The Fluent Show

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How to Learn Several Languages At The Same Time Feb 12, 2018

Show notes

In The News This Week

A deaf woman wanted to attend a pop concert with her young daughter, but had to fight and even sue the company until she was granted a sign language interpreter. Is this fair?

We discuss what 'disability' is, how sign language is very different from other languages in music, and how awesome it is to have interpreter companies in this world.

Make sure you watch the great video showing how signers interpret music.

How to Learn Several Languages at Once

Our show topic this week is all about learning more than one language at the same time. It’s the polyglot dream! Many people, especially polyglots, want to learn as many languages as possible.

But is there enough time?

How the heck do we fit it in?

We discuss advice from polyglots around the internet and compare it with our own life experiences to get to the ultimate tips for learning multiple languages.

Click or tap here to read the full list of tips and show notes

Sponsored By:

Speechling: Visit our sponsor Speechling, the outstanding speaking platform in over 6 languages, and use the promo code FLUENT for a 10% lifetime discount Promo Code: FLUENT

Links:

Our New Twitter Account ⭐️ 🎊 📣 — WOOOOO The Creative Language Learning Podcast is now the Fluent Show, and here is our new Twitter account.
Learning Multiple Languages Simultaneously - LDLanguages
Learning Languages at Intermediate Level: My Language Goals, Routine, and Progress in Detail by Kerstin — Kerstin describing her Welsh & French routine with "French Thursday"
Learning Multiple Languages At Once: Great Idea or Waste of Time? — Article on Actual Fluency
Can you learn more than one language at the same time? — Polyglot Club article from Luca Lampariello
How to speak multiple languages without mixing them up - Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips
Learning Multiple Languages At The Same Time — This one is from Mezzofanti Guild
Deaf mum sues Little Mix promoter in sign language row - BBC News
Bywyd Blodwen Jones (Welsh Edition) — Easy reader for Welsh learners by the brilliant Bethan Gwanas
Women In Language Tickets are OUT NOW — Our online event designed to champion, celebrate, and amplify the voices of women in language learning
The Book That Will Change How You See Language Learning (+ Clever Notes & Action Plan FREE) by Fluent Language — Book Review of "Becoming Fluent"

The Creative Language Learning Podcast is now the Fluent Show Feb 11, 2018

Show notes

It's 2018, guys. Time to admit something major:

AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR A 4 WORD PODCAST TITLE 😂

As of today, I am so excited to announce that this podcast is now The Fluent Show, and we are going WEEKLY. Every week from today, I'll be bringing you an interview or a short episode full of actionable, practical language learning advice.

The Fluent Show is here to encourage and support you in your language learning journey.

There is much more to discover such as:

A new jingle (no more "Christmas music")
New artwork
A Twitter account - follow us @thefluentshow

I know we're going to have so much fun and I cannot WAIT to speak to more cool people and answer your questions on the show.

The podcast also has a new website address - find us at fluent.show 🆒

Get Involved

You can send us your questions and comments and hear them on the show! Simply send a tweet to @thefluentshow or use the hashtag #fluentshow. You can also email your questions to me at kerstin@fluentlanguage.co.uk.

We read each and everyone of your messages, and they often make our days.

Please Rate and Review The Fluent Show

If you can, please leave a review for this show on iTunes this week.

Here's the easiest to review:

Get your iPhone, or perhaps use a friend's phone (or both!)
Open the app "Podcasts"
Search for "The Fluent Show" or select our show image from the Library section
In the main screen, scroll down to "Ratings & Reviews"
Tap on the stars to rate quickly, or tap "Write a Review"
You don't have to write a lot and if you want you can only leave a title such as "Great show for language learners"

Robo-Tutors and Translating Megaphones: It's the Future of Language Learning Jan 29, 2018

Show notes

Click or tap here to read the full show notes

In the News...

Kazakhstan is going to change the official script of its language from the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet by 2025 - we admire their SMART goal setting skills and discuss what could motivate a country to make such a big change.

Main Topic: The Future of Language Learning

What does the future hold for language learners?

