The Fluent Show

Latest Episodes:

Bilingual Episode: Meet My Language Teacher Dafydd (Fearlessly Speaking Welsh) Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

"I never drop anything entirely. It's always still there in the background."

In today's episode, I have brought on my very own language teacher! Dafydd Morse is a Welsh-Maths-Baking-Everything tutor and learning enthusiast from Wales.

We'll chat about

Dafydd's own background growing up bilingually in Wales
Why it's important to Dafydd to pass on the Welsh language to his own children
Daf's love of learning and the one language he tried that didn't work out at all
What types of Welsh learners there are, and how you can become successful as a learner of any language

Bilingual Episode

You've been asking for a bilingual Welsh episode, and finally here it is!

I took the opportunity to ask Dafydd a few questions in Welsh in this episode. You will hear him reply in Welsh and conduct the conversation like that for a few minutes. I summarize in English afterwards. If you are not a Welsh learner, don't worry as we'll always switch back to English.

Here I always like to remember what the late Ron Gullekson from Language Surfer told me: "in a new language, I like to get uncomfortable as early as possible." So enjoy the challenge and enjoy the practice!

Where do you listen?
Take a photo of where you're listening to the Fluent Show and share it on social media to say hello! Here's where you can tag me:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thefluentshow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/kerstin_fluent/ and #thefluentshow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fluentlanguage

Thank you to Popi for this episode introduction.

Love the show? Rate & Review it here

Special Guest: Dafydd Morse.

Links:

Daf's Instagram — Learn baking from the highlights! 🍞
Dafydd Morse - YouTube
The untranslatable word that connects Wales - BBC Travel
Fluent Language Mastermind — My new mastermind is a growth programme for dedicated language learners - check it out and apply now!
Learn Welsh online with Dafydd on italki
Learn Welsh with this course for language dabblers

The Hidden Cost of Cheap & Easy Language Learning Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

We've never had it so good, have we? Language instruction is easily available these days through apps, social media, and teaching platforms. And it's so affordable ...if not entirely free!
Sounds great, right?
Well, just like every other big global industry "disruption", things aren't so simple with this one either.

In today's podcast episode, we bring you a deep dive into that Boston Review article called "Who Pays for Cheap Language Instruction?"

We discuss:

working conditions of language teachers and course creators
how the apps profit from language learners
what the tutoring market is like for teachers from different parts of the world
why this is weakening the language learning industry
what you can do about this right now

"We have put up with “products” inspired less by linguistic justice than by game design.
We have acquiesced to corporate cognitive-science experiments that harvest and mold our habits as data
When it comes to acquiring languages, we have learned to ignore our agency, our sense of ethics and social justice, even as we have flexed these same faculties to support a bookstore or a clothing company.
Simply put, we have consented to being the consumers that the language industry wants us to be.

Where do you listen?
Take a photo of where you're listening to the Fluent Show and share it on social media to say hello! Here's where you can tag me:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thefluentshow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/kerstin_fluent/ and #thefluentshow

Love the show? Rate & Review it here

Links:

Ending & honoring our volunteer Contributor program — A listener supplied this article to show that Duolingo no longer has volunteer course creators. Thanks!
My Bonuses for Lindsay Williams' Online Teaching Starter Kit — Aspiring language teachers: Navigate the online teaching world in the best possible way with Lindsay's Online Teaching Starter Kit and click here to secure my Bonus Pack while you're at it!
Duolingo Events — Make up your own mind about this one 😞(while they take 20%)

Elle Charisse: Escape from New York Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

Elle Charisse is a language podcaster (she hosts Speaking Tongues), language lover, and foodie. She's a New York woman through and through!

We discuss

why and how life in New York is different from the movie version we're often sold
how to engage with New York's wealth of languages and native speakers respectfully
what a "woman of the world" is and who the most glamorous woman in Elle's life is
how reading books, learning languages, and eating food from other places all gives us that happy escapist buzz

If you want to hear more episodes with a fantastic New York woman, check out my previous guest Ellen Jovin. Click here to see more about Ellen

Love the show? Rate & Review it here
Where do you listen?
Take a photo of where you're listening to the Fluent Show and share it on social media to say hello! Here's where you can tag me:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thefluentshow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/kerstin_fluent/ and #thefluentshow

Special Guest: Elle Charisse.

Links:

My Courses
Arthur Avenue | Little Italy in the Bronx, New York
DREI WETTER TAFT 1989 - YouTube — Wow, a woman of the world

Top Tools: Online Language Teacher Edition Jun 21, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to a special edition of the Fluent Show favourite top tools segment, and this time we're discussing the most useful online tools and tricks for language teachers.

If you're familiar with Top Tools, you might know we try to leave out the most obvious ones and go straight to the practical tools that you might never have heard of. But with this being a first special edition for teachers, allow us to introduce each tool in the context of its wider theory.

Want to cut straight to the top tools discussion? Go to timestamp 14:28

Here are the Top Tool nominations

Listen to the show to find out which ones we chose as the three must-haves.

TidyCal, an online scheduler you can use to cut out going back and forth on emails while you try to schedule lessons and appointments with your students.
Get $10 credit on Appsumo with this referral link.
ThriveCart, a payment gateway that allows you to sell anything you like, set up memberships, add students to your courses and more
Get to know Thrivecart (affiliate link)
ConvertKit, an email newsletter software that allows you to create sign-up forms, send out branded email to lots of people, and grow your audience.
Get free space for your first 1000 subscribers with this referral link.
Zoom breakout rooms, where you can easily organise group work, networking, chat meet-ups, language practice, language exchanges and more.
Lindsay's video on Zoom for online teaching
Zapier, the workflow "middleman" between all the different services you use online. Zapier can do SO MUCH. For example, save student assignment files into cloud storage, upload notes to course areas, add new bookings through your booking system to your email list, get a text when an appointment is about to start, back up your social media posts...there's a lot on offer!
Look at what Zapier can do here
Canva, the web and app based design solution for any quick graphics you need. From your logo to your next workbook, Canva has you covered.
Get a free premium element on canva with my referral link.

Love the show? Rate & Review it here

Sponsored By:

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

Links:

How We Found Our Teaching Styles: Kate Fisher & Karina Thorne Jun 14, 2021

Show notes

In this podcast episode, you're going to meet two independent online teachers who decided to build their businesses in unique and interesting ways:

Kate teaches, coaches, and creates materials for English language learners, and she's a fellow podcaster. Karina organises online writing experiences for English Language teachers so they can share their personal stories with confidence.

Listen to this interview to learn more about

Kate & Karina's paths to online teaching
Creating and promoting a unique lesson structure and approach to teaching a language
The role of friendship and a support system for online language teachers

Love the show? Rate & Review it here
Note: I mixed up Karina and Kate's bios slightly at 08:00-08:30 in this episode, the above is the correct version.

Support the Fluent Show on Patreon to get access to extra interview questions and extended show notes.

Special Guests: Karina Thorne and Kate Fisher.

Sponsored By:

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

Links:

Share Your Story - Making Connections Across Languages with — --you need a previously purchased Women in Language 2021 ticket to view this video--
Fluent Show Live 🔴🔈 Language Learning Podcast - Clubhouse — Join me live on Clubhouse for a bonus episode on 19 June
Crack the Grammar Code — This course is open for enrolment 14-18 June 2021
Podthon.com | A Virtual Speakers Roundtable for Podcasters — Curious about podcasting? Here for a diverse, inclusive, inspiring online event? Then you MUST join Podthon! Oh, and I'm speaking there too!
Learn Podcasting with me in my course Podcasting 101
Conversations With Kate — Kate's podcast
Grow Your Stories From Seeds Workshop - May 2021 - YouTube
Obrigada Brasil! - YouTube — Karina's video poems on YouTube

Language Coaching Flowchart — **What is Language Coaching?** Jun 07, 2021
Show notes

If you are solo learning a language and want to feel confident and fluent, and make language a part of your life, you may feel stuck at some points along the way

Bored and frustrated with the methods you're currently using

Unable to progress no matter how hard you work

Unable to experience the results that you've been working so hard for

Language Coaching is a service that helps you make the most of your learning journey. It’s designed for people who are serious about their goals and committed to achieving them

In this episode, you're going to learn more about language coaching and what it can do for you.

Find out

Why you would need a language coach

How working with a coach can help you figure out your best way to learn a language

How to get the most out of your language coaching sessions

How to approach investing in your work with a language coach

Check out the links below for more podcast episodes that help you understand what language coaching is all about.

**Where do you listen?**
Take a photo of where you're listening to the Fluent Show and share it on social media to say hello! Here's where you can tag me:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thefluentshow

Instagram: http://instagram.com/kerstin_fluent/ and #thefluentshow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fluentlanguage

*Thank you to Marissa for this episode introduction.*

Love the show? Rate & Review it here

Sponsored By:

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

Links:

Language Coaches: What They Are and How to Work With Them by Fluent Language

Graphic: Mentoring, Coaching & Teaching compared

My Language Coaching Page — Learn more about language coaching and how I work 1:1 with people

Multilingual Marissa (@multilingualmarissa) • Instagram photos and videos

Clozemaster App Review: Learn Language in Context

Teaching Twi on Clubhouse with Afua Abrafi May 31, 2021

Show notes

My guest for today's episode is somebody I met on a brand new app! No, it's not a dating app. It is the new social media app called Clubhouse.

There's a huge global audience of people on Clubhouse and you can join in, listen in and sometimes even speak hundreds of languages, including the language that we're focusing today: Twi!

Twi is spoken in Ghana, and my expert guest Afua Abrafi has been teaching it for many years. She was born in Ghana herself, and is passionate about helping the African diaspora learn African languages. In today's podcast, Afua shares why she is so passionate about languages, how she became fluent in Dutch in a very short time, and what led her to start teaching the Twi language to people around the world.

Where do you listen?
Take a photo of where you're listening to the Fluent Show and share it on social media to say hello! Here's where you can tag me:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thefluentshow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/kerstin_fluent/ and #thefluentshow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fluentlanguage

Thank you to my guest Afua for this episode introduction.

Love the show? Rate & Review it here

Special Guest: Afua Abrafi.

Sponsored By:

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

Links:

Twi language, alphabet and pronunciation
Explore African Language - Clubhouse
Home - Speak Twi
Becca - African Woman [Official Video] - YouTube
Daddy Lumba - Aben Wo Aha (Audio Slide) - YouTube
Ghana - The World Factbook
The Ghanaian Language School
The Fluent Show: Bilingual Podcast! The Biggest African Languages / Les Plus Grandes Langues d'Afrique [with Khady Ndoye]
twi : Wikitongues.org — Samples of twi recorded by volunteers for Wikitongues

Top 5 Tips for Starting a Career as an Online Language Teacher May 24, 2021

Show notes

You love languages and you want to spend your whole life around them. Ever thought about teaching?

Teaching languages online is a realistic and interesting career choice. You could start a freelance career or even create your very own business. In today's episode, I'm answering the top five questions about being an online teacher plus some bonus tips you can use too!

I am short of intros! Record your intro using Vocaroo and send me the link. You can speak any language you like. Just say your name, where you're from, which language you're speaking and "you're listening to the Fluent Show"

Want a little more support?

You can book a whole day with me here: Mobile Mentoring with Kerstin

Don't miss these two Fluent Show episodes:
How Can We Make Online Lessons Less Exhausting?
and
Where and How to Start Teaching Online

Where do you listen?
Take a photo of where you're listening to the Fluent Show and share it on social media to say hello! Here's where you can tag me:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thefluentshow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/kerstin_fluent/ and #thefluentshow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fluentlanguage

Thank you to Bonnie for this episode introduction.

Love the show? Rate & Review it here

Sponsored By:

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

Links:

The Best Song in Europe: We 💜 Eurovision May 17, 2021

Show notes

Many cultural highlights were lost in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. One that's particularly close to our hearts here at the Fluent Show was the Eurovision Song Contest.

One year on, the event is back ON and Lindsay and I meet to bring you a colourful podcast episode celebrating all the magical things about the Eurovision Song Contest.

1) The history of Eurovision and of singing non-English songs

2) A preview of what's on this year

3) What we love about Eurovision - from a language learner's perspective and a wider perspective

4) Ideas for using Eurovision as a talking point for lessons/exchanges

5) Our Fluent Show Eurovision QUIZ

--> See you at #EuroLangParty on Twitter!

Where do you listen?
Take a photo of where you're listening to the Fluent Show and share it on social media to say hello! Here's where you can tag me:

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thefluentshow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/kerstin_fluent/ and #thefluentshow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fluentlanguage

Love the show? Rate & Review it here

Sponsored By:

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

Links:

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga | Netflix Official Site
The Fluent Show: Why is it so Hard to Find Pop Music in Other Languages?
[The Fluent Show: Is "Natural Language Learning" even a thing?](https://www.fluent.show/170 "The Fluent Show: Is "Natural Language Learning" even a thing?")
Eurovision Song Contest
What is the Eurovision Song Contest? - CBBC Newsround
Eurovision Song Contest - Wikipedia
Eurovision is letting language learners down by Fluent Language — Kerstin had opinions about Eurovision and languages 8 years ago too
How English is the Eurovision Song Contest? | Eurovision | The Guardian
['Parlez-vous "Eurovision"?': Language and Lyrics at Eurovision 2021](https://www.aussievision.net/post/parlez-vous-eurovision-language-and-lyrics-at-eurovision-2021 "'Parlez-vous "Eurovision"?': Language and Lyrics at Eurovision 2021")
How it works - Eurovision Song Contest
27 MEMORABLE EUROVISION MOMENTS - YouTube
Verka Serduchka - Ukraine - Helsinki 2007 - Eurovision Song Contest
Donatan & Cleo - My Słowianie - We Are Slavic (Poland) 2014 LIVE Eurovision Grand Final - Eurovision Song Contest

Learning & Teaching with a Visual Impairment with Holly Jensen May 10, 2021

Show notes

Holly Jensen has studied Spanish, German, Arabic, French and Russian. She is an online English teacher.
Holly is also blind. 👩‍🦯
In today's podcast interview, Holly shares her language life as a blind person. It was a super interesting interview and I'm so appreciative of Holly for suggesting the topic.

Better Listening is for Everyone

Holly shared in the interview that her superior listening skills have helped her. She can easily copy sounds and learn pronunciation, and she is a teacher appreciated for her fantastic abilities to teach accent in English.

Teaching Online has Opened Doors for Holly

It was difficult at first for Holly to get a job doing the teaching work that she loves, and it is common for blind people to struggle to access employment opportunities worldwide. Finding access to online teaching has helped Holly realise her career goals and work with students around the world.

Most Students Build Trust Over Time

Holly's students are sometimes nervous about having a blind teacher, but over time most build a good relationship with her and it doesn't stand in their way anymore.

Listen to the interview today to get to know Holly and enjoy her open and positive attitude to life.

Thank you for listening to the Fluent Show! If you enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting the show by leaving a review in your podcast app or becoming a member of our Patreon community

Love the show? Rate & Review it here

Special Guest: Holly Jensen.

Sponsored By: