Language & Travel Hacking

In this Ask Benny episode, Benny explains how he goes about making a personalised phrasebook. He shares examples of useful sentences that he knows he needs to use when introducing himself, as well as phrases for talking about his interests and work. Benny then explains how he compiles a vocab database, how he makes flashcards, and what other resources he uses during the process.

To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email [email protected]

Creator of the immensely popular YouTube channel LangFocus, Paul Jorgenson, joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to talk about building a Youtube channel around a passion for languages, living abroad, and language dabbling.

Paul also shares his secrets for effective time management as he balances family life with his life as a creator and language learner by using non-negotiable routines.

Featured Resources

• italki

Patreon Extended Episode

Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear in the long-form episode:

• How to learn languages with different writing systems without apps
• Tips for overcoming stress and burnout
• Benny and Shannon’s strategies for speaking multiple languages without mixing them up
• Paul’s language survival resources
• Paul’s ideal day of language learning
• Advice for a complete beginner to language learning

Learn more and access this bonus content on Patreon.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Living Languages Hebrew
• italki
• Arabic with Maha
• LangFocus Website
• LangFocus on YouTube
• LangFocus on Twitter
• LangFocus on Instagram
• LangFocus on Facebook
• GeoFocus on YouTube

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:
Learning languages with few accessible resources

• Strategies for making “difficult” languages easy to learn
• Moving to Japan and living in Japanese
• Dabbling in dozens of languages as a Youtube creator in order to create content
• Building a YouTube channel around an interest in languages
• Crowdsourcing audio samples of different languages
• How Paul’s language learning strategies have changed as tech has improved
• Being a public figure as an introvert
• Time management and the importance of non-negotiable routines as a content creator, language learner, and parent
• Being a role model and inspiration in the language community

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and Spanish learner, Zsuzsanna, chats with Benny and Shannon about finally finding success in language learning, the importance of friendship and connections in language, and being a gregarious introvert.

We guarantee that anyone who completes the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge will have a 15-minute conversation in their new language after 90 days of learning. You can find out more here.

Featured Resources

• Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Patreon Extended Episode

Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to bonus content and monthly exclusives.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• Learning Spanish in the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge and finally finding success in language learning
• How friendships and connections can make learning languages a positive experience
• Being a gregarious introvert and what that means for language learning
• The importance of consistency
• Raising a bilingual son
• Learning Spanish through a non-native language
• Why Office Hours are one of the best parts of the Challenge
• How accountability can impact your success

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Benny explains how to apply the Pareto Principle (aka the 80/20 rule) to language learning. Benny shares how to go about focusing on 20% of a language to get you 80% of the results. He explains his ideas for what you can save until later, and what you should prioritise, so that you can keep your learning as efficient as possible, and make as much progress as you can without wasting time and effort on non-essential elements.

To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email [email protected]

Enthusiastic learner, New York resident, musician, and polyglot, Fiel Sahir, joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to talk about finding mentors, learning heritage languages, studying Chinese with the Language Hacking Mandarin book, and using languages in a non-language-related field.

Fiel, in his own words, says one of his greatest strengths is his endless curiosity. It’s led to him making incredible connections, learning lots of languages, finding community, and a life of learning. If you’re interested in learning a heritage language, learning without strictly “studying” or how music influences your language learning, this is the episode for you.

Featured Resources

• Language Hacking Mandarin
• italki

Patreon Extended Episode

Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear in the long-form episode:

• How to learn languages without “studying”
• The influence music has on language learning
• How Benny and Shannon’s language learning philosophies have developed over years of learning
• Fiel’s future language learning plans

Learn more and access this bonus content on Patreon.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Language Hacking Mandarin
• italki
• Polyglot Gathering
• Glossika
• Anki
• Easy Languages
• Olly Richard’s Books
• XiaoManNYC
• Speak from Day 1
• How to Use Chunking to Fire Up Your Language Learning
• Fiel’s Chat with Olly Richards

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• How a long car ride led to Fiel’s passion for language learning
• Finding mentors and the role a good mentor can play in your growth
• The power of curiosity
• Studying music at a German university
• Learning a heritage language and connecting with culture
• What it’s like living in one of the most multilingual cities in the world
• The powerful influence of community in language learning

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and Dutch learner, Corentin, chats with Benny and Shannon about “redefining” yourself as a language learner and finding success in your new identity.

We guarantee that anyone who completes the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge will have a 15-minute conversation in their new language after 90 days of learning. You can find out more here.

Featured Resources

• Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Patreon Extended Episode

Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to bonus content and monthly exclusives.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
• Paul Nation
• Microsoft To Do

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• Living in Brussels and needing to learn Dutch
• How to help your production in a language catch up to your comprehension
• When to focus on one language learning skill and when to focus on the four core skills
• “Redefining” yourself as a language learner
• Why the Challenge helped Corentin more than traditional language classes
• Taking control of your own language learning for success
• Using a to-do app to coordinate with a team while language learning

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Benny shares the reasons he learned Esperanto and why it's so useful, despite it not being an officially recognized language. The international Esperanto community is one that Benny loves being a part of, not least because they know how to throw a good party! And learning this as one of your first languages has been shown to have significant benefits for learning subsequent languages, giving you momentum, confidence, and skills that are highly transferable. 

To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email [email protected]

Linguistics expert and language enthusiast, Simon Ager, talks with Benny and Elizabeth about creating one of the internet’s biggest (and first) encyclopedias of languages and writing systems.

On his website, omniglot.com, Simon has cataloged over 340 writing systems and collated information about more than 1,600 languages. Simon has studied a wide range of languages including Chinese, Japanese, French, German, and he has a particular interest in Celtic languages.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Simon’s Website
• Simon’s Twitter
• Radio Omniglot
• Omniglot on Facebook
• Duolingo
• Memrise

Patreon Extended Episode

Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear in the long-form episode:

• Comparing learning music and languages
• Singing as pronunciation practice
• Metaskills: The skill of learning a new skill
• Benny and Elizabeth’s best languages

Learn more and access this bonus content on Patreon.

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• Making the most of immersion experiences
• Simon’s favourite resources, including Duolingo and Memrise
• A typical day of language learning
• First steps for using Omniglot.com
• Using your languages to aid research on Wikipedia
• Getting a Masters in Linguistics, and where it can take you
• Celtic languages and their revival
• Responding to “why bother?” criticism
• Integrating the four pillars of language into daily life
• People-watching in your target language

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Professor, polyglot and all-round language expert, Alexander Argüelles, talks with Benny and Elizabeth about his routines, methods, favourite activities and language learning interests.

Professor Argüelles employs his vast experience to help people learn languages through a variety of methods, including reading circles and videos on his YouTube channel, and he shares a lot of advice and inspiration during this conversation.

Mentioned in this Episode

• Professor Argüelles‘ website
• Professor Argüelles‘ Q&A page
• Professor Argüelles‘ YouTube channel
• The Assimil Method

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• What it’s like to be inside the brain of someone who speaks numerous languages
• Learning a language in 15 minutes a day
• Doing what you love in your language
• Reading in target languages
• A daily language learning routine
• How to learn a language through reading circles
• What shadowing is
• The “scriptorium” method
• Mythology, religion and language
• Digital detox and screen-free time

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

This week Benny shares some exciting news in a special Ask Benny episode. Benny is heading back out on the road, to live the nomadic life he loves. This means new language challenges and lots of interesting updates from his travels. 

Things are also changing for the podcast, as this week we launch the option to support us on Patreon. The podcast is still continuing as normal on the usual channels, and if you sign up to Patreon at https://languagehacking.com/patreon you'll now get access to extended interviews, exclusive content from our hosts, discounts on Fi3M products and lots of other valuable language learning content.

To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email [email protected]