The Language Mastery Show
John Fotheringham
Subscribe
The Language Mastery Show brings you conversations with the world's best language learners. Get an inside look at how polyglots, linguists, and everyday people master languages the smart way, and how YOU can, too. I'm your host, John Fotheringham, a linguist, teacher, and the author of Master Japanese and Master Mandarin. For more language learning tips, tools, and immersion resources, visit LanguageMastery.com.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
Sep 15, 2023
Language Coach StƩphane Angeles on How to Use the "Barbie Method" & Improve All 4 Language Skills
Coach StƩphane Angeles is a language coach who helps expats speak better Spanish through expert habit formation strategies, accountability, and one-on-one guidance via Zoom and audio check-ins.
In the interview, we discuss:
* Why you should use a walkie talkie app to practice listening and speaking.
* Why you should practice writing daily (and how it can help you speak better).
* How to use the strategies of "Time," "Place," and "Target."
* The critical importance of mindset and psychology in language learning.
* Why TV shows are such an ideal language learning tool.
* Why children's books and TV shows are NOT ideal for adult learners.
* How to get repetition without boredom.
* The most common mistakes language learners make.
* Why you don't need to memorize grammar rules to speak a language well.
* Why you need to practice ALL 4 skills: listening, speaking, reading & writing.
* Why the language itself is not the hard part of learning a language.
* Why you should avoid the "comparison trap" with polyglots on YouTube.
* Why you shouldn't believe everything you think.
* Why there is no such thing as a "perfect" language resource or method.
* How to use the "Barbie Method" to practice multiple languages.
To learn more about Steph and her Spanish coaching, check out her Spanish Speaking Academy.
For show notes and links to resources mentioned, visit LanguageMastery.com/blog/post/coach-steph.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā ā ā
playlist_add
Aug 25, 2023
LightSpeed Spanish Founders Gordon Smith & Cynthia DurƔn on Banishing Fear & Mastering Spanish Accents
Gordon Smith and Cynthia DurƔn are the dynamic duo behind LightSpeed Spanish, where they teach people Spanish through courses, books, and online lessons.
In this conversation, we discuss:
* How Gordon fell in love with Spanish, how Cynthia fell in love with English, and how they fell in love with each
* How to choose which Spanish accent to learn and tips for mastering Spanish pronunciation
* The most common mistakes that English speakers make when learning the Spanish language
* How to overcome the fear of making mistakes and get more speaking practice anywhere in the world
* Their favorite Spanish language learning resources, including TV shows, Netflix series, etc.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā ā
playlist_add
Jul 28, 2023
Coach Elena Mutonono on How to Build a Sustainable, Profitable & Rewarding Online Language Teaching Business
Elena Mutonono is a business coach, author, and former English teacher who helps overwhelmed online language teachers work less but make more while better serving students along the way.
In her words:
"I help overwhelmed and exhausted online language teachers change their teaching format so they can work less and make more. As a former ESL teacher myself, I know your struggles, fears and anxieties."
In this conversation, we discuss:
* How Elena first fell in love with languages growing up in Ukraine.
* Why she stopped doing 1-on-1 classes.
* The most common mistakes language teachers make.
* How to create a profitable, sustainable, and rewarding teaching business.
To learn more about Elena's coaching, books, Smart Teacher's Library community, and annual Online Teacher Summit, visit her website at ElenaMutonono.com.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
May 13, 2023
How Real Fast Spanish Founder Andrew Barr Went From a Monolingual Aussie to a Budding Polyglot
Despite doing well in other school subjects, Andrew Barr failed French in secondary school. Upon hearing this news, his supportive father assured him:
"The Barrs don't do languages. We do maths and sciences. You will never have to speak of a word of French again!"
It turns out that this prediction was a bit of the mark. Today, Andrew speaks multiple languages and has built a successful business teaching languages at Real Fast Spanish.
In this deep dive into Andrew's language learning journey and philosophy, you will learn:
* How a multilingual climb up Mount Kilimanjaro inspired him to learn languages (and led to befriending a French actress).
* The importance of high-quality language input (high-yield listening and reading content).
* The power of learning with other people (teachers, tutors, and exchange partners) and why you need to avoid the input-only trap.
* Why motivation, consistency, and discipline are the essential 3 essential ingredients of successful language learning.
* Why Andrew decided to start learning Polish (his first non-Romance language) and the surprising origins of his family name.
* The ideal order of operations for learning a new language from scratch and why you should master sounds first.
* The 24-hour rule for new vocabulary and the simple $5 language-learning tool you should carry with you everywhere you go.
* The language-learning advice Andrew would give to his younger self to break through his earlier stories and self-limiting beliefs.
* Why learning a language is akin to learning to play the guitar (you have to learn by doing, not watching).
* Why your feelings about a language-learning method are more important than the method itself.
* Why pursuing pleasure in language learning is not always the answer and why Andrew studies flashcards in Anki even though he doesn't enjoy it.
* The most common mistakes that native English speakers make in Spanish (and how to sound less like a "gringo" by changing just one sound).
* Why correctly pronouncing vowels is more important in Spanish than getting consonants right.
* The critical difference between "accent" and "pronunciation" and why the latter matter much more.
* Andrew's 2 essential language-learning principles: 1) readiness to learn, and 2) high-quality practice.
* How to build early confidence by setting the bar low and having specific goals in each conversation.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletter
playlist_add
Dec 12, 2022
Leo Listening Founder Cara Leopold on How She Got Fluent in French + How to Learn Languages Through TV & Films
Cara Leopold is the founder of Leo Listening, where she helps "intrepid travellers and adventurous expats improve their English listening skills so they can better understand and better connect with fast-talking native speakers through their love of films." In the interview, we talk about how she learned French and the best way to learn languages through TV shows and movies.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ LanguageMastery.com/newsletter
playlist_add
Nov 18, 2022
Hyperpolyglot & LingQ Co-Founder Steve Kaufmann on How He Learned 20+ Languages
Steve Kaufmann is a hyperpolyglot who has learned more than 20 languages (!!!) and the co-founder of LingQ, an online language learning platform that helps you acquire languages using content you love. He was my second guest on the Language Mastery Show way back in 2009, and returns 13 years later to offer new insights and encouragement for independent language learners.
For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/blog/post/steve-kaufmann
š¤æ Master Any Language, Anywhere!
Want to learn a language through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes?
