Episodio 176: Fin de año

This is a short video to send you our best wishes for the new year. You can also improve your Spanish comprehension with it! Transcript available: "Hola a todos y a todas los seguidores de SpanishPodcast.net. También por supuesto a todos los estudiantes de español que puedan estar escuchando este vídeo. En primer lugar te doy las gracias por escuchar este mensaje en el día de hoy. Estamos en el final del año y es un momento que podemos utilizar para sentirnos más cercanos a otras personas o reencontrarnos con familiares y amigos cuando ... "

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Does Your Personality Change When You Speak Another Language?

Have you ever wondered if you have an alter ego? By learning other languages you can find a new identity! That’s right. Learning another language gives you a new personality. If you already speak other languages, you might have noticed this for yourself. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean you’ll end up like the case of The Mind of Billy Milligan - the first person to ever be diagnosed with multiple personality disorder. So, what does it mean?

Speaking a New Language is a Lot Like Being an Actor

I used to play in the theatre when I was in high school, still (sadly) being monolingual. That is when I discovered that I had to observe people in order to play a particular character. When I was 15 I faced a hard choice. I was so emotionally involved in theatre that I gave serious thought to entering the Academy of Theatre in Moscow. However, my plans were confronted by my parents who couldn’t imagine their daughter acting on the stage. In my turn I was utterly opposed to entering a standard teaching university as I had very vivid images of teachers who despite being called teachers couldn’t add any value beyond the curriculum. At high school, I had found that soon as I started out poetry in Russian literature class, our teacher got aghast by my creative initiative. The aftermath of my vigorous dispute with the parents was taking the entrance exams to Moscow State Linguistic University. This was on the advice of my school English tutor. It made me frown a lot. But there during my modules on inter-cultural communication and the history of linguistics that I discovered my passion for languages, cultures and communication. Let’s look at the theory of how that works...

The Language You Speak Influences How You View the World

Friedrich Wilhelm Christian Karl Ferdinand von Humboldt (yes, that was the name of the guy the Humboldt University in Berlin is named after) states that our worldview reflects our language and culture. Speaking a foreign language gives you a new perspective and allows you to see the world from another point of view. Another linguist V. I . Malakhov states that our reasoning and superstitions are determined by the language we think in. There are already neurolinguistic studies proving that the structure of the language matters and really influences the way we think. The latest comparison between English and German grammar structures has shown this. We use vocabulary to describe the world around us. And quite often a dress is white and gold for us, when it’s blue and black for our friend. While we can’t change our physical vision settings, we can change our thoughts and then our vision. Think about your native language, your culture, your social environment - are you superstitious about number 4 if you weren’t born in Asia? Have you become more sensitive towards this number if you happened to learn Mandarin or Japanese? Another pair of great linguists Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf investigated the question of linguistic relativity. Notably they addressed the “mystique of the language”. They believed that the language reflects the fundamental values of the given culture and at the same time forms them. Living in big cities you may notice a gap between your system of values and of your neighbours. And when you learn a new language you may experience a contradiction with your own values when you dive deep into a new culture. So, what to do? At the time of my discovery of academia I spoke Russian, English and Spanish. After going to Europe, I noticed the difference between opinions and values of different nations and cultures. Especially, I noticed how they each had different impressions and perceptions.

How I Taught Myself to Become Culturally Spanish

When I went to Salamanca, Northwestern Spain, in 2010 I was taken for an Italian or Argentinian as according to people I met I was very eccentric and used my hands a lot in an Italian way. At that point I didn’t know that Russian and Italian phonetic systems were very similar. And Argentinian Spanish had an Italian phonetic scale. Being in Salamanca I observed and started copying the locals not only in their intonation but also in their manner of moving, and furthermore even the schedule of their day. I was preparing for a role of a Spanish girl from Salamanca. Eventually in 2012 when I arrived in Santiago de Compostela to study I was taken for a Spaniard quite often. I even managed to emerge into a local group of Galician students and professionals. This was my moment of triumph and acceptance.

Each Language Has its Own Personality

I also noticed that it was much easier for me to speak my newly acquired Spanish than English, although I should have been more expert in English. I was constantly wondering about this until I was told that, like people, some languages are extroverted and some are introverted. English is an introverted language that makes it harder to speak. Can you identify the personality of your spoken languages? Are they introverts or extraverts? And how does it influence your speech and behaviour? Have you noticed any changes in yourself when you speak them? Do you become more awkward or more of a chatterbox? In 2011 I learnt Italian and went to Italy discovering a new world. This experience opened up for me the phrase that a language is a door to culture. If you want to unwind your personality and get slightly more optimistic, you should go to Italy, like the writer of “Eat, Pray, Love”. If you happen to be learning Italian now, look into all phrases dedicated to food. This explains a lot about the Italian lifestyle.

Why I Can’t Talk Philosophy in Italian

Have you noticed your mood changes when you switch languages? Or maybe you prefer speak a different language depending on your mood? In 2012 in Salamanca I conducted a test study on decision-making of international young people in the field of NLP - Neuro Linguistic Programming. Students from different European countries took the test in English using the words of possibility and uncertainty in their answers. What was interesting apart from the NLP, that the nations from the Southern Europe seemed to be more optimistic than their neighbours. Was it just the good weather, I wondered? When in 2011 I went to study to Poland I learned Polish and realised that I was using different languages for particular purposes. I adored Spanish and it warmed my heart, while Italian was for my soul - my interests, my passion. Russian was for poetry as I wrote poems since I was four years old. English was only for work. And Polish was for everyday life. Then I started noticing that I thought about particular spheres of my life in different languages. Or, more precisely, I simply didn’t know equivalents of words or phrases in other languages. For example, I studied economics in English and I had no idea how to talk about it in a language other than English. On the other hand, emotions that were really natural in Italian and Spanish, I was unable to explain in English or Polish. I used to keep my diary in Portuguese while being in Spain. It just felt in-between, emotional but more relaxed. Then I came to the point that I started writing poems first in Italian, then in Spanish and then in English. If in Italian all poems were passionate and rich with allegory, in Spanish it was more lyrical philosophy, and in English it was pure philosophy and dry thoughts. And I couldn’t write on philosophy in Italian or Spanish, it just wouldn’t dawn on me.

“It’s a Small World” or “The World is a Handkerchief”

Then I noticed another thing, while talking to my friends or partner I would tend to switch into Spanish or Italian to make a conversation more reciprocal, vivid, intimate and full of emotions rather than stick to English or any other languages. And it still feels right. Just to compare expressions “The world is small” or “El mundo es un pañuelo” (the world is a handkerchief) - I definitely prefer Spanish! When I took up French, this was purely for reading as I conducted a research on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory on habitus (or how our habits get formed on the social level). I had to read hundreds of books in French, then discuss them in Italian with my Italian supervisor, in Spanish with my Spanish supervisor, and eventually write in English. I still use French mainly for reading French literary masterpieces…and you will notice me debating on sociolinguistic topics in French.

Your Personality Will Change When You Switch Languages - and that’s a Good Thing

Your personality will change with the language you’re speaking - so let it happen! It’s a good thing. It’s all about imitation and acceptance. If you behave like the main social group into which you’re trying to integrate, most likely you’ll be accepted. If you don’t make smalltalk with a British person, you may seem rude. And if you can’t cook or talk about cooking, you will be left out of an Italian conversation quite often. If you don’t ask your Chinese colleagues what they had for breakfast, how good their sleep was and other health details you will never become their 兄弟 xiongdi (a brother). It all comes to the minimum of cultural norms established and accepted by a particular society. I call this process developing a secondary linguistic personality. The aim is to achieve a point when a foreigner can communicate in another language without being taken for a foreigner. Practice makes perfect, and it’s not only about your accent, vocabulary or intonation. It’s about your body language, your manner of leading a conversation, asking questions and sharing views with the locals. This type of assimilation can take months or even years for a foreigner. Eventually, the personalities you explore through other languages will become habitual. When we learn a new language - a new way of expressing our thoughts - a new way of looking at the world, we also should think about preserving our identity. I prefer to use variations of my name in every language, like Catarina in Spanish, Katerina in Italian, Catalina in Portuguese, Kate in English (and never Katie!), Kasia in Polish, Kat in German, Katrin in French( although the pronunciation of this name is still challenging), Katya in Russian and Kata in Chinese.

What New Personality Will You Discover?

In every language I speak, I let my alter ego amuse herself and others. My desire to become an actress now expresses itself in all the languages I speak. I have obtained multiple personalities - and you can too. What is your language alter ego? Have you released it yet?

The post Does Your Personality Change When You Speak Another Language? appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Must-Know European Spanish Holiday Words #12 - New Year’s Day

In this Intermediate lesson, you’ll learn Spanish words about New Year’s Day. Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where you will find Spanish lesson notes and many more fantastic lessons and learning resources. Leave us a message while you are here! Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! How would you react if someone put you on the spot with a [...]

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Episodio 175: ¡Desaparece la conjugación!

From 2016, is no longer necessary to conjugate verbs in Spanish. Besides, all masculine words will become feminine and all feminine words will become masculine. Meet the new rules! Transcript available: "Hola y bienvenido o bienvenida a otro episodio de SpanishPodcast.net Hoy tenemos un anuncio importante que hacer. Es un anuncio que afecta a todos los hablantes y estudiantes de español. La RAE, Real Academia Española es una institución que regula las reglas que controlan el idioma español. Después de varios años de estudio han decidido hacer algunos cambios. Todas las personas que hablamos español, como tú, Vanesa o yo tenemos que utilizar las nuevas normas. La primera y más importante. Desaparecen las conjugaciones. A partir del día 13 de enero ... "

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Spanish Vocab Builder #24 - Winter

Learn Mexican Spanish with SpanishPod101.com ! Our Mexican Spanish vocabulary lists are listener favorites, and now we’ve made it even better! In each lesson, you’ll hear the Mexican Spanish words and phrases from the Mexican Spanish vocabulary lists. Join us for Mexican Spanish Vocab Builder! In this lesson, you’ll learn words and phrases for Winter. Click [...]

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Episodio 174: Cuento de Navidad

In this episode we talk about one classic Christmas story: a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Merry Christmas and all the best to you! Transcript available: "Hola a todos y bienvenidos a Spanishpodcast.net. Ya estamos en Navidad, así que como el año pasado dedicamos un episodio especial para este día. En esta ocasión vamos a hablaros sobre un libro muy especial titulado Cuento de Navidad. Es un libro que mezcla la generosidad, la tristeza, la compasión, la alegría y el amor de estos días de fiesta ... "

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Ultimate Spanish Pronunciation Guide #8 - Stress & Accentuation

Learn Spanish pronunciation with SpanishPod101.com! Pronunciation is the key to clear communication in any language and in this video series, you’ll learn to perfect your Spanish pronunciation! Whether you’re new to Spanish or have been studying for a while and want to polish your pronunciation, this series is for you. Join us for the Ultimate [...]

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Episode 19 (Preview) – Season 4 – Coffee Break Spanish

Alejandro has arrived on the island of Mallorca and in this episode we join Rory as he goes to meet his friend at the airport. They catch up while waiting for María to pick them up, and Rory tells Alejandro his exciting news about the mysterious treasure. As usual, the episode is rich in grammar points and idiomatic expressions, and these are discussed by Carmen and Mark.

In the preview episode available here on the Radio Lingua site, on iTunes and on Soundcloud, you’ll be able to listen to Carmen and Mark’s introduction, to the core text of this episode, and to the summary in English of what happens in the text. For a full analysis of the text and in-depth discussion of the words and phrases contained in the episode, you can subscribe to our premium version. For further information, please see below.

Accessing the Premium Version

The premium version of Coffee Break Spanish Season 4 provides additional materials which will help you move forward more effectively with your advanced studies of Spanish. The premium version includes the following elements:

• full-length audio episode: in each episode Mark and Carmen discuss the language covered in each text in depth, providing further examples and testing you on your understanding;
• transcript: a full transcript of the entire episode including notes on complex language and grammar points;
• bonus audio episode: test yourself on the key constructions included in the audio episode with this bonus audio translation exercise.

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Christmas Traditions from Around the World

As you post Christmas cards, hang up tinsel and glaze your turkey, have you ever wondered about the Christmas traditions in other parts of the world? Did you know that in the Czech Republic, teenagers dress up as devils and go in search for small children? Or that the Christmas festivities in Catalan largely revolve around the comfort of a pooping log? Do you know where Santa actually retires to during the summer months? Christmas is celebrated in many different ways across the globe, with some traditions that might seem unfathomable by what you are used to! Read on to find out more.

Greenland – Christmas in the Dark

It’s so cold in Greenland that Christmas trees have to be imported from Denmark – as they won’t grow within an arctic climate! The fir trees, which aren’t cheap, are decorated on the 23rd of December with candles, ornaments and kamiks - tiny little sealskin breeches. If a family can’t afford the import fees, they’ll use a traditional driftwood tree instead. [caption id="attachment_17481" align="aligncenter" width="740"] Winter in Greenland is dark day and night, which gives Christmas an extra-cosy feel.[/caption] Greenlanders also put an illuminated star in their windows, of both homes and public buildings. The sun doesn’t rise at all during the winter, so any bit of light in the country is welcome. Can you imagine - Christmas in complete darkness? It’s said to give the occasion a lovely, comforting feel, as the villages of Greenland are adorned with lights and families gather together, to snuggle up and celebrate in the warmth. A traditional Christmas dish features some fairly unusual additions. Mattak is whale skin, with a strip of blubber inside – too tough to chew, it’s usually swallowed whole. Kiviak, which is the raw flesh of little auks (an arctic bird) that are buried in seal skins months in advance and left to rot. Sounds revolting for sure, but they’re considered to be a local delicacy! Raw sushi, cooked fish, a soup known as suaasat and plenty of Danish pastries are also consumed.

Japan – Have a “Finger Lickin’ Good” Christmas

In 1974, the popular fried food chain KFC held a nationwide campaign in Japan. Known as Kurisumasu ni wa kentakkii! (Kentucky for Christmas!) It came about when a group of foreigners couldn’t find turkey to gobble down on Christmas day, and substituted it with fried chicken. KFC saw an opportunity for profit and jumped on it – offering fried chicken and wine. These days you can also get cake and champagne in the deal, for around $40 USD. httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umHfb1JHovA The meal is so popular that many order their Christmas Kentucky months in advance to avoid the waiting lines, which can be up to two hours long. From an outside perspective, Christmas seems particularly commercialised in Japan, which is largely due to the fact that it’s not a Christian country. Although presents are exchanged and Christmas cards sent (however never in red, as it’s a colour reserved for funeral cards!), it’s not considered a holiday – rather New Year’s Eve is a religious time, to be spent in the company of family. In fact, Christmas Eve is more widely celebrated than Christmas Day and is thought of as being a traditionally romantic holiday - much like Valentine’s Day in the western world. Couples go for long walks together to look at Christmas lights, exchange presents and often have romantic meals in restaurants… before gorging themselves on KFC the next day!

Australia and NZ – Christmas in the Summer Sun

For many people, Christmas isn’t Christmas without a hot roast dinner, mulled wine or eggnog and perhaps even the promise of snow. [caption id="attachment_17483" align="aligncenter" width="740"] Christmas in Australia takes place in the searing heat of summer.[/caption] However, Christmas Down Under is an entirely different affair, as it takes place in the searing summer time heat. Although both Australia and New Zealand have similar traditions to that of Ireland, the UK, Canada, and the USA, the change of season has led to a few tweaks here and there, making the holiday more suitable for the warmer climate. In the lead up to the day itself, many people will adorn their houses with Christmas decorations. A popular tradition is for families to drive around from street to street, checking out the lights. Some neighbours rally together to deck out their houses – turning the entire street into a small fairground. Families meander around, checking out the houses and eating ice cream supplied by a nearby food vending truck. Competition to have the glitziest house in the street is usually fierce. Carols by Candlelight is a popular event all over the country. In every city or big town, citizens gather together to sing traditional Christmas carols in a park, lighting candles as the day gradually turns to night. [caption id="attachment_17482" align="aligncenter" width="740"] Singing carols by candlelight is popular in Australia.[/caption] Santa is often portrayed as having swapped his winter warms for a pair of boardshorts, ditching his twelve reindeer for a mob of kangaroos or seen straddling a surfboard. Of course a hot roast dinner makes little sense in a warm climate. An Australian Christmas Day spread consists of fruit, cold cuts such as turkey and ham and kilos of seafood, like Tiger prawns, stacks of crab sticks and perhaps even some Balmain Bugs. Not to forget a good old fashioned Aussie BBQ (shrimp – or prawns depending on how Aussie you are). Dessert can consist of Christmas fruitcake, trifle or a pavlova), a meringue based cake, the origin of which is a cause for constant feuding between Australia and NZ. If the family has a backyard pool and the weather is fine (as it usually is), everyone jumps in for a dip. Other popular activities include a picnic at the beach or several rounds of backyard cricket, with beers in the sun.

