English with Kirsty

To celebrate 10 years of the English with Kirsty podcast, I'm creating a 10-part series to celebrate 10 different forms that learning can take.There will also be an online networking event for guests and listeners to come together on the podcast's birthday in July. Use the contact form further down if you want to be one of the first to receive more information about the event!Part four of the series is about how we can learn through business adventures – or intentional travel to help ourselves and our businesses.I decided to have a conversation with Jane Eggers about this because it's something that we've both done recently. Actually she inspired me!Jane is a German to English translator who lives in /Germany. For the last 3 years, she's been coming to England to attend the LinkedIn Live conference and meet up with business friends and contacts.I'm an English trainer who started off working only with German-speaking clients. This is no longer the case as my business has grown and evolved, but a lot of my work still comes from Germany. I use German for communication with some of my clients and as a bridge language in some of my language training sessions. I had the chance to go to Berlin and I took the opportunity to meet up with some of my clients and friends. I also attended my first in-person LocLunch event.Jane and I talked about what our trips taught us, how they helped us in terms of our businesses, the value of setting the agenda on your terms (it doesn't have to be a big event if that's not your thing), some practical tips, and what we plan to do now – both in terms of new ideas and new travel plans! For Jane, it was good to come back to the UK to be surrounded by English for a while. I really have to hunt for opportunities to speak German, so this emersion in the language was a great experience for me. Both of us enjoyed having the opportunity to participate in events where we could discuss business topics in a different language for a change!I also mentioned the German version of my networking for language professionals events – the first one will be this month! Check my LinkedIn profile or sign up to the newsletter from the show notes page so that you won't miss any new events!Have you been on a business adventure like this? What did you learn? Would you like to go on one?Visit the show notes page here: https://englishwithkirsty.com/episode275/

To celebrate 10 years of the English with Kirsty podcast, I'm creating a 10-part series to celebrate 10 different forms that learning can take. There will also be an online networking event for guests and listeners to come together on the podcast's birthday in July. Part three of the series is about how we can learn through community. The first people who came to my mind to talk about community were Kelsey and Anikó  from Team Translator - and fortunately for us, they said "yes"!Whether you call yourself a freelancer, a business owner, a self-employed professional - community is so important for all of us working on our own.Kelsey Frick and Anikó Pető-Mordovski set up Team Translator to provide a community for those working in translation. We talked about what the community is, how it works, why it's important, and what Anikó  and Kelsey have learned through leading and being part of it. We also discussed the importance of building meaningful connections, LinkedIn strategies, the need to be yourself, and how connection can take different forms, such as the Team Translator Slack community.If you are a translator and you don't know about the community, you can find out more on the Team Translator website: https://www.team-translator.comIf you're not, are there other communities where you could find support, colleagues, potential clients or friends? It doesn't just have to be one. Our own personal community is the support system that we build around ourselves and might involve several professional communities. The main thing is that they are a great source of support and opportunities to learn.Find out more on the show notes page: https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode274/

Accessible communication with Josélia NevesJosélia's name came up when I was doing some research about an upcoming episode on audio description. That episode is coming soon, but when I discovered all the other things that Josélia is doing, I decided it would be good to have a conversation with her on her own so that we could explore her work in more depth.We talked about:

To celebrate 10 years of the English with Kirsty podcast, I'm creating a 10-part series to celebrate 10 different forms that learning can take.Part two of the series is about how we can learn through events and I thought that talking about LocLunch events would be a really good way to explore this topic. I invited four LocLunch ambassadors: Patrícia from Loclunch Lisbon, Roberta from LocLunch Rome, Lisa from LocLunch Barcelona, and Magali from LocLunch Berlin.When you listen to our conversation you'll discover: More about my guests – who they are and why they decided to become LocLunch ambassadors What happens at a LocLunch event How these events provide practical opportunities for support and learning for those involved in the localisation industry How the events in each city are developing their own identities based on who's running and participating Some of the different forms the events can take and the practical ways in which they help people, both personally and professionally Some of the things that my guests have learned through participating in the events. How listeners in the localisation industry can get involved. Find out more on the show notes page:  https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode272/

Today my guest is Tania from Tania Lines Translation & Writing Services. We met on LinkedIn recently and I thought that Tania would be an interesting podcast guest … so here she is!We talked about How Tania keeps all of her languages up-to-date – both her working languages and the additional ones that she wants to learn The idea of having one day dedicated to each additional language and how this looks practically Tania's experience of moving to countries where she did not speak the language Language exchanges and my online language exchange meet-ups Facial expressions and how the correct position of your lips, teeth and jaw are also important if you want to produce the correct sounds Roxie the beagle and how Tania's interest in dogs and cats has opened up a new area of specialisation for her How about you? If you speak more than one additional language, how do you try to ensure that you give enough attention to all of them?Find out more on the show notes page: https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode271

To celebrate 10 years of the English with Kirsty podcast, I'm creating a 10-part series to celebrate 10 different forms that learning can take. This is part one!Today I'm talking with Alfonso González Bartolessis about learning via courses.When you listen to our conversation you'll find out:

Our brain, emotions, and language learning with Alice Mansaud This week I have a returning guest on the podcast. Last time, Alice was part-way through some training, so she agreed to come back when she'd finished to share what she'd learned.We talked about

Last week I attended one of Marta Pagans' workshops for freelancers. It was nothing to do with languauge learning, but I was interested in the event anyway and I was also glad to participate in some training where I used one of my other languages.I'm not going to talk about what I learned at the workshop – though you'll be seeing some of the results of the actions that I decided to take as the year goes on.I do, however, want to share some of my reflections about using German, my first additional language, in a business training context.This is what I learned!Do you relate to any of these things?Visit the show notes page, find out more about my events, and get the link for Marta's page  here:https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode268/

Megan Miller is back on the podcast with me!   We recorded at the end of last week, so it's still January and I wanted to offer something a bit different from the usual content that we hear at the beginning of a new year. We talked about: • How being too prescriptive about habits can steal our joy – language is important • How saying “no” and being intentional about what we really want can create space to start new things or give us more time for things that are really important to us • The importance of self-care and self-compassion as we think about how we want to allocate our time and energy resources. Figure out what works for you! • The importance of boundaries – with ourselves and others. • How life works in seasons. What kind of season are you in right now? Check out the show notes page here: https://englishwithkirsty.com/episode267/Or go back to episode 240 to listen to our first conversation.How has 2025 been for you so far?

For anyone who's listening in January 2025 - wishing you a year with interesting encounters, opportunities that help you to grow, and people who will support you along the way! If you have discovered the episode at a later date - have a wonderful day!You won't get one of the typical new year episodes from me about what you should be thinking/starting or doing differently. There's enough of that around and a lot of it lacks self-compassion. I think any time can be a good time to make a positive change. However, sometimes for us in the northern hemesphere, the middle of winter is not the best time to start pushing ourselves to do something radically different. Sometimes a gentler start to the new year is better. But I have been making changes here at English with Kirsty. Last year I posted about them on LinkedIn. I rewrote parts of my website and reorganised the pages. I changed how I approach my content creation so that I now concentrate on 7 main topics ... and I didn't talk about those here on the podcast.So this is a quick episode to tell you where my focus will be this year so that you'll know what's coming up on the podcast.There may also be other things that I don't know about yet, but this is a fair snapshot of what I'm doing right now.In July 2025, the English with Kirsty podcast will be 10. I want to run some kind of online event to celebrate that, so let me know using the contact form on the show notes page or via LinkedIn if you have any ideas! https://englishwithkirsty.com/episode266/or you ca email me - kirsty@englishwithkirsty.com

My "31 ways to improve your English" challenge is back again and we'll be starting on 1st January 2025!I don't believe that the beginning of a new year is the best time to start new things or bring about change! But it is true that our routines change throughout December and sometimes it's hard to get back into the habit of practising our additional language skills outside of the things that we need to do for work.Also, sometimes people want to learn new things, but they feel bored with what they're doing at the moment and want to change things up a bit.This is where my 31 ways to improve your English challenge comes in.Each day, you receive a new activity to develop some aspect of your language. If you're doing it to improve your English, you also have access to me to ask questions or get written feedback about any of your tasks.Find the show notes page here: https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode265/or sign up for the challenge here: https://englishwithkirsty.com/about-the-lessons/31days/The challenge costs £22 and we begin on 1st January 2025. If you come across this episode after that time, check my events page for current events:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/events

I met Dolores a few months ago at a networking event and since then I've been getting to know her better at my networking and language exchange events for language professionals.Dolores is also a podcaster – in fact that was one of our first topics. I thought it would be interesting to talk about Dolores work, her podcast, and why she decided to split it into two separate podcasts with content in both Spanish and English.We talked about: Dolores podcast and why she decided to have a podcast in English and one in Spanish How having a podcast helps Dolores to learn more and develop her speaking skills Why Dolores enjoys translating in the area of education Why we will never stop being language learners, however fluent we become How the role of people working in translation and localisation is changing Dolores' advice for anyone who is thinking about starting a podcast. You can find all the links and further details on the show notes page:https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode264/

In this week's episode I'm talking about my new interactive workshop, which is all about the challenges that we can face as advanced language learners. We've got our language to a good level, but then, for whatever reason, we feel stuck and it's hard to move forward.We'll explore 5 challenges that you might be facing and what you can do to move past them.Talking about problems isn't fun, so I wanted to make it a bit more approachable and light-hearted. I also didn't want to make case studies with these 5 challenges in case anyone had the same name as the characters. So instead, we have 5 dogs. You can see the retriever in the picture here - she struggles with perfectionism. Does anyone relate to that? If you do, come along to the workshop!We also have 4 other dogs with different situations, so if you come, you'll discover whether you're more like the spaniel, the labrador, the German shepherd or the collie!Or maybe you'll have elements of more than one. As a language learner, I do!This is where you can find out more about the workshop on 28th November 2024 and book your place:https://englishwithkirsty.com/dogs-and-language-learners-tips-for-advanced-learners-to-get-unstuck/ And this is where you can listen to the episode on my site:https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode263/

If you use access technology or have other accessibility requirements, you can't just find a good language course and sign up for it! First you need to check out how accessible that course will be for you, how willing the course provider is to make any adaptions, and then you can make an informed decision about whether it's going to be a good option to meet your needs.I'm a learner as well as a teacher and I have a lot to say about this too, but I thought it would be more interesting to have a discussion with one of my clients who also uses access technology.I've known Elisabeth for a number of years now. In fact, she was my second customer! We talked about: Elisabeth's previous experiences of learning English Why Elisabeth wanted to find an online English course and what was important to her in terms of accessibility Why it's important for designers of courses or learning materials to be aware of different accessibility requirements and to consider them from the beginning of the project What Elisabeth does to develop and improve her English outside of our classes. Find out more on the show notes page:https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode262/

Today I'm talking about some of the activities in which I've been participating in order to develop my language skills in a way that's relevant to work. Whether that was attending a Women in Localisation webinar in Portuguese, meeting a Toastmaster's group in Portugal, or planning future attendance at a workshop in German - all of these things are somehow work-related and at the same time, they help me to develop relevant, work-related vocabulary. I should add that I didn't need to look for these opportunities. all of the invitations came to me through my network. If you spend time getting to know people and building relationships, those people will probably invite you to things!I also talk about some other things you can do such as looking for industry-specific podcasts, publications, or social media accounts.Whether you're developing your passive listening skills at a webinar, participating in a workshop, or even going on a podcast in an additional language - all of these things can help you to grow and become a more confident user of your additional language/s.Here is the show notes page. https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode261/You can send me a message with any feedback at kirsty@englishwithkirsty.com or come and find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/ 