My detailed "Anywhere Immersion" guides will show you exactly how.
Check out my guides here šš¼ LanguageMastery.com/books
playlist_add
Sep 3, 2022
"Spanish and Go" Founders Jim & May on How to Immerse Yourself in Spanish Anywhere in the World
Jim and May describe themselves as a "gringo/Mexican international couple" on a mission to connect English speakers to the Spanish-speaking world. Their excellent podcast, YouTube channel, blog, and Spanish immersion retreats in Mexico help learners bridge the gap between learning and actually living in Spanish.
In the interview, they share what they have each learned in their own language learning journeys, their best tips for learning Spanish, and favorite resources for immersing yourself in Spanish right at home.
For more about Jim and May and tips for learning Spanish, visit SpanishAndGo.com.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Aug 6, 2022
Mikkel Thorup on Visiting 100+ Countries, Mastering Languages & Making the Most of the Expat Life
Mikkel Thorup is a seasoned world traveler, entrepreneur, consultant, author, and the host of the Expat Money Show. Since he left Canada in his teens, he has circumnavigated the globe over 400 times, visited more than 100 countries, and lived in 9. In our conversation, he shares his best tips for traveling or moving abroad, learning languages, and making the best of the expat life. For more about Mikkel and tips for transitioning abroad, visit ExpatMoneyShow.com.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Apr 22, 2022
"Slow Chinese" Founder Andrew Methven on Learning Chinese Through Chunks, News & Internet Slang
Andrew Methven is the creator of Slow Chinese (ęÆåØę¼«é»), a weekly newsletter that helps Mandarin Chinese learners immerse themselves in authentic, colloquial language via interesting stories and news events handpicked from Chinese media, social media, and TV. Instead of learning the stilted and stuffy language of Chinese textbooks, Andrew's excellent newsletter trains you to understand the way people really speak and write the language today. In the interview, Andrew shares how he first fell in love with Chinese, differences between Mandarin between Mainland China and Taiwan, and his top tips for language learners.
šØš³ Learn Chinese Anywhere!
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? My detailed how-to manual and resource guide, ā Master Mandarin: How to Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere in the Worldā , will show you exactly how.
šš¼ Learn more at ā ChineseMastery.comā .
playlist_add
Mar 4, 2022
"Hack Chinese" Founder Daniel Nalesnik on How to Master Mandarin & Find the Fun in Language Learning
From full-time Mandarin immersion at Peking University and Shanghai's Fudan University to years of independent study online, Daniel Nalesnik has spent the last 13+ years on a mission to figure out the most fun and effective way to learn Mandarin Chinese.
The result? The creation of Hack Chinese, a powerful spaced repetition tool designed from the ground up just for Mandarin learners, unlike generic SRS apps that struggle to properly handle Chinese characters, tones, etc.
In our conversation, Daniel shares the lessons he's learned, what he would do differently if he started from scratch, and how new language learners can get started.
šØš³ Learn Chinese Anywhere!
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? My detailed how-to manual and resource guide, Master Mandarin: How to Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere in the World, will show you exactly how.
šš¼ Learn more at ChineseMastery.com.
playlist_add
Jan 30, 2022
āUltralearningā Author Scott H. Young Shares His Best Tips for Mastering a Foreign Language
Scott H. Young is a Canadian writer, programmer, entrepreneur, and metalearning expert. He is the author of the best-seller Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career, and has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, Popular Mechanics, Business Insider, and LifeHacker.
He has applied and refined his principles in a number of accelerated learning challenges, from completing MITās 4-year undergraduate computer science curriculum in just 1 year, to spending a year abroad in 4 countries with no English allowed, to a one-month at-home challenge to learn Macedonian, his wifeās native language.
For more about Scott, visit ScottHYoung.com.
For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/blog/post/scott-young
šØš³ Learn Chinese Anywhere!
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? Master Mandarin, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will showā¦
playlist_add
Jan 15, 2022
Why Attitude Matters Much More Than Aptitude
In today's episode, I share three more tips for building the three foundations of mastery:
* š§ Master Your Mind: Realize that mastering a language is more about psychology than ability.
* ā± Master Your Day: Make language learning your primary focus.
* š Master Your Environment: Decide not to decide by making your target language the default.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Jan 8, 2022
The 3 Foundations of Language Mastery
Happy New Year! I hope your 2022 is off to a great start.
In this first episode of the year, I would like to experiment with a new format. I have some exciting interviews lined up in the coming weeks, but Iād like to kick things off with a new segment called The 3 Foundations of Mastery.
If you already subscribe to my Language Mastery Monday newsletter, you will already be familiar with this framework. If not, what are you waiting for? Head over to LanguageMastery.com/newsletter to get expert tips and tools in your inbox each week.
So what are the three foundations and why do they matter?
* Foundation 1 is Mastering Your Mind, which means conquering fears and self-limiting beliefs that are blocking your path to fluency.
* Foundation 2 is Mastering Your Day, which involves building better habits and learning more efficiently.
* Foundation 3 is Mastering Your Environment, which means creating your own immersion wherever you happen to live.
One of the biggest lessons I have lā¦
playlist_add
Jan 4, 2021
AJATTās Khatzumoto on How To Immerse Yourself in Japanese Anywhere in the World
Note: This interview was originally recorded in 2010 as part of a collection of expert interviews included with my Japanese learning guide Master Japanese. This version includes excerpts from the complete interview, which is available as part of the Master Japanese Digital Package available JapaneseMastery.com.
Khatzumoto is the man behind the popular Japanese learner blog All Japanese All the Time (or AJATT for short). While attending university in the United States, he figured out a way to immerse himself in Japanese language and culture nearly 24 hours a day. In an extremely short amount of time, he managed to reach an impressive level of fluency despite not living where the language was spoken and even without many of the learning tools and resources now readily available (he began his journey in 2004).
šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? Master Japanese: How to Learn Japanese Anywheā¦
playlist_add
Dec 28, 2020
Polyglot Lindie Botes on How to Master Japanese, Korean & Chinese Through Self-Guided Immersion
Lindie Botes is a polyglot, YouTuber, blogger, and UI/UX designer on a mission to master 12+ languages, including Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and more. She is originally from South Africa, but has lived all over the world and now calls Singapore home. Though she loves foreign languages, she sees them not as an end but as a means to break down the barriers that otherwise divide us.
šÆšµ šØš³ Learn Japanese or Mandarin Chinese Anywhere!