Catalonia – Where Christmas is Celebrated with a Pooping Log

Meet Tió de Nadal, who comes out on the 8th of December. It’s a small log, with a smiling face, that’s adorned with a traditional red Catalan hat, known as the Barretina. The name translates to “Poo Log” – I shit you not (pun obviously fully intended). [caption id="attachment_17485" align="aligncenter" width="740"] The pooping Christmas log of Catalonia. It poops Christmas gifts.[/caption] Children spend every day between the 8th of December and Christmas Eve looking after Tió de Nadal – covering him with a blanket and feeding him nuts, dried fruit and water every evening. The plan is to fill him up, so that he’ll poop out treats on Christmas Eve. After dinner on the 24th, kids are given a stick to hit Tió de Nadal with, as they sing: " Si no vols cagar Et donanem un cop de pal." Or: "If you don't want to poo We will hit you with a stick" Inside the log’s blankets, the kids will find sweets and small toys, which have been “pooped” out by the inanimate, smiley-faced log. Once all the gifts have been collected, the log is burnt for warmth! It doesn’t end there. Catalonians also include the figure of Caganer in their nativity scene – a defecating man with his pants down, shown “fertilising the earth”, in order to bring good luck.

Finland – The Home of Santa Claus

[caption id="attachment_17480" align="aligncenter" width="740"] The official Christmas village in Rovaniemi, Lapland.[/caption] There is much cause for debate on which Nordic country Santa retires to during the (northern hemisphere’s) summer months, with Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Greenland all vying for the top spot. Letters were once sent to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, where it was alleged that the townspeople worked together to ensure each child received a reply. Unfortunately, the Santa Claus service that was established by Nuuk Tourism went bankrupt, due to austerity cuts in the country. It’s Lapland in Finland that seems to now hold the coveted position. Letters from all over the world are mailed here, with elves working diligently on replies. There’s even a Santa Claus Village, particularly popular among British tourists. Christmas celebrations are held on the 24th, rather than the 25th of December. In Turku, the former capital of Finland, a ceremony is held to declare the beginning of “Christmas peace” – a period that starts at midday on Christmas Eve and lasts for twenty days. From there, Finns will attend church for the Christmas Eve service, or go to a local sauna to bathe and relax. Family then gathers together to have Christmas dinner and gifts are left under the tree from Joulupukki, the Finnish Santa. He was traditionally known as a “Christmas Goat”. He was once believed to be a horned creature who frightened children, rather than giving them gifts! These days he comes knocking on the door on Christmas Eve, with presents for those who have behaved and lumps of coals for anyone who hasn’t!

Czech Republic – Watch Out for the Christmas Devil!

Christmas in the Czech Republic starts on the 5th of December, on what is traditionally known as St. Mikuláš Day (St. Nicholas Day). Teenagers dress up as angels, devils and St. Nick and go searching for small children. The kids must then recite a poem or sing a song, to prove how they good they’ve been that year. [caption id="attachment_17479" align="aligncenter" width="740"] The Christmas angel, devil, and St. Nicholas.[/caption] Good kids get sweets, chocolate and fruit. Bad kids get a potato or a lump of coal and are sent to Hell in a burlap sack. St. Nicholas Day is considered a completely separate holiday to Christmas itself. As with Finland, the 24th of December has more of an emphasis than the 25th. Christmas Eve is associated with many superstitions, relating to love and life. For example, if you’re a single gal who throws a shoe over your shoulder and the toe points towards the door, you’ll be married within the next year! Some other customs are that:

• No lights should be lit in the house before the first star comes out.
• No one should get up from the Christmas table before dinner is finished. Doing otherwise brings bad luck or death in the family.
• All household animals should be fed after dinner so no one goes hungry on Christmas Eve.

Presents are placed under the tree and handed out after the meal. Many Czech children believe that their gifts are brought by Baby Jesus, who comes in the room through the window to leave presents. Like Santa, many wish-lists are addressed to directly to him.

Venezuela - A Roller Skate Date

Morning mass, known as Misa de Aguinaldo, is popular in Venezuela and is held from the 16th to the 24th of December. What is far more interesting is the mode of transport used by the citizens of the country’s capital Caracas to get to mass on time. [caption id="attachment_17478" align="aligncenter" width="740"] In Caracas, Venezuela, it's traditional to travel to church for Christmas services on roller skates.[/caption] Each morning, firecrackers explode and bells ring, rousing worshippers from their beds before dawn. Caracas citizens then don their roller skates and make their way to the church. Vehicle access is blocked off in many areas before 8 a.m., keeping the streets safe for skaters. Kids are woken up early in the morning by tying a piece of string to their big toe and letting the other hang out the window. Passing rollerskaters give them a tug as they go by. After the mass, people go out to socialise, eat tostados (deep-fried pancakes) and drink coffee.

What Are your Favourite Christmas Traditions?

How about you? How is Christmas celebrated in your corner of the world? Are there any weird or whacky traditions you delight in taking part in? Wherever you are and however you are celebrating - Happy Holidays / Happy Festivus / Have a wonderful Saturnalia / Merry Christmas to all, from the team at Fluent in 3 Months.

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Deafblind in Japan: My 5 Week Journey

Julie Ferguson is registered deaf and blind. She also speaks five languages. Julie shared her story with us before here on the blog as well as in the Fluent in 3 Months book. This is the inspirational story of her recent visit to Japan.

Deafblind in Japan

I'm nightblind. I'm standing in Akihabara, Tokyo, in the dark. And I'm lost. Do I:

• A: keep walking until I find a train station or taxi,
• B: burst into tears in the middle of the pavement,
• C: ask that Japanese man over there for directions, in Japanese?

I choose option C. And I succeed. Back in June 2015, I was registered blind due to worsening retinitis pigmentosa. What this means is that my tunnel vision is so bad now that I have less than 10 degrees of useful vision remaining. Increasing difficulty keeping up with my full-time job as a science teacher had made me suspect that it was going to be sooner rather than later. Even so, I wasn't ready for it yet. My five-week trip to Japan had been booked and paid for a couple of months before this. Planning my trip was really exciting because I had been learning Japanese for a while, and my best friend was coming with me for the first week. After she left, I was going to do a two-week language course. Given my horrible vision and deafness, I was going to have to be extremely well prepared for Japan.

Things I Needed in Japan (in Addition to the Usual Stuff)

[caption id="attachment_17471" align="alignnone" width="740"] The specialist equipment I packed for my trip.[/caption]

• my white cane
• a spare white cane
• my hearing aids
• a spare hearing aid for my “good” ear
• about 40 batteries for my hearings aids even though I probably only needed 6, maximum
• a radio aid that links to my hearing aids by bluetooth so I can use my mobile phone (the radio aid can also be a microphone at short range)
• my mobile phone with a Japanese- English dictionary app
• a magnifying glass for reading kanji from my Japanese textbook
• a magnifying glass with built-in light for reading at night e.g. bus timetables
• a portable desk lamp for classroom use or in hotels
• two torches (a small one on my key-ring and a larger one in my bag)
• an mp3 recorder for recording and replaying lessons
• my best friend, for calm and serenity

What Am I Doing Here?! (Tokyo)

We started in Tokyo, and stayed in the Asakusa part of town. Our hotel was right around the corner from Sensoo Ji, a temple dedicated to Kannon. We explored a little then went looking for food. My friend doesn’t speak Japanese other than “watashi wa vegetarian”, and polite phrases, so I was in charge of talking to people. Ordering food took a very similar pattern for the next eight days: Friend (in Japanese): I am vegetarian. Server: Okay! Friend (pointing at food in menu): Vegetarian? Server: Yes … food comes to the table, we look at it and realise there are pieces of bacon in it… Me (in Japanese): This has meat in it. My friend does not eat meat. Server: Oh, there is nothing she can eat here. We learned to stop saying “vegetarian”, and switched to “my friend does not eat meat or fish. What can she eat here?” This worked most of the time, though some bacon sometimes still sneaked in there. My proudest food moment was when I managed to ask in Japanese for bacon not to be put in her sandwich while it was being made. I found the subway system in Tokyo very difficult to deal with. Each line would have two platforms, one for each direction. Although most signs were in English as well as Japanese, I couldn’t see any signs saying which platform to use. Luckily we were able to ask railway attendants for help, and they would show us to the right platform, put us on, and phone ahead to the station we were getting off at. At our destination, there would be an attendant waiting to help us off, and they would ask where we were going to so that they could show us the right exit as well. The railway attendants were amazing and really helped my stress levels to drop a little. Tokyo was, for me, really confusing and overwhelming. I didn’t feel comfortable there, and my Japanese was not as good as I had expected it to be. I was struggling to follow what people were saying, and my friend told me that I was almost whispering when I spoke Japanese which probably didn’t help!

