Language & Travel Hacking

After several years living in the USA, Benny is finally returning to a life of full-time travel. This means he'll have a lot more opportunities to use his languages and build new language skills. In terms of language learning, the plan is to spend the first half of the year working hard to push his main languages to their best. As for the second half of the year... that's a story still to unfold.
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Benny loves helping people start their language learning journey. Whether it's your first new language or your tenth, it's important to consider how you start, so you can build confidence quickly. In this episode Benny talks about how to get set up with spoken lessons and how to find course recommendations. And of course, having friends who support you is key - whether you join the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge, or build your own community, it's the most important way to ensure continued success.
To access our New Year deals visit languagehacking.com/deals.

To ask Benny a question, please email [email protected]

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Benny looks towards the New Year and shares ways you can make your New Year's Resolutions more effective. More often than not, vague goals fizzle out over time, but you'll have much more success if you're SMART in setting your resolutions.
To access our New Year deals visit languagehacking.com/deals.

To ask Benny a question, please email [email protected]

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This episode features Yawhann, who learned conversational Cantonese and Mandarin in just 90 days with the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge.

We actually 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

Mentioned in this Episode

• Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
• Ramit Sethi

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• How parents can encourage their kids to embrace their heritage languages
• Why “I don’t have enough time” is usually an excuse rather than a good reason
• Strategies for keeping conversations with natives in your target language
• Using your technical skills in learning languages
• The ways language creates cultural connections
• Hann’s experience in the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge and the importance of accountability
• Learning similar languages
• When it’s the right time to learn your second, second language
• Reframing your language learning progress as successes rather than small steps

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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Benny is getting stuck back into some language projects, which have recently included Irish, Spanish, Chinese, and Catalan. As he's doing this, he's taken the opportunity to reflect on how difficult life events and mental health challenges have impacted his language learning. It has been challenging, with some very hard times leading to Benny making his mental health recovery a priority.

To ask Benny a question, please email [email protected]

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Holistic language coach, Lina Vasquez, talks to Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy about growing up multilingual, holistic language learning, and how personal development impacts how you learn languages.

Lina really understands herself as a learner, and knows how to play to her strengths. She uses her knowledge of psychotherapy and positive psychology to help people understand themselves better, so they can approach learning in a way that will be both effective and enjoyable.

Featured Resources

• Lina’s Coaching

Mentioned in this Episode

• Lina’s Coaching
• Lina Vasquez
• Lina’s Facebook
• Lina’s Instagram
• Lina’s Youtube
• Lina’s Clubhouse
• Lina’s LinkedIn

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• Growing up bilingual
• Deciding when to dabble and when to deep dive with a language
• What holistic learning is and what holistic language coaching looks like
• Incorporating meditation into language learning
• Quick tips for implementing a more holistic language learning approach
• Mindfulness practices for language learners
• Using your strengths and personality to design your language learning routine
• Building your self-esteem and confidence by getting to know yourself
• Indirect ways personal development impacts your language learning
• Mental blocks that get in our way of our overall development and how to break through them
• Lina’s personal strategies for learning languages

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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This week Benny gives an update about his own language learning progress and shares his method for jump-starting a dormant language. In 2006 Benny spent the summer intensively learning Catalan, but hasn't maintained it since. After 15 years of letting this language lie dormant, it's time to get it back ahead of his upcoming trip to Mallorca.

To ask Benny a question, please email [email protected]

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Benny, Elizabeth, and team members from Fluent in 3 Months share their favourite gifts for language learners. Use this to get ideas for your festive shopping this year, or pass this wishlist on to your friends, family, and Santa Claus!

Whether you’re thinking about what to buy or what you’d like to receive, this episode is packed with ideas that will help make this a perfect polyglot Christmas. We’ve got suggestions for all budgets, all language levels, and all ages, so you’re bound to find something that will put a smile on a language learner’s face this festive season.

Featured Gifts

• Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
• Language Hacking books
• Preply
• The Bullet Journal Method
• Panda Planner
• Time Timer
• Dabble Spanish course
• Script Hacking books
• Olly Richards’ Short Stories
• Urbion Card Game
• Kindle Fire tablet

Mentioned in this Episode

• Christmas food traditions around the world
• Book Depository

Episode Overview

Some of the gift ideas mentioned during the episode are:

• A bullet journal, colourful pens, and sticky notes
• A ringbinder, plastic pockets, paper, and hole puncher
• Books, and graphic novels
• The Harry Potter series, Marc Levy, and Edward Rutherford books
• Recipe books, and cooking a traditional Christmas dish
• A magazine subscription
• Making a playlist of target language songs
• Giving someone the gift of time so they can study
• A board game, and children’s activity books
• Gift cards for books or online lessons, and coupons for tech support
• Keyboard cover/skin, and wireless or waterproof headphones

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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Polyglot and language coach, Gabriel Silva, talks with Benny Lewis and Elizabeth Bruckner about his method for learning two languages at the same time, and the joy of random interactions in your target language.

Gabriel is very active on YouTube and Instagram, and his popular #1SentenceChallenge inspires learners around the world to share videos of their progress. Gabriel helps his students to manage their expectations when it comes to learning, and is very transparent about how long it has taken him to reach milestones in his languages.

Featured Resources

• Gabriel’s Book “Terrible at Learning Languages: No More!”
• Pimsleur

Mentioned in this Episode

• Gabriel’s Book “Terrible at Learning Languages: No More!”
• Gabriel’s YouTube
• Gabriel’s Instagram
• Pimsleur

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• Fluctuations in motivation and how to “ride the wave”
• The pitfalls of grammar-based languages courses
• Finding the fun and pleasure in language learning
• The joy of interactions with random people in your target language
• Matching your learning activities to your energy levels
• An 80/20 approach to learning two languages at once
• Managing frustration and not giving up
• The benefit of walking away from a problem for a while, and adding variety to your learning
• Gabriel’s #1SentenceChallenge
• Consistency as the key to progress
• How recording yourself speaking, even just for yourself, can be so helpful
• How to manage expectations, and how being part of a community can really help

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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Benny shares how he manages lessons when he is particularly busy. We all have weeks that are busier than usual. Benny recommends that you resist the temptation to cancel your lessons! It's not ideal to skip the prep, but the lesson can still be really valuable if you follow Benny's advice.

To ask Benny a question, please email [email protected]

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