Innovative Mexican Culture for Absolute Beginners #2 - How to book a sighseeing tour

Learn Spanish with Spanish Pod101.com! Whether you’re moving to Mexico or just visiting, you’ll need the fundamental Spanish words and phrases we cover in this Innovative Mexican Culture Absolute Beginner video series. Featuring vibrant animated scenarios and plenty of time to practice out loud, these videos cover everything from introducing yourself and talking about [...]

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Episodio 221: Salir al extranjero

Benefits of studying, working or living abroad. Improve your Spanish listening to this episode. Would you like to visit Spain? Transcript available: "Hola a todos, ¿qué tal estáis? Esperamos que todo vaya bien y que sigáis mejorando vuestro español. En el podcast de hoy vamos a hablar sobre algunas de las ventajas que tiene permanecer una temporada fuera de tu país. Como ya sabéis Álex y yo hemos pasado 3 meses en Grenoble. Grenoble es una ciudad que está situada al lado de los Alpes, al sureste de Francia. Durante ese tiempo, por supuesto, hemos aprovechado para mejorar nuestro nivel de francés, pero no solo hemos practicado el idioma, sino que hemos desarrollado varias aptitudes ... "

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Spanish Vocab Builder #50 - Solar System

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

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How to Stop Being Shy (and Start Learning a Language)

If you’re anything like me - incredibly shy - then I’d make a firm bet that most of the language learning advice you’ve read online sets off at least mild anxiety. How many times have you heard this when you run a Google search for how to learn a language:

The best way to learn how to speak a language is to speak it.

I wish I earned a dollar every time I’ve read this. I’d be super rich! But despite its popularity amongst language learners, it’s still advice that makes me want to run away and hide… and forget about language learning. The only problem with that is I love languages. It’s an itch I’ve got to scratch. No matter how much I try, it won’t go away. What to do about it?

What it Feels Like to Be a Shy Language Learner

I’ve struggled with shyness for as long as I can remember. At parties and social gatherings, I’m a wallflower (if I’m there at all). I prefer my own company to a crowd. Books are my favourite companions. And big groups of people make me really nervous. Especially if they’re people I’ve never met before. So, being told that in order to speak a new language I must strike up conversations with strangers was terrifying. Simply reading the advice for language learners about “just getting out there and speaking” made me tense up. My natural impulse was to reject that advice and look for a different route. I’d much rather stay home with a language textbook and labour through grammar drills than I would go out and speak. And there have been several occasions where that’s exactly what I’ve done. I punished myself with tedious and difficult exercises as a way to make up for not doing the work I should have been doing: speaking.

I Was My Own Worst Enemy

Like most people, I wanted language learning to be comfortable and easy. The problem? I veered between two extremes. I either stuck myself in the centre of my comfort zone (not speaking at all) or I stepped so far out of my comfort zone that I thought “I’m never doing that again”. Over time, I became more and more afraid to test my limits and try things that challenged me. So instead, I allowed my shyness to hold me back from accomplishing a lot of the things that I would have loved to do. In hindsight, after having tested the advice I am going to give you, I am the first to admit that I was getting in my own way. I allowed myself to become the biggest obstacle to my own success and happiness. When I took a look at where I was and what I wanted to achieve, I decided it wasn’t worth taking the comfortable road. There was so much more I knew I was capable of and I knew I couldn’t give my shyness any more power over my progress. Eventually, I got tired of using my shyness as an excuse. I had to make changes. Here’s what I did.

4 Steps to Overcome Shyness and Achieve Your Language Learning Goals

Step 1: Admit that You’re Shy

You’ve got to start by being honest with yourself. If you’re shy, admit it, and get comfortable with that fact. This seems rather obvious, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to become used to ignoring shyness rather than recognizing and dealing with it. So how do you know if you’re shy? If you’re shy you may have a hard time doing things like:

• Meeting new people
• Being called on in meetings, gatherings or classes
• Being the focus of attention
• Speaking up when you have an opinion to share
• Initiating conversations
• Being watched while trying to do something
• Accepting compliments

All these things can be hard to do in our native languages, let alone when adding a new language into the mix! Being shy is totally okay. In fact, it can even be an asset! But if you’re running from your shyness, you’ll never learn how to make the most of it.

Step 2: Ask for the Support That You Need

One of the hardest, but most important things you can do to start addressing your shyness is to get the support you need. Ask for help. This can be friends, family, or professional advice and support. Asking for help is rarely easy. Even more so when you’re shy. But the outside perspective and input can go a long way in providing you with ways to work through your shyness. This could be asking your friends about how they deal with their own shyness (you'd be surprised at how many people see themselves as shy). Or it could be to have them help you get into new social situations. It could mean delving into your past and working out where your shyness comes from (perhaps with the help of a coach or therapist). Or it could mean investing in a course.

Step 3: Take Small Steps Outside of Your Comfort Zone

We are creatures of habit. Taking action beyond the border of your comfort zone feels scary. That’s why it’s called a comfort zone. Anywhere outside it is uncomfortable. But when it comes down to it, you can only beat shyness by taking confident action - and to start with, that’s unlikely to feel comfortable. This doesn’t mean that you need to push yourself too far, too fast. It’s not about leaving your comfort zone entirely, but it’s more about stretching where the boundaries lie and making that zone just a little bit bigger, one small step at a time. Take action - but make it gradual.

Step 4: Recognise That Language Learning Can Be a Huge Confidence Boost

If you’re shy, learning a new language can help you discover a "new you". When you speak another language, you can be whoever you want to be. You can reinvent yourself. There’s no need to be held back by the expectations your friends and family have about you. Nor do you need to live your life trying to fit into labels that you feel define who you are. We are so much more than labels. They may help describe certain aspects of who we are and what we do, but they are by no means all-encompassing. No one is shy in every part of their life, and so, you should never let the term hold you back from being who you really are and pursuing the things you’d love to do. Learning a new language can give you a whole new way to express yourself and redefine how others see you. It can be a great outlet for trying new things - especially since the people you interact with will likely be in the same place as you. It’s often said that we develop different personalities for each language that we speak, so perhaps your persona in that new language will be a little more outgoing than the one in your native language! Wanting to speak another language is an excellent reason to tackle your shyness and become more confident. Plus, you’ll get a boost in confidence by developing a new skill such as learning a language.

Beat Your Shyness by Learning a Language

You are not alone. Everyone is shy about something. According to a study by Stanford University professor emeritus Philip Zimbardo, approximately half the people in US alone claim that they are shy to some degree. But your shyness doesn’t have to prevent you from pursuing your dreams. We often use “I am shy” as an excuse to avoid doing things we’d rather not. But the only way you’ll ever overcome any feelings of shyness you have is to get out there and experience different social situations so that your discomfort and nervousness dissipate. Learning to comfortably navigate conversations can be hugely rewarding, especially when it means that you get to practice speaking your target language. And the greater effort you make to put yourself in social situations, the quicker you’ll grow comfortable in them, resulting in more opportunities to participate in interesting conversations and get to know great people. There’s no magic answer to overcoming shyness. It takes hard work and a concerted effort, but it’s worth taking the required steps. I hope you’ll join me in saying “goodbye” to shy today. Want more? Check out the Fluent in 3 Months video course, Say Goodbye to Shy, which I co-authored with Benny Lewis. Find out more here.

The post How to Stop Being Shy (and Start Learning a Language) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Spanish Listening Comprehension for Intermediate Learners #18 - Talking About School Subjects in Mexican Spanish

 Learn Mexican Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Do you find yourself only understanding the key parts of Mexican Spanish conversations? Would you like to understand what’s happening around you in daily life in Mexico? Then this Mexican Spanish Listening Comprehension for Intermediate Learners series is for you! In each lesson of this five-part series, you’ll see an [...]

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Episode 30 (Preview) – Season 4 – Coffee Break Spanish

Over the last few lessons of Coffee Break ​Spanish Season 4, we’ve seen Rory, María and Alejandro figure out what to do with the treasure they found at the bottom of the ocean. Their discovery has now made the newspapers in Mallorca, and in lesson 30 we’re taking a look at one of the newspaper articles​. This provides a fantastic opportunity for you to look at different styles of writing, as this journalistic text is possibly much more formal than what you may be used to. Mark is on hand to explain everything.

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)

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Absolute Beginner #5 - Why Are You Always Twenty Minutes Behind the Spanish Time?

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! :”Seriously…where have you been?” you ask your roommate in Spanish. You continue to berate her for being late to pick you up in Spanish. You yell at her in Spanish, “It’s cold out here, and I’m tired of waiting for you! You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago!” Your [...]

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CBI 1:38 | La mia amica non si sente molto bene

Hopefully you’ll not have to visit the doctor or the pharmacy while you’re in Italy, but in case you do, this lesson will help you prepare! Katie hasn’t been feeling too well and she visits the pharmacy in this lesson. We’ll listen in to the conversation and Mark is on hand to explain everything.

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 220: Adicción a la tecnología

Are you addicted to technology? You can improve your Spanish while we talk about an interesting debate topic. Transcript available: "Hola a todos y bienvenidos a un nuevo episodio de SpanishPodcast.net Hoy hablamos sobre un tema de actualidad: la adicción a la tecnología. Hemos creado este episodio por un mensaje que envió una seguidora, llamada Ola a través de nuestra página en Facebook. En su mensaje, Ola nos pedía que habláramos sobre algunos temas de actualidad o que causan debate ... "

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News #207 - The 1 Hack For Speaking Real-Life Spanish: Line-by-Line Scripts For Any Conversation

Have you noticed how most conversations use the same phrases and questions? For example, if you’re introducing yourself, you’ll use: “Hello.” and “How are you?” and “What’s your name?” Did you know you can take advantage of this predictability to speak better Spanish? Click Here to Get Up to 45% OFF 6-Month Premium or Premium PLUS! In [...]

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Spanish Vocab Builder #49 - Father’s Day

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

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How to Get a Dream Job Overseas Using Your Language Skills

“If you want the job it’s yours.” I couldn’t believe it. After teaching English for a few years in China I’d been offered a job as a cultural liaison. I’d be working at an international design and manufacturing company in China, using my Mandarin Chinese skills every day. I’d previously tried to find a job the traditional way - by looking at job boards and submitting applications. Then, I discovered a new method for finding jobs. This had worked! I was finally going to be able to live in China and use Chinese. I’d like to share my approach - including the exact steps I followed to land my dream job.

How to Use Your Language Skills to Find Work

Speaking another language is a valuable asset when you’re looking for work. Employers like seeing it on your resume even when the job they are hiring you for has no foreign language component. Language is a valuable skill, but it’s not always clear how it can be parlayed into a job. When it comes to using your language skills for work (assuming it is not a job such as a language teacher, translator, or interpreter), you need to have a main skill which can add the value your employer is looking for. This could be something like finance, trade, manufacturing, or engineering. Whatever it is, you need to realise that this is your most important asset in your would-be employers eyes, not your language abilities (unless your employer needs someone who can facilitate communication or teach—this was the case for me). Most positions that can benefit from knowledge of a foreign language have a hierarchy of the necessary skills which looks like:

1. Main skill (engineering, video editing, management)
2. Cultural understanding (this usually includes some understanding of the language though not necessarily a lot)
3. Language abilities

As I mentioned earlier, if the position you are aiming for is primarily a language-related role, then language is your main skill. So how do you get a job that uses your language abilities while satisfying the above requirements? Here are the steps I followed:

Step 1: Identify Your Skills - and the Types of Companies that Could Benefit from Those Skills

Maybe you are an accountant, nurse, or engineer. Maybe you are good at video editing or singing. Not sure what you’re good at? Ask your friends. What do other people ask you to help them with? What did you enjoy doing as a child, before you had any responsibilities? Next think about the types of companies that would want to hire someone with your skills. For example, almost all manufacturing companies will hire accountants, engineers, and production managers. Engineers help develop products, production managers help build the product, and accountants keep track of the money. Internet companies need people with programming, copywriting and design skills. All companies need to sell - so marketing and sales is another area to think about. For extra insight, call up a few companies and ask them about the different roles in their business. Tell them who you are, that you are looking for a new job, and want to understand what they do. You can also ask around among your friends and acquaintances. Ask people you know about their jobs and what their colleagues do. For example if your friend works at a bank ask her to tell you about her coworkers’ roles (loan officer, teller, customer service, accountant). Another method is to search for a company on LinkedIn. You can see all the people who work there and look at the positions they hold, like this: Now you’ve identified the industries you could work in (your niche), you’re ready to move on to the next step.

Step 2: Work Out How You Can Help in the Industries You’ve Identified

This step where your knowledge of other cultures and languages starts to be useful. A lot of job hunters make the mistake of assuming they must fit the mold of advertised roles. If they don’t have the exact skillset specified, they move on and look for another job. Why is this a mistake? Companies typically recruit for their ideal candidates - and they often struggle to find these. So it’s to your advantage to sell yourself to the company instead of waiting for them to tell you what they would like. Take the example of a design and manufacturing company. They’re based in your home country - and you want to work for them using your Chinese skills. You’ve also got skills in marketing and sales. You could:

• Help them find factories in China to have their products manufactured at a more affordable price.
• Be a sales representative in China - pitching their products to Chinese retailers
• Conduct market research to help them adapt their products for Chinese consumers
• Offer your services as a translator or interpreter to facilitate any of the above.

Working as a translator or interpreter is often an excellent way in - and it’s worth your while to spend time looking for companies with an office in both your home country and the country you want to live and work in. Speaking of searching out particular companies, here’s how you can find them...

Step 3: Use LinkedIn to Find Your Ideal Company

Head to LinkedIn and type in a keyword to search for the type of company you want to find. You can narrow down your search by company location and size. I recommend searching for small companies of 200 people or less since they are often younger and more likely to need people. Small and medium size businesses are are the biggest source of job creation (at least in the United States). In the screenshot below I am searching for a US company with offices in China is hopes of being their linguistic and cultural conduit.

Step 4: Get the Company’s Contact Information

Once you’ve identified a target company, head to their website to find a contact email address. A submission contact form is also fine. To find these contact details, look at the bottom of their website, or look for a Contact page, or an About page. This is where you find their website on LinkedIn: A "Contact Us" page often looks like this: LinkedIn can also be handy in making contact - especially when you can’t find an email address. Look for the profiles of people on LinkedIn that would be interested in hiring someone like you (President, CEO, manager of the department related to what you do, human resources manager, owner of the company) and send them a message directly. LinkedIn has a service called InMail you can use if you don’t find an email or personal blog in their profile. It’s paid - but when you’re looking for a job using this method, it’s well worth the investment.  

Step 5: Send a Short Email Explaining How You Can Help

Send them a short email telling them how you could help. Make the subject about how to help the. Avoid phrases such as “looking for work/job”. For example, I speak Mandarin, have teaching skills, and understand Chinese culture. As such, I can help solve communication issues. Here’s a script you can use:

Subject: Mandarin Speaker Would Like to Help Hi <Person’s name>, I found out about through LinkedIn. I have been living in southern China's Guangdong province for four years. I've spent the majority of my time teaching English to students of all ages and recently started an English training center with my business partner. I speak Chinese proficiently, can read and write, and have HSK (a Chinese certification) certification. My background is in mathematics. I am returning to the US in hopes of finding a job at a company that deals with China on a regular basis, and was hoping my experience and talents could be of use at . Please let me know if you have such a need. I attached my resume for your convenience. Sincerely, <Your name>

Step 6: Keep Trying!

If you don’t hear back from them within a week you should email, call, or visit them in person until you do. Do not give up. I’ve succeeded both times that I have used this tactic. The first time I did it a position was created for me. The second time I did it, I met with the HR manager and then was contacted a few months later when a position opened up which I eventually got. Note that in some instances you will be creating your own role. In the Chinese job I mentioned in the introduction, I was the first ever cultural liaison at that company. They created the role for me because I expressed an interest and explained what I could do for them. While I was working there we hired someone as the head of a department that didn’t exist until we met this person. We created the role for them, because we saw what they could do for the company. Try to be creative when selling your services. Companies like smart, creative people - show your skills, and businesses will find a way to fit you in. There is no bullet-proof way of finding a job, but if you put in the time and effort in the right places you have a much better chance of being successful. Good luck!

The post How to Get a Dream Job Overseas Using Your Language Skills appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Beginner Lesson S4 #13 - Can You Guess What’s

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! You thought this concert was so popular that there would be signs everywhere pointing you in the right direction when you arrived at the concert venue. But when you get there, you discover that there are no signs written in Spanish directing you where to go to get tickets. So you [...]

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Episodio 219: ¡Esto es la leche!

Today we explain some Spanish everyday expressions using the word 'milk'. Everyday life idioms used by all Spaniards . Transcript available: "Hola a todos y bienvenidos a un nuevo episodio de SpanishPodcast.net Hoy hablamos de una palabra del español que se utiliza para muchas cosas: leche. Hace un tiempo hicimos un par de episodios sobre la palabra “pan”. Os dijimos que esta palabra se utiliza en muchas expresiones del español: ser más bueno que el pan, ser pan comido, estar para mojar pan …"

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CBI 1:37 | Ho qualche domanda…

When you’re travelling, one of the most common situations encountered is that you need to ask for information. In this episode of Coffee Break Italian Mark is asking for information in his hotel in Stresa. You’ll review some of the language areas already covered and learn new words and phrases through the conversation.

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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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #1 - Talking About Your Profession

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “I am a…” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, [...]

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #2 - Expressing What You Want

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish.  In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “I want…” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where [...]

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #3 - Using Adjectives to Describe

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “That is…” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where [...]

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #4 - Using Prepositions of Place

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish.  In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “The _____ is…” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, [...]

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #5 - Using the Present Continuous

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “I am…” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, [...]

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #6 - Talking About the Past

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “I went…” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, [...]

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #7 - Talking About the Future

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “I will…” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where [...]

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #8 - Making Negative Commands

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “Don’t…” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where [...]

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #9 - Asking for Information About Something

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “What…?” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where [...]

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #10 - Asking About Time

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “When…?” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where you [...]

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #11 - Asking About Location or Position

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish.  In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “Where…?” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where you [...]

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Must-Know Spanish Sentence Structures #12 - Asking About a Person

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! The Sentence Patterns series brings you a great new way to learn Spanish! With this series, you’ll build on your conversation skills by learning the most common and useful sentence patterns in Spanish. In this lesson, you will learn how to use the sentence pattern “Who…?” Visit us at SpanishPod101.com, where [...]

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Spanish Vocab Builder #48 - Flag Day in the United States

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

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German Games and Exercises: 8 Fun & Simple Ways to Practise Your German Skills

A big mistake new language learners make is sticking to one method of study. You may feel you need to go out and buy the most expensive textbook or online course and focus your attention only on that. Restrict yourself to one learning method, and you run the risk of getting bored. This can lead you to hit a wall, become disheartened and possibly even throw in the towel. At Fluent in 3 Months, we believe in learning a language by living the language. That means immersing yourself in the language by speaking it - and you can do that from the comfort of your own home. Did you know that you can study German while cooking dinner? Or, that a game of Scrabble can be more effective than an hour’s worth of textbook study? You don’t have to spend a lot of money to learn a language and it certainly doesn’t have to be boring. Here are ten German games and exercises you can use to build your German language knowledge and have some fun along the way.

1. Watch Your Favourite TV shows With German Subtitles.

You’re stuck between feeling you should study and wanting to relax. Give yourself a break and put on a TV show you know and love… with German subtitles. Websites such as TVsubtitles.net allow you to download the subtitles for English speaking shows. You can even go one step further and find dubbed versions. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything that is being said. Knowing the gist is enough for when you are first starting out. If you really want to challenge yourself, ditch the English/American TV shows for German movies and television series. Watching German films will give you an insight into the informal language and culture of native speakers. This will help you pick up everyday slang that you are less likely to learn from textbooks. Watching movies is a great way to learn a language - as long as you approach them the right way.

2. Put Post-its on Items Around the House

Write the German translations of words on Post-its and stick them on your belongings. Place them on clothing, appliances and the items in your cupboards and drawers. You can learn the German translations for the contents of your fridge, while contemplating what to have for dinner! Don’t forget to write down the German articles along with the nouns (der, die and das in the normative form and ein or eine for ‘a’ or ‘an’). This will help to avoid gender confusion in the future. There are plenty of opportunities to get creative when using this method. If you are struggling to remember the word for green, write “grün” on a Post-it and stick it on a pot plant. When you are next trying to recall the German word for that colour, you will mentally link the word to the plant. The Post-it will act as a visual prompt and aid you in remembering it.

3. Cook Your Meals Using German Recipes

Why not impress your family and friends by learning how to make Sauerkraut or Strudel? One of the most effective ways to become fluent in a foreign language is to live it. This is best achieved when you immerse as many aspects of your life into the culture of the language you are learning. What better way is there to experience a culture than through food? Buy a German cookbook, or look up German recipes online. Follow the directions as well as you’re able, using your phrasebook or the Internet to decipher words you don’t know. You can translate your own recipes to further extend your knowledge base. For example, transcribe your recipe for pumpkin soup into German. Use this as a reference point the next time you’re craving something warm on a chilly winter’s evening! This works as an excellent rewards-based system – you improve your knowledge of the language and culture, plus you get a meal at the end!

4. Use Music to Extend Your Vocabulary and Knowledge of German Culture

Listening to German songs is a great way to immerse yourself in German when you’re driving, cooking or doing DIY. Ballads are a good place to start, as they’re slow and easy to follow. Look up Phillipp Poisel and Tim Bendzko, who sing ballads in German. If you’re a fan of rap or hip-hop, I would suggest Peter Foxx or Fettes Brott. They’re a little more upbeat and fun! German radio stations can be streamed off the Internet, and are a good way to discover new songs that match your tastes. Once you have amassed a compilation of songs, start to sing along to the songs that you like. Write down the words you know or recognise, as you listen to the music. Look up the lyrics and try to translate them. New words can be added to your vocab list. Language learning via music is an excellent way to commit new phrases to memory. Over time, you may learn the lyrics well enough to add to your collection of tunes to sing in the shower!

5. Get in Touch With Your Inner Child

Picture books work well as a resource for memorising new words and phrases. As you’re reading, sound out the words as a child would and use the pictures to take a guess at what the sentence translates to. Dual-language books are handy in that you don’t have to spend time translating the sentences – you can instead focus on committing the new phrases to memory. You don’t have to stop at books. If you’re anything like me. chances are you grew up watching Disney movies. You will intrinsically know many aspects of the films - from the plot, to song lyrics, even down to individual lines, off by heart. Disney movies are a great resource in language learning, due to their familiarity and the quality of the films. As Disney is renowned worldwide, the dubbed versions are of the highest quality. Unlike a lot of animated movies, time has been taken to translate the dialogue and the lyrics of their most famous songs. Relive your childhood and entertain yourself by singing along to the German versions of your favourite Disney tunes, such as “Unter dem Meer” or “Ich kann nicht warten bis ich einen König bin“.

6. Get Creative With Your German Phrases

Constantly referring to your phrasebook to learn how to ask directions or order food can become a real bore. Get a little creative and search the pages to find the most outrageous phrases your book contains. This exercise is at its most amusing when the phrase does not translate word for word into English. For example, did you know ‘mein Magen hängt in den Kniekehlen’ is the German equivalent for “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” and translates literally to “my stomach is hanging at my kneecaps”? This serves as an interesting and amusing insight into German culture. Committing these phrases to memory might win you points with native speakers - and broadens your vocabulary.

7. Find New Uses For Your Old Board Games

Wipe the dust off your board games and start putting them to good use! Use the pieces from Scrabble to structure German words. Or coerce a friend into playing a round, after banning English from the game. Cards Against Humanity is known as being “a party game for horrible people”. The aim of the game is to pair innocent questions with the most disgusting or horrendous answer available in your stack of cards. This card game is fairly new, having been around for only the last four years. There are plenty of English speaking versions, from American to Australian. Unfortunately, the company is yet to release a German edition of the game. What you can do is create your own pack, via a PDF on their website. Alternatively, download a German version and follow the instructions to create your own copy of the game. If you’ve gone for total immersion in your quest for fluency and live in a German speaking country, Cards Against Humanity would be a real hit at your next house party. If not, this is another way you can gain insight into words and phrases that would definitely be missing from your phrasebook.

8. Change All Your Electronic Devices to German Language

This is a simple hack to expand your vocabulary. Your computer, tablet or smartphone is a device you use everyday, so the interface should already be familiar. Changing your computer’s operating system to German is another way you can immerse yourself in the language, wherever you live.

What are Your Favourite German Games and Exercises?

These are just some of the ways in which you can shake up your language learning, to make it more entertaining. If you have any more suggestions or ideas, please share them in the comments.

The post German Games and Exercises: 8 Fun & Simple Ways to Practise Your German Skills appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Survival Phrases #53 - Ask for the Time in Spanish

Learn Spanish travel phrases with SpanishPod101.com! A little Spanish can go such a long way! Whether you’re traveling, visiting, or sightseeing, SpanishPod101.com has all the essential travel phrases just for you! Today we cover a high frequency Spanish phrase sure to be of use on your trip, travels or vacation to Spain. Today, we’ll introduce some [...]

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Inner Circle #29 - May 2016: Pressing Reset - The Problem with Failing Spanish Goals

Last time, you learned all about the 7 tested, timeless ways to learn Spanish. You learned how our learning technology meets time-tested learning techniques. This time, we’re covering a popular topic. Listeners request this one quite often. What is it? It’s failure.   In this Inner Circle Lesson, you’ll learn:   1. The Stressful Problem of Failing Language [...]

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Episodio 218: Estar hecho polvo

Learn Spanish as it is really spoken in actual conversations. Today: "estar hecho polvo" We explain this idiom and you will practice pronunciation and conjugation. Transcript available: "Hola de nuevo y bienvenido o bienvenida a otro episodio más de nuestro podcast. En esta ocasión para explicar una expresión muy utilizada en español y por todo tipo de personas: estar hecho polvo. Es probable que hayas leído o escuchado esta expresión alguna vez. Es una expresión que se utiliza mucho en el lenguaje cotidiano, en películas, libros y todo tipo de medios de comunicación ... "

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CBI 1:36 | Cercate qualcosa in particolare?

In this episode Mark is buying “delle cartoline” and Katie and Francesca are shopping for clothes. Join them and practise your language skills and learn new words and phrases associated with shopping.

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Absolute Beginner Questions Answered by Rosa #12 - What are diminutives?

Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com! Asking questions is a big part of learning Spanish. Every day at SpanishPod101.com, we get so many great questions from you, the listeners. And in this video series, we’ll answer those questions! Join Rosa and get some answers! In this lesson, you’ll learn the answer to the question ‘What are diminutives?’ Visit [...]

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News #206 - What’s Your #1 Reason for Learning Spanish? Top 10 Reasons from Our Members Inside

What’s your number one reason for learning Spanish? Everyone has their own. Regardless of what it is…your reason can serve as a powerful motivator to keep going, keep learning Spanish and master it. So, what’s yours? Click Here to Get 20% OFF All Premium Subscriptions! In this Sunday News, you’ll learn the Top 10 Reasons for Learning [...]

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Spanish Vocab Builder #47 - Wallet

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

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Innovative Mexican Culture for Absolute Beginners #1 - How to get what you want at a vacation resort

Learn Spanish with Spanish Pod101.com! Whether you’re moving to Mexico or just visiting, you’ll need the fundamental Spanish words and phrases we cover in this Innovative Mexican Culture Absolute Beginner video series. Featuring vibrant animated scenarios and plenty of time to practice out loud, these videos cover everything from introducing yourself and talking about [...]

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Episodio 217: Ir de Málaga a Malagón

'Ir de Málaga a Malagón' is an expression used in Spanish. We explain its meaning. Learn Spanish with a natural method and practice pronunciation and conjugation with us. Transcript: "Hola a todos y bienvenidos a un nuevo episodio de SpanishPodcast.net Hoy volvemos a explicar una expresión utilizada de vez en cuando en español: ir de Málaga a Malagón. Hemos creado este episodio por un mensaje que nos ha enviado Marcelo desde España. Marcelo es brasileño, pero ahora está viviendo en España. Estaba con dos amigos españoles y escuchó que utilizaban esta expresión. No la comprendió y se la tuvieron que explicar. Nos envió un mensaje contándonos esta historia y nos sugirió que podía ser interesante que creáramos un episodio sobre ella ... "

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Beginner Lesson S3 #1 - Spanish Prepositions: I’d Like to See the Results of Some Tests!

  This is not exactly the Costa Rican beach vacation you thought it would be. First, you told your family in Costa Rica in Spanish, “I think I am sick from the flight.” Then when you didn’t get better, you told them in Spanish, “maybe I am sick from eating different food.” After two days of [...]

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Our Secret Real Spanish Supply

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There is a huge wealth of real Spanish in our free special reports archive, and there’s a good chance you haven’t seen it yet!

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Just head to our store now, select the product you’d like, and use the special spring16 code to get the discount.

Hasta Pronto, y gracias,

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Episode 29 (Preview) – Season 4 – Coffee Break Spanish

In this episode Rory is updating Alejandro on the latest developments about the treasure they have found. María has now spoken to her professor and they’ve made a plan to notify the authorities. In this episode we see a number of interesting language points including a discussion on the use of the verb salir when talking about “appearing” in the press or on TV. All these langauge points are discussed by Mark and Carmen, and there’s also some exciting news about the Podcast Awards. To vote for Coffee Break Spanish, head over to the Podcast Awards website.

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:

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How to Organise a Working Holiday Abroad (Have Fun, Learn a Language, Get Paid)

Want to travel more, work from anywhere, and live your dream lifestyle? Check out the Paradise Pack for an incredible 90% discount on over $2,500 of resources to help you do just that.

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After studying French for over a decade, I still couldn’t speak it. I started studying French when I was eight years old. Five years in elementary school, two years in high school, and four years in university. And I still couldn’t call myself fluent. I knew the language. I could read almost anything, and I could write with perfect spelling and grammar. But I couldn’t express myself verbally in the language, or understand it very well. Most spoken French went way over my head. I struggled to follow French movies. And you don’t even want to know about the first time I tried ordering coffee in Quebec... I wanted to speak French, so I thought about joining a French conversation course. Around the same time, my husband, Max, and I were thinking of ways to escape yet another freezing Canadian winter. “What about a working holiday in Europe?” Max suggested. I’d heard of working holidays, but assumed they’d be too expensive and difficult to organise. I looked into it, expecting to confirm my suspicions. I’d been completely wrong. I soon discovered that a working holiday is the easiest way to live overseas for a year. So we went for it. Did I learn to speak French? I’ll let you know in a moment. First, let’s take a look at the practical side of organising a working holiday.

Where Can You Go on a Working Holiday?

Working holidays are restricted to citizens of countries that have reciprocal “youth exchange agreements” with one another. Because of the “youth” part, you usually have to be between the ages of 18 and 30 to take part in a working holiday. The following countries have youth exchange agreements with at least one other country:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Belgium
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Costa Rica
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Ireland
• Italy
• New Zealand
• Portugal
• Singapore
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• United States

Where you can go for your working holiday depends on your home country. For example, US citizens can only go to Australia or New Zealand. Note: This list can change at any time, so check with your local consulate before making any plans.

What Jobs Can You do on a Working Holiday?

A working holiday visa gives you the right to work in nearly any fixed-term job in the destination country. Fixed-term means that your employment contract has an end date. This is necessary because your visa has a strict expiry date, and you can’t take a job that requires you to work beyond that. For this reason, most working holiday travelers look for seasonal jobs - typically in agriculture or the tourist industry. These jobs are usually easy to find in countries that offer a working holiday visa. Fancy working at a ski resort in the Alps in winter, or at a surf shop on a beach in summer? Many businesses in the tourist industry are very familiar with the hiring process for people who have working holiday visas. A good number of them also look for English-speaking employees who can interact with tourists who don’t speak the local language. Here are some of the jobs that younger working holiday travelers typically consider:

• English-language tour guide at a tourist attraction
• Hotel customer service agent
• Restaurant server
• English (or other foreign language) teacher
• Unskilled labour in a factory or in agriculture

If you’ve already graduated from college or university and have specialised knowledge, it’s certainly possible to find a job in your field of expertise, especially if you know a bit of the language. I got a job in web development and tech support in France. It was an entry-level position that wasn’t as challenging or as well-paying as my previous work back in Canada. But my goal was bigger than resume building. I wanted to work in a French-speaking job with colleagues who would later become my friends. I also wanted to travel a bit, and pay my way while I lived abroad. The point is to be open-minded when you’re looking for a job. Try not to focus on the “perfect” place to work, or you might never find it. Get out there and apply anywhere and everywhere that you’d be willing to work. If you don’t hear back from employers right away, don’t give up. You’ll find something eventually. Don’t be afraid to pound the pavement. Working full-time, even in a job that requires you to use English sometimes, is a really effective way to improve your language skills. If you’re the shy type who tends to avoid making plans to go out and meet speakers of your target language, then you’ll need a new way to get out of your comfort zone and meet native speakers. A job is one of the best ways to do this. You’ll be pushed outside your comfort zone for eight hours a day.

Where to Stay on Your Working Holiday

Be sure to plan ahead for a temporary place you can stay while looking for a house or apartment to live in for the remainder of your working holiday. or other long-term accommodation. You don’t want to spend all your savings early on by staying in a hotel for weeks. I found a short-term apartment rental on an AirBnb-type website. I had to book it far in advance. I needed to book it all in French. I had to wire money overseas to secure the reservation. It took a lot of planning. There are easier ways to find a place to stay. For example, virtually every major city in the world has youth hostels that you can book online, in English, on relatively short notice. I’ll be honest: hostels aren’t my thing. I wish they were. It would have been one less thing to think about while planning my trip. A hostel will probably be the most affordable place to stay while you look for long-term accommodation. But if they aren’t your thing either, then try some of these vacation rental websites for reasonably priced short-term rentals:

• Airbnb
• 9flats.com
• HomeAway
• Homelidays (for France, Spain and Italy only)

Wherever you plan to stay at the beginning, make sure it’s affordable enough to spend at least a month there. That’s roughly how long it will take to find a permanent place to spend the remainder of your working holiday. It took two months in my case, but again, I’m picky! Looking for long-term accommodation can be tricky. Every country has its own websites for apartment rentals, and its own laws regarding leases and tenant rights. One of the most useful websites I’ve found for getting advice on how to start house-hunting is Expat Forum. It has sub-forums for 22 of the top anglophone expat destinations in the world. I can only speak for the France sub-forum, but all of the members were incredibly helpful with all of my questions, including those not related to house-hunting. Alternatively, learn how to say “apartment rental” or “house rental” in your destination country’s language, and do an internet search for websites. Most of them let you search based on your preferred criteria, such as furnished or unfurnished, sole occupant or a shared apartment with roommates, and price range.

How Much does a Working Holiday Cost?

The money side of things is what makes a working holiday so unique. You can travel for months (or even a full year) without first saving up tens of thousands of dollars. It’s earn as you go. That said, you do need some seed money before you get on an airplane. To get a working holiday visa, you need to prove, among other things (e.g. health insurance — check with your consulate for a complete list), that you have enough money to survive in the country until you find a job. The amount of money required differs depending on the destination country. For France, it was $2,500 (Canadian) when I did my working holiday. The amount has since risen to $3,000. This does not include the cost of your flight or one year’s worth of travel insurance. Rather, it’s spending money for when you get to your destination country, to hold you over until you find a job. This spending money requirement is a bare minimum. I recommend you have at least double that amount, especially if you plan to settle in a big city, which can be expensive. Remember, it needs to cover all of the following expenses until you find a paying job:

• accommodation
• groceries
• transportation
• entertainment
• extras (cell phone plan, internet, blankets and other miscellaneous items for your accommodation, etc)

You’ll also need to think about how to manage your money. It’s tough to get a job without a bank account. It’s often possible to use your current bank account from your home country - though this could end up costing a lot in international money transfer fees. That’s why I recommend getting a local bank account. Having a local bank account will also make it a lot easier to cash your work paycheques. My employer in France paid its employees exclusively through direct deposit into their bank accounts, and all of my apartment utilities were paid through direct withdrawal. So not having a French bank account wasn’t an option. To open an account, I needed to show proof of my home address in France. I used my short-term apartment lease as my proof of address. Not all banks will accept this, but for working holiday travellers, it’s probably the only official document that they have that proves where they live. If the first bank turns you away, try another. Some are much more reasonable than others.

How Do You Apply for a Visa?

As I said earlier, a working holiday visa is one of the easiest ways to live in another country. The application package for a working holiday should be available on your local consulate’s website. It contains a comprehensive checklist of all of the documents required to apply. These usually include:

• The application form
• Proof of sufficient funds to last in your destination country until you find a job
• Your airline ticket (some countries will waive this requirement, especially since tickets are mostly non-refundable these days. You shouldn’t be stuck with an expensive ticket if you get turned down for a visa!)
• Proof of travel health insurance for one year
• Official passport photos to be used on your visa (Careful! The photo requirements may be different from passport photo requirements in your home country. I had to get my photo done twice before it matched the dimensions required by the French consulate)
• A cover letter explaining why you want to do a working holiday

Go to your local consulate’s website to download a complete list of all requirements for a working holiday visa for your destination country. The application fee for a working holiday visa is often free, or at least very cheap compared to regular visa application fees.

Do You Need to Speak the Local Language?

