089: How can I resurrect a childhood language?
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 ...
17 Mar 201612min
088: Should I watch movies with subtitles?
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 o...
15 Mar 201614min
087: How to avoid translating in your head
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 mov...
10 Mar 201615min
086: How to study during a busy period
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...
8 Mar 20169min
085: How should I allocate time to different languages?
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 aim...
3 Mar 201610min
084: How can I teach my mother English?
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 sho...
1 Mar 201613min
083: Shouldn't language learning be unconscious?
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 listeni...
25 Feb 201614min
082: The truth about flashcards and language learning
In this episode I discuss the common criticism of flashcards as an "ineffective" study technique. In this episode: Three common criticisms of flashcards: Involves rote learning Vocabulary lacks conte...
23 Feb 201617min
