in her language skills and provided her with the support she needed to “lean in” on the parts of language learning that made her uncomfortable. She also talks about how the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge provided her with the support and nurturing environment to make doing those things possible.

Featured Resources

The Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

What it was like being in Madrid after years of Spanish study, unable to speak Spanish.
Why it’s important to find the right tutor and not use English in your lessons.
The difference between learning languages at university and learning in community with the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge.
Learning languages as a shy person and why it’s important to lean into your discomfort.
How to choose your first words in a new language.
Overcoming obstacles in language learning and building confidence.
Combining language learning with other activities, including self-care.
Suzanne’s favorite language learning rituals and how she incorporates language learning into her day.
Learning multiple languages and managing notes with different colored notebooks.

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#11 Nomadic Matt on Travelling the World for $50 a Day Aug 17, 2020

Show notes

Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy chat with Matt Kepnes, also known as Nomadic Matt. Matt shares his experiences learning languages as he travels the world on a budget as well as his best budget travel tips in this episode of the Language Hacking Podcast.

Featured Resources

How to Travel the World on $50 a Day

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Traveling on a budget
Matt’s experience learning French in Paris
The importance of getting private tutors for your language
Matt’s experience learning Thai
Using hand signals to aid your communication in a new language
Advice on traveling after the pandemic
Top tips for budget travel and local travel

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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#10 Nikki Prša on Little Moments of Language Practice Aug 10, 2020

Show notes

Polish-American language learner and educator Nikki Prsa shares what it was like growing up as a native Polish speaker in the US and what inspired her to go on to study languages abroad. Benny and Shannon also chat with her about her linguistics studies at university, what it’s like teaching languages online, and her experience teaching her son new languages.

Mentioned in this Episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

Nikki’s experience speaking Polish at home while growing up in the US
Nikki’s experience moving to Germany with a host family at 15 years old
How travel has helped Nikki become better at immersing herself in a language even when not abroad
How important it is to have a teacher you can trust
What inspired Nikki to start Speak at Home Tonight
Learning Croatian and traveling in the Balkans
Why it’s important to even do just a little bit each day
Teaching your child multiple languages
Focusing on accent and pronunciation
How to keep from mixing up languages when studying multiple languages at the same time
Learning languages with prayer
Finding the best approach in language learning

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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