More than half of the world’s population speaks two or more languages, and all these people think, feel, and perceive the world in ways that can seem almost mysterious to monolinguals.

Although bilingualism is incredibly common, both researchers and the public are often drawn to bilinguals whose language combinations are less typical or not "geopolitically expected” to occur.

That’s why the Russian–English mix so often becomes the focus of conversations about bilingualism.

In this episode, Irina sits down with her ELT colleague and fellow bilingual, Julie Stolyarchuk, an expert in teaching English to high-level learners. Together, they explore different types of bilingualism, the challenges faced by bilingual families, and how bilingual minds process language, attention, and meaning.

If you identify as bilingual or multilingual or if you’re raising (or planning to raise) bilingual children, this episode will be a real treat for you 💙

Irina Vasilyeva is an English language teacher, a neurolinguistics & ELT methodology expert, a translator, and a founder of the Focus.Study English language agency. The Atttention Focus podcast is an independent production by Irina and the team.

• Jubilant English with Julie Stolyarchuk Telegram-channel (in English)

•  Attention Focus Telegram-channel (in Russian)

•  Study or teach English with Irina via the Focus.Study agency