I Will Teach You A Language | Weekly Motivation And Language Learning Tips To Help You Become Fluent In Any Language

Myles asks: "Where can I find audio with transcripts?" Episode Summary: Why listening is important, and why transcripts matter Considerations for beginners, intermediate and advanced The trouble finding good material Resources that are unhelpful: YouTube videos Movies Radio Podcasts Resources I consider helpful: Graded readers with audiobooks (with caveats) FluentU, Easy Languages, etc (with caveats) Persist with native speaker resources that really interest you Podcasts for language learners with transcripts (mostly for English learners) Random language blogs and products I have hired people to transcribe material I like in the past Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: IWTYAL 185: How to make your sentences less English The Big Listening Con - Why Most Listening Practice Material Isn't Fit For Purpose  Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a q

In this episode, I chat with Dr Barbara Oakley about her fascinating career in languages and learning. Episode Summary: For the full notes accompanying this episode, please see this post.   Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could… Share the episode using the social media buttons around you Leave an honest review and rating of the podcast on iTunes (click here to do that) iTunes reviews in particular really help the rankings of the podcast and help me to r

Kyle asks: "What are some good careers using languages?" Episode Summary: My experience using languages abroad Careers where you're likely to have opportunities to use your languages The reality of "language jobs" Designing your ideal life with languages at the centre Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: An insightful video from Steve Kaufmann about careers with languages: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIRef1BryPM   Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you

Welcome to episode 200 of the podcast! For this landmark episode, I decided to invite two of my favourite language podcasters to come together for a cosy fireside chat: Kris from the Actual Fluency Podcast Kerstin from the Creative Language Learning Podcast Episode Summary: This episode is a long, unstructured conversation, in which we discuss topics of personal importance to us. The include: What we really think about language learning? What we are trying to achieve with our websites? Do we practise what we preach? The sound quality isn't always great, I'm afraid, due to a less-than-ideal Skype connection, but hopefully that won't prevent you from enjoying the episode! Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the

In this exciting episode, I speak with Sue Hart, the publisher who persuaded Michel Thomas to release his famous language courses to the world. Episode Summary: Note: The full summary notes for this episode can be found here. Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could… Share the episode using the social media buttons around you Leave an honest review and rating of the podcast on iTunes (click here to do that) iTunes reviews in particular really help the rank

In today's episode, Olly and Jan discuss the naked truth about traveling abroad for language immersion. Episode Summary: Why it's important to travel to the right place Speaking a foreign language among friends Filming interactions with the locals Forming friendships in a specific language Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could… Share the episode using the social media buttons around you Leave an honest review and rating of the podcast on iTunes (click he

In today's episode, Olly and Jan discuss how we make our travel videos. Use these tips to improve your own holiday films! Episode Summary: The importance of story What do you talk about? The "start of the day" process Do you need a professional camera? Recording good audio How to edit the smart way Equipment & Resources Mentioned: Here's the (very affordable) equipment we use to make all our videos: iPhone6 Plus - a state of the art camera in your pocket Sony Cybershot - one of the best compact cameras to travel with Rode smartLav+ - fantastic clip-on mic for your smartphone Screenflow - great, powerful video editing software for Mac YouTube Audio Library - free music to add to your videos Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, p

Today's episode comes from Playa del Carmen in Mexico! Episode Summary: We chat about our mission to Mexico and what we're up to Follow along the adventure with daily videos on YouTube and Instagram Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could… Share the episode using the social media buttons around you Leave an honest review and rating of the podcast on iTunes (click here to do that) iTunes reviews in particular really help the rankings of the podcast and hel

Ali asks: "How do you remember the gender of nouns?" Episode Summary: Unfortunately, noun genders just have to be remembered At first it seems like an impossible task, but keep going, and you will start to know instinctively which is which You will inevitably make some mistakes, but you will be forgiven! If you use mnemonics, try creating some way of visualising the gender of the word In practice, you can guess the gender of many words using generalised rules (see below) Interestingly, the gender of words can vary between romance languages. For example, "planet": la planète (Fr), el planeta (Es) Examples in French, taken from the French Your Way site: The following words are generally masculine: Nouns ending in “_sme” Example : le communisme, le capitalisme, le marasme Nouns ending in « _et » Examples : un ticket, un garçonnet Nouns ending in « _euil » Example : le cerfeuil (chervil), un écureuil, un fauteuil, un cerceuil (coffin) The following words are generally feminine: Nouns ending in « _tié” Exampl

Joe asks: "I study so much, I worry that I'm being inefficient." Episode Summary: It's important to make a distinction between "study" and "practice" What do you spend your time doing? There's a risk you are planted firmly in study mode, in which case wasting your time is a danger... There's only so much new information your brain can take in in one day, so in that sense, you certainly do get diminishing returns after a certain amount of "study" However, you can never spend too much time in the company of the language I would suggest you experiment with spending no more than one hour a day on focused study, and instead try to consume French with real activities: speaking with people, reading books, watching TV Create an immersion environment for yourself, based on the things you enjoy the most You won't get the same sense of daily progress, but you'll be priming yourself for a transformation in your French abilities! Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Follow my "Immersion Trip" to Mexico by subscribin

Paul asks: "What do you think of the ESL industry?" Episode Summary: I taught English as a foreign language for year, and enjoyed it immensely CELTA is a wonderful course and I highly recommend it There are a number of tensions between independent language learning and classroom teaching The challenge for ESL teachers is how best to teach a classroom of 10-20 people who come for a few hours a week Language learning ideology usually goes out the window when faced with the reality of a classroom and a language school Nevertheless, you can have a hugely positive impact on people's lives, and enrich your own life at the same time Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Thanks

