Adventures in Language

Is your vocabulary not growing at the rate it used to? Does your grammar feel stunted? Tired of having conversations about the weather but feel you can’t make the leap to talking about complex feelings? All of these are instantiations of the Intermediate Plateau. But they don’t all have the same underlying causes.
In order to figure out how to overcome your particular case of the Intermediate Plateau Effect, your guide Emily will walk you through 6 of the most common reasons that language learners experience an Intermediate Plateau – followed by helpful tips for how to address each one!

Sign up here for more FREE language learning content (like the awesome goal-setting worksheet we mentioned): https://info.mangolanguages.com/glc-signup

If you found this episode helpful, check out our “Fluency Illusion” video, which is chock-full of active learning tips to help you reach your fluency goals! https://youtu.be/9jpuqv_B3pE
Or, watch our video on Learner Feedback, available here: https://youtu.be/U_xkXA0daOg

If you’d like the blog article that accompanies this episode, click here: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/tired-of-being-stuck-at-just-conversational-in-your-target-language
We also invite you to check out our website at: https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages. And remember – language is an adventure. Enjoy the ride!

Wondering what languages were used in today’s episode?
Buenos días and nos vemos are expressions for ‘hello/good day’ and ‘goodbye/we’ll see each other’ in Spanish.
In Chaldean Aramaic, ܫܠܵܡܵܐ ܥܸܠܘܼܟܼ (shlama ilookh) and ܦܘܿܫ ܒܸܫܠܵܡܵܐ (posh bishlama) are ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye/stay in peace.’
废话不多说 (fèihuà bù duō shuō) means ‘without further ado’ (literally translates as ‘don’t talk nonsense’) in Mandarin Chinese.
Interested in learning English, Spanish, Chaldean Aramic, Mandarin Chinese, or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here to learn more! https://mangolanguages.com/app

Want to know more about the scientific research underlying this episode? Check out this great read → Richards, J. C. (2008). Moving beyond the plateau. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Emily Sabo (PhD, University of Michigan) is a linguist at Mango Languages. A Pittsburgh native, her areas of specialization are the social and cognitive factors that impact bilingual language processing. Having studied 7 languages and lived in various countries abroad, she sees multilingualism -- and the cultural diversity that accompanies it -- as the coolest of superpowers. Complementary to her work at Mango, Emily is a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Tennessee, a Producer of the “We Are What We Speak’ docuseries, and get this...a storytelling standup comedian!

#languagelearning #languagestruggles #intermediateplateau

With DEI initiatives reimagining how we do what we do, it’s a great time to consider how your language class can contribute to expanding the next generation’s worldview. How can you, as a language teacher, structure your class to help your students build their cultural competence skills? While there is no one right way to do it, there are some best practices to keep in mind – and we’ll cover 5 of them in this podcast!

Interested in downloading our White Paper or Setting Good Goals PDF? Click here to access: https://info.mangolanguages.com/glc-signup

For more tips on how to cultivate a student-driven class, check out our video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxQ6vFWin6Y

If you’d like the blog article that accompanies this video, click here: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/5-dos-dont-for-cultivating-a-culturally-diverse-language-learning-class We also invite you to check out our website at https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages.

Wondering what languages were used in today’s episode?
Hindi | नमस्ते! (numuStay) is both ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’
Turkish | Merhaba (MEH.ra.bah) and hoşçakalın (hohsh.CHA.kuh.luhn!) are ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’
Modern Standard Arabic | بدون إطالة (bidoon iTaala) means ‘without further ado’ (literally translates as ‘without long talk’)
Interested in learning English, Hindi, Turkish, Modern Standard Arabic or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here to learn more! https://mangolanguages.com/app

Want to know more about cultural competence in the language classroom? 
Nguyen, T. T. T. (2017). Integrating Culture into Language Teaching and Learning: Learner Outcomes. The Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal , 17 (1), 145–155.
Barraja-Rohan, A.-M. (1999). Teaching conversation for intercultural competence. In J. Lo Bianco, A. J. Liddicoat, & C. Crozet (Eds.), Striving for Third Place: Intercultural Competence through Language Education (pp. 143–145). Melbourne: Language Australia.

Meet your guide Emily! Emily Sabo (PhD, University of Michigan) is a linguist at Mango Languages. A Pittsburgh native, her areas of specialization are the social and cognitive factors that impact bilingual language processing and production. Having studied 7 languages and lived in various countries abroad, she sees multilingualism -- and the cultural diversity that accompanies it -- as the coolest of superpowers. Complementary to her work at Mango, Emily is a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Tennessee, a Producer of the “We Are What We Speak’ docuseries, and get this...a storytelling standup comedian!

#teachingtips #languageEd #culturaldiversity

Not yet where you want to be in your target language? Fret not, because in this podcast, we walk you through a guided self-reflection of 3 quick (but important) questions that are going to help you say さようなら (saYOOnara) to your fluency frustrations!

Together with your language learning guide Emily, you’ll get to (1) reflect on your motivations for learning the language, (2) figure out whether you’re carving out enough time to meet your proficiency goals, and (3) discover the right learning strategies for your needs.

Sign up here for more FREE language learning content (like the awesome goal-setting worksheet was mentioned in the podcast): https://info.mangolanguages.com/glc-signup

If you found this episode helpful, check out our “Fluency Illusion” podcast, which is chock-full of active learning tips to help you reach your fluency goals!

If you liked this episode, please let us know by subscribing to our podcast! If you’d like the blog article that accompanies this episode, click here: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/
We also invite you to check out our website at: https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages. And remember – language is an adventure. Enjoy the ride!

Wondering what languages were used in today’s episode?
Aloha is the word for both ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Hawaiian (language spoken in Hawai’i, also called ‘Olelo Hawai’i Makuahine’). Hujambo and kwa heri are ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye,’ in Swahili (a macrolanguage of Tanzania; also used as a lingua franca throughout East/Central Africa).
さようなら (saYOOnara) is ‘goodbye’ in Japanese (spoken in Japan). Sans plus tarder means ‘without further ado’ in French (the national language of France; also spoken in many other countries, such as Morocco, Canada & Belgium).
Interested in learning Hawaiian, Swahili, Japanese, French, or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here to learn more! https://mangolanguages.com/app

Want to know more about the scientific research underlying this episode? Check out this academic paper about the role of motivation in the language learning process: Lee, M., & Bong, M. (2019). Relevance of goal theories to language learning research. System, 86, 102122.

Emily Sabo (PhD, University of Michigan) is a linguist at Mango Languages. A Pittsburgh native, her areas of specialization are the social and cognitive factors that impact bilingual language processing. Having studied 7 languages and lived in various countries abroad, she sees multilingualism -- and the cultural diversity that accompanies it -- as the coolest of superpowers. Complementary to her work at Mango, Emily is a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Tennessee, a Producer of the “We Are What We Speak’ docuseries, and get this...a storytelling standup comedian!

Does it make you feel uncomfortable to watch your students struggle with the target language? Don’t let it! Research into the Desirable Difficulty Principle suggests that this is often what active learning can look like, and it’s not something to shy away from. To learn what the Desirable Difficulty Principle is, and 4 fun ways you can incorporate it into your language classroom, don’t miss this episode!

Interested in exploring how the Mango app has been built upon principles of Second Language Acquisition Research, or to download our Setting Good Goals PDF? Click here to access: https://info.mangolanguages.com/glc-signup

If you’d like the blog article that accompanies this video, click here: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/ And check out our podcast on Active Learning Strategies, chock-full of ideas for classroom activities in line with the Desirable Difficulty Principle.

If you liked this episode, please let us know by following our podcast! We appreciate you. We also invite you to check out our website at https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages.

Wondering what languages were used in today’s episode?
Guten Tag and Auf Wiedersehen are ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in German. Mno waben and gwi wabmenëm are ‘good morning’ and ‘I will see you’ in Potawatomi, which is an Algonquin language spoken in the Great Lakes and Great Plains region. Did you know - there is no word for ‘goodbye’ in Potawatomi? This is because Potawatomi believe that we’ll always see each other in another time and place, both physically and spiritually. 前置きはさておき (maeoki-wa sate oki) means 'without further ado' (literally translates as ‘setting aside introductory remarks’).
Interested in learning English, German, Potawatomi, Japanese, Mandarin, or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here to learn more! https://mangolanguages.com/app

Want to know more about the scientific research underlying this podcast episode? 
For a nice overview of the principle: Bjork, R. A., & Bjork, E. L. (2020). Desirable difficulties in theory and practice. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 9(4), 475-479. 
To explore some little-known caveats: McDaniel, M. A., & Butler, A. C. (2011). A contextual framework for understanding when difficulties are desirable. Successful remembering and successful forgetting: A festschrift in honor of Robert A. Bjork, 175-198. 
For specifics into language pedagogy: Suzuki, Y., Nakata, T., & Dekeyser, R. (2019). The desirable difficulty framework as a theoretical foundation for optimizing and researching second language practice. The Modern Language Journal, 103(3), 713-720. 
To zoom in on vocabulary learning:  Bjork, R. A., & Kroll, J. F. (2015). Desirable difficulties in vocabulary learning. The American journal of psychology, 128(2), 241. 

Meet your guide Emily! Emily Sabo (PhD, University of Michigan) is a linguist at Mango Languages. A Pittsburgh native, her areas of specialization are the social and cognitive factors that impact bilingual language processing and production. Having studied 7 languages and lived in various countries abroad, she sees multilingualism -- and the cultural diversity that accompanies it -- as the coolest of superpowers. Complementary to her work at Mango, Emily is a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Tennessee, a Producer of the “We Are What We Speak’ docuseries, and get this...a storytelling standup comedian!

Are your proficiency goals in line with your practical goals? How many hours a week can you realistically commit to your language learning? What does success look like for you a year from now? In this episode of Adventures in Language, we’re talking about how to set good goals for yourself and walk you through 6 prompts to set you up for success.
Pssst - we have an awesome (and free!) worksheet version of the 6 prompts we cover in this episode, which you can access by downloading here: https://info.mangolanguages.com/glc-signup

If you liked this episode, please let us know by following our podcast! If you’d like the blog article that accompanies this podcast, click here: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/how-to-set-good-language-learning-goals
We also invite you to check out our website at: https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages.

Wondering what languages were used in this episode? In addition to English, you heard Hebrew, Polish, and Spanish. שָׁלוֹם (sha.LOM) and יַאלְלָה בַּיי (YUH.lah bye) are ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Hebrew, which is spoken today by over 8 million Israelis as an L1 (native language) and statutory national language. Fun fact: did you know that when saying ‘hello’ in Hebrew, you’re literally saying ‘peace/harmony’? Dzień dobry (djen dOHbreh) and do widzenia (doh veedzENyah) are ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Polish, which is spoken today by appriximately 37 million people in Poland as an L1 and statutory national language). Pues, sin más preámbulos means 'Well, without further ado' (lit. 'Well, without further preambles…’') in Spanish, which is an Ibero-Romance language that is the statutory national language of over 20 countries world-wide. Interested in learning Hebrew, Polish, Spanish or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here to learn more: https://mangolanguages.com/

Meet your guide Emily! Emily Sabo (PhD, University of Michigan) is a linguist at Mango Languages. A Pittsburgh native, her areas of specialization are the social and cognitive factors that impact bilingual language processing and production. Having studied 7 languages and lived in various countries abroad, she sees multilingualism -- and the cultural diversity that accompanies it -- as the coolest of superpowers. Complementary to her work at Mango, Emily is a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Tennessee, a Producer of the “We Are What We Speak’ docuseries, and get this...a storytelling standup comedian!

Want to know more about the scientific research underlying this episode? For a fun, easy read that summarizes the takeaways of how we learn - check out Ben Carey’s 2015 book entitled How we learn: The surprising truth about when, where, and why it happens. Chapter 2 (titled The Power of Forgetting) is of particular relevance to this video/episode. We highly recommend this read because Carey writes in a way that’s clearly well-researched but accessible and free of jargon. He does a great job of sprinkling in engaging reviews of the experiments that laid the foundation for how we know what we know about how learning happens in the brain. One academic article that illustrates how active learning strategies can combat the Fluency Illusion is Roediger III, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). The power of testing memory: Basic research and implications for educational practice. Perspectives on psychological science, 1(3), 181-210.

Want to learn more about how people learn new languages? Maybe you’re a language teacher looking for ways to better help struggling students, or a learner looking to use the power of your brain to master multiple languages. Perhaps you just can’t get enough of languages and linguistics! If any of those sound like you, get excited, because this is the first podcast in our new series on the Science Behind Language Learning.
Join Kaitlyn Tagarelli (Linguist, PhD), as we take you on a tour of the exciting field of Second Language Acquisition. In this first episode, we’ll start with the basics by answering 2 fundamental questions about language learning: What is Second Language Acquisition — and why does it matter?

To download all the available language learning content we mentioned in this podcast, or if you’d like the blog article that accompanies this episode, click here: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/what-is-second-language-acquisitionand-why-does-it-matter

If you liked this episode, please let us know by subscribing to our podcast! We also invite you to check out our website at: https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages. And remember – language is an adventure. Enjoy the ride!

Wondering what languages were used in today’s episode?
French | Bonjour and Au Revoir et à bientôt mean “hello” and “goodbye and see you soon”
Hawaiian | Aloha means both “hello” and “goodbye”
Interested in learning French, Hawaiian, or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here to learn more! https://mangolanguages.com/app

Kaitlyn Tagarelli (PhD, Georgetown University) is a Linguist and the Head of Research at Mango Languages. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Georgetown University, specializing in how the mind and brain learn languages. Aside from geeking out about all things neuroscience and linguistics, she loves hanging out with her family at their Connecticut home, trying to convince them to speak French with her.

#languagelearning #languagelover #SLA

Language teachers, picture this – your classroom full of totally engaged students. In this episode, you will learn how to improve student learning outcomes by creating a student-driven classroom. We'll cover what student-driven learning is, why it matters, and 2 simple principles you can use to make it happen in your classroom!

Interested in exploring how the Mango app has been built upon principles of Second Language Acquisition Research, or to download our Setting Good Goals PDF? Click here to access: https://info.mangolanguages.com/glc-signup

If you liked this episode, please let us know by following our podcast! We appreciate you. We also invite you to check out our website at https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages.

Meet your guide Emily! Emily Sabo (PhD, University of Michigan) is a linguist at Mango Languages. A Pittsburgh native, her areas of specialization are the social and cognitive factors that impact bilingual language processing and production. Having studied 7 languages and lived in various countries abroad, she sees multilingualism -- and the cultural diversity that accompanies it -- as the coolest of superpowers. Complementary to her work at Mango, Emily is a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Tennessee, a Producer of the “We Are What We Speak’ docuseries, and get this...a storytelling standup comedian!

Wondering what languages were used in today’s episode? أَهْلاً (AH.lan) and مَعَ أَلْـف سَلامة. (ma alf saLEHma) are ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Egyptian Arabic, the de facto national working language of Egypt; currently spoken by roughly 70 million speakers, most of whom live in Egypt. Salut (sa.LOOT) and la revedere (lah rehvehDEHreh) are ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Romanian, the statutory national language of Romania, spoken by ~24 million people. Bando alle ciance (BAN.doh ah.lay CHAN.chay) is the Italian equivalent of 'without further ado' (a colloquial expression that literally translates as ‘ban the chatter’). Interested in learning Egyptian Arabic, Romanian, Italian or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here: https://mangolanguages.com/

Want to know more about the scientific research underlying this episode? 
Check out Ambrose et al.’s 2010 book How Learning Works. Chapter 7 (titled How Do Students Become Self-Directed Learners?) is of particular relevance to this episode, as it provides a nice review for how recent theoretical models for metacognitive learning activities can explain how language learning works in real-life situations. Or read through Mahdavi, M. (2014). An overview: Metacognition in education. International Journal of Multidisciplinary and current research, 2(6), 529-535.

For additional information about the effectiveness of student-driven classrooms, check out these three recent papers: (1) Zheng, L., Bhagat, K. K., Zhen, Y., & Zhang, X. (2020). The Effectiveness of the Flipped Classroom on Students’ Learning Achievement and Learning Motivation: A Meta-Analysis. Educational Technology & Society, 23 (1), 1–15. (2) Låg, T., & Sæle, R. G. (2019). Does the flipped classroom improve student learning and satisfaction? A systematic review and meta-analysis. AERA open, 5(3), 2332858419870489. (3) Shahnama, M., Ghonsooly, B., & Shirvan, M. E. (2021). A meta-analysis of relative effectiveness of flipped learning in English as second/foreign language research. Educational Technology Research and Development, 1-32.

Whether you’re embarking on, continuing, or re-starting your bilingual language learning journey, this podcast will help you frame your “why.” Join your guide Emily (Spanish teacher and linguistics PhD) as she shares 6 real-life benefits to being bilingual!  Did you know that globally speaking, being bilingual is actually the norm – not the exception? Listen to learn more about the real-life benefits of being bilingual!

Looking for our (free) worksheet on Setting Good Language Learning Goals? Click here: https://info.mangolanguages.com/glc-signup

If you enjoyed this episode, consider joining the Mango Languages fam by following our podcast! If you’d like the blog article that accompanies this episode, click here: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/what-are-the-real-life-benefits-of-being-bilingual
We also invite you to check out our website at https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages.

Wondering what languages were used in today’s episode? ‘Kedu’ and ‘nagboo’ are the words for ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Igbo (a language native to eastern Nigeria). ‘Hola’ and ‘hasta la próxima’ are ‘hello’ and ‘until next time’ in Spanish (spoken natively and as a national language in ~20 countries worldwide). ‘시간낭비 하지말고’ (she-gan-NANG-bee ha-ji-MAL-go) is a Korean phrase that roughly translates to ‘and without further ado,’ but literally translates as ‘time waste but now…’ Click to check out our Igbo, Spanish, and Korean courses! 

Emily Sabo, PhD (University of Michigan) is a linguist at Mango Languages. Having studied 7 languages and lived in various countries abroad, she sees multilingualism -- and the cultural diversity that accompanies it -- as the coolest of superpowers. Complementary to her work at Mango, Emily is a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Tennessee, a Producer of the “We Are What We Speak’ docu-series, and get this...a storytelling standup comedian!

References and suggested readings:
To read more about the fundamentals of  bilingualism, check out this book: Grosjean, F. (1982). Life with two languages: An introduction to bilingualism. Harvard University Press.
To learn more about the research on Bilingual Advantage, check out this article: Grant, A., Dennis, N. A., & Li, P. (2014). Cognitive control, cognitive reserve, and memory in the aging bilingual brain. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 1401.
To watch one of the best linguistics TED talks, search for a video by Dr. Lera Boroditsky (Professor, UCSD) on how the languages you speak can shape the ways you think.

What do pop quizzes, cognitive science, and Francis Bacon have in common? They’re all mentioned in this podcast! In this episode, we’re talking about the Fluency Illusion. Whether or not you’ve heard of the term, we guarantee you’re familiar with the phenomenon. Beware – its name may sound magical, but it’s unfortunately no fun trick.
In short, the Fluency Illusion is the cognitive process that can make you overestimate how much of the learning material you truly understand. It leads you to believe you can actively produce something in the target language just because you can passively understand it when reading or writing. The solution to overcoming this problem lies in active learning strategies. If that’s what you came for, then keep listening!
We will drop some knowledge about the Fluency Illusion and share our 5 go-to learning strategies to help you avoid falling prey to the Fluency Illusion.

To download the app, visit: https://mangolanguages.com/app
Download our (free) worksheet on Setting Good Language Learning Goals, by clicking here: https://info.mangolanguages.com/glc-signup

If you liked this podcast, please consider joining the Mango Languages fam by following our podcast! We appreciate you. You're also invited to follow us on social media @MangoLanguages.

If you’d like the blog article that accompanies this episode, visit: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/what-every-language-learner-should-know-about-the-fluency-illusion

Emily Sabo (PhD, University of Michigan) is a linguist at Mango Languages. Having studied 7 languages and lived in various countries abroad, she sees multilingualism -- and the cultural diversity that accompanies it -- as the coolest of superpowers. Complementary to her work at Mango, Emily is a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Tennessee, a Producer of the “We Are What We Speak’ docuseries, and get this...a storytelling standup comedian!

Wondering what languages were used in this episode? In addition to being written in English, Sæll (sightl) and vertu blessaður (vair tuh blessothur) are ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Icelandic (the national language of Iceland; roughly 328,080 speakers worldwide). Did you know...the way to say ‘hello’ in Icelandic is literally the Icelandic word meaning ‘blissful’? Bonjour and au revoir are ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in French (the statutory national language of France; also spoken in a multitude of other countries, such as Morocco, Canada, and Côte d’Ivoire). ‘இதுக்கு அப்புரம் (ithuku aprom) means 'without further ado' (lit. 'after this') in Tamil (a language of India, predominantly spoken in the Tamil Nadu and Kannada states). Interested in learning Icelandic, French, Tamil or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Visit: https://mangolanguages.com/

Want to know more about the scientific research underlying this podcast? For a fun, easy read that summarizes the takeaways of how we learn - check out Ben Carey’s 2015 book entitled How we learn: The surprising truth about when, where, and why it happens. Chapter 5 (titled The Hidden Value of Ignorance: the Many Dimensions of Testing) is of particular relevance to this episode. We highly recommend this read because Carey writes in a way that’s clearly well-researched but accessible and free of jargon. 
One academic article that illustrates how active learning strategies can combat the Fluency Illusion is Roediger III, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). The power of testing memory: Basic research and implications for educational practice. Perspectives on psychological science, 1(3), 181-210.

What do pop quizzes, cognitive science, and Francis Bacon have in common? It's all about the Fluency Illusion! Whether or not you’ve heard of the term - we guarantee you’re familiar with the phenomenon.

In short, the Fluency Illusion is the cognitive process that can lead learners to overestimate how much of the learning material they truly understand. It’s a problem for language learning because it leads students to believe they can actively produce something in the target language just because they can passively understand it during comprehension.

The solution to overcoming this problem lies in active learning strategies. If that’s what you came for, then keep listening! In this episode of Adventures in Language, we will be dropping some knowledge about the Fluency Illusion and how teachers can help their learners overcome the it.

Looking for some more information about how the Mango app helps learners sidestep the Fluency illusion? Sign up to download our (free) worksheet on Setting Good Language Learning Goals, and we'll send along a bonus whitepaper: Mango Languages and Our Approach to Second Language Acquisition! Click here: https://info.mangolanguages.com/glc-signup

If you enjoyed this podcast, please let us know by following our channel! We appreciate you. You also invite you to check out our website at https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages.

Emily Sabo (PhD, University of Michigan) is a linguist at Mango Languages. A Pittsburgh native, her areas of specialization are the social and cognitive factors that impact bilingual language processing and production. Having studied 7 languages and lived in various countries abroad, she sees multilingualism -- and the cultural diversity that accompanies it -- as the coolest of superpowers. Complementary to her work at Mango, Emily is a Lecturer of Spanish at the University of Tennessee, a Producer of the “We Are What We Speak’ docuseries, and get this...a storytelling standup comedian!

Wondering what languages were used in this episode? ‘হ্যালো’ (ha-LOO) and ‘বিদায়’ (BEE-die) are the words for ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Bengali (a language spoken primarily in Bangladesh and surrounding areas). ‘Ahoj’ and ‘dovidenia’ are ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ in Slovak (also sometimes called Slovakian; the national language of Slovakia). Interested in learning Bengali, Slovak, Brazilian Portuguese or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Visit: https://mangolanguages.com/app

Want to know more about the scientific research underlying this episode? For a fun, easy read that summarizes the takeaways of how we learn - check out Ben Carey’s 2015 book entitled How we learn: The surprising truth about when, where, and why it happens. Chapter 5 (titled The Hidden Value of Ignorance: the Many Dimensions of Testing) is of particular relevance to this episode. We highly recommend this read because Carey writes in a way that’s clearly well-researched but accessible and free of jargon. He does a great job of sprinkling in engaging reviews of the experiments that laid the foundation for how we know what we know about how learning happens in the brain. A good paper to share with your students that illustrates the “testing effect” is Roediger III, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). The power of testing memory: Basic research and implications for educational practice. Perspectives on psychological science, 1(3), 181-210.