The Actual Fluency Podcast for Language Learners

In this episode we catch up with Fluent in 3 Months founder Benny Lewis about his latest language learning mission (Korean), the new and improved Fluent in 3 Months Bootcamp, and a very open discussion on how he recovered from a few horrible years of depression, divorce, debt, and weight gain. Benny's Website where you can find everything including his book, and bootcamp: https://fluentin3months.com Bite Size Language Courses from Actual Fluency: https://bitesizelanguages.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

In this episode, Kris and Luca Lampariello discuss the importance of building confidence and identity in a language to overcome perfectionism and fear of making mistakes. They also touch on the impact of mindset on language learning, the benefits of speaking a language even imperfectly, and the challenge of maintaining multiple languages. Lampariello emphasizes the importance of exposure and practice in language learning, and suggests that building an identity in a language and treating all languages as equally important can help prevent confusion between sounds and pronunciation in different languages. Find Luca here: https://www.youtube.com/@LucaLampariello Smart Language Learning Academy: https://actf.lu/luca --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

In this podcast episode, language learner and transracial adoptee Emily Harris discusses her own experiences as an adoptee when it comes to learning her heritage language, and her experiences with perfectionism and finding balance in language learning. She also talks about her language learning journey, including her initial attraction to German and her future language goals, such as learning Persian and improving her Arabic skills. Harris emphasizes the importance of individualized goals and finding a learning schedule that works for one's energy level and personal life. She also shares her language learning content on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and a new podcast called "The Language Wellness and Identity Podcast." Follow Emily Harris: YouTube: Language Travel Adoptee... https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp-HcdqX1iSlUok92r8-t9w Instagram: @languagetraveladoptee... https://www.instagram.com/languagetraveladoptee/ The Language Wellness and Identity Podcast ...https://open.spotify.com/show/2eVbzHTByRNVbxlkPPoICO --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

In this podcast episode, I'm joined by Cara Leopold, an English listening specialist, and founder of Leo Listening to talk about her experience learning French, moving to France, and eventually integrating in the local community as an expat. We also discuss English listening skills, and her new project: The Movie Club, which helps English speakers learn more idiomatic and casual language through the use of movies and TV. Check out Cara and the Movie Club here: https://leo-listening.com Check out the Bite Size Listening Courses, produced by Actual Fluency: https://actualfluency.com/courses/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

In this episode of the Actual Fluency Podcast, host Kris Broholm interviews Heidi Lovejoy, the creator and host of The Love, Joy and Languages Podcast. They discuss the topic of perfectionism and its effects on language learning, mental health, and imposter syndrome. Lovejoy shares her struggles with perfectionism while learning Italian, how it affected her mental health, and her journey to overcome it. They also explore the ideal process of moving to a foreign country while learning the local language and how to approach language learning without perfectionism. Heidi's website: https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/ More Actual Fluency Podcast: https://actualfluency.com/actual-fluency-language-learning-podcast/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

Kris comes back with a quick update to announce the return of the Actual Fluency podcast. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

In this episode I'm joined by Rosemary Salomone to discuss the role of English on a global academic level, and some of the challenges faced by minorities and non-english native speaking students and countries in the world. Rosemary is the Kenneth Wang Professor of Law at St. John's University in Queens, New York. Prior to joining the legal academy, she taught English to international students, developed bilingual programs for immigrant students, and was a faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she taught education law and language policy. Check out Rosemary's new book here: The Rise of English: Global Politics and the Power of Language: https://amzn.to/3Fafmdx --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

In this podcast episode I'm joined by Sadelle Wiltshire, who shares her story of learning languages at different ages, including her passion for Irish and the community of learners she's found for the language. Sadelle's website: https://www.sadellewiltshire.com/ The Fluent in 3 Months Challenge: https://actf.lu/fi3m-challenge --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

In this episode Kris is joined by Rick Dearman to talk about using forums to help support you in your language learning, language conferences, and much more. Special thanks to OPTILINGO for sponsoring the podcast. You can check out this innovative language learning app, designed to make you SPEAK a language by going to https://optilingo.com To find out more about Rick go to: https://forum.language-learners.org/ https://autodidactic.info/ Announcement: The podcast is now on YouTube! That means you can watch this episode as a video, by going to the Actual Fluency YouTube channel. Watch as Kris learns the trials and tribulations of video editing to create a whole new dimension of the podcast. Thank you so much for listening! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

In the episode I'm joined by Spanish Teacher and Educational Author, Jennifer Degenhardt. We go over why school language learning is in such a bad state in many schools, and what innovative and energetic teachers like Jennifer can do to improve the results the kids get from the classroom. We also talk about her diverse and inclusive range of educational materials, as well as her experience spending a year learning Spanish abroad in latin America. === SPONSOR This episode is sponsored by OptiLingo. Go check out a modern language learning app that focuses on speaking EARLY without the boring drills and grammar memorisation. Try OptiLingo: https://optilingo.com === EPISODE RESOURCES Jen's Website: https://digilangua.co/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

In the episode I'm joined by Portuguese teacher and YouTuber Liz Sharma to talk about Portugal, Portuguese (European vs Brazilian) and how Liz moved from the U.K to Portugal. Since I just moved to Portugal myself I got to ask a lot of curiosity-driven questions, including what Portuguese learners normally struggle with. === SPONSOR This episode is sponsored by OptiLingo. Go check out a modern language learning app that focuses on speaking EARLY without the boring drills and grammar memorisation. Try OptiLingo: https://optilingo.com === EPISODE RESOURCES Talk The Streets: https://talkthestreets.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAHp6bCNcUg6PTHaZ-hI3Bw Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkthestreets/ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

Brought to you by OPTILINGO -- https://optilingo.com In this pre-season episode I'm reviewing 2020, and looking ahead for what is to come in 2021 both personally and business-wise. This isn't a regular interview with a guest, for that you'll have to wait until February where the next "season" begins! Enjoy! Here's what I talk about in the episode: LINKS: Actual Fluency --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/actualfluency/message

Brought to you by OPTILINGO -- https://optilingo.com In this episode I'm joined by Olle Linge from Hacking Chinese to talk about his "random" journey into Chinese, founding the Hacking Chinese website (10 years anniversary this year) and a ton of language learning methodology and academic vs non-academic perspectives. A lot of the advice in the episode are centered around Chinese, but almost all of it is applicable to every language. Enjoy! Here's what we talk about in the episode: LINKS: Olle's Special Offer for Actual Fluency Listeners: https://actf.lu/olle Hacking Chinese: https://www.hackingchinese.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

Brought to you by OPTILINGO -- https://optilingo.com Editor's Note: A previous version of this episode had some audio issues, which have been fixed. In this episode I'm joined by "A Māori Phrase a Day" author Hēmi Kelly, to find out a little more about Māori, which is the name of the indigenous people of New Zealand, as well as the language. Hēmi is a full-time lecturer in te reo Māori at the Auckland University of Technology. His academic research and writing focus largely on the revitalsation of the Māori language and translation studies. Hēmi is a licensed translator and graduate of Te Panekiretanga o Te Reo (The Institute of Excellence in the Māori Language). In 2017, Hēmi translated Witi Ihimaera’s novella in Sleeps Standing and published his first book A Māori Word a Day in 2018. In 2019, Hēmi published his first creative writing piece in English in Purakau, a collection of Māori myths retold by Maori writers. Here's what we talk about in the episode: LINKS: A MAORI PHRASE A DAY FACEBOOK GROUP: https://www.facebook.com/groups/263436354660573/ A MAORI PHRASE A DAY Book: https://www.amazon.com/Maori-Phrase-Day-Hemi-Kelly-ebook/dp/B081ZJ79C7 HEMI'S TEDx TALK: Te Reo Māori: A new era for the language https://youtu.be/93u5sM4JJbU --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

Brought to you by OPTILINGO -- One of the most popular guests of the podcast returns to share all the details for her upcoming project, that she co-hosts with Lindsay Williams and Shannon Kennedy: Women in Language (September 17-20, 2020) Here are some of the things we discuss during the episode: * What Kerstin has been up to for the past 2 years since her last appearance* How did the idea for Women in Language come about?* Why there is a need for a conference like Women in Language* What separates Women in Language from all other language conferences* What other projects Kerstin is working on* How her programme, Teach & Thrive helps teachers scale their business and income* Discussion on why language teachers are well-placed to make passive income, and how anyone in theory can get started with this as a career.* and a lot more! LINKS: Kerstin's Blog: Fluent Language Women in Language Kerstin's Advanced Teacher Training: Teach and Thrive --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

Brought to you by Optilingo. In this episode I'm joined by my friend Lina Vasquez, an amazing polyglot who shares her passion for languages, self-development, and many other topics on her YouTube channel. In the episode we dive DEEP into the mindset behind self-development and language learning, and offer some ideas on how anyone can level up their life and be better in every way they want. Resources: Lina on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClZjE2TEk59ZbxH_hZiBkog ---- Get a free lesson with Optilingo: https://optilingo.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

Brought to you by Optilingo. In this episode I'm joined by Italian teacher Gloria Spagnoli who shares her insights as both a language learner and teacher. She specifically talks about finding your confidence and inner resources. Finally we touch on the difference between a teacher and a student, and how you can level up your language lessons. Resources: http://speakita.com/how-to-find-your-italian-voice/ ---- Get a free lesson with Optilingo: https://optilingo.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

Brought to you by Optilingo. In this episode I'm joined by Spanish teacher Maria Ortega Garcia, who shares unique insights as both a language learner and teacher. She specifically talks about connecting with the language you're trying to learn, and making it yours. This has been the most succesful approach she has seen over the years. We also touch on some ideas of improving tutoring for students and teachers alike. Resources: ---- Get a free lesson with Optilingo: https://optilingo.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

Brought to you by Optilingo. In this episode Tetsu Yung returns to update on his childrens' language learning (5 languages!) and talks in detail about the ONE PARENT ONE LANGUAGE methodology, he's been using for over 8 years now. We also chat briefly about LangFest, the annual conference usually held in Montreal, Canada. The event is currently postponed until 2021 due to the ongoing situation. Resources: Tetsu on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/asktetsu LangFest: https://langfest.org (postponed until 2021) Episode 87: https://actualfluency.com/87-tetsu-yung-raising-multilingual-children/ ---- Get a free lesson with Optilingo: https://optilingo.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message

Brought to you by Optilingo. In this episode I'm joined by Peter Strang from the United Kingdom, who took up a position as English teacher in Russia. What was initially a temporary stay turned into starting a family and settling down full-time. In the episode we talk about his experience moving to Russia, settling in, and learning the language whilst coping with being one of few foreigners at his workplace and in the local community. ---- Get a free lesson with Optilingo: https://optilingo.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/actualfluency/message