You first met Maria in episode 244 of the podcast about the conversation club.I first met her at our networking for language professionals events and through her interview on the Language Worker podcast.Maria also shared more of her story at one of our conversation club meetings and I thought it would be interesting to share this story with you as well.We talked about:* Maria's interest in writing and how it has continued throughout the different stages of her career* Maria's blog in Portuguese* Tips for how writing can help you to improve your language skills – either in your first language or an additional one* How writing by hand and typing in other languages with additional characters are good ways* How writing or journalling can help us to be present and get to know ourselves better.We also discussed Maria's upcoming course for those who want to learn more about subtitling. You can find the details here: https://www.translastars.com/course/master-subtitlingWho is Maria?>Maria Virgínia Barros is a passionate wordsmith with a background in export and international communication. After completing her degree in contemporary languages and literature from the University of Porto, she deepened her skills through a postgraduate program in specialised translation at Porto Executive Academy.Today, Maria Virgínia dedicates herself exclusively to translation and subtitling projects for various companies and television networks.Her love for language extends beyond professional work. Maria Virgínia continues to write poetry and has maintained a personal blog, Sítio da Saudade, for nearly two decades. She believes that poetry and translation share a fundamental connection: the pursuit of the perfect word.Find out more on the show notes page: https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode260/Connect with us on LinkedIn:Kirsty - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/Maria - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariavirginiabarros-language-consultant/ 

September can be a time for new beginnings, although really, we don't need to wait for a certain month to start something new. Still, lots of people are talking about new plans and ideas at the moment and it got me thinking...Some people just get an idea and run with it. For others, there are a number of things that get in the way or that make us put things off. Sometimes just taking the first step and getting started is the hardest part.So what are those things? This week we're looking at 8 of them and what we can do to prevent them from getting in the way of us starting something new and exciting!Here is the show notes page. https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode259/I mentioned my 3 main programmes too - details of all of them can be found on the home page of my English with Kirsty site. ***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.comor come and find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

Today I'm bringing you my conversation with Helen. You may remember her because she featured on episode 235 about the conversation club.This is part of a new series where I'm talking about different aspects of learning languages. We'll explore some of the challenges that my clients have faced and how they overcame them.Helen isn't someone who loves learning languages, but she needed English for some professional training that she was doing and she was motivated enough to get some help with it. Helen went from someone who felt nervous about speaking English to someone who now talks to strangers at the gym and prepares presentations for us at the club.What changed? Find out in the episode! Find the show notes here: https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode258and you can connect with me on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

I have two announcements for you this week!Firstly, I'm doing a survey about the podcast and I'd love to get your input. It's always good to hear from my podcast listeners, but I'd be especially happy if you have a few minutes to fill in my survey because I'm making plans for the next 250 episodes and it helps me if I know what people are enjoying/finding useful. Here's the link to the survey!https://englishwithkirsty.com/english-with-kirsty-podcast-2024-survey-and-meet-up/secondly, I'm organising an online meet-up for my previous podcast guests and listeners who have completed the survey. Details are on the survey page and if you leave me your email address when you complete the survey, I'll send you the joining details for the event.Thanks in advance to anyone who gives me feedback and I'm looking forward to meeting some of you or seeing you again at the meet-up!