Even if you’re an absolute beginner in a language, you can still do a working holiday in another country. Your options will be more limited than someone who already has some language skills, but there will still be opportunities. You could work at a tourist attraction, an English school, or at a job where there are no customers (such as in a factory). Once, on a trip to Paris during my working holiday, I ate at an American fast food chain. One of the employees there was an anglophone who spoke no French when he got the job. They hired him because so many customers were American and they needed a fluent English speaker. Even so, his workplace wasn’t exclusively English-speaking. Many customers were French, plus all of his coworkers. When I ate there, he had been working there for two months, and his French was pretty darn good. So it’s possible to find work in an immersion environment even if you don’t speak the language. That said, I recommend that you learn at least a little bit of your target language before you travel. There’s plenty of time to do this as for most destinations you need to apply for your working holiday visa at least three months before your departure date. You can learn a lot in just a few months. You’ll be motivated too, since you’ve got the hard deadline of your departure date.

Did I Succeed in Learning French on my Working Holiday?

On my working holiday in France, I created some amazing memories. it was also the best decision I’ve ever made for my French language learning. The only downside was that we couldn’t stay forever. Working in France was the single greatest contributor to my fluency in spoken French. It really forced me to use the language on a consistent basis. I’m terribly guilty of cancelling my RSVPs to language-learning events. It’s not that I’m shy or I dislike people. I just find that it takes a lot of energy to interact with new people in a foreign language. And when I get home after a long day, getting dressed up and going out to meet strangers is often the last thing I want to do. My job removed the opportunity for me to avoid meeting French speakers. I couldn’t very well cancel a day of work, could I? So every day, I would interact with French speakers all day. I got used to it, and soon, going out in the evening to meet a bunch of French people at a Couchsurfing event suddenly didn’t seem like such a daunting activity. It also wasn’t long before my coworkers became my friends. Whenever I didn’t feel like hanging out with strangers, I could go out with my coworkers for a more comfortable evening of French-speaking.

How to Learn a Language While You’re Working Abroad

A working holiday will give you some of the best tools possible to help you learn another language. Here are some of the ways that a working holiday will give you all the advantages you need to learn your target language.

You Get a Full 12 Months to Immerse Yourself in the Language

It’s not exactly easy to interact with a foreign culture, and see a foreign country as a local, if you can’t speak the language! No matter what level you start at, a year will give you ample time to learn your target language to fluency — and still have plenty of time leftover to use it while living in the country. If you live in a neighbourhood populated by locals, work at a job where you need to use your target language, and you put a bit of effort into it, you won’t be able to stop yourself from learning your target language. Make friends with locals, participate in conversations with your coworkers, and get to know the servers in the local bar or cafe. Make a new world for yourself in your new country. It won’t be effortless. This is especially true if you’re shy or introverted. If you have inhibitions when it comes to making friends in your home country, don’t expect them to melt away when you go abroad. Your attitude will be a huge contributor to your success (or failure) in this respect. What I love about working holidays is how they set you up for success. They give you the tools to live, work, and eventually, speak like a local. Take advantage of these tools, and have the experience of a lifetime.

You See the Country From an Insider, Local Point of View

My mode of travel is different from that of the average tourist. Rather than short, purely sightseeing vacations, I prefer to make a new country my home for several months or longer. Before my working holiday, I managed to accomplish this through an international exchange program to Thailand in university, and a student internship in Hawaii for my degree program. If you’re a university student, I highly recommend you take advantage of travel opportunities available through your university. But if you’re not, then a working holiday is the perfect alternative. When you put down roots in a foreign country, you get more opportunities to improve your language skills than tourists do. Sure, tourists can create opportunities to practise their target language, but it’s just not as easy. Tourists already have a lot to worry about between relaxing, seeing all the sights, catching the next train or bus, and connecting with the friend or loved one who is vacationing with them - all in a couple of weeks. A working holiday gets you as close to living like a local as is possible without actually emigrating there. You’ll live in an apartment or house instead of a hotel. You’ll say hi to your neighbours every day, and see your colleagues at work. You’ll become a regular at cafes and restaurants in the area. Unlike a tourist, your photo album will fill up with photos not of landmarks, but of all the people in your new life. You’ll also learn to navigate the bureaucracy of your new country, from getting a bank account to figuring out how to pay your taxes there. (France has a reputation for its endless bureaucracy, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected. And I learned lots of new vocabulary about finances to boot!) When you settle into a routine like this, you’ll get endless opportunities to practise the language. You’ll actually get to know the people who make regular appearances in your life. You can get beyond basic pleasantries. You can use the language constantly throughout the day, even outside working hours. Your whole life will be infused with your new language. What are you waiting for? How about you start planning your working holiday today?

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The post How to Organise a Working Holiday Abroad (Have Fun, Learn a Language, Get Paid) appeared first on Fluent in 3 months - Language Hacking and Travel Tips.

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Episodio 216: Juana “la loca”

Learn Spanish as you know the life of Joanna the Mad. With this episode you can improve your Spanish while you know the history of Spain. Transcript available: "Hola a todos y bienvenidos a un nuevo episodio de SpanishPodcast.net Hoy os vamos a hablar sobre historia y un personaje de la historia de España bastante interesante: Juana 'la loca'. Durante el episodio os hablaremos sobre su vida, por qué recibió este nombre y algunos datos sobre esta época. Juana 'la loca' fue una mujer con una vida bastante triste, pero interesante y este es uno de los motivos por los que hemos creado este episodio ... "

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