Ah, This is Better (Kyoto)

[caption id="attachment_17469" align="alignnone" width="740"] The Golden Temple in Kyoto was a highlight of my trip.[/caption] After four days in Tokyo, we went to Kyoto by shinkansen (high speed railway) and we were lucky enough to get a glimpse of Mount Fuji on the way. We had help from the railway attendants again and made it to our hotel safely. Our first port of call was Nishiki Market, because I’m a bit of a foodie. It was heaven walking along the market, checking out all the different food, and the other shops. When we saw a crockery shop, we had to stop and look at the lovely cups. I’m also a tea geek, so looking at the variety of tea cups was great. I ended up buying one, and told the shopkeeper how beautiful I thought it was, in Japanese. He looked really happy, so I think I managed to say it right! While we we were travelling in Japan, we were using manaca travel cards which you swipe at train stations and on some buses. We had to put more money on the cards in Kyoto, and found the machine to do so. It took us a while to figure out how to add more money, and it wasn’t until afterwards that we realised that there was an English language option on the machine… At least it meant that we did it in Japanese! Because of my tunnel vision, I miss details like this all the time and it takes me longer to figure things out. In Scotland, I get a lot of people assuming I need help, whereas in Japan, people waited for me to ask which I liked a lot. Something I noticed in Kyoto was that I always knew when I was near a temple, because I could smell the incense on the wind. One temple we visited was Sanjuusangen doo. We had to take off our shoes, and an assistant also wiped the tip of my white cane to ensure cleanliness. At another temple, in Nara, we bought incense sticks for my friend to take home but one broke. An obaa-san insisted on her getting a new stick, then she took us over to light the broken incense and showed us how to pray properly. She was so cheerful and spoke to us in a mixture of Japanese and English. It was hard to follow her accent, but miming definitely worked.

Time to Get Serious (Fukuoka)

My friend left for Scotland and now it was time for me to travel on to Fukuoka. At Kyoto Station, I requested assistance, being very nervous about the sheer size of the station and the importance of getting the right train. My main worry was the 20 minutes in Shin Osaka that I had for changing trains, so the assistance was a big help. At Hakata Station, I took a taxi to my short-term apartment. Something I found tricky in Japan was the taxis. In Scotland, if I’m travelling alone, I just get into the front seat where I can see the driver to lip-read. In Japan, I had to get into the back seat so I couldn’t lip-read. Most of my taxi journeys consisted of. Me: Here please (pass address written in Japanese) Driver: (stream of fast sounds) Me: Sorry, one more time please. Driver: (stream of fast sounds) Me: Sorry, my Japanese is bad and I’m deaf. Driver: (silence until destination) Once I settled into my apartment, I made a list of things I needed for groceries. I had made the list in English, then thought to write the names in Japanese in kana. This ended up being really useful in the Family Mart, because the shop assistant noticed my list then showed me to all the things I needed. The next day, I went shopping for anti-histamines (insect bites!) and an electric toothbrush to replace my broken one. The department store was unbelievably huge and I found the pharmacy by sheer accident. I had to ask where the toothbrushes were and a very helpful shop assistant who spoke no English helped me decide which one to buy. After 24 hours in Fukuoka, I was speaking more Japanese than I had in the past eight days! It was in Fukuoka that I studied at the Genki JACS school. It made my brain hurt! I spent two weeks at this school and I really learned a lot, but suddenly having to listen and speak in Japanese for more than 20 hours a week with no escape was really tough. Given that I mostly studied reading and writing before going to Japan, I needed this. During class, we drilled questions and responses until they came out sounding more natural, as well as learning to use grammar faster. To start with, the teachers were unsure of how to help me in class but I explained that as long as I could ask them to repeat things or write them for me, I would be fine. I used my magnifier for the textbook (kanji details and furigana!), and recorded all the lessons so that I could play them back for more practice. They also asked others in the group questions before me so that I had a chance to figure out what was going on. I knew I was slowly improving because my stress levels were slowly decreasing each day. Exploring around my neighbourhood, I found a Book Off. I really liked it there. The manga section was upstairs and I confess this freely: I have no idea how manga books are organised in a book shop. I just don’t get it. The manga I bought were found purely accidentally while browsing and trying to figure out the system. There was also a children’s section, and I hoovered up some interesting looking books there too, including one which I had to slowly sound out in katakana He Re N Ke Ra a. Huh? Heren Keraa? Oooh, Helen Kelaa. Yes, I had found a Japanese biography of one of my heroines, Helen Keller. Delighted! On a day off, I went to see Fukuoka Castle and stopped for a tea break in a cafe afterwards. Boy, was I glad I had gone in! About 5 minutes after sitting down, the rain started to lash down then rumbling noises started. Hmm. Dictionary app out, ask the cafe woman if that was thunder, yes it was, look at my metal white cane, see lightning starting, check app again, ask cafe woman if I can stay until the thunderstorm’s done. She laughed and told me to stay, then asked where I was from. When I said Scotland, she told me that she had been to London and would like to go to Scotland one day. I had my app, she had her app, and we had a great time blethering about Scotland and Kyushu in a mixture of English and Japanese. Before I left Fukuoka, I visited a department store. I was looking for some presents to take home with me when I saw a really cool cat apron. I couldn’t see any aprons other than the display one, so I mustered up my new and improved Japanese, asked a shop assistant if they had any more in stock and asked to buy the display one when they said it was the last one. I did it without too many long pauses, I was understood right away, and I got the outcome I wanted. Studying and practicing really does pay off.

It was the Best of Times, and the Worst of Times (Hiroshima)

Sometimes having tunnel vision leads to moments of unexpected drama. In Hiroshima, I was concentrating on finding my way to the Peace Park, and not bumping into people when I stopped and looked to my left. The Atomic Dome was just there and my heart gave an extra "thump". Later, in the museum, I was surrounded by fellow Scottish accents, which sounded almost strange after two weeks of Japanese immersion. I had a piece of home with me, in a place which documented one of the most horrific acts humans have taken against other humans, and nothing felt quite right. [caption id="attachment_17472" align="alignnone" width="740"] My view of the atomic dome in Hiroshima, which gave my heart an extra "thump".[/caption] From the Peace Park, I went to Hiroshima Castle. While I was there, a random older Japanese bloke came up to me and starting speaking English, things like “where are you from?”, “do you like it here?” and so on. I decided to reply to him in Japanese to see what he would do, and we ended up talking to each other in the other’s language in a perfectly friendly manner. In my conversations with people throughout my time in Japan, I nearly always started speaking in Japanese. Most people replied in Japanese, but if I asked them to repeat themselves I found that they often switched to English instead. Obviously they thought my Japanese was the problem, rather than my hearing. I really wished that they would just repeat themselves, maybe slower this time, or simplify what they had said to me, but it was hard getting that idea across when they were trying to be helpful. After my day of walking and viewing, I wanted to experience Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki - a Japanese savoury pancake. On my map, there was a place marked “Okonomiyaki Alley” so I went hunting. It was dark, the map wasn’t as precise as it could be, and I must’ve walked past the entrance to the building that the “alley” was in several times, looking for an actual street. It was pretty frustrating but I persevered and my reward was delicious okonomiyaki cooked in front of me, with baseball on the telly in the corner, and other customers smiling at me as we ate our food. It was a good atmosphere. [caption id="attachment_17473" align="alignnone" width="740"] Day trip to Miyajima.[/caption] While I was in Hiroshima, I went to Miyajima on a day trip. The tram station was a little confusing, but the ticket woman pointed me to the right place, then when I was on the tram, the conductor made sure that I had a seat. He asked where I was going and, despite the background noise of the tram, I could understand him and reply. He made sure that I got off at the last stop, not before, which was kind of him. It was then that I realised that I was starting to be able to lipread in Japanese, which was a wonderful feeling. At the top of Miyajima, at Mount Misen, I got caught up in an Osaka company trip. A man came over and asked me to take a photo of him and his friends, and explained how to use his camera. I don’t know what I was doing wrong but it took about five minutes for me to manage then we all cheered and they took another photo with me in it. We were all in the same cable car going back down, and the camera man asked me in English why I had a white cane. I said in English that I have very bad eyesight, but he didn’t understand so I switched to Japanese to explain and we ended up having a blether about their work, Brazil, and Scotland with dictionary apps to help. It makes me laugh to imagine him showing his holiday photos to people, saying “And here’s the blind woman who took a photo of us, I didn’t realise she was blind until later. Hmm, maybe that’s why she took so long to take the photo…”

Ooh, Look! I've Been Here Before (Kyoto)

If you go to Japan and get the chance to stay in a ryokan (a traditional Japanese inn), do it! I did, when I went back to Kyoto and I loved it. The owners and staff were really friendly and helped with bus timetables and advice, and the breakfasts were stupendous. If I could, I’d live in a ryokan. This time in Kyoto, I was able to go to Fushimi Inari-taisha, the shrine with the red torii. After looking around the main shrine area, I decided to take the path up the hill through the thousands of torii. I’ve never been anywhere like it, surrounded by the red of the gates and the deep green of the trees and plants. Most of the time I was alone so I took my time and appreciated the environment. It was a hot, humid day though, and when I got to the top, what did I hear but the roll of thunder. At the top of a hill. With a metal cane in my hand. And no cafe to hide in. I made the descent rather rapidly, and got thoroughly drenched too. Just another adventure in the life of Julie. You might be able to tell that I like visiting castles. I went to Nijoo Jo, partly to experience walking on a nightingale floor. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to hear it, but I did hear a quiet chirruping sound every so often. While I was walking through the corridors, I slowly began to notice that no one else was looking up at the ceiling though. I thought this was odd because the high parts of the corridor walls and the ceiling had a lot of beautiful paintings and colours. Maybe it’s because I’m used to scanning the area around me constantly to use my limited vision better, but when I stopped and watched the other tourists, they were looking around but not up. It was a shame.

