The Fluent Show

By Kerstin Cable

Learn a Language...Or Maybe Three!

The Fluent Show is on a mission to help you get excited about language learning. We learn languages every day in our lives, and have learnt over 15 different languag... more

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FAQs about The Fluent Show:

How many episodes does The Fluent Show have?

The podcast currently has 388 episodes available.

The Fluent Show episodes:

March 26, 2018What's The Secret To The Greatest Language Exchange Ever?
The most rewarding way of practicing your language is by connecting with people on a 1-to-1 basis. It takes commitment to make any language exchange successful.
On today's show, we discuss what it takes to have the best language exchange experience possible. We also welcome special guest Jonathan Huggins, who knows lots about language exchanges.
Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk
Special Guest: Jonathan Huggins.
Sponsored By:
Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages
Support The Fluent Show
Links:
30-Day Speaking Challenge – Huggins International
Language Exchange — Jonathan's Facebook group for anyone who wants to practice with native speakers.
Tandem | Find Conversation Exchange Partners
HelloTalk - Language Exchange App
How to Guarantee Responses with Language Exchange - Lindsay Does Languages
Olly Richards: Was this the worst language exchange I ever did? - YouTube
Women in Language
Conversation Questions for the ESL/EFL Classroom (I-TESL-J)
italki - find online language tutors and language exchanges
Find your people | Meetup
Terrace House: Boys & Girls in the City | Netflix Official Site
...more
1h 14min
March 19, 2018Q&A: Should You Get a Masters Degree in Languages?
Today on the show, I'll share a few tips and considerations about studying languages at university. Plus: My own story of doing Translation Studies at the University of Manchester.
Chenelle asks:
I wanted to know did you only get your bachelors degree or did you actually go and get a masters degree and languages?
Listen to get the full details of my tips.
At postgrad level, you tend to go either into research or applied mode. Most specialised ones
Applied Linguistics / Linguistics
Intercultural Communication
Translation and Interpreting
Teaching
And then it specialises more and more
Tips for Choosing a Masters
Consider practical experience vs research
Consider options of FT, PT, distance
Ensure the qualification allows you to pursue the career you want
Consider fees and scholarships, visas, cost of living
Consider your university's reputation, but remember a bad result from a great university can be worse than an amazing result from a less famous university
Rankings: Ensure the ranking reflects what you care about
Sponsored By:
Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages
Links:
MA Translation and Interpreting Studies (2018 entry) | The University of Manchester
PGCE | Prospects.ac.uk
Common Qualifications for English Language Teachers
British undergraduate degree classification - Wikipedia
What is Research? - Definition, Purpose & Typical Researchers - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com
...more
31min
March 19, 2018Q&A: Should You Get a Masters Degree in Languages?
Today on the show, I'll share a few tips and considerations about studying languages at university. Plus: My own story of doing Translation Studies at the University of Manchester.
Chenelle asks:
I wanted to know did you only get your bachelors degree or did you actually go and get a masters degree and languages?
Listen to get the full details of my tips.
At postgrad level, you tend to go either into research or applied mode. Most specialised ones
Applied Linguistics / Linguistics
Intercultural Communication
Translation and Interpreting
Teaching
And then it specialises more and more
Tips for Choosing a Masters
Consider practical experience vs research
Consider options of FT, PT, distance
Ensure the qualification allows you to pursue the career you want
Consider fees and scholarships, visas, cost of living
Consider your university's reputation, but remember a bad result from a great university can be worse than an amazing result from a less famous university
Rankings: Ensure the ranking reflects what you care about
Sponsored By:
Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages
Support The Fluent Show
Links:
MA Translation and Interpreting Studies (2018 entry) | The University of Manchester
PGCE | Prospects.ac.uk
Common Qualifications for English Language Teachers
British undergraduate degree classification - Wikipedia
What is Research? - Definition, Purpose & Typical Researchers - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com
...more
31min
March 12, 2018In Language, Are Apps All Amazing? Are All Apps Amazing?
Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk
In this episode, we caught up, talked about a new directive on language use in a very special setting: Childbirth! We also discussed language learning apps and how to make the most out of them.
Sponsored By:
Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages
Links:
Code-switching - Wikipedia
italki - where people can find online language tutors
Humanising birth: Does the language we use matter? – The BMJ
12 Ideas For Making the Perfect Language Learning App by Fluent Language
After Duolingo? : Esperanto
The Welsh-Dictionary App: Language Technologies Unit, Canolfan Bedwyr
The Fluent Show: Gabriel Wyner is NOT a Robot (with Fluent Forever author Gabriel Wyner) — Interview with Gabe Wyner, the creator of the Fluent Forever app
Gboard - the Google Keyboard - Android Apps on Google Play
STREAKS. The to-do list that helps you form good habits. For iPhone.
30/30 | You have never experienced a task manager like this!
Gretchen Rubin: The Four Tendencies — Cool personality quiz that can tell you more about your habits. See also Fluent Show 32
clear the list Archives - Eurolinguiste
Language Learning Goals: Clear The List - March 2018 - Lindsay Does Languages
Reddit's Languagelearning Forum
...more
1h 3min
March 12, 2018In Language, Are Apps All Amazing? Are All Apps Amazing?
Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk
In this episode, we caught up, talked about a new directive on language use in a very special setting: Childbirth! We also discussed language learning apps and how to make the most out of them.
Sponsored By:
Clozemaster: Visit our sponsor Clozemaster, the free addictive language app in over 50 languages
Support The Fluent Show
Links:
Code-switching - Wikipedia
italki - where people can find online language tutors
Humanising birth: Does the language we use matter? – The BMJ
12 Ideas For Making the Perfect Language Learning App by Fluent Language
After Duolingo? : Esperanto
The Welsh-Dictionary App: Language Technologies Unit, Canolfan Bedwyr
The Fluent Show: Gabriel Wyner is NOT a Robot (with Fluent Forever author Gabriel Wyner) — Interview with Gabe Wyner, the creator of the Fluent Forever app
Gboard - the Google Keyboard - Android Apps on Google Play
STREAKS. The to-do list that helps you form good habits. For iPhone.
30/30 | You have never experienced a task manager like this!
Gretchen Rubin: The Four Tendencies — Cool personality quiz that can tell you more about your habits. See also Fluent Show 32
clear the list Archives - Eurolinguiste
Language Learning Goals: Clear The List - March 2018 - Lindsay Does Languages
Reddit's Languagelearning Forum
...more
1h 3min
March 05, 2018Q&A: How Can You Train Your Listening Skills?
Elisabeth asks:
“How do you fit hearing comprehension into your daily routine? I find myself daydreaming a lot during my hearing comprehension time.”
What are you training, exactly?
Listening comprehension will aid you in understanding spoken language. For most independent language learners, listening comprehension is what starts bridging the gap between reading a textbook and moving on to confident and independent language use.
For Elisabeth as a French learner in particular, there’s a lot to unpack. French has a lot of silent letters, liaisons, weird silent bits that you cannot know from listening.
The Speak & Spell Connection
It’s important to train the four core skills - all of them: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
About That Daydreaming Problem
Is it really a problem to be daydreaming during your listening sessions? There are different levels of listening.
What you don’t want to do is set yourself up for failure or disappointment, so before you switch that input on it’s worth focusing on whether you are here
for pleasure
to get the gist
to study
If you’re too tired for study, don’t worry about that aspect and set your expectations differently.
Paying lots of attention, extracting 100% of meaning and nuance, listening in detail
Podcasts often require attention and demand a lot of attention
When you’re listening for study, you will want a transcript!
Listening for the gist, being happy understanding most
TV can be a good practice element for this, where there’s a narrative to follow - films too. Decide if you want scripted or spontaneous dialogue.
Subtitles are absolutely ok, and there are strategies for weaning yourself off them
Understanding very little, “immersion listening” at an early point
I always remember Ron Gullekson’s quote about making himself uncomfortable as early as possible
This is great for exposure, but beware - if it’s just a wall of sound, you’re not doing much good. You need to be able to distinguish where a word starts and ends.
Listening for Training — How To Go About It
Know your target language’s pronunciation rules
Determine what your audio is about, make sure you have some structures and vocab ready to go
Listen without reading, just see what you can get, make your notes, stop and start, vary the speeds
Repeat