When a device translates what you say directly into another language, is there even a need to learn languages anymore?

We discuss

Gadgets and stuff that translates our language into other languages
How AI has made language learning apps a lot more useful
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality as learning aids
The good and bad sides of tech

Sponsored By:

Speechling: Visit our sponsor Speechling, the outstanding speaking platform in over 6 languages, and use the promo code FLUENT for a 10% lifetime discount Promo Code: FLUENT

Links:

Kazakhstan to switch to Latin alphabet by 2025 - The Astana Times — Kazakhs used Arabic script from the 10th-20th centuries. The Kazakh language was based on Latin script in 1929-1940. The transition to the Cyrillic alphabet occurred in 1940. The Latin alphabet is currently used by most Kazakh diasporas abroad.
Turkish language, alphabets and pronunciation
307: Sexy Neural Net (featuring Janelle Shane) — Talk the Talk — Overcast — Kazakh alphabet change discussed on Talk the Talk podcast
The Future of Language Learning: Augmented Reality vs Virtual Reality
Google Pixel Buds - Bluetooth Earbuds for Pixel 2 - Google Store
This Megaphone Translates Japanese Into Other Languages | Nerdist
Basic English - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amazon.com: The English Language: A Guided Tour of the Language (8601404255595): David Crystal: Books
Will English remain the global language in the future? - Quora
Glossika (now with AI)
Mondly's Article Announcing VR Learning
Mondly: Learn Languages in VR | Oculus
The Megaphone in Action
Jeeesus WEPT! - YouTube — VR on comedy show 'community'
Why AI Translation Doesn’t Mean You Should Stop Learning Languages | The Memrise Blog
Robocop Mr Kinney VS Ed 209. - YouTube
reddit gift exchanges and more! - redditgifts
Dubbing With Benefits - The World In Words (podcast) — World in Words episode about dubbing in Germany
Epcot - Wikipedia
Black Mirror (TV Series 2011– ) - IMDb
Google Pixel Buds review - YouTube

"Ultramarathon for the Brain" (Bilingual Podcast with Judith Meyer) Jan 15, 2018

Show notes

Click or tap here to read the full show notes

German Learners: Click this link to download a full transcript (bilingual) of our conversation, so you can listen and read along at the same time.

Judith Meyer is well-known in the language learning world for co-founding the Polyglot Gathering event and writing several language books and courses. She's consulted by many and freely shares her own tips and experiences from learning over 14 languages.

We covered a lot of ground and as a language learner you will be delighted to hear her excellent advice.

One Thing You Need to Know About This Episode

This is a bilingual podcast.

Judith and I are both Germans who speak a lot of English in our daily lives and even in our off-mic conversations we regularly switch between German and English.

If you are not an experienced German learner, there will be some parts of the podcast that you don’t understand. But like all language learners, you’re not alone in that feeling. Try to stay with us, trust that we will come back to English again and again, and challenge yourself to become comfortable with not understanding everything.

Special Guest: Judith Meyer.

Sponsored By:

Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages

Links:

Bundeswettbewerb Fremdsprachen - Home
Amazon.com: Judith Meyer: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle — All of Judith's books on Amazon.com
Understanding Germany - Quora
Complete Esperanto: Learn to read, write, speak and understand Esperanto: Amazon.co.uk: Tim Owen: 9781473669185: Books — on Amazon UK
LearnYu - learn Chinese the intelligent way
Matching Methods & Goals in Language-Learning - Judith Meyer at the Polyglot Gathering 2014 - YouTube
Beijing Language and Culture University - Wikipedia
Improving Reading Comprehension - Alex Rawlings at the Polyglot Gathering 2014 - YouTube
Pinyin - Wikipedia — Pinyin, developed in the 1950s

What is it that you want to achieve? Jan 01, 2018

Show notes

Hello from Kerstin and happy new year! In today's show, I've got notes for you on what really mattered for language learning in 2017, and how you can make the most out of these for your own path to fluency.