Maybe Tokyo's Not That Bad Afterall…

In Fukuoka, I had the chance to wear a yukata twice, and decided to buy one in Tokyo just before I came home. By the time I found a non-touristy looking place, I was sweltering so walking into the air con felt amazing. The shop owner was really friendly and let me look closely at some of the high-end kimono that she had on display. When I tried to comment on the embroidery in Japanese, she started to tell me about the different styles and patterns, the differences between traditional styles and more modern ones, and to teach me the names of the kimono parts in Japanese. I really enjoyed that, though the dictionary app came out and stayed out for the whole conversation. And yes, I bought a yukata; I got help with the yukata pattern and obi colour, since I’m pretty bad with shades and matching them. I gave myself my toughest challenge on my last night in Tokyo. I hadn’t made it to an onsen, so I decided to find a public bath, a sentoo, near my hotel for one last Japanese experience. It took ages to track the place down because it was tucked in an alley, but I found it, got my tickets for a towel and a bath then went in. I had to take off my glasses, leave my white cane in the locker and take out my hearing aids. There were lots of women in there, though, and they helped me with using the taps and which bath to go into. When I was ready to soak some women came in with me and had a wee blether with me in Japanese as we relaxed in the hot water. It was difficult, but I explained that I was deaf and we managed with a lot of smiles. After, I sat by Sensoo Ji, drinking cold ume juice and admiring the lights, while plotting how soon I could come back. Tokyo might have grown on me...

What Difference Has Japan Made in My Life?

Japan taught me that yes I can speak Japanese understandably, and follow what others say to an extent. It also showed me how much more I have to learn. I already knew how much easier it is to progress in a language in the country where it’s spoken, but my speaking and listening improved more than I expected. At my work, I’m now helping to co-ordinate Japanese language learning in my local council area, and my school has started a one-year course for senior students which I’m helping to teach. My Japanese friend who lives locally is a very important part of this project, and I’m enjoying working with her and the rest of the team. Due to a visit from a Japanese high school to my corner of Scotland, I was able to meet the Consul-General of Japan, and his deputy, who visited us from Edinburgh, and also the Depute Director of the Japan Foundation, which is based in London. I’ve even been interviewed for national radio, talking about my school’s new course and what it’s like to learn Japanese. Not bad for a science teacher! But the biggest difference? After being registered blind, Japan restored my confidence in my ability to be independent. I was deafblind in Japan, and I succeeded.

The post Deafblind in Japan: My 5 Week Journey appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Must-Know European Spanish Holiday Words #11 - Christmas

In this Intermediate lesson, you’ll learn Spanish words about Christmas. Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where you will find Spanish lesson notes and many more fantastic lessons and learning resources. Leave us a message while you are here! Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! How would you react if someone put you on the spot with a Spanish question? [...]

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CBI 1:30 | Talking about clothes in Italian

In the latest episode of Coffee Break Italian you’ll be learning to talk about clothes and taking your ability to describe people a bit further. Francesca will put your comprehension skills to the test with an identity quiz in which you have to guess the identity of well known people from her Italian descriptions.

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Episodio 173: Invertir en uno mismo

What are the advantages of investing in yourself? The economic, physical or mental effort we make to learn is always rewarded. What is the reward of learning? Transcript available: "Hola y bienvenidos a Spanishpodcast.net. Hoy vamos a hablar sobre un tema que tiene que ver con el aprendizaje de idiomas así como la formación, estudio y compromiso para mejorar constantemente. Se trata de poner en práctica todas las cosas que vamos experimentando a lo largo de la vida gracias a la inversión que haces de ti mismo ... "

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News #193 - Your Secret SpanishPod101 Deal to Mark the End of The Countdown

You were told there’d be 10 epic Spanish Anniversary deals. They’re gone. You were told the Countdown would only last 10 days. Time’s up. Here’s what you weren’t told: there’s an 11th deal. Click Here To Pick Your Spanish Deal and Start Learning! This is the 900 pound gorilla of Spanish learning. All the best Spanish [...]

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Spanish Vocab Builder #23 - Christmas Day

Learn Mexican Spanish with SpanishPod101.com ! Our Mexican Spanish vocabulary lists are listener favorites, and now we’ve made it even better! In each lesson, you’ll hear the Mexican Spanish words and phrases from the Mexican Spanish vocabulary lists. Join us for Mexican Spanish Vocab Builder! In this lesson, you’ll learn words and phrases for Christmas [...]

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5 Common Mistakes Learning German (and How to Fix Them)

When you first start speaking German, you’re bound to make mistakes. You can’t expect to just open your mouth and start speaking a second language perfectly. If only it worked like that! What’s most important is to not let mistakes hold you back. As I live by the rule of speaking from day one, I find myself making lots of errors when I start learning a new language. I don’t get worked up about it anymore – I laugh and move on. As should you! Here are some of the common German mistakes people make when they're learning German. Plus how you can fix them.

Mistake 1: Not Speaking German

One of the worst things you can do for yourself when learning a new language is to continue to speak in English. Pouring hours into studying and paying for expensive courses will only get you so far. You’ll still be predominantly expressing yourself in English and this is where the problem lies. You want to learn how to speak German? Great! To do that you have to actually start speaking German. It’s a pretty obvious solution! I hear the excuse all the time, of people saying they’ll wait until they are “ready” before they start speaking the language. They do this due to fear. Fear of feeling stupid, fear of making mistakes and fear of failure.

How to Fix It

Well, guess what? You’re going to make mistakes. It’s natural when learning a new language! No one is going to judge you for it. In fact, I’ve found most people to be so happy to hear me make an effort to speak their native tongue, that they have gone out of their way to help me when I blunder. Instead of waiting until you’re perfect, work on learning 20 words at a time and then use them as often as possible. Once you’re confident in remembering these words, learn more! Words will become sentences and sentences will become full blown conversations.

Mistake 2: Mixing Up Genders

Beginner to intermediate learners will generally become endlessly befuddled when learning gender assignments. These are particularly confusing if you are a native speaker of a language like English, which doesn’t use masculine, feminine and neutral articles. The whole practice can seem pointless – why are we adding genders to inanimate objects anyway?

How to Fix It

The flick of the switch for me, was not staring at a table – “Der Tisch”, and wondering how the heck anyone decided that a piece of furniture should be male. It was understanding that it was the word “Tisch” that was masculine, not the table itself. I realised there was no point sitting around and analysing parts of objects to try and figure out whether they seemed manly or girly. Instead, I had to look at parts of words, searching for patterns which would clue me onto what gender articles I was supposed to be using. Your best bet is to look for the patterns in words, particularly at word endings. Once you have memorised a few, they will begin to come to you more easily. Let’s look at a group of feminine articles. Die Rose (the rose), die Lampe (the lamp) and die Melone (the melon), all end in –e. There is the odd exception to the rule – such as der Käse (the cheese), which uses the masculine article. Just remember that it is not the end of the world if you stuff up and make a mistake. Someone will eventually correct you, or you’ll realise yourself and will remember for next time!

Mistake 3: Using the Wrong Tools for Learning German

I hear lots of stories about people who spent years learning languages at school, only to find themselves unable to string more than a few simple sentences together. I myself studied Gaeilge for ten years and German for five during my school years. It wasn’t until after I left school and changed my entire approach to learning languages that I could consider myself anywhere near fluent in either one. If studying textbooks bores you to tears no matter what the context, then it’s probably not going to do you any favours with your language prowess. You’ll probably spend a few hours trying to absorb grammar rules, a process which you’ll find so monotonous that you’ll likely give the whole thing up. Learning a language should never be a chore, otherwise what’s the point? It should be an activity you enjoy doing and are happy to come back to again and again.

How to Fix It

You need to find ways to make learning German work for you. If you consider yourself a film buff, swap the English movies for some German classics. Love cooking? Try making Strudel using a German recipe. Too busy for extended periods of study? Use flashcards to learn vocab and take advantage of any spare few minutes you have throughout the day. Make learning fun, a highlight of your day and you’ll have a much better chance at success.

