501: The real reason I wrote my language story books

Sergio asks: "Is it a good idea to add audio to my flashcards?" In this episode: Why audio and images are helpful to remember vocabulary The benefits of adding audio to your flashcards Memrise.com The tradeoff in terms of time Why I don't do it personally 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 be such a great way to commemorate the 100th episode, and provide motivation for all of you out there learning languages on your own. If you'd like to participate, please click the link below and leave a short message including the following information: Name Where you're from The ONE thing you've learned from the show

22 Mar 201611min

Zena asks: "I spoke fluent Chinese as a child, but I've since forgotten it. How can I resurrect it?" In this episode: If you spoke another language as a child, how much you will remember as an adult How to reconnect with the language Finding out what resources you used to like as a child How to approach resurrecting the language How to approach learning an Asian language Today's Featured Resource: 111 Mandarin Chinese Resources You Wish You Knew - My EPIC Chinese resource page 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: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 Mar 201612min

Pete asks: "I'm learning Portuguese, should I watch movies with subtitles?" In this episode: Why movies are not a useful learning strategy for beginners What to do instead 10 ways to make the most out of movies: Try to find movies that you’ve already seen, but dubbed into your target language Watch the same movie over and over, rather than a new one each time. Turn off the subtitles! Don’t stop and start the movie to look things up in the dictionary. Instead, you can keep a notebook next to you and jot down words and phrases that catch your attention. Whatever you do, watch things you enjoy! If you can find the script for a movie you like, move heaven and earth to get it! Whilst watching, try to engage with the story line. If you do understand something that’s said, repeat it aloud Watch TV series rather than movies.

15 Mar 201614min

Pete asks: "I'm learning Portuguese, how can I avoid translating in my head?" In this episode: Translation is inevitable It's a useful strategy as a beginner Translation stops being useful as you move to higher levels, and you're dealing with nuances in the language which often don't have translations Stopping translating in your head is something that happens naturally over time Tips for moving away from translation: Be happy with a certain level of ambiguity in the language - fixating on understanding every word is counterproductive Look for patterns and phrases in the language, write them down, notice them being used in different contexts, the begin to use them yourself Deal in phrases and sentences, not single words When watching movies etc, relax and be present with the language, don't try to understand everything Spend time on all four skills </ul

10 Mar 201615min

Isabelle asks: "I'm about to enter a very busy period of final exams. How can I keep up my Mandarin during this period?" In this episode: The good thing about having a finite period of "busyness" The less pressure the better - results in more learning I suggest picking ONE thing, and doing only that during the whole busy period This could be: have two speaking sessions a week, watch one episode of a TV drama every evening, learn 5 new Chinese characters every morning Resources Featured In Today's Episode: Study Hacks for Busy People - my collection of resources for learning languages under pressure! Triumph in the Skies - my favourite Hong Kong TV series 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: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!

8 Mar 20169min

Freddie asks: "I'm a professional English translator and interpreter living in Portugal. However, learning Portuguese is detracting from my English...what should I do?" In this episode: Freddie's aims are very different English is his professional obligation, while Portuguese is simply the local language Is there a big rush to learn Portuguese? I suggest deciding exactly how much time needs to be spend on English every day, and allocating that time strictly Resources Featured In Today's Episode: Core Study Time in Language Learning - in this post I describe how to organise your language study time every day Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalki for supporting the show. <a href="http:/

3 Mar 201610min

Nicolas asks: "I'd like to help my mother learn English. What's the best way to do that?" In this episode: First of all, Nicolas' mum needs to find a good English textbook that she likes Then she should get a basic study goal every day ... e.g. 2 pages a day However, it's not all about the studying - motivation is also extremely important Make it fun by speaking to her in simple English Ask her to name objects in English, start watching English movies, even buy her a cookery book in English There's no rush, so keep it fun and keep her motivated! Resources Featured In Today's Episode: Free eBook: 10 Essential Tech Resources for Smart Language Learners Are you new to the podcast? Here's where to follow Olly for more language tips... Follow Olly on Periscope: <a href="http://peri

1 Mar 201613min

Masoud asks: "For me, language learning has always been an unconscious experience. Studying just shuts me down." In this episode: We discuss the topic of episode 57, which is whether extensive listening is helpful for language learning. Specifically: The differences between children and adults learning languages The advantages of time that children have Whether children learn efficiently or not Why adults can't replicate the conditions enjoyed by children What they can best do instead Resources Featured In Today's Episode: Definitely check out episode 57 of the podcast for some useful context to this episode: http://iwillteachyoualanguage.com/episode57 Start speaking today I’d like to thank iTalki for

25 Feb 201614min