Lessons from 2017:

Best practices aren’t going anywhere
- Ask yourself what you want to achieve
- Get out of the house and use what you know
- Contribute to your community
Getting organised is the key to actually using those best practices: Plan - Track - Review
Setting goals helps me get out of my comfort zone - I’ve never self-studied a language to this level and I can totally do it

The Year in Language Learning Events

Polyglot Gathering in Bratislava
- It was warm, busy, and great to visit this Slovak city
- The organisation was outstanding and there was a real sense of interest in almost every talk
- A lot of people enjoyed the no-English zone
- I gave a talk on how to talk to people and the feedback was very interesting (no it was NOT about chatting up girls)
- Already bought my ticket for 2018
Langfest in Montreal
- It was warm again, a slightly smaller event, and with so many great volunteers and organisers
- Langfest stood out in how media-savvy it was, there was live streaming, lots of web coverage, even a little podcasting room
- Montréal is an amazing city for any polyglot
Languages of London
- A smaller meet-up, great for connecting

The podcast came back this year!! Thank you all so much for listening and supporting us.

Thank you to my wonderful guests this year: Madeline Vadkerty and Marianne Manz, Gabriel Wyner, Chuck Smith, Kris Broholm, Shannon Kennedy
Thank you to our sponsor Clozemaster, and the future sponsors who have shown interest in supporting the Creative Language Learning Podcast
A special thank you to my co-host Lindsay Williams
Please review!!

Sponsored By:

Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages

Links:

What Gets Easier When You Study More Languages? by Fluent Language
10 Polyglot Conversations from Langfest 2017 in Montréal
Polyglot Gathering 2017 in Bratislava
List of Language Learning Events Around the Globe — Find where you can meet language learners
Montreal: Beyond Bilingual - Lindsay Does Languages — An episode of Language Stories about the languages of Montreal

"If It Plugs Your Gap, It'll Proper Plug Your Gap": Top Tools for Winter 2018 Dec 18, 2017

Show notes

Click or tap here to read the full shownotes.

Follow up on a topic: Pop Music

Bilingual lyrics, Spanglish and Justin Bieber of all people winning a Latin grammy. Lindsay brings up the Despacito Effect and we discuss if that's a thing.

If you love music, check out our pop music episode.

Top Tools for Winter 2018

Here are the nominees - listen to the show to find out how they can help you learn languages.

Kerstin:

1. Clairefontaine Vocab Notebook (on Amazon UK, and here's a comparable one on Amazon.com)

This is a classic notebook for learning and testing yourself on vocabulary. Write down your words, and use the handy cover tabs for testing yourself. Perfect for one of my favourite vocabulary learning techniques of all time, Write-Look-Cover-Repeat.

2. Libby
Libby is a library app designed to give you access to ebooks and audiobooks in your local library's catalogue. So that means you can borrow hundreds of books and even language courses right now, for free, on your phone or tablet. Available for iOS, Android, and Windows 10.

3. Lingq (referral link)
After hearing so much high praise for Lingq from Shannon Kennedy on episode 65 of the show, Lingq got a well-deserved new mention. This app is designed to help you read any text in another language, and it remembers the words you study. Check it out as it might plug your gap.

Lindsay
1. Léa Knows App
This app takes words that you've looked up on google translate and automatically creates flashcards of them. It's out for Android and iOS, and will "proper plug the gap" if you're stuck on how to study all those new words you've looked up, for example during and after speaking practice.

2. Museum leaflets and other "bumf" from tourist attractions near you
Discover a museum near you and check out their leaflets in other languages. Perhaps there's even a walking tour so you can get reading and listening practice at the same time, and play around with the available languages.

3. FlowLingo
This app is for Spanish users, and gives you access to a huge library of online videos from cartoons to TED talks. You will be able to listen to the video and see the subtitles, and it even pairs with Duolingo. Great for Spanish learners who want to add more video to their routine. This app is out for Android and iOS

Sponsored By:

Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages

Links:

List of multilingual bands and artists - Wikipedia
'Despacito' wins big at 2017 Latin Grammy Awards - UPI.com
Podcast episode 62: Why is it so Hard to Find Pop Music in Other Languages?
FAQ | LatinGRAMMY.com — Which product can participate in the Latin GRAMMY?
Rak-Su perform their winning song with Wyclef Jean and Naughty Boy! | Final | The X Factor 2017 - YouTube
Playlist: Latin GRAMMY Song Of The Year — Some excellent tunes, and mostly not in English...
Clairefontaine Koverbook Vocab Notebook at Amazon.co.uk
Vocab Notebook for Amazon US users
Lea Knows - never forget a word again
Lingq - Learn Language in Context
Flowlingo - Learn Spanish by Reading Books & Watching TV
Libby, by OverDrive - an app for library ebooks and audiobooks
Dark | Netflix Official Site
Freundeskreis - Esperanto lyrics + English translation (Version #2)
National Museum of Anthropology in San Salvador - Travel guide to San Salvador
Readlang - Read, translate and supercharge your vocabulary
Toastmasters Podcast #127: Spanish Bilingual Podcast—Veronica Corona, CC
BBC - Vocab Extension — This is available for Welsh and Gaelic on BBC articles

Finding friends who love languages (with Chuck Smith) Dec 04, 2017

Show notes

These days, the Polyglot Gathering pulls in hundreds of language learners who share and enjoy community in the heart of Europe. A lot of this is thanks to Chuck's contributions, along with the wonderful Polyglot Gathering team.

This year, Chuck published his first language learning app, Amikumu.

What is Amikumu?

Want to text another person and ask them to meet up and practice a language...without looking creepy?

Amikumu will help you find people near you who love languages. The purpose of the app is to help you find people nearby to chat and meet up, and it supports the world's 7,000+ languages (including 100+ sign languages).

The idea for Amikumu came out of Chuck's love for the planned language Esperanto. It’s not a natural language choice, it’s a minority language. Why would anyone bother to learn?

Language Learning Apps

In recent episodes, we've covered language learning apps on a regular basis. If you have a smartphone and you live in the 21st century, they are an essential component of language learning. More and more developers are working on apps for language learning, and Chuck's experience stands out from the crowd: he is the creator of Duolingo's Esperanto course.

In our interview, Chuck explained how he came to work on Duolingo and why he loves gamified learning, how we can bring more soul into language learning apps...and why you could probably learn a language if you have three apps.

Check out Chuck's app recommendations in our link list below.

Special Guest: Chuck Smith.

Sponsored By:

Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages

Links:

Climbing Mount Language from Basecamp to Summit Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

Beware listeners: This episode contains a discussion of a few English swearwords, so if you are listening with kids please skip the first 20 minutes.

And on to what's in this show:

Language Stories: Lindsay has a new podcast, reporting back from her adventures around the language landscapes of cities like Montréal, New York, and more.

Even after 20 years of English, I still don't know all the words. We discuss an English slang word that was news to me.

Tip: The Psychology of Rewards

We discussed why and how you can reward yourself when you reach those study goals.

Language Learning Misconceptions

Here's the list we discussed on the show:

Children learn their first language effortlessly
Younger learners learn languages more easily than older learners
Intelligent people are better at learning languages
Immersion is the best way to learn a language
Grammar study is detrimental to second-language acquisition
Learning a second language hinders the development of the first language
Once a child can speak a language, the language-learning process is complete

Consider: All these ideas and beliefs are widespread, but none of them are true when taken at face value!

Sponsored By:

Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages

Links:

List of common misconceptions about language learning - Wikipedia
Stephen Krashen on Language Learning in the Polyglot Community — 1. Comprehensible input 2. Patience 3. No forced production (this is SO very much where schools go wrong)
What does choad mean? choad Definition. Meaning of choad. OnlineSlangDictionary.com
But WHY!!! Would You Learn a Language? Is Learning a Language Useful? by Fluent Language
New Podcast: Becky Morales on Perfect Pronunciation and Having 4 Bilingual Kids by Fluent Language
‘We’re told we’re anti-Welsh bigots and fascists’ – the storm over Welsh-first schooling | Education | The Guardian
Ignore the Guardian: A bilingual education is best for our children – Nation.Cymru
Language Stories — Lindsay's new podcast
Savage Lovecast
Amazon.com: Second Language Acquisition Myths: Applying Second Language Research to Classroom Teaching (9780472034987): Steven Brown, Jenifer Larson-Hall: Books
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) - IMDb

Gabriel Wyner is NOT a Robot (with Fluent Forever author Gabriel Wyner) Nov 06, 2017

Show notes

On this show, I spoke to Gabriel (Gabe) Wyner, a well known name to many language learners thanks to his bestselling book "Fluent Forever".

In this interview, you will get to know the story of "Fluent Forever", the approach he takes to language learning, and a little bit about what makes him tick as a person.

The theme I saw come through in Gabe's approach was that of engineering language learning to be as efficient and productive as it can possibly be. He's an engineer by trade and it shows in how he approaches language learning: find the problem, find a way to solve it, set, and go.

It made me curious about his human side, so we also discussed where he finds the joy in learning. Beyond the app, I also took the opportunity to ask Gabe about the inner monologue of self-doubt, and courage in creation and in language learning.
But that is not all we talked about...we also discussed what this app is all about

In our interview touched on..

how Gabe's own experience of creating over 45,000 (!) flash cards in Anki is going to make language learning so much more efficient
what it's like to have created a book that more than 120,000 people have read
why the Fluent Forever method started with pronunciation training...then progressed via word lists...and is now ready to take app-based learning to a new level
the big, obvious, annoying problem of using ready-made flashcards (this is why you won't remember words)
the place for apps in everyday language learning -- is immersion better than apps? is an app better than immersion? Do language learners have to do everything at the same time?
how the Fluent Forever has standing based on actual science (and a research book tip if you want to find out more)
what to do when you're too scared to start speaking to someone in your target language
a Q&A on learning two languages at the same time, where the Fluent Forever app is headed after its HUGE Kickstarter success, and what rewards there are for you when you pledge to support its big Crowdfunding campaign

Special Guest: Gabriel Wyner.

Sponsored By:

Fluent Forever on Indiegogo: If you're someone who has supported Kickstarter projects before, please check this one out and consider giving it your support.

Links:

The Fluent Forever App: *Think* in Any Language — Gabe's Indiegogo campaign
Learn a language fast and efficiently – Fluent Forever
Anki - powerful, intelligent flashcards
12 Ideas For Making the Perfect Language Learning App by Fluent Language
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear: Elizabeth Gilbert: 9781594634727: Amazon.com: Books
Language Book Club Live with Gabriel Wyner - YouTube — The last time I spoke to Gabe was in January 2015, when we discussed music, pronunciation, and language learning
Understanding Second Language Acquisition by Lourdes Ortega | Goodreads

Equality, Tea, and Spicing up your Language Learning Oct 22, 2017

Show notes

Words in the Wild: Equality and Tea

I've been out in the wild, seeing and discussing words in the English language, and in this episode I presented the best of them to Lindsay to discuss what they can reveal about us and about society.

First, we discussed social justice words. What really IS mansplaining? Is it just a word to describe any occasion when a man explains something to a woman? Or is there more to it?

What do you think of the social justice words like hepeating, mansplaining, manel, and the responding #notallmen and broflakes?

And our second word in the wild was tea - short and sweet, but is this even translateable?

Motivation Tips

Even though this is not Lindsay's average October of falling leaves and dropping temperatures, we took a deep dive into the season to discuss how you can get motivated for learning a language in autumn/fall.

Plus, we've got some absolute evergreen tips mixed in for you to help anyone learning a language by themselves. Learning a language by yourself is not always easy, and motivation is a huge challenge. There are so many interesting and exciting ways to get going, so here are some of our best:

You can read our full list of motivation tips in detail at www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/blog/podcast-episode-67

Little tip: Try our sponsor Clozemaster as your new app addiction. Get it done in the morning, and you'll be set for the day.

Sponsored By: