Language & Travel Hacking

Elizabeth interviews Benny about his experience climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and how it parallels learning a language.

Featured Resources

• Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Mentioned in this Episode

• Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and achieving a travel dream
• Giving up on language learning
• The compare and despair trap
• Being okay with mistakes
• Letting go of other people’s judgements
• Finding the silver lining
• How focusing on the end goal blinds you to the day to day progress
• The importance of asking questions and getting an outside perspective
• Why you make sure you have good people behind you

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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You wanted advice for memorising vocabulary, and Benny is happy to deliver. Benny explains that it’s not about having a particularly great memory, but instead, using specific tactics to make things stick.

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

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Benny and Elizabeth talk to Kris Broholm from Actual Fluency about language learning with depression, the language community, and the power of finding support.

This episode discusses depression. If you are currently experiencing depression, we recommend speaking with a professional. You can call Safe Help Line at (888) 379-6507 or any other support hotline

Featured Resources

• Lost Connections
• Actual Fluency Podcast

Mentioned in this Episode

• Lost Connections
• Polyglot Gathering
• Actual Fluency Podcast
• Actual Fluency
• Kris’s Email
• Cortisol relief in nature

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• Challenges of living abroad and why it’s not the secret to language learning
• Learning languages with depression
• How language learning can counter the effects of depression
• The benefits of support and accountability from other people
• Creating wins in language learning
• Avoiding the comparison trap
• Anti-goals

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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In this episode of the Language Hacking Podcast, we talk to Julie Ferguson who has learned five languages and is getting ready to learn her sixth – Scots Gaelic. She’s severely deaf and legally blind and has come up with loads of creative strategies for learning languages which she shares in this podcast as well as accessibility for both language resources and travel.

Featured Resources

• Julie’s articles on Fluent in 3 Months

Mentioned in this Episode

• Julie’s articles on Fluent in 3 Months
• Satori Reader
• Transcript for this episode

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• Overcoming physical challenges to learn languages
• Being a visual learner while legally blind
• Getting help from a tutor and not solely relying on self-study
• Creative strategies for improving the accessibility of language learning resources
• How the accountability of the classroom helps Julie keep on top of her studies
• What it was like learning Swedish in Sweden
• Getting over the frustration of asking people for help
• How to keep conversations in the local language
• Traveling and accessibility
• Tips for avoiding language interference
• Building resilience in your language learning

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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We continue our new "Ask Benny" series with one of your most common questions. This week Benny talks about why he thinks speaking from day one is the key, and how you can do this even when travel is not an option.

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

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Benny and Shannon talk to Chuck Smith, a notable figure in the language learning and Esperanto communities about Esperanto and its culture, and why Esperanto should be your next language.

Featured Resources

• Amikumu
• Innovative Languages

Mentioned in this Episode

• Polyglot Gathering
• Amikumu
• Innovative Languages
• Chuck Smith
• Chuck’s Twitter
• Chuck’s Instagram

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• What Esperanto is and its history
• Why learn Esperanto?
• Does Esperanto really help you learn other languages?
• The lack of irregular verbs in Esperanto
• The lack of taboos and exclusivity in Esperanto
• The empowering nature of Esperanto conversations
• The unique aspects of Esperanto culture
• Going to Esperanto events in Europe
• Founding Amikumu
• Why grammar books may not be the best way to reach your language learning goals

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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This episode features Bryce, who learned conversational Portuguese 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.

In this episode, Benny and Shannon talk with two Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participants, Bryce and Michele, who are husband and wife learning their native languages with help from one another.

Featured Resources

• Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Mentioned in this Episode

• Fluent in 3 Months Challenge

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• Connecting with your partner and their family through their native language
• Speaking Portuguese for an hour during the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
• Language learning milestones and building confidence
• Learning English while living in Kansas and dealing with culture shock
• Having patience with your partner
• Falling in love as a motivation
• Raising multilingual children and connecting with them through language
• How to practice a language with your partner
• Approaching language learning like an air infantryman
• Using Dream Teams in the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge
• Bringing Brazilian culture into the American home
• Advice for when you and your partner don’t speak the same language

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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This is the first episode of our new "Ask Benny" series where Benny answers listener questions. In this episode, Benny gives an update on where he is with his own language learning projects.

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

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In this episode, Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy discuss everything from language interpreting to language coaching, the Goldlist Method to novelty in language learning with Lýdia Machová.

In our chat with Lýdia, we also cover how to become more than a passive language learner, finding ways to enjoy your language learning, why you should focus on one specific language skill at a time, why Lýdia focuses on a language for two years, and how to be okay with giving up a language.

Featured Resources

• Goldlist Method
• Anki

Mentioned in this Episode

• Polyglot Gathering
• Goldlist Method
• Anki
• SRS
• Lýdia Machová
• Lýdia’s Facebook
• Lýdia’s Instagram
• Lýdia’s YouTube
• Lýdia’s Ted Talk

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• What’s involved in working as a language interpreter
• How to become more than a passive language learner
• Finding ways to enjoy your language learning
• Making language learning fun, systematic, intensive, and effective
• The importance of novelty in language learning
• Using the Goldlist method
• Why you should focus on one specific language skill at a time
• Why Lýdia focuses on a language for two years
• How to be okay with giving up a language
• How many languages polyglots actually speak

Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

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In this episode, we talk to renowned polyglot Richard Simcott about learning languages at university, raising a multilingual child, and finding motivation to learn languages through human connection.

Featured Resources

• Assimil
• italki

Mentioned in this Episode

• Polyglot Conference
• Richard’s Polyglot Video
• Korean Script Hacking
• Assimil
• Teach Yourself Complete Korean
• Michel Thomas
• Go Billy Korean
• TTMIK
• italki
• Richard Simcott
• Richard’s Youtube
• Richard’s Twitter
• Richard’s Instagram
• Richard’s Facebook

Episode Overview

Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:

• Studying language at university
• Secrets to working on more than one language at a time
• How to maintain languages with anchor languages
• Reactivating, improving and learning languages
• Finding motivation to learn languages through human connection
• Uploading videos and becoming a part of the polyglot community
• The origins of the Polyglot Conference and shifting to the online space
• What language learning resources and methods Richard Simcott uses
• How Richard is learning Korean with his daughter
• Criteria for choosing a language tutor
• Raising multilingual children

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.