Mistake 4: Mixing Up the Word Order

A basic sentence consists of a verb and a bunch of other words. When speaking in your native language, you put these words together automatically, without needing to think about it. However, when you begin learning a new language, other questions arise. Where do you put the verb? How do the other words in the sentence relate to it? English tends to rely on word order to indicate the grammatical function of a word or phrase. Compare “The dog catches the ball” to “The ball catches the dog”. The placement of the words “dog” and “ball” can lead the sentence to take on an entirely different (and frankly, unlikely) meaning! However in German there would be several possibilities for the word order of this sentence. As the verb is akkusitiv (as in it expresses the object of an action), you could say Der Hund fängt den Ball or Den Ball fängt der Hund. This doesn’t work for all sentences – only when an article is different in the akkusitiv or dativ (a category of nouns serving as the indirect object of a verb) form. But it does show that word order can be really different in German compared to English.

How to Fix It

The basic rules to remember in German are:

• The main verb, in the past or present form, is almost always the second word in a sentence.
• The dictionary form (always ending in -en) is placed at the end of a sentence.

If you use a connective word like tomorrow, yesterday or today, the verb comes in the second position, with the noun or pronoun following after. An example of this would be Am Mittwoch rufe ich meine Schwester an. If speaking English we would say: ”I’ll call my sister on Wednesday”, but in German it translates to ”On Wednesday I’ll call my sister”. In German the most important thing is verb position, whereas in English the importance is placed on the object. Word order is a complex aspect of learning another language. The solution? Be aware of the differences and keep up with your spoken practice.

Mistake 5: Confusing English Words with German Words and so Mispronouncing Them

When someone wishes you a Gute Fahrt, what immediately springs to mind? It doesn’t mean what you think it means, I can tell you that! Fahrt means a “trip” or “journey” in Germany – it has absolutely nothing to do with bodily functions. Similarly, if you were to say Du bist dick, you would be insulting them, but not in the manner that may think of first and foremost! There is no need to place your mind in the gutter, as dick is German for heavy, thick or fat. Still a bit mean, but not quite as rude as first thought! On the flip side, consider the word Fuchs, the German word for fox. If you find yourself in a situation where you need to use this word, remember ”u” in German is pronounced “oo”. Many Germans speak English or are at least familiar with the expletives. A harmless statement could be easily be misconstrued as something entirely different.

How to Fix It

The best thing to do is to practice your German pronunciation and try not to jump to conclusions if you hear a throwaway comment that you don’t completely understand.

Why Learning German isn’t as Hard as You Think it is

Often the mistakes language learners make are purely psychological. You slip up, forget a word, or mix up the syntax. Rather than just laughing it off, you feel embarrassed. You then take every effort to convince yourself that you’re stupid, you don’t have the language gene - you should just give up now, quit while you’re ahead. German is not a hard language to learn. Be aware that you will make mistakes from time to time and that it’s perfectly normal. They will be mere bumps in the road on your journey towards achieving fluency. What mistakes have you made when learning German? How did you fix them? Let us know in the comments.

The post 5 Common Mistakes Learning German (and How to Fix Them) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Episodio 172: ¡Venga ya!

What does the word 'venga' mean? In this episode you will learn when and how this word is used. This word can have multiple meanings. Learn Spanish easily with us! Episode Transcript: "Hola a todos y bienvenidos a un nuevo episodio de SpanishPodcast.net Hoy os explicamos el significado de la palabra ‘venga’. ¿Un episodio entero para una sola palabra? Sí. No es la primera vez que lo hacemos. Existen algunas palabras concretas del español que merecen una explicación muy larga por diferentes motivos. ¿Te acuerdas cuando explicamos qué significaba la palabra pues? Pues hoy vamos a hacer algo parecido con la palabra ‘venga’ ... "

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Beginner Lesson S5 #10 - How Kind of You to Bring Me a Spanish Treat!

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! You call your spouse while he’s at work and tell him in Spanish, “Don’t forget to stop by the grocery store on the way home.” Your spouse sighs and says in Spanish, “I won’t forget…I never do!” You remind him in Spanish, “You did take the list this morning, didn’t you?” [...]

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Inner Circle #23 - November Inner Circle: The 2 Dirty Little Secrets For Mastering Spanish

Last time, you learned why fun, non-intensive learning routines are crucial to your long-term success. This time, I’m going into my two dirty little secrets for learning language. In other words, the two things that I attack immediately. And this is a result of having learned 3 other languages in the past.   In this Inner Circle [...]

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The Best Way to Meet People While Travelling (Even if You’re Shy)

What’s the best way to meet people while travelling? Perhaps you dream of striking up conversations while travelling on a train across Asia. Maybe you’d love to ride a motocicleta down Latin America, meeting all kinds of characters on your way. Perhaps you’d like to while away an afternoon in an Italian cafe, saying ciao to everyone who sits on a table near you. Or maybe you’d just like to join in the general conversation while waiting in line at a French bakery. Meeting people while you’re travelling can be a hugely rewarding experience. So what makes it so damn scary? Some language learners are perfectly ok not being a social butterfly, but I was not. Neither are most of the shy travellers I speak to (many over email, because, well, the shyness thing). They wish like crazy that they could be more outgoing, especially when travelling. Some of them even decided to start travelling in the first place because they hoped that they’d magically get over their shyness once they arrived in another country, and would finally get out there and meet people. Does that sound like you? The reality is that for some people it gets harder! You have all the same conditions that made you shy in your home country, but now you’re throwing a foreign language into the mix. It turns out that you’re talking to just as few people on the road as you did back home. Travelling didn’t miraculously give you that confidence boost you had hoped for. You’re missing out on all the cultural experiences you envisioned yourself having, all the unforgettable adventures you had mentally planned. So you feel lonely and depressed, and just think, “If only there were some way I could just get over it and talk to people!” Well I’ve got good news and bad news. The bad news is that it basically does just come down to “getting over it and talking to people”. The good news, I can tell you from extensive personal experience, is that it’s never as bad as it sounds. You can mentally prepare yourself so that you’ll be less fearful before approaching people to talk, and feel less awkward when you actually start chatting.

What Holds You Back from Talking to People When You’re Travelling?

Start by asking yourself why you’re afraid to say hi in the first place. Do you feel like everyone else is smarter or more confident than you and that you’ll have nothing intelligent to talk about after introductions? Do you imagine that those people you see chatting effortlessly at a party or café are naturally confident? Maybe they were born with the gift of gab. There may not be a language gene, but maybe there’s a “discourse gene”! This is nonsense, of course. The truth is, most people are just like you. They don’t think they have natural confidence. In fact, they’re probably worried that you’ll outsmart them in the art of conversation. Meanwhile, all that you (and they) are looking for is a casual chat about any old subject on your mind. Not some debate about the validity of Dostoyevsky’s 19th century political views as applied to contemporary socialist states. So relax! Most people would prefer a discussion about which Disney movie is the best, what their home town is like, or where to get the best cup of coffee in the neighbourhood. So don’t let this fear stop you from approaching people. Meeting people while travelling, however, can add an extra layer of complication. Maybe the reason you’re too nervous to say hi to others is because you hate the fact that you can’t express yourself as well in your target language as you can in your native language. You might make an embarrassing mistake in your target language and get laughed at. You think you’ll sound dumb, and that people will look at you weird, or even laugh. In reality, most native speakers of your target language will be thrilled to meet someone that wants to learn their language. They’ll be encouraging and want to help you any way they can. If your level really is too limited to say much more than hello, then get some speaking practice in your target language before you leave home (or after! It’s never too late!) What these reasons boil down to is that you’re afraid to be judged, to look stupid. But I can tell you from personal experience that this fear is completely unfounded. The more I meet people, the more I realise how few judgemental jerks there are out there. Even if you do meet one, just brush it off as their problem and move on. You’re never going to like every single person you meet, but who says you have to, anyway? The great thing about meeting a lot of people is that you can let go of the ones you don’t click with, and still have lots of fantastic friends left.

Social Skydiving: Taking the Plunge and Meet People

This is the hard part. You can talk yourself out of the fear of saying hi, but if you want to meet people you still have to take the step (some say leap) of actually saying hi. Here are a few ways to just do it that always work for me.

Start Small

Don’t feel ready to attend a party full of strangers and chat with them in a foreign language? Then how about a conversation in your own home, with a person of your choosing, that you can end at any time? You can do this by having a Skype call with a conversation partner in your target language. This way, you’ll feel safe knowing that if you really do freak out, you can always make an excuse to hang up from the call, and then block the other person! But you know what? In all my travels, I’ve never met someone who actually decided to do that once the call began. Instead, they were absolutely thrilled that they took the plunge and did the Skype call, and wondered what they were so nervous about to begin with! It’s a fantastic feeling that you’ll never forget. Once you take this first step, it will be that much easier to approach someone in real life at a party or event and just say hi.