I decided to contact Inês because I'd been listening to her podcast, Your voice matters, for a while. I was even more excited to discover that the first episodes were in Portuguese, because it means I have some more interesting content to listen to that will help me improve my Portuguese and learn about other voice-related topics!But originally, our interview wasn't going to be about that. I wanted to talk about voice coaching. We covered topics such as getting used to hearing your own voice and practising how you want to sound before you actually speak in public. Also, how we can use our voice to communicate our personality, even if we're feeling nervous about the language.We can adopt vocal habits in another language that aren't ours and it's liberating when we learn to move past this.We also discuss why Inês decided to start a podcast, why she switched the language after the first two seasons, how she did it, what the process was like for her, and what advice she would give to people who are thinking about creating content in another language.I also love one of the things that Inês said at the beginning when we were talking about her career journey. Deciding to work with a coach or trainer doesn't have to be because you have a problem. It can also be because you want to do something better!I decided to contact Inês because I'd been listening to her podcast, Your voice matters, for a while. I was even more excited to discover that the first episodes were in Portuguese, because it means I have some more interesting content to listen to that will help me improve my Portuguese and learn about other voice-related topics!But originally, our interview wasn't going to be about that. I wanted to talk about voice coaching. We covered topics such as getting used to hearing your own voice and practising how you want to sound before you actually speak in public. Also, how we can use our voice to communicate our personality, even if we're feeling nervous about the language.We can adopt vocal habits in another language that aren't ours and it's liberating when we learn to move past this.But we also discuss why Inês decided to start a podcast, why she switched the language after the first two seasons, how she did it, what the process was like for her, and what advice she would give to people who are thinking about creating content in another language.I also love one of the things that Inês said at the beginning when we were talking about her career journey. Deciding to work with a coach or trainer doesn't have to be because you have a problem. It can also be because you want to do something better!Here's the show notes page:https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode256/Or you can connect with us on LinkedIn:Kirsty - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/Inês - https://www.linkedin.com/in/inesmoura/

We often talk about what we do, but one of the things that we touched upon at the conversation club today was why we do what we do. What motivates us? What gives us a sense of fulfilment?Today I'm sharing a bit of my story about why language is important to me, how needing to learn in a slightly different way has actually helped me, and why I do what I do.In the coming months, some of my clients and friends will be sharing their stories too.I also talked about my "Discover your voice in English" mentoring programme. Send me a message if you'd like to find out more or to have a chat about whether it's for you!https://englishwithkirsty.com/discover-your-voice-in-englishHere's the show notes page for the episode:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode255

Sometimes advice like “feel the fear and do it anyway” or “just start and see what happens” doesn't work. You need a more structured plan to give you the confidence to create and launch something new.This is how today's guest approached his idea to start a YouTube channel in English. He made a plan, created the content, and finally gave himself time to make sure that it was what he wanted before releasing it out into the world.It's easy to look at successful, well-known content creators and to think that they've always been doing that – but every story has a beginning. Today Adrian Probst shares his content creation story with us.We talked about:

It's summer here in Europe and many people are thinking about holiday activities - which means a lot of the things that we usually do are put on hold.This episode is one of a series of quick, implementable tips - things that you can do to work on your language skills without attending a class or working with the language.Today I'm talking about why it's important for us to meet new people anyway, and how, as a language learner, in some ways it's easier to start conversations with people that we don't know. It could be to get some information that we need. It could be small talk - they don't know all the basic things about us that are easy to answer. And more importantly, we never know where conversations will lead - you might even find some new friends!Plus - you don't have to be in a country where the language is spoken in order for this to work!If you try this out, let me know how you get on! Be mindful of where you are and whom you're speaking with - if it doesn't feel good, move on!Here's the link to the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode253

I came across Anja and her podcast on LinkedIn because I was curious to find out what other podcast hosts are doing and to find some new content to listen to. Anja and I started talking when I posted a question about people who produce content in another language – and here we are! I hope you enjoy our conversation, and if you're thinking about creating content in English, but you haven't started doing it yet, Anja has some really good tips and advice for you.We talked about: Anja's podcast – “Freelance business unlocked” – and how it came about Anja's language story – how English came into her life Why Anja decided to change her podcast language from Croatian to English, why she made the change, and how she felt about it Tips for dealing with imposter syndrome and procrastination The importance of learning to be comfortable with our voice – in general and when we're speaking another language. Is procrastination or imposter syndrome preventing you from starting something new? If you like, you can share something about the idea with us – it's the first step to making it real!Who is Anja?If you're here, you want to know whether it's worth tuning in to the episode, so I'll hopefully manage to convince you! My name is Anja Lordanić Mustać, I'm from Croatia, and I love fostering meaningful relationships with other freelancers and solopreneurs. Why is that something that comes first? Because as much as we think we're “free” and “solo”, we cannot do this thing called business on our own.I recently discovered that podcasting is my true business love, and I love to teach others how to finally launch and grow their podcast AND stay consistent.As a semi-retired translator and interpreter, podcasting has been such a great way to keep on working on my language skills, communicating with people from various countries and backgrounds, and learning more about what fills them up.Find out more on the show notes page:https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode252/

