Language & Travel Hacking

19-year-old student, Ben Phillips, talks to Benny Lewis and Elizabeth Bruckner about his experience of doing a highschool German exchange programme, and how he stayed focussed and motivated enough to reach C1 level after just a year.

Ben explains how, after unsuccessfully dabbling in Japanese, Greek and Mandarin, he was able to excel at German in such a short period of time, how and why reading is so integral to his learning, and the ways he has been able to travel and live abroad more or less for free.

Featured Resources

• Anki
• italki
• LingQ

Mentioned in this Episode

• Ben’s article on the Fluent in 3 Months blog
• Anki
• italki
• LingQ
• Memrise
• Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX)
• Workaway
• Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF)

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• High school language exchanges and language camp with the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
• Attending a German school and the joy of finally being able to participate in a class discussion
• Taking and passing the C1 test in German after only a year of learning
• How to make the most of opportunities to learn a language while living abroad
• The importance of keeping your goal in mind
• How speaking with people and learning about a culture in your target language is its own reward
• Overcoming the temptation to slip back into English while living abroad
• How to set monthly goals and why they’re useful
• How to find time to study and still do the things you enjoy in your free time
• Tracking your accomplishments, like finishing a book in your target language
• Reading as a key part of your language practice - novels, Twitter, and using LingQ
• Finding motivation to study when you don’t have the pressure of being in the country
• Scholarships and work exchanges as ways to travel and have enriching experiences abroad for free

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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Polyglot and avid traveller, Doree Huneven, joins Benny Lewis and Elizabeth Bruckner to talk about her experience learning multiple languages, travelling the world, and how the violin has made her a better learner.

Doree shares why she thinks discipline is the key to being a successful language learner and having fun, and why the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge is so appealing, even to an experienced language learner. 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
• Linguaphone

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• How a family camping trip to Mexico sparked her love of languages
• Teaching English in Egypt and learning Arabic
• How studying and teaching the violin help with language learning
• Why discipline is an invaluable asset
• The value of being active in the Fi3M Challenge community
• Why, as an experienced language learner, she still joined the Fi3M Challenge
• Developing communities as you travel
• The desire to connect with people as a driving force for learning
• How language resources have changed over the last 50 years
• Mimicking phrases, copying body language, and blending in with locals when you travel
• Saving money, cutting costs, and making travel more financially accessible
• The “Doree Huneven Reward System”
• What Doree does with her “sleeping” languages

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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Benny shares his advice about how to prepare for a 1-1 language lesson, and his method for note taking before, during, and after lessons.

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

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Linguist and professional researcher joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to discuss comprehensible input, compelling input, and language acquisition.

Stephen Krashen is a professor emeritus who is well-known for his work and research into comprehensible input. He has hundreds of publications to his name and has greatly contributed to the field of language acquisition.

Featured Resources

• Stephen Krashen

Mentioned in this Episode

• Stephen Krashen’s Website
• Stephen Krashen on Twitter
• Steve Kaufmann
• Noam Chomsky
• Tracy Terrell
• Biological Foundations of Language
• TPRS
• Beniko Mason
• Bill VanPatten
• Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• How a trip to Ethiopia led to Stephen Krashen’s career in linguistics
• How adults go through a predictable language acquisition pattern
• Why we know grammar but struggle to use it correctly, and how to bridge this gap
• What comprehensible input is and why it works
• How comprehensible input differs from compelling input
• Why graded readers are effective resources for language learners
• The power of reading fiction
• How the speaking approach is still a mostly input approach
• Making the shift from input to output
• Accents, and how we’re better at them than we think
• Managing your time with multiple languages
• Romanization and its role in language acquisition

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy chat with Juliana Russell of Language Mindset about supporting kids learning languages, resilience in language learning, and if kids really are better language learners than adults

Featured Resources

• italki

Mentioned in this Episode

• italki
• Gus on the Go
• Duolingo
• The Language Mindset
• Juliana’s Instagram
• Juliana’s Facebook

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• Developing a passion for languages through failure
• Building a language business
• Strategies for teaching children languages
• Are kids really better language learners than adults?
• Advantages and disadvantages for kids learning languages
• How parents can support their children learning another language even if they’re not a native speaker
• How to be a more resilient language learner
• How to support a child who is resisting learning a new language
• Ways to practice language with your kids outside of the classroom
• How to maintain your languages when you can’t travel

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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This week Benny talks about how to approach speaking sessions with a teacher differently, depending on your level. The "Speak from Day One" approach is an excellent starting point for beginners, but it's important to make sure you're improving and being challenged as you move into intermediate and beyond. Benny describes how and when he likes a teacher to correct mistakes, and how you can use homework assignments to really drive improvement.

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

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Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy chat with musician and translator Jeremy Bardo about his experience going viral with a Spanish language music video. We also discuss the myth of the language gene and finding joy in embarrassing moments.

Featured Resources

• Speak from Day 1
• Language Hacking Spanish

Mentioned in this Episode

• Speak from Day 1
• Language Hacking Spanish
• Memrise
• Stop Making Excuses
• Jeremy Bardo’s Youtube
• Las Flores Se Abrirán
• Jeremy’s Website

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• The myth of the “language gene”
• Overcoming perfectionism by finding joy in embarrassing moments
• Finding balance in your language studies
• The power of technology in language learning
• Cognates and how they can help you
• Using a Spanish phrase book as a conversation starter
• How learning languages helps you become a more compassionate language teacher
• Important qualities language teachers should have
• Identifying when an error is important and deserves feedback with your students
• Using your interests to learn languages
• Recording music and going viral in your non-native language
• Finding a foothold in a new language with just a few words

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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This episode features Brittany, who learned conversational Japanese 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
• italki
• JapanesePod101

Mentioned in this Episode

• Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
• italki
• JapanesePod101
• Memrise
• Pimsleur
• Wanikani

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• How the Challenge helped Brittany become an effective, independent language learner
• How and why the Speak from Day 1 approach works
• Ways to stay engaged in your language learning
• The power of scripting as a language learning tool
• The impact of community in language learning
• Building confidence through consistency
• How the Challenge helped Brittany become a better English tutor
• Strategies for overcoming perfectionism
• Japanese resources for independent study
• Why it’s important to understand the culture of your language

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Join Our Patreon

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

As a beginner, the idea of having a lesson where you only speak your target language can seem impossible. Benny shares some great ideas and resources that you can use to avoid your native language and start as you mean to go on. Speaking from day one is a daunting prospect, but with a bit of preparation and planning, it's absolutely achievable.

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

Join Our Patreon

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