Think About Nothing!

When you’re at a party or a Meetup event, and you see someone you want to talk to, don’t think about whether that person will feel like chatting. Don’t think about whether they’ll find you weird, or boring. Don’t even think about what sort of topics you’ll talk about. Think about nothing. Why? Because the more you think, the more easily you’ll end up making excuses and talking yourself out of it, until suddenly you’ve missed your chance and will end up regretting it for the rest of the night.

Act Confident

Even if you don’t feel it, just acting confident will make you be more confident when approaching people to say hi. It might feel forced and unnatural at first, but after a few minutes, you’ll get the hang of it and feel perfectly comfortable chatting like a social pro. People in social settings often take their cues from others in the room. If you act confident and energetic, other people will respond in kind. They’ll become more outgoing themselves and you’ll end up having lively conversations together with hardly any effort at all.

Get Others to Approach You Instead

Still not convinced you can approach a stranger to say hi? Then get others to approach you instead! Carry around an interesting object in your hand that’ll be a good conversation starter. When someone walks up and asks why you’re carrying it, tell them it’s because you were hoping someone would ask you just that! Sound crazy? Maybe so, but I bet that you and that other person will soon be chatting with ease about some other interesting topic, and before you know it, you’ll have made a new friend! And you just know that some of the most lasting friendships start with the weirdest meeting stories. “So how did you two meet?” “Well, it started when he saw me walking around with a microscope at the beach…”

After the Hello

Suppose you take this advice and summon the courage to approach someone to say hi in your target language. Now what? What should you talk about? Usually, conversation just flows with the other person and you don’t need to work at all to come up with things to say to each other. Sometimes, however, it can be a bit harder. Instead of giving up right away, try having a few things prepared in advance to fill the lull that might come after immediately introducing yourself. Here are a few tips:

Learn Vocabulary You’ll Need

Don’t get stuck talking about the weather in your target language. Practise basic small-talk such as occupations and nationalities, as well as vocabulary related to at least one other subject of interest to you (films, sports, current events, whatever you want). Practise these words at home, with a Skype conversation on italki or an intro conversation course.

Learn Some Jokes in Your Target Language

A (clean!) joke in your target language, told with the right delivery - dramatic pauses and all - can be a huge ice breaker when meeting new people. There are tons of online resources for jokes in every language imaginable. Learn a few by heart, and if you experience a lull in a conversation with a native speaker, you can fill the void and get the conversation rolling again.

Strangers are no More (or Less!) Scary than You

Take it from someone who spent years feeling exactly like you. Meeting people, even in a foreign language, is really, truly, never as bad as you imagine it to be. Think of it this way: do you consider yourself to be cold and unapproachable? Probably not (I hope)! So why worry that it’s true about others? Most people on this earth are just as friendly as you. Give them a chance to prove it! There’s no magic pill that’ll give you the confidence to walk up and say hi to strangers. That has to come from you. But once you realise that we’re all basically after the same thing - meaningful connections with others - I hope that you’ll take that first step and reach out to others, especially while travelling. There’s a world of people out there, and a lot of great conversations to be had.

The post The Best Way to Meet People While Travelling (Even if You’re Shy) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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CBI 1:29 | Describing people in Italian

In this episode of Coffee Break Italian you’ll be learning how to describe people in Italian and use adjectives in their different forms. We even have a challenge for you in our Caffè Culturale.

Listen to the episode

The audio lesson is free, as are all the main audio lessons of Coffee Break Italian. Use the audio player to listen to the lesson, or subscribe in iTunes to receive this lesson and all future lessons automatically.

Accessing the Premium Version

The premium version of Coffee Break Italian provides additional materials which will help you move forward more effectively with your Italian studies. The premium version includes the following elements:

• video flashcards: listen to each lesson and see the words and phrases covered in the lesson displayed on the screen of your computer, phone or tablet (mp4 format);
• bonus audio materials: use our review lessons to practise the language covered in the main lesson, and to pick up some useful bonus vocabulary (mp3 format);
• comprehensive lesson notes: study the language of each lesson in greater detail and access additional information about the Italian language (pdf format).

The members’ version can be accessed through our membership system. You can purchase a membership using the links below.

• Season 1: Lessons 1-40 £79.00 GBP inc VAT / approx $112.00 USD ex VAT for non EU customers)

Subscribe links

Subscribe in iTunes | RSS Feed | Purchase members’ audio and transcripts

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Episodio 171: Trucos para no perder la motivación

Today we talk about motivation. How to get motivation for learning languages and a few tricks and tips to overcome some difficult times, and how to avoid fatigue study. Transcript available: "Hola y bienvenido o bienvenida de nuevo a Spanishpodcast.net. Nos alegra que estés escuchando este episodio. Hoy te hablamos sobre motivación, cómo conseguir motivación para el aprendizaje y algunos trucos o consejos para superar ciertos momentos difíciles. A veces, cuando estudias idiomas puedes tener momentos débiles en los que te sientes desmotivado. Te sientes cansado. De forma consciente o algunas veces de forma inconsciente empiezas a abandonar el estudio o tus hábitos de práctica del español o el idioma que estés aprendiendo. También puede ocurrir en otras situaciones, incluso puede que en algún momento te bloquees y tu cabeza no sea capaz de pensar una sola palabra en español."

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Spanish Vocab Builder #22 - House Work

Learn Mexican Spanish with SpanishPod101.com ! Our Mexican Spanish vocabulary lists are listener favorites, and now we’ve made it even better! In each lesson, you’ll hear the Mexican Spanish words and phrases from the Mexican Spanish vocabulary lists. Join us for Mexican Spanish Vocab Builder! In this lesson, you’ll learn words and phrases for House Work. [...]

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News #192 - Final Week! The Last 5 Spanish Deals of the 10-Year Anniversary Start Now!

Waiting ‘til New Years just to start Spanish? Forget that! Here’s why! There are still 5 days in our 10-Year Anniversary Countdown. What does this mean? You can still take advantage of 5 more awesome deals that’ll get you speaking Spanish. Final Week! Click Here to See Today’s Anniversary Deal! This week will have 5 completely new deals, [...]

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Are You Addicted to Language Porn?

How do you indulge yourself? The majority of human beings have vices of some degree. Whether it’s a cup of coffee in the morning, a lie in on the weekend, a piece of chocolate in the afternoon or a beer in the evening, you probably have at least one indulgence that helps you get through the day. (Of course there are other, darker vices, but I’ll avoid mentioning them, in the interest of keeping Fluent in 3 Months (Fi3M) family-friendly!) Vices, like anything, are fine in moderation. When that piece of chocolate becomes a whole bar, the lie in obliterates your plans for your day off and the drinking gives you false courage, then it may be time to re-evaluate what value (if any) they’re adding to your life. The problem with vices is that we don’t tend to recognise when they’re hurting us. In some instances, we may not even see them for what they truly are. In fact, many language learners suffer from a vice that is doing more harm than good. Why? Because it’s exactly what’s holding them back from becoming fluent in a foreign language. If you’re struggling to advance in your language learning, you may need to sit down and ask yourself… am I addicted to porn? And before you say anything else, extract your mind from the gutter! I’m talking strictly about language porn!

What is Language Porn, Exactly?

language porn /ˈlaŋɡwɪdʒ /pɔːn/ noun Getting stuck in language books (for mental masturbation) rather than actually using the language.

In simple terms, it’s getting stuck on reading about a language, but not speaking it. It’s a bit like the difference between porn (artificial gratification without any human interaction, but simple) and sex (much more satisfying gratification, with real human interaction, but involving complicated social dynamics that can be intimidating). Being a “language porn” addict can really set you back, especially if your aim is to become fluent in your target language. As I have repeatedly stated, the way to become fluent in a foreign language is to start speaking it - from day one. In my view, that’s the best way to get good results.

Are You Addicted to Language Porn?

You’ve started learning a new language. You’re studying it every moment that you can, happily committing new phrases and grammar rules to memory. Your collection of books on the subject is impressive. You’ve been at it some time now and feel a slight twinge of victory whenever you’re able to translate sentences. You know your knowledge of this language is growing daily and you’re feeling pretty pleased with yourself as a result. You’ve even got a 100 day streak (no pun intended) on DuoLingo. Yet… you struggle to speak in your new language. And really – what’s the point in learning a language, if you’re not going to use it? At base level, the need to learn a language stems from a desire to communicate. Here are some classic signs of language porn addiction.

