191: Do you use apps for language learning?

In this episode, I speak with Alex Rawlings about his new book: How To Speak Any Language Fluently. Episode Summary: Alex's upbringing with languages Did he learn languages quickly because he was a kid? How an 11-language test was administered to Alex in 2012 The process of writing a book Advice to bloggers wanting to write a book Working at Memrise.com Is it really possible to improve the way people learn languages? Alex's favourite advice from the book Resources Mentioned In Today's Episode:   How To Speak Any Language Fluently - Alex Rawlings AlexRawlings.co.uk - Alex's Website ReadLang - tool for reading online 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 reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

25 Syys 201749min

Neil asks: "Should I use triangulation to learn French?" Episode Summary: On today's podcast: Episode 014: Can you use one language to learn another? Episode 106: How useful is laddering? "Triangulation" - also know as laddering or bridging The big questions: My Spanish is B2 level. Is now the right time to learn French? Yes, I'd say so Will I lose Spanish once I go back to French? This is a valid concern However, it will never be "lost" There will likely be a period of needing to "recalibrate" his Spanish in a world that now includes French Should I work on both languages together, so as to develop the ability to keep both languages separate in my mind? Not at first The principle learning challenge is to learn French (not to maintain Spanish) Therefore, he'll need to approach learning French with as much dedication as if it were his first foreign language Once he's reached a conversational level in French, then it'll be time to learn to use it at the same time as Spanish Resources mentioned in today's episode: Glossika Custom Course Builder - learn one language through another 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 reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

21 Syys 201721min

Max asks: "What are the benefits of monolingual flashcards?" Episode Summary: Today's podcast: Monolingual flashcards at the beginner / intermediate level Challenge the assumption that you should create monolingual flashcards - how else can you be using the time? Do not use monolingual flashcards to learn the meaning of vocabulary: Definitions Example sentences Instead, use flashcards to practise your output - i.e. choosing the appropriate word and recalling it quickly Big danger: You quickly "learn" the cards, and the exercise stops being useful. Make sure you're not deceiving yourself about the benefits. For this reason, I would avoid creating cards with e.g.: Definitions Complete the dialogue How I might approach monolingual flashcards myself: Don't see it as a "testing" mechanism, but rather a "retrieval" mechanism - i.e. use the technology to help you see the vocabulary more often. Some thoughts: Close deletion (but how soon until you "learn the card"?) Learning Chinese characters A deck of synonyms... perhaps... but how do you scale? Mine Google for example sentences with a particular word, and simply build your flashcard decks with that Question and answer cards - don't test yourself, but simply use it as a mechanism of "repeating" the vocabulary as much as possible so you get more exposure My essential point... if you want to go "monolingual", then just do that... no need to use up your time with flashcards Resources mentioned in today's episode: Make Words Stick - my complete guide to using flashcards to learn and memorise vocabulary in a foreign language Skritter - a great app for learning Chinese characters Episode 188: What are the benefits of monolingual flashcards? Episode 213: Conversation with Gabe Wyner 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 reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

19 Syys 201720min

In this episode I chat with Gabriel Wyner about his language learning background and new Kickstarter project. Episode Summary: Gabe's linguistic background His experience on the Middlebury immersion programmes How the book Fluent Forever came about What’s the link between his previous language learning, and his method with flashcards What languages is he working on right now? The new Kickstarter project To read Gabe's interesting blog post response to my episode (188) on monolingual flashcards click here: https://fluent-forever.com/why-monolingual-flashcards/ Kickstarter Details: If you'd like to support Gabe's Kickstarter project, please mark the following start date in your calendar: September 19th, 4pm UK time (11am EST) Visit: kickstarter.fluent-forever.com 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 reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

15 Syys 201749min

Olga asks: "How should I use all my free time this summer?" Episode Summary: Managing 3-4 foreign languages Why focusing on one is a good idea How to "live" the languages you already speak well   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 reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

12 Syys 201710min

Aral asks: "What's the best way to organise my vocabulary notebook?" Episode Summary: Housekeeping: Upcoming guests New French Book Conversations British Sign Language course Today's podcast: How valuable is the time you're spending organising a vocabulary notebook? What's the value of a vocabulary notebook in and of itself? Does it help? The big question: Will you ever look at it again? Some people recommend keeping exhaustive notebooks with every conceivable detail about the new word, organising thematically, etc... I've tried all this before, but it's too slow! Steve Kaufmann's thinking: How are you going to cover enough new vocabulary to make progress, if you spend so much time on each individual word? My 80/20 of vocabulary notebooks: Get your vocabulary from rich, compelling context (reading, listening, speaking) Write things down if you find it helpful Choose only the most useful words and learn them using your favourite process Resources mentioned in today's episode: Bulletproof Memory Email Course - free email course to help improve your memory https://youtu.be/3voBSKr9Sl4 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 reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

7 Syys 201716min

This weekend, I was in Montreal for LangFest 2017. Since then, many friends have been asking me how it was. So, in this episode, I answer that question publicly. Episode Summary: Many people from the Community traveled from far and wide to attend the conference It's great to take a few days to step away and think about language and language learning with calm... it's inspiring My talk on memory Stephen Krashen, Steve Kaufmann and comprehensible input Does comprehensible input or conscious learning result in skill building? Story and graded readers The theme emerging from speakers that stuck with me was that of "compelling input" and "passion" ... nothing new, but the extent of the emphasis was a good reminder of what matters italki I personally found this a great boost for my work with graded readers Montreal is a great, cosmopolitan city, despite taxes, tips and crazy weather Alex Rawlings gave a great talk in which he parodied language learning methods I had some great meetings with Stephen Krashen and Teach Yourself Caught up with Richard and Alex, had good time to chat with Benny and Steve Kaufmann Organising a conference is a LOT of work Resources mentioned in today's episode: LangFest 2017 - conference website Stephen D Krashen - website with articles, books and more 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 reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

29 Elo 201714min

Michael asks: "How can I listen to older podcast episodes?" Episode Summary: I've recently changed the settings in my podcast feed to display the maximum number of old episodes You can find all previous episodes on the website - simply navigate to the "podcast" tab Today's Quote: Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity. - Thor Heyerdahl 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 reach other aspiring language learners out there! See you in the next episode of the I Will Teach You A Language podcast!

17 Elo 201712min