Enlist the help of a transcript if available - ideally you do want that transcript there but you can also transcribe the text yourself or summarize it to read it back to a tutor
Discuss with a tutor, get them to ask you questions…or if you’ve got no one on hand, read a translation of the text
PAY ATTENTION to what you got wrong. In my experience, it’s easy to overestimate your skills.
Where can you go to find good listening material?
During selection of materials, consider:
Level right for you?
Language register (formal/informal) right for you?
Topic interesting?
Affordable and accessible for you?
What do you need to understand, what do you want to understand?
Remember: “A polyglot cannot survive on audio alone”. Combining with text, visual and even speaking is very crucial for a balanced approach.
Sponsored By:
Speechling: Visit our sponsor Speechling, the outstanding speaking platform in over 6 languages, and use the promo code FLUENT for a 10% lifetime discount Promo Code: FLUENT
Links:
Fluency Made Achievable — My book on the four core skills and how to balance them
Subtitle freedom for English learners
Speechling — Our sponsors!! Support the Fluent Show by visiting this site & using code FLUENT if you decide to upgrade. There's a discount in it for you
Glossika
Apprendre une langue étrangère avec la méthode ASSIMIL
Modern Foreign Languages | Teach Yourself
Welsh Listening Exercises from SaySomethingIn...
LingQ
Conversations by I Will Teach You A Language — Conversations helps you understand more and transform your listening skills
RhinoSpike : Foreign Language Audio on Demand!
...more
31min
March 05, 2018Q&A: How Can You Train Your Listening Skills?
Elisabeth asks:
“How do you fit hearing comprehension into your daily routine? I find myself daydreaming a lot during my hearing comprehension time.”
What are you training, exactly?
Listening comprehension will aid you in understanding spoken language. For most independent language learners, listening comprehension is what starts bridging the gap between reading a textbook and moving on to confident and independent language use.
For Elisabeth as a French learner in particular, there’s a lot to unpack. French has a lot of silent letters, liaisons, weird silent bits that you cannot know from listening.
The Speak & Spell Connection
It’s important to train the four core skills - all of them: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
About That Daydreaming Problem
Is it really a problem to be daydreaming during your listening sessions? There are different levels of listening.
What you don’t want to do is set yourself up for failure or disappointment, so before you switch that input on it’s worth focusing on whether you are here
for pleasure
to get the gist
to study
If you’re too tired for study, don’t worry about that aspect and set your expectations differently.
Paying lots of attention, extracting 100% of meaning and nuance, listening in detail
Podcasts often require attention and demand a lot of attention
When you’re listening for study, you will want a transcript!
Listening for the gist, being happy understanding most
TV can be a good practice element for this, where there’s a narrative to follow - films too. Decide if you want scripted or spontaneous dialogue.
Subtitles are absolutely ok, and there are strategies for weaning yourself off them
Understanding very little, “immersion listening” at an early point
I always remember Ron Gullekson’s quote about making himself uncomfortable as early as possible
This is great for exposure, but beware - if it’s just a wall of sound, you’re not doing much good. You need to be able to distinguish where a word starts and ends.
Listening for Training — How To Go About It
Know your target language’s pronunciation rules
Determine what your audio is about, make sure you have some structures and vocab ready to go
Listen without reading, just see what you can get, make your notes, stop and start, vary the speeds
Repeat
Enlist the help of a transcript if available - ideally you do want that transcript there but you can also transcribe the text yourself or summarize it to read it back to a tutor
Discuss with a tutor, get them to ask you questions…or if you’ve got no one on hand, read a translation of the text
PAY ATTENTION to what you got wrong. In my experience, it’s easy to overestimate your skills.
Where can you go to find good listening material?
During selection of materials, consider:
Level right for you?
Language register (formal/informal) right for you?
Topic interesting?
Affordable and accessible for you?
What do you need to understand, what do you want to understand?
Remember: “A polyglot cannot survive on audio alone”. Combining with text, visual and even speaking is very crucial for a balanced approach.
Sponsored By:
Speechling: Visit our sponsor Speechling, the outstanding speaking platform in over 6 languages, and use the promo code FLUENT for a 10% lifetime discount Promo Code: FLUENT
Support The Fluent Show
Links:
Fluency Made Achievable — My book on the four core skills and how to balance them
Subtitle freedom for English learners
Speechling — Our sponsors!! Support the Fluent Show by visiting this site & using code FLUENT if you decide to upgrade. There's a discount in it for you
Glossika
Apprendre une langue étrangère avec la méthode ASSIMIL
Modern Foreign Languages | Teach Yourself
Welsh Listening Exercises from SaySomethingIn...
LingQ
Conversations by I Will Teach You A Language — Conversations helps you understand more and transform your listening skills
RhinoSpike : Foreign Language Audio on Demand!
...more
31min
February 26, 2018"It's Hard Work But It's So Worth It": Everything You Need To Know For Raising Bilingual Children
As a German native speaker who speaks English all day long, I find the prospect of bilingual parenting both daunting and fascinating. I have been looking for an expert on bilingual parenting, and here she is: Marianna du Bosq, host of the awesome Bilingual Avenue podcast, a show for parents who are raising bilingual children.
Marianna's incredible energy shines through and she's got SO many tips. I came away with so much more knowledge about what bilingual parenting is really like, and I'm convinced you will too.
Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk
In the interview, we'll talk about:
How much work do you have to put in as the "one language" parent of a bilingual kid
What agreements parents should set up with each other when they decide to do this
What Marianna does when she needs to reconnect with her husband and tweak her daughter's language environment
How to create a more immersive environment for children learning languages
Whether you have to hire nannies and tutors and do all the expensive things to make this work
How to overcome negative attitudes, and how to help a parent who feels left out when they don't understand their child
How to learn a language along with your child
What the school experience is like for Marianna's daughter who is in an English-speaking school
What the most popular and effective bilingual parenting models are..and which ones are not the best ones to try
Which episodes of Bilingual Avenue you should check out next (see below)
And most importantly, why raising a bilingual child is so worth the extra work and planning - Marianna makes a passionate case towards the end of our show so don't miss that.
I'd love to hear more about your own experiences of parenting in another language. Leave a comment below or find me on Twitter.
Please don't forget to rate & review this show in the Podcasts app and visit our awesome sponsor Speechling.
Special Guest: Marianna du Bosq.
Sponsored By:
Speechling: Visit our sponsor Speechling, the outstanding speaking platform in over 6 languages, and use the promo code FLUENT for a 10% lifetime discount Promo Code: FLUENT
Links:
Vocabulary and grammar tips for non-native speakers | Bilingual Avenue — My visit to Bilingual Avenue
I am Germany on Twitter: "So, as I've been here for a while, and as I have children here, one of my issues is how to raise them bilingual/ teach them German." — Interesting twitter thread on this topic
‘We’re told we’re anti-Welsh bigots and fascists’ – the storm over Welsh-first schooling | Education | The Guardian
Candyland Game — I did not know what this is.
Bilingual 077: Managing the presence of multiple languages in a single mind with Dr. Giuli Dussias | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
Bilingual Avenue 093: 15 helpful tools to help you and your child learn a language with Lindsay Dow | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
Bilingual Avenue 101: Money saving tips for your next language trip with Lauren Lyons Cole | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
Bilingual Avenue 147: Parenting Abroad with Jennifer Langkjaer | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
Bilingual Avenue 017: Actionable Tips & Strategies to Enhance Language Development with Susanne Dopke | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand — This episode includes tips for play with bilingual kids
Bilingual Avenue 004: Bilingual Benefits, Myths & Developmental Milestones with Dr. Brenda Gorman | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand — Can bilingualism cause speech delay?
International education - International Baccalaureate®
LangFest17: Bella and Yulia Devyatkina - Raising Bella in 8 languages - YouTube
Women In Language — Women in Language 2018 - join us!
The Fluent Show: How To Navigate Bilingual Love and Change Your Family Perspective
...more
1h 13min
February 26, 2018"It's Hard Work But It's So Worth It": Everything You Need To Know For Raising Bilingual Children
As a German native speaker who speaks English all day long, I find the prospect of bilingual parenting both daunting and fascinating. I have been looking for an expert on bilingual parenting, and here she is: Marianna du Bosq, host of the awesome Bilingual Avenue podcast, a show for parents who are raising bilingual children.
