Language Chats

Being bold and brave in language learning: A chat with Natalie King

About this Language Chat
In this episode, we’re chatting with Natalie King, a member of the Language Lovers AU Community who shows us that you can learn and continue to learn other languages no matter what stage of life you find yourself at. We’re so inspired by her story!
Natalie has studied Latin, German, Japanese, French, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and Turkish at different times in her life, and we loved speaking with her about her experiences of learning languages through various methods (at times when there have been more - or less! - resources available), the important part that being brave has to play, her enviable travels around the world and how language learning brings her joy.
Does Natalie’s story inspire you too? Join the Language Lovers AU Community on Facebook to take part in the conversation and let us know about any questions you might have!
Episode Links
University of New England - Study Languages
Rosetta Stone Language Learning
Language Chats Ep #081 - Embrace feeling like an idiot: A chat with Benny Lewis from Fluent in 3 Months
Mosalingua
Agglutinative language - Encyclopedia Britannica
Italki
Conversation Exchange - Language learning with native speakers
Skritter - Learn to Write Chinese and Japanese Characters
The Chairman's Bao - Chinese Immersion with Graded News
Anki - Flashcards
SBS News In-Language - news in more than 60 languages
Find Natalie on Instagram at @natalinguist / @scoutaroundtheworld

Bec & Penny Catch-Up: Language in practice and plans for 2023

A fresh year, a fresh start! In this episode of Language Chats, we speak about Bec’s attempts at speaking other languages during her Christmas travels, Penny’s plan to re-start a language this year, a different strategy for learning grammar structures, as well as how the chat in our last episode is encouraging us to be fine with feeling like an idiot (thanks to our guest Benny Lewis for the sound advice!).
What are your language plans for 2023? Join our Facebook group Language Lovers AU Community and let us know! We’d love to hear from you.
Episode Links
Language Chats Ep #081 - Embrace feeling like an idiot: A chat with Benny Lewis from Fluent in 3 Months
French Speak
How the chunking method can help you learn English - Lingoda (this article is intended for English learners, but the concept is absolutely applicable to other languages too!)
Learning Language in Chunks - The New York Times

Embrace feeling like an idiot: A chat with Benny Lewis from Fluent in 3 Months

Full-time traveller, polyglot, author and founder of Fluent in 3 Months, Benny Lewis is our first guest on Language Chats for the new year!
Benny is well known in the language learning world for his ‘speak from day one’ attitude and his popular blog, YouTube videos and books (Fluent in 3 Months and the Language Hacking series), through which he shares his experiences, strategies and tips for other people wanting to learn a language in a faster, smarter way.
Tune into this episode to hear from Benny about how he went from feeling like he just didn’t have the ‘language gene’ to speaking seven languages at B2+ level (and being conversational in many others), everything that Fluent in 3 Months encompasses and why he’s proud to be “the idiot polyglot that the world needs”.
If you enjoyed this episode, let us know! Subscribe and leave us a review on your podcast platform of choice - we love hearing from you! - and become a member of our Facebook group Language Lovers AU Community to join the conversation.
Episode Links
Fluent in 3 Months
Fluent in 3 Months - Bootcamp
Fluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World by Benny Lewis
Language Hacking series (Teach Yourself)
Find out more about Benny and Fluent in 3 Months on Instagram: @irishpolyglot @languagehacking / YouTube: @irishpolyglot @fi3m
Language Hacking podcast

Inspiration Station: Gift Ideas for Language Lovers in 2022

It’s our last episode for 2022 and now that the festive season is here, we’re chatting about gift ideas for language lovers (whether the language lover in question is you or someone else)!
From books and games to things that you may be able to gift to a language-loving friends or family members who live further away, we hope this episode helps provide you with some ideas and thought-starters for useful, fun and inspiring presents, no matter how you celebrate at this time of year!
This episode is sponsored by Clozemaster - an app which aims to help bridge the gap from advanced beginner to native level content and help you to rapidly expand your vocabulary in another language. It’s free to sign up and get started! The paid version, Clozemaster Pro, gives you more advanced features such as unlimited sentences, more stats and customised review - use the code LANGUAGELOVERS to receive 10% off your Clozemaster Pro subscription.
Do you have a great gift idea for a language lover in your life? Share it with us in the Language Lovers AU Community on Facebook or let us know here.
Episode Links
Clozemaster - Download from the App Store | Google Play (use the code LANGUAGELOVERS to receive 10% off Clozemaster Pro!)
Language Chats Ep #058 - Unwrapped! Christmas Gift Ideas for Language Lovers
Film / Screenplay books (e.g. Das Leben der anderen - Filmbuch or Werk ohne Autor - Filmbuch in German)
Ciao Bella! Six Take Italy by Kate Langbroek
Coffee Break Languages books - available in French, Italian, German & Spanish
Ep #020 - Bite-sized language podcasts for busy people: A chat with Mark from Coffee Break Languages
The Fabulous Lost and Found series by written by Mark Pallis, illustrated by Peter Baynton
Before The Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Palace Cinemas Movie Club / Palace Cinemas Gift Card
So Frenchy So Chic 2023 - Melbourne | 15 Jan 2023, Sydney | 21 Jan 2023
Polyglot Station / Language TV Club
Classic board games available in other languages (e.g. Monopoly classique in French)
Language Learning Planner - The Intrepid Guide
Language learning app subscriptions (e.g. Clozemaster - remember to use the code LANGUAGELOVERS to receive 10% off Clozemaster Pro!)
Online lesson credits (e.g. Italki)
Language Lovers AU Community on Facebook | Instagram: @languagelovers.au | Website: www.languagelovers.com.au

Foreign Language TV Series & Film - What We’ve Been Watching in 2022 (with Lamont from Days of French ‘n’ Swedish)

If you need a recommendation for a new TV series or film to watch, look no further - our annual ‘What We’ve Been Watching’ episode is back for 2022!
We have always loved chatting about what we’ve been watching in other languages and, this time, we have a special guest to join us! We invited Lamont from Days of French ‘n’ Swedish back to join us for a second time on Language Chats in 2022 to hear about what he’s been watching as well (those who follow Lamont’s YouTube channel may know that he also loves to share his thoughts about international TV series that he’s seen).
We cover quite a lot of series and films in this chat, so see the episode links below for titles, languages and where you can currently watch in Australia.
This episode is sponsored by Clozemaster - an app which aims to help bridge the gap from advanced beginner to native level content and help you to rapidly expand your vocabulary in another language. It’s free to sign up and get started! The paid version, Clozemaster Pro, gives you more advanced features such as unlimited sentences, more stats and customised review - use the code LANGUAGELOVERS to receive 10% off your Clozemaster Pro subscription.
What have you been watching in other languages this year? Join our Facebook group Language Lovers AU Community and let us know!
Episode Links
NB: Where possible, we’ve noted where you can currently (Nov 2022) watch these series in Australia. If you are located outside Australia, you may need to look a little further to find where these shows are available for you to view!
Clozemaster - Download from the App Store | Google Play (use the code LANGUAGELOVERS to receive 10% off Clozemaster Pro!)
Ep #071 - An Aussie language learner on YouTube: A chat with Lamont from Days of French ‘n’ Swedish
Trapped / Ófærð - Icelandic (SBS On Demand)
Borgen: Power and Glory / Borgen: Riget, Magten og Æren - Danish (Netflix)
Caliphate / Kalifat - Swedish (Netflix)
My Brilliant Friend / L’amica geniale - Italian (SBS On Demand)
The Quiet Girl / An Cailín Ciúin - Irish Gaelic
The Day / De Dag - Flemish
Tabula Rasa - Flemish (Netflix)
Compartment No. 6 / Hytti nro 6 - Russian, Finnish
True Colours - English / Arrernte (SBS On Demand)
Cry Wolf / Ulven kommer - Danish
All Quiet On The Western Front / Im Westen nichts Neues - German (Netflix)
Joyeux Noël - English, French, German
Extraordinary Attorney Woo - Korean (Netflix)
Dubai Bling - Arabic (Netflix)
SBS News in Arabic
SBS News in Mandarin
Days of French ‘n’ Swedish - Lamont’s YouTube Channel
Find Lamont on Instagram at @days_french_swedish

Ditch the insecurity: Embracing a beginner’s mindset for language learning

Does learning a new skill (e.g. a new language!) make you feel energised and excited, or frustrated and anxious? Or perhaps you’ve felt a combination of both?
In this episode of Language Chats, Penny & Bec are chatting about the earliest stages in language learning and all the feelings that come with it - good and bad! - after Penny saw this article in The Guardian which talks about how to embrace being a beginner. We discuss our own experiences of being beginners in different languages, tempering the very real anxiety and insecurity that we can all face in the struggle of learning something new, as well as the joy and satisfaction that can come from developing new skills, which can be especially enhanced by being in the company of other learners.
This episode is sponsored by Clozemaster - an app which aims to help bridge the gap from advanced beginner to native level content and help you to rapidly expand your vocabulary in another language. It’s free to sign up and get started! The paid version, Clozemaster Pro, gives you more advanced features such as unlimited sentences, more stats and customised review - use the code LANGUAGELOVERS to receive 10% off your Clozemaster Pro subscription.
Can you relate to these feelings when you’ve been a beginner too? Have you embraced and experienced a ‘beginner’s mindset’ (or will you aim to in future)? Join our Facebook group Language Lovers AU Community and let us know your thoughts!
Episode Links
Clozemaster - Download from the App Store | Google Play (use the code LANGUAGELOVERS to receive 10% off Clozemaster Pro!)
Learning new skills can be daunting. Here are four ways to embrace being a beginner - The Guardian
The Bureau (French-language series - currently available to watch in Australia on SBS On Demand)
Join our Facebook group Language Lovers AU Community to chat and share with other like-minded language lovers in Australia!

A fresh approach to PD for languages teachers: A chat with Kelly Harrison from Languages Roadshow

In this episode, we’re chatting with NSW-based Japanese & English teacher Kelly Harrison, the founder & director of Languages Roadshow.
Languages Roadshow offers face to face events, online courses, creative resources and individualised support for teachers and schools, to empower educators to implement innovative teaching methods. Kelly tells us all about her journey and experience of learning Japanese and becoming a teacher, why she decided to start Languages Roadshow, the challenges that languages educators face across Australia in both metro and regional areas, and the impact that learning about language education and language development has had on her life professionally and personally.
This episode is sponsored by Clozemaster - an app which aims to help bridge the gap from advanced beginner to native level content and help you to rapidly expand your vocabulary in another language. It’s free to sign up and get started! The paid version, Clozemaster Pro, gives you more advanced features such as unlimited sentences, more stats and customised review - use the code LANGUAGELOVERS to receive 10% off your Clozemaster Pro subscription.
If you are a language teacher who can identify with some or all of the things discussed in this episode, then we would love to hear from you! Let us know your thoughts.
Episode Links
Clozemaster - Download from the App Store | Google Play (use the code LANGUAGELOVERS to receive 10% off Clozemaster Pro!)
Languages Roadshow - Professional Development for Languages Educators
What is Content and Language Integrated Learning? (CLIL) - Pearson
AFMLTA - Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations
Australian Curriculum
Language Disorder Australia
Find out more about Kelly and Languages Roadshow on Instagram: @languagesroadshow / Facebook: Languages Roadshow / LinkedIn: Kelly Harrison
Join our Facebook group Language Lovers AU Community to chat and share with other like-minded language lovers in Australia!

Help! I’m not a beginner anymore: Navigating the intermediate language learning stage

So… You’re not a beginner anymore in the language that you’re learning, but you’re still a long way from considering yourself fluent. How do we deal with this hazy - and sometimes, seemingly endless - period of being kind of intermediate?
In this episode, Penny & Bec speak about their experiences of this tricky but also empowering learning stage that comes after beginner, whether you like to describe it as intermediate, post-beginner, conversational or otherwise. We chat about the challenges of defining this period in your language learning, the fluctuations in confidence you can experience as well as the freedom that comes with having greater knowledge and choice in how you continue to learn.
We’re also delighted to have the support of our very first sponsor, Clozemaster - an app which aims to help bridge the gap from advanced beginner to native level content and help you to rapidly expand your vocabulary in another language. It’s free to sign up and get started! The paid version, Clozemaster Pro, gives you more advanced features such as unlimited sentences, more stats and customised review - use the code LANGUAGELOVERS to receive 10% off your Clozemaster Pro subscription.
What are your experiences of this stage in your language learning? Join our Facebook group Language Lovers AU Community and share your thoughts with us!
Episode Links
Clozemaster - Download from the App Store | Google Play (use the code LANGUAGELOVERS to receive 10% off Clozemaster Pro!)
Language Chats Ep #074 - Independent but not alone: Self-managed language learning
The Chairman’s Bao - News-based graded reading for Chinese learners
Language Lovers AU Community on Facebook

All the places a language can take you: A chat with Jenna Lo Bianco

In this episode of Language Chats, we speak with Jenna Lo Bianco, a Melbourne-based educator, author, PhD candidate and mum of two, who lives and breathes all things Italian.
Jenna is one of the most enthusiastic and passionate language educators we know (we challenge you to not feel motivated to support language education in Australia after listening to this episode!) and we were thrilled to have her on the podcast to tell us about all the doors that language has opened in her life and career. From teaching and higher study, to writing extensively for fiction and non-fiction, it is the Italian language and culture which has been the common thread through so many of the wonderful opportunities that she has experienced so far - we are inspired just thinking about it!
Do you have any questions for Jenna or for us? Get in touch or join our Facebook group Language Lovers AU Community to join the conversation.
Episode Links
Find out more about Jenna on Instagram: @the.italian.teacher / LinkedIn: Jenna Lo Bianco
Ep #070 - Normalising multilingualism in Australian families: A chat with Sheila Ngọc Phạm
Ep #068 - Living and loving a language-filled life and career: A chat with Katerina Forrester
Segmento Italian Magazine

Independent but not alone: Self-managed language learning

When you think of self-study or independent language learning, do you picture yourself studying alone, at a desk, perhaps with a few books and a laptop? Maybe some headphones too? There’s nothing wrong with this image at all, of course! But learning a language in a way that is entirely self-directed, in a way that suits your needs, motivations and available time, doesn’t necessarily mean learning alone and without any support, resources or recommendations on where to go to next.
In this episode of Language Chats, we speak about our experiences of independent language learning over the years, methods and strategies that we’ve found helpful, how we’ve decided what works for us (and how to acknowledge when something isn’t working), and some other bits and pieces that we’ve learnt along the way about motivation, commitment, resources and goal-setting.
What are your experiences of independent or solo language learning? Join our Facebook group Language Lovers AU Community and share your thoughts with us!
Episode Links
Join us at Language Lovers AU Community on Facebook