Want to learn Japanese or Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? My detailed how-to manuals and resource guides will show you exactly how. Learn more at LanguageMastery.com/books.
playlist_add
Dec 21, 2020
Matt vs. Japan on How To Master Japanese Through Immersion
Matt is the creator of the popular Matt vs. Japan YouTube channel and the co-founder of Refold: The Roadmap to True Fluency, where he shares the methods he used to reach near native-like fluency in Japanese in just 5 years. I am a big fan of his immersion-based approach to language learning, his mission to create a more streamlined path to fluency, and his commitment to giving Japanese language learners the tips and tools they need to succeed.
šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? Master Japanese, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at JapaneseMastery.com.
playlist_add
Dec 14, 2020
Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett on How To Master Mandarin Chinese Through Play
Amanda Hsiung-Blodgett (a.k.a. āMiss Pandaā) is an intercultural language consultant and trainer, the author of Letās Learn Mandarin Chinese with Miss Panda! and First Mandarin Sounds: an Awesome Chinese Word Book, and the host of the Playful Chinese podcast. I love her approach to language learning, especially her emphasis on play and having fun. As she puts it eloquently, "Playing is learning. Learning is playing."
šØš³ Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere!
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? Master Mandarin, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at ChineseMastery.com.
playlist_add
Nov 16, 2020
Skritter CEO Jake Gill on How to Level Up Your Mandarin & Learn to Write Chinese Characters the "Write" Way
Jake Gill (é«å„) is a Chinese educator, former "Teaching Chinese as a Second Language" graduate student, and the CEO of Skritter, an innovative language learning app that helps Japanese and Chinese learners master characters through active production (i.e. writing on the screen) instead of passive recognition.
In the interview, we talk about how and why he learned Mandarin Chinese, why traditional language classes won't get you fluent in a language, what he would do differently if he were to start learning Mandarin over again, the limitations of app-based learning and following "the golden path," the importance of following your passion and curiosity in languages, how to learn to write Chinese characters the "write" way, Jake's current language learning routines and favorite resources, and the importance of daily habits and focusing on process over outcome.
If you'd like to try Skritter, use the code LANGUAGEMASTERY at checkout to get 10% off.
šØš³ Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhā¦
playlist_add
Nov 9, 2020
Sam the Japanese Translator on How to Master Japanese & Break Into the Translation Industry
Do you live and breath languages? Do you want to make a good living using and refining your language skills every day? Then professional translation might be just the ticket. In today's episode, I chat with my friend Sam, who is a professional Japanese translator and one of the best non-native Japanese speakers I know. We talk about how he learned Japanese, how he broke into the translation industry, and his tips for doing the same.
šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? ā Master Japanese: How to Learn Japanese Anywhere in the Worldā , my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how.
šš¼ Learn more at ā JapaneseMastery.comā ā .
playlist_add
Oct 12, 2020
Mandarin Blueprint Founders Luke & Phil on How to Master Chinese Characters, Tones & More
If you have a burning desire to learn Mandarin Chinese but feel overwhelmed at the very thought, then todayās podcast is a must-listen episode for you. Yes, to the uninitiated, Chinese characters look like a random pile of squiggly lines. True, the wrong tones could lead to you inadvertently calling someone's mother a horse! But don't let this scare you away, because todayās guests, Phil Crimmins and Luke Neale, have created an innovative language course called the Mandarin Blueprint designed to take these worries away.
šØš³ Learn Chinese Anywhere!
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? My detailed how-to manual and resource guide, ā Master Mandarin: How to Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere in the Worldā , will show you exactly how.
šš¼ Learn more at ā ChineseMastery.comā .
playlist_add
Sep 4, 2020
Polyglot & Applied Linguist Stuart Jay Raj on How To Leverage Your Languages Skills in Business
Stuart Jay Raj is an Australian polyglot, applied linguist, author, musician, and cross-cultural business consultant based in Thailand. He has presented at two TEDx events (once in English and once in Mandarin), and is the author of Cracking Thai Fundamentals: A Thai Operating System for the Mind.
In addition to teaching and writing extensively on effective language acquisition, he has also applied his impressive language skills as a multilingual facilitator in various specialized industries (including aerospace, oil and gas, hospitality, and cyber security) and as the co-host of a Thai travel show called Neua Chan Phan Plaek (ą¹ąø«ąøąø·ąøąøąø±ą¹ąø 1000 ą¹ąøąø„ąø) that explosured fascinating people, places, and things around the world via local languages. Stuart holds a degree in Cognitive and Applied Linguistics from Griffith University, and speaks over 15 languages, including Thai, Lao, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Indonesian / Malay, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Hindi, Vietnaā¦
playlist_add
Aug 28, 2020
Polyglot, Language Coach & Course Creator Nick Godwin on How To Learn Conversational Japanese Through āNominikeeshonā & Doing What Matters
Nick Godwin is a British polyglot, English language coach, and course creator living in Tokyo, Japan. He specializes in helping advanced English learners break through plateaus and helping beginning Japanese learners to communicate through by focusing on practical skills that matter. In addition to running the English language learning site ByLingua, he also helped develop the popular story-based course Japanese Uncovered, and recently launched a blog that blends his love of language, learning, and intentional living called Minimalinguist.
šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? ā Master Japanese: How to Learn Japanese Anywhere in the Worldā , my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how.
šš¼ Learn more at ā JapaneseMastery.comā ā .
playlist_add
Aug 24, 2020
Hyperpolyglot Richard Simcott on How He Juggles So Many Languages & Chooses Which Language To Learn Next
Richard Simcott is a "hyperpolyglot" who speaks over a dozen languages fluently and many dozen to various levels; a feat that led HarperCollins to name him one of Britain's most multilingual people.
He is also the co-founder of the Polyglot Conference, an annual event that brings together polyglots, linguists, and lovers of language from all over the world (the event will be online this year from October 16 to 25, 2020).
He returns to the Language Mastery Show six years after our first conversation to talk about how he juggles so many languages, the "minimum effective dose" required to move a language project forward, and how he chooses which languages to pursue. He is a fountain of language learning wisdom and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Aug 11, 2020
Magnetic Memory Method Founder Anthony Metivier on How To Remember Words, Chinese Characters, Tones, and Beyond
Anthony Metivier is the founder of the Magnetic Memory Method, the host of the Magnetic Memory Method Podcast, and the creator of the Magnetic Memory Masterclass.
He has refined his memory techniques learning a number of languages, including Biblical Hebrew, German, Mandarin Chinese, and Sanskrit, and has gone on to teach thousands of learners how to maximize their memories and create unforgettable associations. I like that his approach combines proven ancient principles with modern brain research, while focusing on practical application (e.g. remembering foreign language vocabulary) instead of impressive but ultimately useless memory feats (e.g. memorizing decks of cards or long strings of numbers).
Anthony is a truly fascinating man with a wide range of interests and insights, and I think you will get a lot out of our conversation.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhā¦
playlist_add
Jul 27, 2020
Author Nick Velasquez on How To Master Any Skill, Learn Japanese, and Remember More of What You Read
Nick Velasquez is the author of the new book Learn, Improve, Master: How to Develop Any Skill and Excel at It. In the interview, we discuss the core principles, strategies, and tools you can use to master any anything, may it be reaching conversational fluency in Japanese or remembering more of what you read.
šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? ā Master Japanese: How to Learn Japanese Anywhere in the Worldā , my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how.
šš¼ Learn more at ā JapaneseMastery.comā ā
playlist_add
Jul 20, 2020
Nihongo Creator Chris Vasselli on How To Learn Japanese Through Anime, Manga, Video Games & Harry Potter
Chris Vasselli is a programmer, passionate Japanese learner, and the creator of the Nihongo iOS app, my go-to Japanese dictionary and reading tool for authentic Japanese content. In the interview, we discuss, 1) his language learning journey, 2) how to acquire Japanese the fun, natural, immersive way, and 3) why you shouldn't fear the Japanese writing system.
šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? ā Master Japanese: How to Learn Japanese Anywhere in the Worldā , my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how.
šš¼ Learn more at ā JapaneseMastery.comā ā .
playlist_add
Jul 13, 2020
The Top 7 Lessons I've Learned from 50 of the World's Best Language Learners
I first started The Language Mastery Show in 2009 as a short-term experiment. My initial goals were:
ā To test drive the new medium of podcasting.
ā” To serve and empower independent language learners.
ā¢ To have a good excuse to meet some of my linguistic heroes.
Now eleven years later, I am happy to say that the podcast has exceeded all initial expectations. I've reached hundreds of thousands of people, interviewed 50 of the world's best language learners, and befriended many in real life.
Before kicking off Season 3 of The Language Mastery Show next week, I wanted to go back and highlight some of my favorite lessons from the amazing guests that have shared their time and wisdom with us over the years, including polyglots, hyperpolyglots, linguistics, professors, teachers, and passionate enthusiasts. I've learned countless lessons on how to make my own language learning more fun and effective along the way, and I hope you have gleaned some useful strategies, methods, and resā¦
playlist_add
Mar 24, 2020
4x U.S. Memory Champion Nelson Dellis on Why & How He Is Learning Dutch in Just One Year
Nelson Dellis is a memory athlete, 4-time U.S. Memory Champion, a Grandmaster of Memory, a high-altitude mountaineer, author, speaker, and all-around cool dude. He is now on a mission to reach conversational fluency in Dutch in just one year, applying all the memory techniques, mnemonics, and visualization strategies he used to train for memory championships.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Mar 17, 2020
Author & Polyglot Olly Richards on Why You Should Learn Languages through Stories ā Part 2
Last week, I shared part one of my most recent chat with the inimitable Olly Richards, who first appeared on The Language Mastery Show back in in April 2014. Since that time, he's gone on to build I Will Teach You a Language (now called StoryLearning) into one of the top language blogs, launch a slew of excellent language courses, and publish a series of great short story books through Teach Yourself.
In part two of our wide-ranging conversation, we get into his language learning routines and habits, how he tackles reading (especially in Japanese), the importance of getting a wide range of high-quality exposure to your target language, the power of following your interest and curiosity, and Olly's top tips for launching a successful online language learning empire or just a profitable side hustle to help pay the bills.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the worldā¦
playlist_add
Mar 10, 2020
Author & Polyglot Olly Richards on Why You Should Learn Languages Through Stories ā Part 1
Author, polyglot, and "langpreneur" Olly Richards from I Will Teach You a Language (now called StoryLearning) returns to the podcast six years after our first chat to share what new lessons he's learned and how a high-altitude near death experience led him to the power of stories in language learning. Olly has been quite the busy bee since we last spoke, going on to build one of the most popular language blogs on the planet, launching a series of in-depth language courses, and publishing 16 short story books with Teach Yourself (with more coming soon, including a Japanese edition)!
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Feb 4, 2020
Dutch Polyglot Jan Van Der AA on How To Monetize Your Love of Languages as a āLangpreneurā
Jan van der Aa is a Brussels-based polyglot and entrepreneur from the Netherlands, the co-founder of the language learning site LanguageBoost, and the co-founder of Langpreneur (now called Creator Smarts), an event series and podcast dedicated to helping language lovers, teachers, influencers, podcasters, YouTubers, etc. turn their passion for languages into profitable, scalable online businesses. Note: This interview contains some adult language.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Jan 20, 2020
Ari Smith (Xiaomanyc) on How to Learn Chinese Anywhere
Arieh Smith, a.k.a. Xiaomanyc (XiĒomĒ, å°é©¬), is a popular YouTuber who loves practicing Mandarin Chinese on the streets of New York and surprising unsuspecting native speakers. From 24-hour crash courses in new languages like Korean, to learning additional Chinese dialects like Cantonese and Fuzhounese (which are really mutually unintelligible languages), his viral linguistic exploits have entertained and inspired millions of learners around the world. In our conversation, he shares why and how he learned Mandarin Chinese, tips for mastering Chinese characters and tones, and strategies for going from zero to basic conversations in a matter of days no matter where in the world you live.
šØš³ Learn Chinese Anywhere!
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? My detailed how-to manual and resource guide, ā Master Mandarin: How to Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere in the Worldā , will show you exactly how.