1. You Collect New Words, But Struggle to Pronounce Them

You love words and your vocabulary list is growing longer by the day. Although you’re growing more and more confident in your reading abilities, you have no idea how to pronounce these words. You sit alone at your desk, repeatedly saying them over and over again, cringing at your accent and wondering if you’re actually getting the pronunciations right.

2. You’re Afraid to Speak in Your Target Language Right Now…

The thought of speaking to a real person makes you break out in a cold sweat. What if they laugh at you? You’ll probably make a mistake and they’ll think you’re really stupid. Nope, now is not the right time. You need to do more reading and get to a proper position where you know you’ll be confident enough to start speaking the language for yourself.

3. …But One Day You’ll Be Ready. For Sure.

You’ve got it all figured out. You’re going to keep reading up about your language, chapter by chapter in your textbook. One day soon, you’re sure you’ll be ready to speak. You’ve invested all this time into studying – surely once you finally open your mouth, you’ll have no trouble speaking x language at all. You won’t make any mistakes and those native in this language will be able to understand you with ease. Some day soon, fluency shall be yours… you’re sure of it!

Why This Particular Addiction is So Dangerous

Getting addicted to “language porn” is dangerous because it’s a form of procrastination. It’s a trap I see new language learners fall into, time and time again. You may feel like you’re making huge advancements in your learning, but where is it really getting you? I get emails regularly from people who have studied language in an academic setting, usually at some point during their secondary education. They want to know how they could have invested all that time (and often money) into their education and walk away often years later, able to speak their language at only the most rudimentary level. I completely empathise with them! I studied German for five years, yet it wasn’t until I moved to Berlin sometime later and enforced a strict no English rule, that I could safely say I was on the road to fluency in that language. I studied Gaeilge, the Irish language for eleven years and it was my worst subject at school. I absolutely hated it! As my love for language developed over my adult years, I felt a burning desire to go back and immerse myself into the Gaeltacht region. It was only then that I was able to achieve a good conversational level in the Irish language, one I could never reach at school. For these reasons, I believe studying a language alone is never enough to help you speak a language. If you truly want to be fluent… well you’re going to have to open your mouth and start talking.

How to Recover From Your Addiction

Right – first things first. Let’s put the textbooks down and consider some other language resources. I’m not saying you have to put them away completely! It’s quite alright to consider textbooks as part of your language learning arsenal… but you should never rely on them alone. Now that’s done, let’s look at the methods we can employ to get you talking. And no – you don’t have to quit your job, pack your bags and move to a country where your chosen language is commonly spoken. There are plenty of ways in which you can strengthen your speaking skills, without even leaving the house! One of the first things I’d advise you to do is to sign up to iTalki. I’ve used this website for years and happily recommend it to everyone and anyone. Thanks to informal Skype conversations, I no longer have to move to a country to learn a language. I was able to learn Japanese while living in Valencia and Egyptian Arabic from Brazil. Because of this, when I finally visited these countries, I was able to immerse myself culturally and enjoy the sights, without worrying about having to learn how to communicate with the people living there. All you need to do is select the right teacher (don’t be afraid to “trial” a few, before settling on the right one), do a little bit of “classroom prep” and schedule that first call! If you prefer the idea of talking to someone in an informal setting, consider signing up to italki. This website is a platform for language learners around the world to connect with language teachers or language exchange partners. You might be looking for someone who speaks Spanish, who in turn wishes to improve their English. Give a little and take a little – in the end, everyone wins. Want to get out and mingle? I would turn to Meetup. Do a little research and find out if there are any groups that regularly meet in your area, with a view on practising their spoken skills in the language you’re learning. If you have some room to spare, you may consider hosting some Couchsurfers. I have used this resource to host over two thousand budget travellers throughout the years. I was able to practise my languages with all those who walked through my front door – for free! Sometimes they’d even cook me a nice meal, for letting them stay!

But… What Do I Speak About? What if I Sound Silly or Bore My Listeners?

People seem to think that when they’re just starting to speak a language, they can’t talk to native speakers because they’ll bore them. Or, they’ll make a mistake and anger whomever it is that they’re speaking to. I’ve had minimal negative reactions when I try to speak a language for the first time. Most people are patient and understanding. They’ll help you when you need it, correct your mistakes if you ask. And they certainly won’t laugh at you, nor think you’re stupid. If someone is going to get angry with you for trying your absolute best to communicate with them, then it’s probably someone you wouldn’t want to be talking to in the first place! Many textbook examples seem boring – talking about the weather, asking directions. I encourage you to make yourself seem interesting (This shouldn’t be hard, as I’m sure you are!). Ask the other person questions about themselves, their country and their background. Listen (it will do wonders for your listening comprehension skills!). Learn how ask a few key questions such as:

• What that person wanted to be when they were growing up.
• What their favourite type of music is and why.
• Do they like reading? If so, what books? Can they recommend any written by native authors?
• What do they wish for in life?

Listen to what they have to say and don’t forget to use connectors to keep the conversation flowing.

You Have the Power to Break Your Addiction

Addictions aren’t easy to break, but I think in the case of language porn, it’s mind over matter. The key is to stop procrastinating and get down and dirty! This real world experience will lead you to fluency much faster than a book ever could. Are you addicted to language porn? Do you feel like it’s slowing your learning down? Let me know in the comments.

The post Are You Addicted to Language Porn? appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Episodio 170: Haz lo que digo, no lo que hago

In this episode we talk about this phrase and we talk about an alternative. You can practice pronunciation with us. It's possible that this phrase exists in your language, is there any difference between them? Transcript available: "Hola a todos y bienvenidos a un nuevo episodio de SpanishPodcast.net En esta ocasión vamos a explicaros una expresión o, más bien una frase, que se utiliza de vez en cuando en español: haz lo que digo, no lo que hago. Comprender su significado no es difícil porque es prácticamente literal, sin embargo creemos que es interesante hablar de esta frase ... "

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Absolute Beginner #9 - We Aren’t Going to Spanish Class Today

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! You wake up and it’s early Friday morning, and the warm Latin American sun is already streaming into your bedroom. You yawn, rub your eyes, and open your window…and suddenly it comes to you…you’re going to skip your Spanish class today! You open your window and yell out to the world [...]

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Episode 18 (Preview) – Season 4 – Coffee Break Spanish

In this lesson we join María and Rory as they discuss the letters between Carmen and Jesús which they found in the attic. The dialogue features many complex grammar points and interesting idiomatic expressions, and these are discussed by our hosts.

In the preview episode available here on the Radio Lingua site, on iTunes and on Soundcloud, you’ll be able to listen to Carmen and Mark’s introduction, to the core text of this episode, and to the summary in English of what happens in the text. For a full analysis of the text and in-depth discussion of the words and phrases contained in the episode, you can subscribe to our premium version. For further information, please see below.

Accessing the Premium Version

The premium version of Coffee Break Spanish Season 4 provides additional materials which will help you move forward more effectively with your advanced studies of Spanish. The premium version includes the following elements:

• full-length audio episode: in each episode Mark and Carmen discuss the language covered in each text in depth, providing further examples and testing you on your understanding;
• transcript: a full transcript of the entire episode including notes on complex language and grammar points;
• bonus audio episode: test yourself on the key constructions included in the audio episode with this bonus audio translation exercise.

The members’ version can be accessed through our membership system. You can purchase a membership using the links below.

• Season 4: Lessons 1-40
  £79.00 GBP inc VAT / approx $112.00 USD ex VAT for non EU customers)

Subscribe links

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CBI 1:28 | Talking about likes and dislikes in Italian

In lesson 28 of our course you’ll learn how to talk more about your job. You’ll also learn to talk about what you like doing – and what you don’t like doing! This lesson will help you to develop your confidence in using Italian and making small talk with native speakers.

Listen to the episode

The audio lesson is free, as are all the main audio lessons of Coffee Break Italian. Use the audio player to listen to the lesson, or subscribe in iTunes to receive this lesson and all future lessons automatically.

Accessing the Premium Version

The premium version of Coffee Break Italian provides additional materials which will help you move forward more effectively with your Italian studies. The premium version includes the following elements:

• video flashcards: listen to each lesson and see the words and phrases covered in the lesson displayed on the screen of your computer, phone or tablet (mp4 format);
• bonus audio materials: use our review lessons to practise the language covered in the main lesson, and to pick up some useful bonus vocabulary (mp3 format);
• comprehensive lesson notes: study the language of each lesson in greater detail and access additional information about the Italian language (pdf format).

The members’ version can be accessed through our membership system. You can purchase a membership using the links below.

• Season 1: Lessons 1-40 £79.00 GBP inc VAT / approx $112.00 USD ex VAT for non EU customers)

Subscribe links

Subscribe in iTunes | RSS Feed | Purchase members’ audio and transcripts

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