Syawal asks: "How can I give better presentations in a foreign language?" Episode Summary: With public speaking, you have to detangle the challenges of the presentation itself, with the language you use Presentations in your mother tongue can ofter leave you nervous and rambling It depends how much you want to prepare, and how much time you have The problem is similar to writing in a foreign language, and relates to how well you can express yourself in more formal language Method 1: Make sure you have a solid command of the specific vocabulary you need, then ad lib on the day Method 2: Prepare word-for-word what you'll say in certain parts of the talk Today's Quote: Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle. - Napoleon Hill Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here

Saud asks: "Do you use apps for language learning?" Episode Summary: Because technology is always being promoted as making our lives more efficient, many people are tempted to look to apps to speed up the language learning process All my opinions about apps are formed in the light of the fact that I remember what language learning was like before the internet Nothing will ever be as effective as you, a good book, a pen and a paper The critical mistakes that apps make is to try to offer a new learning methodology The role of technology in language learning should be to help you consume learning material more efficiently The criteria for judging an app should be: "Does it help me do more efficiently something I was already doing?" Before the internet: Hard to access texts, audio on tapes was inefficient to listen to, everything has to be stored manually on paper, native speakers inaccessible After the internet: Texts are freely available, you can manipulate audio easily, you have data entry on your phone, nati

Miki asks: "How should I teach Japanese on iTalki?" Episode Summary: Firstly, be honest about what you are offering and your experience level If you have no experience, you can still help Japanese learners a lot Begin as a "community tutor" and offer conversation lessons so you can get experience Have an honest talk with the student about what they're looking for an how you can help. Ask questions like: What are you looking for? How would you like me to help? Do you want me to correct your mistakes, or let you talk? The most important skill you have to develop as a teacher is the ability to listen As the student is speaking, make notes of common mistakes, look for patterns - are they making the same mistake all the time? Let the student talk as much as possible, and try to encourage them to speak (that's what most people want), make them feel amazing! Every now and again, stop, and show the student what kind of mistakes they have been making (be selective), or opportunities to improve At the end of the le

Begum asks: "Should I learn Spanish or Japanese?" Episode Summary: What's your criteria for learning a new language? Always choose the language you're most passionate about Never learn a language because you think it will be easy...it won't! Some questions I've been dealing with lately! Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Check out the new intro and outro on the show! Huge thanks to Jorge de Lima for helping with those! (Find him on LinkedIn) Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out

Charlotte asks: "What's your opinion on removing English from flashcards altogether? Episode Summary: Arguments for having flashcards entirely in the target language: Avoid translation Learn to think in the target language Increased exposure to target language "Learn like a child" Arguments for having pictures on your flashcards: Visual memory is stronger than auditory memory Wyner: "It’s much easier to learn a word off of a picture card you’ve made yourself than off of a translation card you downloaded in someone else’s deck." = false equivalence My response to this: Translation is inevitable, and also very useful! (The more languages I acquire, the more I use contrastive analysis to learn faster.) Parallels with learning like children are misguided - we're not children, we have study skills Flashcards entirely in the target language are soon "learnt", thereby negating the benefit of any increased exposure. Visuals are helpful, but are so time consuming as to make the creation of flashcards a burden

In this episode, I chat with Mark Pentleton from Coffee Break Italian about the UK podcast awards! Episode Summary: The UK podcast awards Coffee Break Italian's nomination Filming behind the scenes How Coffee Break got started Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: https://youtu.be/vTgrwPliQmY Coffee Break Italian on iTunes Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section below! If you’d like to help me out, then I’d love it if you could… Share the episode using the social media buttons around you Leave an honest review and rat

Quinton asks: "How can I prepare for my trip to China?" Episode Summary: What's the unique opportunity you'll have on your trip? Most likely, it's speaking, and the chance to speak a lot to people If you study characters, there's no particular benefit to being in China Take iTalki lessons every day and build up your speaking muscle Potentially find people to meet and practise with in advance Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: IWTYAL 153: Tips for learning languages abroad Start Speaking Today: I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, visit: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/italkishownotes   Do you have a question? Ask me your language learning questions by clicking here, and I’ll do my best to feature it on the show! Also, please subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the podcast! If you’ve got any comments about the show then please leave them in the “comments” section be

Meg asks: "How can I make my Russian sentences less English?" Episode Summary: The challenge you're facing is learning to express ideas the way a Russian would It's not just a linguistic thing - it's a cultural thing. Compare: Good Morning / おはようございます There's no shortcut to doing this - it's a long, gradual process If you want to express yourself like a Russian, you need to spend a lot of time with Russian - listening, reading, speaking The process you need to practise is how to take an idea, and construct a sentence the way a Russian would. In order to achieve this, any exercise that helps you slow down the process and get feedback on your efforts can be helpful. Try: Reverse translation (see below) Your teacher can ask you: "How do you say ___ in Russian?" and then correct you Talk to yourself in Russian as you walk around the house But ultimately, a lot of listening and reading is the best policy! Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode: Russian Short Stories for Beginners - Olly Richards & Alex Ra

Andy asks: "Why am I still a beginner?" In this episode: Asian languages can take a long time to get used to 6 months seems to be the length of time it takes to become familiar with a new language If you're not seeing progress, you need to increase the frequency and depth of your learning Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Olly's YouTube channel - subscribe for regular videos from Hong Kong! Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. iTalki is the best place online to connect with affordable and effective native speakers teachers and tutors. To claim your free lesson and start speaking today, simply visit: