“I've never learned how to say no properly in my life, to prepare myself properly for things. I just figured if I kept saying yes to things, eventually something good would happen.”

For Mark Ford, not saying no has allowed him to do some of the most important things in his life. Which is why it became easy—in his heterodox fashion—for him to learn first French, then Latin, and now Spanish.

The Spanish is the result of his building an award-winning resort in Nicaragua and the community foundation he created right across the road, which has become an education and trades hub for the non-English-speaking local people.

The French gave him entrée to the Peace Corps after college. But only because the officials didn’t give him the boot for not knowing a word of it when he landed in French-speaking Chad.

The Latin was to meet a PhD requirement. Although let’s just say that the former altar boy in him might have frowned on his modus operandi.

But he’s forgiven for that, because good things for many people have happened thanks to his determination to embrace other languages.

In this lively conversation with Steve, Mark also shares his secret for learning a language. And you won’t have to crack open an app to do it.

Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Mim Harrison, the editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, who wrote and directed the episode; Fernando Hernández Becerra and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; and Jen Cavagnaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.

Music credits (in order of appearance):

HoliznaCC0 - Whatever

https://bit.ly/4qDgZsk

Koi Discovery - Beer blues

https://bit.ly/3pIQxmi

Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion

https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion

HoliznaCC0 - ICE temple

https://bit.ly/4qHGb1c

HoliznaCC0 - Sunny afternoon

https://bit.ly/47vvyp9

HoliznaCC0 - Unwind

https://bit.ly/3X4hb6m

Koi-discovery - END

https://bit.ly/4qDhLFK

HoliznaCC0 - Laundry on the wire

https://bit.ly/3Jc8R1p

Wax lyricist - Green

https://bit.ly/4qA7c6s

Koi-discovery -Synthetic_synapse

https://bit.ly/4oOlxup

Professor/publisher/author/OED consultant Ilan Stavans has written books about all three of the languages he speaks: his native Mexican Spanish, his heritage Yiddish, and his adopted English. In Episode 78, Ilan and Steve have a far-ranging conversation that touches on how American literature is becoming multilingual literature, why prescriptive dictionaries don’t work for English, and the secret to seeing your children embrace the language of their heritage. Listen and you’ll soon know why America the Bilingual has dubbed him a Tocqueville for bilingualism in America. Enjoy!

Music credits, in order of appearance:

HoliznaCC0 - Tranquil Mindscape ( Lofi , Happy , Reflection )

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/public-domain-lofi/tranquil-mindscape-lofi-happy-reflection/

U.S. Army Blues - Kelli's Number

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/US_Army_Blues/Live_At_Blues_Alley/0_-_08_-_The_US_Army_Blues_-_Kellis_Number/

John Bartmann - African Moon

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/african-moon/

John Bartmann - Somewhere nice

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/somewhere-nice/

HoliznaCC0 - 20 Minute Meditation 1

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/space-sleep-meditation/20-minute-meditation-1/

U.S. Army Blues - Oginiland

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/US_Army_Blues/Live_At_Blues_Alley/0_-_06_-_The_US_Army_Blues_-_Oginiland/

Komiku - In the restaurant

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/THE_GIRL_WITH_THE_BASEBALL_BAT/Komiku_-_THE_GIRL_WITH_THE_BASEBALL_BAT_-_03_In_the_restaurant/

Koi-discovery - Oxforf by Night

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/koi-discovery/ante-chrysalide/oxforf-by-nightmp3/

The multilingual Esteban Battalán, principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass, shares how his language odyssey has sounded important notes in his music odyssey. Hear his story on Episode 77 of the America the Bilingual podcast, “A Trumpeter’s Tale.”

America the Bilingual is a project of the Levenger Foundation, which supports bilingualism and biliteracy in the Americas.

Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, who wrote and directed this episode; Fernando Hernández Becerra and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; and Jen Cavagnaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.

Music performed by Mr. Batallán is from these recordings: Haydn Trumpet Concerto in Eb, Nightfall, and Premiere,“Mr. Batallán.” Further details on estebanbatallan.com/videos.

Additional music, in order of appearance

Koi Discovery - Beer blues

https://bit.ly/3pIQxmi

Illinois Brass Band - Wright, Tam O'Shanter's Ride

https://bit.ly/4iGDOXc

CSO Principal Tuba Gene Pokorny - Schifrin's Tuba Concerto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG4lZ-2zWao

Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion

https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion

Frederic Lardon Feat Laura Palme - Dans la méditation transcendantale

https://bit.ly/3PsIzaE

Monplaisir - Jam with me

https://bit.ly/3EO0o23

Esteban Batallan - Hummel trumpet concerto 1st Movement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXV7V4ipl1s&t=1s

The conventional description of someone who speaks as many languages as Akshay Swaminathan does is “polyglot.” But as you’ll quickly hear when you listen to this episode, there’s nothing conventional about how this Knight-Hennessy scholarship recipient and PD Soros fellow approaches languages.

There is, however, a solid commitment to use what he’s learned about learning languages to help other adults learn, too. His new, virtual language workouts focus on speaking fluently in the language you’re learning, and getting there quickly. Episode 76 of the America the Bilingual podcast is now live!

Music Credits:

HoliznaCC0 - 20 Minute Meditation 1

https://bit.ly/492XPlN

Nomadic - Pictures of the floating world

https://bit.ly/3RyMxjV

Kevin MacLeod - Quasi Motion

https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion

Sam Natarajan (Akshay’s father), thiruppAvai #01 and #02 - nAttai and gowLa.m2ts

https://bit.ly/40q8xln

Komiku - Helice’s theme

https://bit.ly/425trHy

Loyalty Freak Music - Waiting TTTT

https://bit.ly/3HEwICx

Ghanam Krishna Iyer, Thiruvotriyur Thyagarajan -Atana- Rupakam, performed by Shreyas Muralidharan and Akshay Swaminathan

https://bit.ly/4gRhCtm

Frederic Lardon Feat Laura Palme - Dans la méditation transcendantale

https://bit.ly/3PsIzaE

HoliznaCC0 - Sky Scrapers

https://bit.ly/4j9T2W4

Meet Margaret Boyle, coauthor with Ilan Stavans of “Sabor Judío: The Jewish Mexican Cookbook”. Margaret and Ilan have added their own ingredient to the cookbook: the history behind many of the recipes, some of them their families’, others the history of Jewish immigration to Mexico over the centuries. If you’re a foodie, find history fascinating, or would like to sample the Spanish language through the culinary fusion of Jewish and Mexican cultures, quench your appetite now with Episode 75 of the America the Bilingual podcast.

Thanks to our America the Bilingual team who worked on this episode: Mim Harrison, our editorial and brand director, who wrote and directed it; Fernando Hernandez Becerra, who produced the episode from his studio in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esta No Es Radio; and Jen Cavañaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.

Music credits in order of appearance:

John Bartmann - Somewhere nice

https://bit.ly/3ZqUpGv

Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion

https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion

John Bartmann - Bouncy Gypsy Beats

https://bit.ly/4aR7RZv

Demoiselle Döner - Autodétermination - Free Music Archive

https://bit.ly/3OeUzM2

Komiku - In the restaurant

https://bit.ly/3OfJTOs

Pictures of the floating world - Nomadic

https://bit.ly/3LVlpYV

Monplaisir - J A

https://bit.ly/3uNedIT

TRG Banks - Horse ride 2

https://bit.ly/3LRPuZv

Holizna CC0 - 20 minute meditation 1

https://bit.ly/492XPlN

John Bartmann - Bouncy Gypsy Beats

https://bit.ly/4aR7RZv

The United States leads the world in bilingualism.

No kidding.

Because of this, no country understands the world as well as the United States.

Seriously.

Ah, you may be thinking, there must be a catch. No catch—just a different way to understand the uncontested data that’s been accumulating for decades.

So…how did we get here, and how might we use this newly unveiled status to the betterment of the country?

In this episode, America the Bilingual founder Steve Leveen takes you through the history, context and science that have led him to this realization of America’s leadership role in bilingualism. Whether or not you’re bilingual, you’ll want to hear this good news for America.

Thanks to our America the Bilingual team: Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director, and early advocate of quizzes as a way to enliven ideas; Fernando Hernandez Becerra, who produced this episode from his studio in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio; Alli Torban, who designed the data visuals in the quiz; and Jen Cavagnaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.

Music and sounds in order of appearance by:

Monplaisir - Be a good punk

https://bit.ly/3Xe2z4f

Anthousai - 23cm glass bowl - tone - cloth mallet 02.wav

https://bit.ly/3MsBh5d

License: Creative Commons 0

Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion

https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion

Monplaisir - Garage

https://bit.ly/3XbPokd

Stomachache - Take me Out to the Ball Game by stomachache -- https://bit.ly/3z65vb4 -- License: Creative Commons 0

Nikitralala - korea_baseball.flac by nikitralala --

https://bit.ly/3MuT23J -- License: Creative Commons 0

Tylermyers1992 - MLB Crowd Cheer - 09032022.wav

https://bit.ly/3MsL3Ev -- License: Creative Commons 0

The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps -

United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)

https://bit.ly/3Mx7RTi

The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps - Reveille Variation/Drum Call/Slow Scotch/Quick Scotch/Yankee Doodle/Mont....

https://bit.ly/3Tf4Qei

Komiku - De l'herbe sous les pieds

https://bit.ly/3z66eJk

Komiku - In the restaurant

https://bit.ly/3OfJTOs

Komiku - Beach

https://bit.ly/4e8qEjH

Komiku - Where you hear the prayer (McGuffin theme)

https://bit.ly/4g1ZyMS

Komiku - Everything is groovy (how to move your body)

https://bit.ly/3xejA4I

Komiku - The road we use to travel when we were kids

https://bit.ly/47fG2Zw

While the whole world does not speak English, it’s nevertheless a ubiquitous language worldwide.

Is that a good thing or bad? Or is it, perhaps, more complicated than that?

Professor Rosemary Salomone, both linguist and lawyer, knows how to answer this question perhaps better than anyone. In this episode, she and Steve discuss her newest book, The Rise of English: Global Politics and the Power of Language, where she takes readers around the world to see just what kind of a global player English really is.

Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, who wrote and directed this episode; Fernando Hernández Becerra and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; and Jen Cavagnaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.

Music Credits, in order of appearance

Koi - discovery - beer blues

https://bit.ly/3pIQxmi

Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion

https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion

TRG Banks - evening journey

https://bit.ly/4bzZZur

Holizna cc0 - advertisements

https://bit.ly/4eTrXEl

Soft and furious - you’re magic

https://bit.ly/3LjJYhq

Soft and furious - game on

https://bit.ly/3VUuRjz

Koi Discovery - Spike protein

https://bit.ly/3S1leya

Wax liricyst - big green

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/wax-lyricist/the-wax-lyricist/big-green/

He can jog - Prelude (Two Hour Delay, Dane County)

https://bit.ly/3zBaq3G

Soft and furious - When the blood driving the self

https://bit.ly/4aaMt0H

Maarten Schellekens - free classical theme

https://bit.ly/4cXxSXj

Hear why Kim Potowski, a professor of linguistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has a passion for preserving heritage languages, and how she teaches speakers of these languages. De-stigmatizing the way that a Spanish bilingual speaks his or her home language, in Kim’s view, “is a question of social justice.” Listen now to Episode 72 of America the Bilingual.

MUSIC CREDITS

Komiku - In the restaurant

https://bit.ly/3OfJTOs

Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion

https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion

Loyalty Freak Music - Waiting TTTT

https://bit.ly/3HEwICx

John Bartmann - Heart of acceptance

https://bit.ly/JohnBartmann_Heartofacceptance

Frederic Lardon feat. Laura Palmeé - Dans la piscine

https://bit.ly/3xiKf0I

Koi-discovery - Oxforf by night

https://bit.ly/3xn39Ua

Want to know what really goes into that Subway® sandwich? Localization. Internationalization. And one more: transcreation. Hear how Subway’s Carrie Fischer is making languages part of Subway’s linguistic palate worldwide, in this new episode of the America the Bilingual podcast.

This episode was written and directed by Mim Harrison, the editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual project. It was sound designed, mixed and produced by Fernando Hernandez Becerra produced.

Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech manages our website.

Music credits:

Komiku - Hélice’s theme

https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Helice_Awesome_Dance_Adventure_/helices-theme/

Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion

https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion

TRG Banks - City

https://bit.ly/43pM2g4

Komiku - Everything is groovy (how to move your body)

https://bit.ly/3xejA4I

HoliznaCC0 - 20 Minute meditation 1

https://bit.ly/492XPlN

TRG Banks - Horse ride 2

https://bit.ly/3LRPuZv

Komiku - In the restaurant

https://bit.ly/3OfJTOs

Soft and the furious - Superconnected sleep

https://bit.ly/3rN902r

Wax Lyricist - A bad death

https://bit.ly/3WbFwG7

Kai Engel - Holiday gift

https://bit.ly/3TL05cX

The American journalist, linguist, and author Michael Erard (Babel No More) has lived in South America, Asia, and now in Europe. He’s always had an ear to the native languages as much as for them.

A deep researcher of language, he shares in this episode why he believes that “human beings are meant to have very complex linguistic systems in their brains.” He also explains why he likens learning a language to weaving a rope.

Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team who worked on this episode: Fernando Hernández, writer for this episode, and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project; and Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.

Meet the entire America the Bilingual team—including our bark-lingual mascot, Chet—here.

Music in this episode, in sequence:

Demoiselle Döner, - Des têtes trop pleines

https://bit.ly/421rrhp

John Bartmann - African Moon

https://bit.ly/47Avvqe

Kevin Macleod - QuasiMotion

https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion

Loyalty Freak Music - Waiting TTTT

https://bit.ly/3HEwICx

TRG Banks - Michael Landon

https://bit.ly/47ytYkp

TRG Banks - Horse Ride 2

https://bit.ly/3LRPuZv

Jorge Mario Zuleta - En Detención

https://bit.ly/JMZ_detencion

John Bartmann - Bouncy Gypsy Beats

https://bit.ly/4aR7RZv