How did I change from being someone who was scared to speak my second language, even at informal gatherings, to someone who uses it confidently at work every day? Find out in today's episode! I give three tips to help anyone who is shy about speaking, or who needs to bring one of their other language competencies (reading, writing or listening) up to the same level as their other skills.
Don't forget you can still ask for your copy  of "100 resources for improving your business English". Also, I have a new page for teachers of English.
Today's show notes are here:
https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode101

EwK101 - Speaking skills - when did I stop being afraid to speak German?

A podcast for busy people who want to improve their business English or develop their communication skills. For further information, see www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast

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Marta is originally from Barcelona and has lived in Germany since 2002. She is a freelance translator who works from German and English into Spanish and Catalan, specialising in marketing and advertising.After many years of struggling with self-doubt, impostor syndrome and a fierce inner critic, Marta now offers consultancy services for fellow translators and interpreters, focusing on marketing and time management. What she enjoys most is encouraging people to believe in themselves and helping them to overcome their perfectionism when needed.We talked about:How we define perfectionismHow perfection appears in the context of language learningHow good attention to detail can help us, but perfectionism can also hold us back or make life harderSome practical tips and strategies for dealing with our perfectionist tendencies and reducing their impact on ourselves and our performance.Who and what can help us.Find out more on theshow notes page;https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode246/

Episode 246: EwK246 - Marta Pagans on overcoming our perfectionism in language learning

My guest today is Joana Lisboa from Unleash your Vocal Power. We met on LinkedIn last year when I think I commented on one of Joana’s voice-related posts. Then, after chatting some more, I thought she would be a great guest for the podcast.For the past 12 years, Joana’s life mission has been to help others find their authentic voice. The process of self-discovery she suggests to her clients has been proven by her before starting her career as a Vocal Coach. She went from being a shy girl, barely heard, to someone who believes in applying her vocal power authentically, no matter the circumstances. She works with entrepreneurs and companies and also gives singing lessons. Anything related to voice and body captures her attention: communication, singing, acting, cinema, dancing.We talked about:

Episode 245: EwK245 - Joana Lisboa on the power of your voice

I loved recording this episode!Originally I asked for volunteers from the conversation club for freelancers and business owners to record an episode with me about why they come to the club, how it has helped them, and what advice they would give to anyone who was thinking about coming along. Patricia, Maria, Anja, Lieselotte, and Marta all volunteered and I was so happy to hear what they had to say. I’m proud of what we are creating together and so happy that a recurring theme was the feeling of safety within the club – safety to use the language, talk freely, and even make mistakes!The club is for people who aren’t looking for a course, but who would like to have an opportunity to speak English in a welcoming and friendly group. We have a topic that is related to freelancing or running your own business and everyone has the opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, and we can all learn from each other.So, if you’d like to join us at the conversation club, you can sign up or find out more on the club's page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/conversations or on the show notes page for this episode:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode244***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.comor come and find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

Episode 244: EwK244 - 5 members of the conversation club share their experiences

My guest today is Rita Menezes, whom I met through the language networking events that I run with Rita Prazeres Gonçalves.Since 2002, Rita Menezes has been working as translator, subtitler, transcreator and reviser/quality controller in several audiovisual, transcreation and marketing projects; these projects include, for example, films and series now on streaming and marketing campaigns of well-known brands. Since 2014, Rita has also been involved in translator’s training. Rita has a BA in Translation and Interpreting, a MSc in Relationship Marketing and a PhD in Translation Studies, specialised in audiovisual translation. As a researcher, her main research interests are subtitling, subtitling revision/quality control and pivot subtitling. She is the co-author of the educational project ApiVoT and co-editor of a special issue of “Perspectives” about pivot audiovisual translation. Creativity, ethics and technology are areas that awaken her curiosity.We talked about:Rita’s background and how she got into subtitlingDifferent types of subtitling projectsSome of the rules that subtitlers need to follow when creating subtitlesHow subtitles can help you to learn a language or improve your language skillsCurrent changes in the subtitling industry.Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode243***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.com

Episode 243: EwK243 - Rita Menezes on subtitling and how subtitles can help us as language learners

My guest today is Olivia Segal whom I met on LinkedIn last year.This is how Olivia introduces herself:Hi! I’m Olivia. I’m an English Language Specialist. I help Spanish- and Catalan-speaking organisations with all their content in English through my reviewing and editing, translation, writing, and language consultation services. I’m based in London, but you can find me in Barcelona a few times a year.I love talking about languages! I studied them at university, learnt even more by living and working abroad and am still amazed by the people you can meet through speaking another language.We talked about:Olivia’s language story – which languages she is learning and where she has used them so farHow Olivia worked to overcome her reluctance to speak while living in Spain and BrazilThe power of learning through asking lots of questions and finding opportunities for authentic conversationsOlivia’s experiences with language tandemsThe importance of exposure to new languages to build vocabulary and how one-to-one classes can help with thatHow Olivia discovered podcasts during the pandemic and how looking at which podcasts are trending in each country can help you to discover new things to listen to.Find out more about olivia on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode242and check out the events section on my home page for details of te events that I mentioned at th beginning.***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.com

EwK101 - Speaking skills - when did I stop being afraid to speak German?

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