šš¼ā¦
playlist_add
Jan 6, 2020
Circassian Language Activist & Accidental Polyglot Jonty Yamisha on How To Master a Language Through āGuided Immersionā
Jonty Yamisha is a language activist, an "accidental polyglot" in his own words, a "third-generation Circassian refugee," and the founder of OptiLingo, an audio-based language app that uses "guided immersion" to help people reach fluency in foreign languages more quickly. We discuss the Circassian language and cultural history, how he's raising his children bilingually, and how he "steals back" time for language learning amid his busy professional and family life.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Nov 4, 2019
Uncommon Dream Co-Founders Michael & Ellen Robinson on Learning Spanish & Raising Children Bilingually
Michael and Ellen Robins first met in 2004 while they were studying Spanish in Mexico. Though Ellen had intended not to spend time with any other native English speakers while abroad, Michael's charm and sufficient command of the Spanish language were enough to overcome her initial objections. They are now married, have two children, have visited 23 countries, and have lived abroad nine times. In the interview, they share key lessons they've learned while acquiring Spanish, living abroad, and raising children bilingually.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Oct 28, 2019
Actual Fluency Podcast Host Kris Broholm on Lessons Learned From 166 Interviews ā Part 2
In 2015, the Danish podcaster Kris Broholm joined me on the Language Mastery Show to talk about how discovering the polyglot community helped pull him out of depression and give his life direction. His podcast, Actual Fluency, is now one of the most popular language podcasts on the planet, with 166 guests to date! Though Kris speaks multiple languages, he sees himself not as a language expert himself, but as a "language learning journalist" who highlights the expertise of the world's best language learners.
In this special two-part two-way interview (which is also being shared on his podcast), we each talk about lessons we've learned in the last four years, patterns we've observed after talking to so many polyglots, and how our respective blogs, podcasts, and language businesses have evolved.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMā¦
playlist_add
Oct 15, 2019
Actual Fluency Podcast Host Kris Broholm on Lessons Learned From 166 Interviews ā Part 1
In 2015, the Danish podcaster Kris Broholm joined me on the Language Mastery Show to talk about how discovering the polyglot community helped pull him out of depression and give his life direction.
His podcast, Actual Fluency, is now one of the most popular language podcasts on the planet, with 166 guests to date! Though Kris speaks multiple languages, he sees himself not as a language expert himself, but as a "language learning journalist" who highlights the expertise of the world's best language learners.
In this special two-part two-way interview (which is also being shared on his podcast), we each talk about lessons we've learned in the last four years, patterns we've observed after talking to so many polyglots, and how our respective blogs, podcasts, and language businesses have evolved.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā Languageā¦
playlist_add
Oct 7, 2019
Pronunciation & Dialect Coach Ruben Adery on How to Master Your Accent & Sound More Like a Native Speaker
Ruben Adery is a pronunciation and dialect coach who helps language learners, actors, singers, etc. develop native-like foreign accents in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, and Italian. I first met him at the 2019 Polyglot Gathering in Bratislava where he gave a talk titled The Sincerest Form of Flattery: Imitating Foreign Accents to Help Master Any Language. The content of the talk itself was great, but the really impressive part was that he had the audience fooled for the first five minutes that he was from Israel when he is in fact a native English speaker from Los Angeles! As Ruben likes to say: "Accents speak louder than words!"
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Sep 27, 2019
Author Ellen Jovin on How to Fix Your Mistakes in Business English
I am pleased to welcome back my first repeat guest on the podcast: the author, teacher, and grammar guru Ellen Jovin. A lot has happened since our first chat over five years ago, including travels all over the United States discussing the inner workings of English grammar with passing strangers at her "Grammar Table," and a new book for English learners called English At Work: Find and Fix Your Mistakes in Business English as a Foreign Language.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Aug 31, 2019
Joy of Languages Founder Katie Harris on Why & How to Learn Languages with TV & Movies
Katie Harris is the founder of Joy of Languages, a site dedicated to helping make language learning a joy instead of a chore. She was bored to tears with languages in school, but eventually figured out a more fun, effective approach to language learning that is focused on communicating with people and enjoying authentic listening and reading content. With a Masters in Linguistics from Cambridge University and an MRes in Speech, Language and Cognition from University College London, Katie does a great job peppering in just enough linguistics, psychology, and neuroscience to help language learners, but always keeping the focus on fun and efficacy. We first met at the 2019 Polyglot Gathering in Bratislava where I attended her talk How to Learn a Language by Watching TV and Film. Her philosophy was right in line with my "Anywhere Immersion" approach and I was eager to get her on the podcast.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter tā¦
playlist_add
Aug 23, 2019
Sprachheld (āLanguage Heroā) Founder Gabriel Gelman on How To Be an Efficient, Effective Language Learner
Gabriel Gelman is the founder of Sprachheld, a popular language learning website for Germans learning foreign languages (andāas an added bonusānon-Germans learning German as a foreign language). On the site, Gabriel shares useful language learning tips and tools, inspirational interviews with polyglots and linguists, and a dialogue-based Spanish course (with other languages slated for production in the future). I've followed his work for some time and was delighted to finally meet him in person at the 2019 Polyglot Gathering in Bratislava.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Aug 16, 2019
Italian Polyglot Elisa Polese on How To Learn & Teach Multiple Languages at Once
Elisa Polese is an Italian polyglot known for teaching multiple languages at once (up to ten languages at a time!), including Arabic, Catalan, Dutch, Italian, English, Esperanto, French, German, Greek, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish. In addition to her focus on multilingual learning, Elisa is also a big proponent of speaking from day one and getting over the fear of making mistakes. I had the privilege of witnessing her impressive multilingual teaching skills firsthand at the 2019 Polyglot Gathering in Bratislava, and it was exhilarating to see so many languages flying around in the room at once!
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Aug 9, 2019
Dr. Gareth Popkins on How to Get Fluent in Any Foreign Language
Dr. Gareth Popkins is a lawyer, historian, and former English and Welsh teacher who is fluent in German, Russian, and Welsh, advanced in French, conversational in Hungarian, Finnish, Italian, Portuguese, and Basque, and now hard at work on Japanese. We first met in June 2019 at the Polyglot Gathering in Bratislava and I knew right away that I wanted to have him on the podcast to share his language learning story and tips. As he puts it: "Iāve got fluent because I really wanted to and I kept going, despite myself. Itās sometimes said that an expert is someone whoās made all the mistakes in the book. If so, Iām that expert. Iām still experimenting. Iām still learningā¦. and still making those mistakes, of course."