Marianna's incredible energy shines through and she's got SO many tips. I came away with so much more knowledge about what bilingual parenting is really like, and I'm convinced you will too.
Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk
In the interview, we'll talk about:
How much work do you have to put in as the "one language" parent of a bilingual kid
What agreements parents should set up with each other when they decide to do this
What Marianna does when she needs to reconnect with her husband and tweak her daughter's language environment
How to create a more immersive environment for children learning languages
Whether you have to hire nannies and tutors and do all the expensive things to make this work
How to overcome negative attitudes, and how to help a parent who feels left out when they don't understand their child
How to learn a language along with your child
What the school experience is like for Marianna's daughter who is in an English-speaking school
What the most popular and effective bilingual parenting models are..and which ones are not the best ones to try
Which episodes of Bilingual Avenue you should check out next (see below)
And most importantly, why raising a bilingual child is so worth the extra work and planning - Marianna makes a passionate case towards the end of our show so don't miss that.
I'd love to hear more about your own experiences of parenting in another language. Leave a comment below or find me on Twitter.
Please don't forget to rate & review this show in the Podcasts app and visit our awesome sponsor Speechling.
Special Guest: Marianna du Bosq.
Sponsored By:
Speechling: Visit our sponsor Speechling, the outstanding speaking platform in over 6 languages, and use the promo code FLUENT for a 10% lifetime discount Promo Code: FLUENT
Support The Fluent Show
Links:
Vocabulary and grammar tips for non-native speakers | Bilingual Avenue — My visit to Bilingual Avenue
I am Germany on Twitter: "So, as I've been here for a while, and as I have children here, one of my issues is how to raise them bilingual/ teach them German." — Interesting twitter thread on this topic
‘We’re told we’re anti-Welsh bigots and fascists’ – the storm over Welsh-first schooling | Education | The Guardian
Candyland Game — I did not know what this is.
Bilingual 077: Managing the presence of multiple languages in a single mind with Dr. Giuli Dussias | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
Bilingual Avenue 093: 15 helpful tools to help you and your child learn a language with Lindsay Dow | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
Bilingual Avenue 101: Money saving tips for your next language trip with Lauren Lyons Cole | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
Bilingual Avenue 147: Parenting Abroad with Jennifer Langkjaer | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand
Bilingual Avenue 017: Actionable Tips & Strategies to Enhance Language Development with Susanne Dopke | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand — This episode includes tips for play with bilingual kids
Bilingual Avenue 004: Bilingual Benefits, Myths & Developmental Milestones with Dr. Brenda Gorman | Listen via Stitcher Radio On Demand — Can bilingualism cause speech delay?
International education - International Baccalaureate®
LangFest17: Bella and Yulia Devyatkina - Raising Bella in 8 languages - YouTube
Women In Language — Women in Language 2018 - join us!
...more
1h 13min
February 19, 2018Q&A: Getting Off the Intermediate Plateau
"How Can I Get Off The Intermediate Plateau?"
If you're stuck somewhere in the language weeds, this show will help you untangle them and get those wheels turning again.
You'll learn
Why you're feeling stuck
How to start feeling like the wheels are turning again
How to re-think your feeling of being stuck for an instant mood boost
Why rewards make all the difference
How to figure out the next step
Sponsored By:
Speechling: Visit our sponsor Speechling, the outstanding speaking platform in over 6 languages, and use the promo code FLUENT for a 10% lifetime discount Promo Code: FLUENT
Links:
Mastery and Advanced Level Language Learning (Podcast Episode 46) by Fluent Language
3 Reasons why you're still an intermediate level language learner - The Polyglot Dream
The Language Habit Toolkit
How the IELTS English Test is Scored
Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - Wikipedia
How To Learn A New Language With Smart And Useful Goals by Fluent Language
Kerstin Cable on Instagram: “Spotlight on Language Goals! This month, I printed off my worksheet from the #languagehabittoolkit and put up my goals on the wall where I…”
...more
30min

FAQs about The Fluent Show:

How many episodes does The Fluent Show have?

The podcast currently has 388 episodes available.

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