The Language Mastery Show
4 FOLLOWERS
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.
The Language Mastery Show
1M ago
David Stirling is a Thailand-based English teacher from the UK and the founder of Go-Interview.com, which helps English learners build the language skills they need to get their dream job.
In the interview, we discuss:
How David fell in love with Thailand
Why he got into English teaching
The different types of teaching jobs available in Thailand
How to break through the "intermediate plateau"
The pros and cons of group classes and online one-on-one tutoring
The importance of choosing a narrow niche in online teaching & business
Why David chose business English and interviewing as his ni ..read more
The Language Mastery Show
4M ago
Daniel Rusteen is an author, full-time traveler, digital nomad, short-term rental expert, and former Airbnb employee. He is best known for his books Optimize Your BnB and Profitable Properties, but he has also written a book on learning languages: Zilch to Conversational.
In our conversation, Danny shares why he failed to learn a foreign language his first two attempts, the methods he used to finally reach conversational fluency in Spanish, how to choose the right language teacher, why and how to use Anki spaced repetition flashcards, why you should learn the IPA (International Phonetic Alphab ..read more
The Language Mastery Show
5M ago
Ian Fritz is the author of What the Taliban Told Me, a nuanced look at what it was like to undertake intensive language training at The Defense Language Institute (DLI) in not one, but two languages (Dari and Pashto), serve as an "Airborne Cryptologic Linguist" (ACL) in the United States Air Force (USAF), and spy on the Taliban from low-flying gunships.
During his two tours in Afghanistan, he eavesdropped on the Taliban for hundreds of hours, shared intelligence with various Special Forces units on the ground, and—according to official records—totaled 123 "insurgents EKIA" ("enemies killed in ..read more
The Language Mastery Show
6M ago
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.
? See show notes here LanguageMastery.com/blog/post/matt-vs-japan.
?? Learn Japanese Anywhere!
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immers ..read more
The Language Mastery Show
6M ago
Jake Gill (高健) 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 ..read more
The Language Mastery Show
7M ago
Richard Simcott is a "hyperpolyglot" (named one of Britain's most multilingual people by HarperCollins) and the co-founder of the Polyglot Conference, an annual event that brings together language lovers from all over the world. 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. Richard is a fountain of language learning wisdom and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!
For show notes, vi ..read more
The Language Mastery Show
9M ago
Gordon Smith and Cynthia Durán 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 la ..read more
The Language Mastery Show
9M ago
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.
?? Learn Japanese Anywhere!
Want to learn Japanese through at-home immersion instead of boring textbooks or expensive classes? Master Japanese: How to Learn Japanese Anywhere in the World, my detailed how-to manual and resou ..read more
The Language Mastery Show
9M ago
If you have a burning desire to learn Mandarin Chinese but feel overwhelmed at the very thought, then today’s 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 today’s guests, Phil Crimmins and Luke Neale, have created an innovative language course called the Mandarin Blueprint designed to take these worries away.
?? Learn Chinese Anywhere!
Want to learn Mandarin C ..read more
The Language Mastery Show
9M ago
Jake Gill (高健) 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 ..read more