093: Is culture important in language learning?

Thiago asks: "I'm learning Japanese. How important is it for me to learn the culture?"

In this episode:

• Why language and culture are inextricably linked
• Why you can't learn a language to a high level without familiarity with the culture
• However, if basic communication is your main aim, you don't need to be culturally literate
• You can get to a basic level of conversation in the language without knowing about the culture

Today's Featured Resource:

• Does Language Influence Culture? - A fascinating article from the Wall Street Journal

100th Episode Special!

Help me create an amazing feature for the 100th episode! I'd like to create a montage of voices of podcast listeners from around the world, all giving one piece of language advice they've learned from the show. This would