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Aug 4, 2019
Medita Spanish CEO InƩs Ruiz on How Mindfulness & Meditation Can Help You Master a Language
InƩs Ruiz is an award-winning entrepreneur, a former Spanish teacher at Cambridge University, and now the founder and CEO of Medita Spanish, the world's first language and meditation app. By integrating mediation and mindfulness practices, she hopes to make language learning more fun and less stressful.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Jul 26, 2019
Linguist & "Because Internet" Author Gretchen McCulloch on What Makes Modern Internet Language Special
Gretchen McCulloch is an internet linguist, the "Resident Linguist" at WIRED Magazine (Best. Title. Ever!), the co-host of the Lingthusiasm podcast, and the author of the new book Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language, a smart, loving, pun-filled look at the evolution of language in the internet age.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Jul 19, 2019
Polyglot & Language Hacker Benny Lewis on How To Get Conversationally Fluent in 3 Months (Rebroadcast)
Benny Lewis is a fun-loving blogger, YouTuber, author, language hacker, and technomad from Ireland (hence his nickname "Irish Polyglot"). He is the creator of the most popular language learning site in the world as of writing, Fluentin3Months.com, and has authored five books. He has demonstrated again and again that it's possible to reach conversational fluency in a matter of months, not years as most believe. Benny's philosophy on language learning is right in line with my Anywhere Immersion approach, as exemplified in the following quote from his book Fluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World:
ā...where you are isnāt what decides whether or not youāll be successful. Attitude beats latitude (and longitude) every time. Itās more about creating an immersion environment, exposing yourself to native speakers, and doing everything you can in that language.ā
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each weekā¦
playlist_add
Jul 12, 2019
How Eurolinguiste Founder Shannon Kennedy Learns Languages
Shannon Kennedy is a language lover, traveler, musician, and writer. She has written extensively for Fluent in 3 Months and Drops, and is also the Language Encourager and Community Manager for the Add1Challenge. In 2018, she co-hosted the inaugural Women in Language event, an online conference to champion, celebrate, and amplify the voices of women in languages. In the interview, we discuss ā why majoring in music led Shannon to start learning German, Italian, and Spanish, ā” how her self-study methods differ from how she had learned languages in school, ā¢ why learning is short, frequent chunks of time is more effective than longer study sessions, ā£ her daily habits and how she fits in language learning around work and motherhood, ā¤ why kids donāt learn languages better than adults, and ā„ why discipline is more important than motivation when learning any skill.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tipsā¦
playlist_add
Jun 28, 2019
All Ears English Co-Founder Lindsay McMahon on How to Master English
Lindsay McMahon is the co-founder of All Ears English, a podcast and site dedicated to helping people learn natural English in a fun, relaxed way by focusing on "connection, not perfection." The show is ranked in the Top 20 Most Downloaded podcasts in Japan, Korea, China, and Brazil, and has been downloaded more than 50 million times! In the interview, we discuss her experience living and working abroad, the most common mistakes English learners make, and the importance of remembering that purpose of learning languages is to communicate and connect.
"When you pick up a book or a podcast, remember why you're learning. You are not learning English to learn English. You are learning to connect." āLindsay McMahon.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
Jun 21, 2019
Polyglot, Language Mentor & TED Speaker LĆ½dia MachovĆ”'s 4 Core Principles of Effective Language Learning
LĆ½dia MachovĆ”, PhD is a polyglot, language mentor, interpreter, TED speaker, the former head organizer of the Polyglot Gathering in Bratislava, and the founder of Language Mentoring, a site that shows people how to learn any language by themselves. Her 2018 TED Talk, The Secrets of Learning a New Language, has been watched nearly 4.5 million times, and has brought the language learning secrets of polyglots to a much wider audience than ever before.
š§ Get expert language immersion tips in your inbox each week!
Join my FREE weekly newsletter to get the tips and tools you need to get fluent anywhere in the world.
šš¼ ā ā LanguageMastery.com/newsletterā
playlist_add
May 31, 2019
Spanish Con Salsa Founder Tamara Marie on How to Learn Spanish Through Dance, Music & Fun
Tamara Marie is a language coach and the founder of Spanish Con Salsa, a site and podcast that help you learn Spanish through through music, travel, and cultural immersion.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
May 24, 2019
Manga Sensei Founder John Dinkel on How to Master Japanese the Fun Way
John Dinkel is the CEO and founder of Manga Sensei, an online education company that teaches Japanese through fun, effective, modern mediums, including a weekly comic series, a daily 5-minute podcast (the #1 Japanese language podcast on Spotify), and a free 30-day course on the basics of Japanese. John began his Japanese journey as an LDS missionary in Nagoya, Japan, an experience that changed the trajectory of his life, showed him the necessity of making mistakes, and lead him to start his business and share the lessons he learned.
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recordā¦
playlist_add
May 4, 2019
Polyglot & Miss Linguistic Founder Sara Maria Hasbun on How to Learn a Language Like a Linguist
Sara Maria Hasbun, a.k.a. Miss Linguistic, is a polyglot, translator, linguist, and the Managing Director of Meridian Linguistics. She speaks Spanish, French, Mandarin, Korean, American Sign Language, Nicaraguan Sign Language, and Indonesian, and has also dabbled in Thai, Cantonese, and Malay.
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā šØš³ Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere! Ā
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? Master Mandarin, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/mastermandarinlms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
Apr 26, 2019
Mimic Method Founder Idahosa Ness on How to Master Pronunciation & Sound More Like a Native Speaker
Idahosa Ness is an accomplished polyglot, world traveler, musician, and the founder The Mimic Method, which helps language learners adopt more native-like pronunciation through the power of listening, phonetics, and mimicry.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
Apr 19, 2019
Polyglot Project Creator Claude Cartaginese on Lessons Learned From the World's Best Polyglots
Claude Cartaginese is one of the kindest guys you will meet in the language learning blogosphere, and I really appreciate all he has done to encourage language learners, gather advice from the world's best learners, and share his infectious enthusiasm for language learning. In 2010, he released a monumental e-book called the The Polyglot Project, a free PDF which brought together tips and advice from 43 polyglots, hyper-polyglots, linguists, YouTubers, and language lovers, including Mike Campbell, Steve Kaufmann, Benny Lewis, Moses McCormick, Stuart Jay Raj, Anthony Lauder, and many more.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning yā¦
playlist_add
Apr 12, 2019
Polyglot, Opera Singer & Fluent Forever CEO Gabriel Wyner on How to Improve Your Pronunciation & Make Words Stick
Gabriel Wyner is a polyglot, former opera singer, the author of the book Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It, and the creator of the Fluent Forever app, the most funded app in crowdfunding history. I highly recommend his book and app, especially to anyone who struggles with foreign language pronunciation or making new words stick.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
Apr 5, 2019
Polyglot & Glossika Founder Mike Campbell on How to Master Mandarin
In this episode of the Language Mastery Show, I catch up with my old friend Mike Campbell, the founder of Glossika. A lot has changed in the seven years since we last spoke at a Starbucks in Taipei, Taiwan, and it was fun to learn more about the innovations he's made at Glossika, his work to save endangered languages, and how his views on applied linguistics and language acquisition have evolved.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā šØš³ Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere! Ā
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? Master Mandarin, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/mastermandarinlms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/mesā¦
playlist_add
Mar 29, 2019
Lindsay Does Languages Founder Lindsay Williams' Top Tips & Language Learning Routines
Lindsay Williams has been hooked on languages ever since childhood when she got a taste of Frenchāand the free croissants that accompanied the class!Ā Since then, she's gone on to learn Spanish, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese, Esperanto, Indonesian, Korean, Guarani, and more. Along the way, sheĀ developed a passion forĀ teachingĀ languages, too, and has taught learners in Costa Rica, refugees in the U.K., countless learners online, and even employees at a garlic bread factory! She now dedicates time to inspiring independent language learners and online teachers, sharing a wealth of useful tips and tools on her popular siteĀ Lindsay Does Language.Ā She hasĀ also createdĀ one of my favorite new podcasts,Ā Language Stories, a documentary series that highlights variousĀ languages around the globe and the people who speak them.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through atā¦
playlist_add
Nov 29, 2016
Grandmaster of Memory Mattias Ribbing on How To Master Your Memory & Optimize Learning
Mattias Ribbing is a Swedish author, lecturer, and Grandmaster of Memory. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the 2016 Bulletproof Conference and was blown away by his highly effective methods and positive attitude. Contrary to what most people would assume, Mattias isn't a savant and wasnāt born with extraordinary cognitive skills. He had average grades at school and struggled to remember what he had studied like almost everyone else. It wasnāt until he was 29 that he developed his impressive ability to remember. The secret, he discovered, was thinking in images. Listen to the conversation to find out more about how to make new words stick through the power of mental images.
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show.
šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/maā¦
playlist_add
May 8, 2015
Fluent Language Founder Kerstin Cable (Hammes) on How to Get Fluent in Any Language
Kerstin Cable (formerly Hammes) is the creator of the Fluent Language blog, author of Fluency Made Achievable: The Fluent Guide to Core Language Skills, and co-host of the The Fluent Show. She is a native German speaker, but has reached a native level of fluency in English, and abilities in a number of additional languages, including French, Italian, Latin, Spanish, and Russian. She is a great language teacher with an infectious passion for languages and charming sense of humor.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episodā¦
playlist_add
Apr 10, 2015
Actual Fluency Podcast Host Kris Broholm on How Language Learning Helped Pull Him Out of Depression
In today's show, I talk with Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency, an excellent podcast and blog boasting an impressive number of interviews with brilliant language experts, zany polyglots, etc. (over 50 episodes as of writing), including many of my heroes and a few guests who have been on the Language Mastery Show. In his own words, Kris is not an expert on languages, linguistics, or learning, is not a great student, and is not gifted at language learning. While I think he is certainly being humble, I love how he shows that anyone can learn a language regardless of one's level of introversion, aptitude for learning, location, age, etc. Unlike many who come to language learning as just a hobby, languages helped pull Kris out of severe depression and transform his life.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailedā¦
playlist_add
Feb 27, 2015
Polyglot & Language Coach Luca Lampariello on the Biggest Language Learning Myths That Hold People Back
In today's show, I chat with the man, the legend, the one and only, Italian polyglot Luca Lampariello. Over the past 20 years, Luca has reached a very high level in 9 foreign languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese, and Mandarin Chinese. Luca is full useful tips and strategies, which he shares in depth at his excellent site: LucaLampariello.com.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
Feb 20, 2015
Everyday Language Learner Founder Aaron Myers on How to Learn Languages the Fun Way
Aaron Myers is the man behind The Everyday Language Learner, a wonderful blog that aims to help the average Joe (and John, and Rosemary, and...okay, you get the idea) learn a foreign language in fun, effective, efficient way. Above all else, Aaron strives to empower learners by showing people HOW to learn, not just WHAT.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
Jan 30, 2015
Mezzofanti Guild & Talk in Arabic Creator Donovan Nagel on How To Master Any Language
Donovan Nagel is an Applied Linguistics graduate hailing from rural Queensland, Australia (the amazing soundscape you hear in the background of our interview) and the man behind the language learning site and community, The Mezzofanti Guild, and the Arabic learning site, Talk in Arabic. Donovan named the site after one of his heroes, Cardinal Giuseppe Gasparo Mezzofanti (1774 ā 1849), a hyperpolyglot who Donovan felt a strong connection to given their mutual background in theology, Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic, and the fact that they both focus on learning via contact with real people.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'dā¦
playlist_add
Jan 23, 2015
Language Hero Founder Kevin Morehouse on How To Immerse Yourself in Any Language
Kevin Morehouse is the man behind Language Hero, a site dedicated to helping language learners start their journey, find allies, and stay the course. Kevin is a certified Italian teacher and soon to be certified in Spanish as well.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
Jan 16, 2015
British Hyperpolyglot Richard Simcott on How He Learned 16+ Languages
Richard Simcott is an accomplished British hyperpolyglot based inĀ Skopje, North Macedonia. He has actively studied more than 50 languages to date, and works in 14 of them on a regular basis! His impressive linguistic feats have led HarperCollins to call him āone of the most multilingual people from The United Kingdom.āĀ In our conversation, he shares how he got into languages, how he learns and maintains so many, and what you can do to learn one (or many!) foreign languages yourself.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the nā¦
playlist_add
Dec 10, 2014
Polyglot & Language Hacker Benny Lewis on How To Get Conversationally Fluent in 3 Months
Benny Lewis is a fun-loving blogger, YouTuber, author, language hacker, and technomad from Ireland (hence his nickname "Irish Polyglot"). He is the creator of the most popular language learning site in the world as of writing, Fluentin3Months.com and the author of Fluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World. He has demonstrated again and again that it's possible to reach conversational fluency in a matter of months, not years as most believe.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā šØš³ Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere! Ā
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? Master Mandarin, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/mastermandarinlms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you mightā¦
playlist_add
Aug 7, 2014
Words & Worlds of New York Creator Ellen Jovin on Learning 18 Languages Spoken in the Big Apple
Ellen Jovin is variously described as a "linguaphile," a "language-crazed writer," a "grammar freak," a "former freelance writer," and a professional trainer specializing in communication skills. On the first of July in 2009, Ellen began an impressive language and cultureĀ project called "Words & Worlds of New York" with the goal exploring the myriadĀ languages spoken in The Big Apple.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā šØš³ Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere! Ā
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? Master Mandarin, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/mastermandarinlms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
Apr 16, 2014
Polyglot & Author Olly Richards on the Power of Mindset in Language Learning
With seven languages under his linguistic belt and an academic background in Applied Linguistics, Olly Richards of I Will Teach You a Language has proven that he can both talk the talk and walk the walk. His infectious passion for all things language is a breath of fresh air in the increasingly cynical language learning blogosphere.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
Mar 31, 2014
Pardon My Norwegian Founder Keith Brooks on "Dating" vs. "Marrying" a Language
Keith Brooks is the man behind Pardon My Norwegian, a site dedicated to "everything cool from Norway from the eyes of a Kentuckian." Prior to "marrying" the Norwegian language, Keith sampled a number of a potential languages in a project called 37 Languages. His "speed dating" or "taste testing" approach to choosing just the right "significant linguistic other" got picked up by PRI's The World in 2009 ("Blogging the Love of Language"), and Keith was asked back again in 2010 to report on which language he finally chose to settle down with ("A Language Speed-Dater Gets Serious").Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like mā¦
playlist_add
Mar 1, 2014
Polyglot & Author Susanna Zaraysky on Why "Language is Music"
Susanna Zaraysky is a self-proclaimed "language geek," a speaker of 7 languages, and the author of Language is Music: Over 100 Fun & Easy Tips to Learn Foreign Languages. She has been featured on CBS, BBC Radio, CNN, NBC, and Univision, and now thanks to me, the world's most famous podcast! (Wink, wink.) In our interview, we discuss the weaknesses of traditional language education, the power of music in language acquisition, the importance of developing a resonance for one's target language and culture, and the fact that you can learn any language, anywhere.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the sā¦
playlist_add
Dec 29, 2011
Educator & Performer Paulino Brener on How to Harness Your Passions in Language Learning & Teaching
Paulino Brener is an educator, performer, social media manager, and one of the few people I know who has managed to successfully blend ALL of his passionsāforeign languages, teaching, crafts, social media, and performance artsāinto one. All while getting paid to do so! In our interview, he discusses creative ways to harness one's passions in foreign language learning, whether as a teacher or a learner.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
Dec 29, 2011
English Out There Founder Jason West on Why Traditional Language Education Fails
In my interview with Jason West, the creator of English Out There, we discuss the weaknesses of traditional English schools, methodologies, and materials, and how his approach aims to overcome them. I especially enjoyed his effective, no-nonsense approach to language learning, his efforts to bridge the gap between traditional classroom-based learning and independent study, and his willingness to share before-and-after speech samples of his students.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: hā¦
playlist_add
May 26, 2011
Language Bridge Founder Arkady Zilberman on Why āCross-Translationā Blocks Our Path to Fluency
Arkady Zilberman is the creator of Language Bridge and a former simultaneous interpreter in Russia. He focuses on overcoming what is perhaps the greatest impediment to adult foreign language learning success: cross-translation to and from one's native language.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
Jun 24, 2010
Polyglot Randy Hunt on Why & How He Learn a New Language Every Year
Randy Hunt is on a mission to learn a new language fluently every year. His current project is Italian, with Lithuanian as a side-project saved for weekend fun. Randy has his language-learning head screwed on tightly, and I firmly agree with his contention that learners can reach āconversational fluencyā (the ability to talk with native speakers on a variety of topics) in a year if you spend enough time doing the right things. As we both have observed, most learners neither spend enough time nor do the right things.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and youā¦
playlist_add
Dec 5, 2009
University of Texas Professor Dr. Orlando Kelm on How He Learned Portuguese & Spanish (And How You Can, Too!)
In his own words, Dr. Orlando Kelm is "a lucky guy" professionally. Not only does he get to spend his time with two languages (Spanish and Portuguese), but he is also the Associate Director of Business Language Education for the UT Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), a part of the McCombs School of Business. He is also the co-author of a new book on intercultural relations called When we are the foreigners: What Chinese think about working with Americans.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā šØš³ Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere! Ā
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? Master Mandarin, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/mastermandarinlms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my respoā¦
playlist_add
Jul 13, 2009
Polyglot, Author & LingQ Founder Steve Kaufmann on Why You Are Never Too Old to Learn a Language
With 11 languages under his belt (Update: now 20 as of 2021), Steve Kaufmann is an extremely accomplished language learner. His extensive language learning wisdom in shared in his book titled The Way of the Linguist: A Language Learning Odyssey and his online language learning system called LingQ.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā Ā šÆšµ Learn Japanese Anywhere!Ā
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? MASTER JAPANESE, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at https://bit.ly/masterjapaneselms. Ā āAsk Me a Question! Ā
Got a question about language learning you'd like me to answer on the show? Leave me a voice recording and you might here my response on the next episode! Record your message here: https://anchor.fm/john-fotheringham/message
playlist_add
May 6, 2009
Writer, Fighter & Linguist Antonio Graceffo on Punching Your Way to Fluency
Author, linguist, and fighter Antonio Graceffo āpulls no punchesā (pun intended) when sharing his views on how to learn a foreign language effectively. His language learning wisdom stems from formal training as an interpreter and translator at Germanyās prestigious University of Mainz, coupled with over a decade of living, learning, and working in South and East Asia. Antonio speaks numerous languages (French, German, Italian, Khmer, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese), and has used his language skills to good ends. On top of a stunning trail of articles and books, Antonio continues to fight the human rights atrocities in Burma.Ā
š For show notes, visit LanguageMastery.com/show. Ā šØš³ Learn Mandarin Chinese Anywhere! Ā
Want to learn Mandarin Chinese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? Master Mandarin, my detailed how-to manual and resource guide, will show you exactly how. Learn more at: https://bit.ly/mastermandariā¦
playlist_add