Today I'm sharing a tip from one of our language exchange for language professionals meet-ups and it's something that I'm doing to help with my Portuguese.If you commit to giving yourself regular opportunities to write, this will also help your general fluency. Finding time for something quick is often easier than finding time to write a long essay! You can always extend the word count - I often go well over mine - but it's a minimum and you can always make the task harder as your language skills increase.You can also add new rules such as "don't use the dictionary" - so you have to use the words that you already know. I'd do that for German and Romanian, but the Portuguese practise for me is also about vocabulary building.You can be more prescriptive about the text.Or, if stories are more your thing, you could commit to writing a bit more of your story each time.If you try this out, let me know how you get on!Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode251***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.comor come and find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

Carrying on with our voice theme, this week, Julia Michelle is here to talk with us about another aspect of voice, one which is particularly relevant to those of us who are business owners or freelancers: our brand voice.Julia was the speaker at a networking event that I attended recently and I wanted to introduce you to her as well.This is how Julia introduces herself:“I'm a registered nurse, copywriter, and brand voice specialist.Having a background as a nurse, it was a big shift for me to run my own business, and one of the hardest parts was figuring out what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it!When it came to building a personal brand, I found that so much of the advice out there was contradictory and confusing, and it just left me feeling like I had to give up who I wanted to be in order to follow “best practices”.That is… until I worked with Justin Blackman, one of the top brand voice experts in the world, and learned about how to measure and document brand voice.Now I work with entrepreneurs – a lot of whom have a professional background like me – and help them identify and develop their brand voice in a way that lets them take control of how they're showing up online and create a brand they're proud of.Oh, and in my spare time, I do cold water dipping and explore the great outdoors of Maine with my two pups :)”We talked about: Why your voice is important and why it often gets overlooked in conversations about your brand Which components make up our brand's voice Why it's important for freelancers and business owners to discover and work with their brand's voice Different voices that we can use – Julie has an opt-in on her website with examples to make this clearer. These points apply whether we're using our first language, communicating in an additional one, or working with copywriters or translators who create content on our behalf.How would you describe your brand's voice?Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode249

Our voices are so much more than the way we speak. This is part of it, but finding and using our unique voice is about more than that. It's about expressing who we are, what we think, how we feel, and the messages that we want to share.Every day, we play different roles and adopt different communication styles depending on what we're doing and whom we're with. That's normal.But sometimes, the version of ourselves that people meet when we're using an dditional language is not 100% who we are and this can make it harder for us to communicate and for others to get to know us.Today I'm talking about a couple of reasons for this – and they're not all entirely language-related. I also talk about a short exercise that you can do to find out where your blockages might be.If you're a freelancer or business owner who uses English as an additional language and you'd like to explore this in more detail, I'm offering a new 11-week mentoring programme called "Discover your voice in English." https://englishwithkirsty.com/discover-your-voice-in-english/Send me a message at kirsty@englishwithkirsty.com if you have any questions about this programme or if you'd like to set up a call to discover whether it's right for you.

I met Sion through the networking for language professionals sessions that I run with Rita Prazeres Gonçalves. I thought it would be good to talk with Sion about her work and her experiences of moving from the US to France and then later to Spain, where she now lives and works.Sion Dayson is an American voice actor based in Valencia, Spain. She works in many genres of voiceover, and specializes in eLearning, corporate narration, audio description, and materials for English-language learners. She's voiced projects for clients including LG, Pearson, Business Spotlight, the National Academy of Sports Medicine, Iberian Media, among many others.She's also narrated more than 130 titles for Blinkist, an app that summarizes the key takeaways from bestselling books. Her Blinkist credits include titles by Michelle Obama, Brene Brown, Robin Sharma, and many more.In addition to her six years in Spain, Sion's experience with different languages includes studying in Mexico and Ghana, and ten years living in Paris, where she acquired French nationality.We talked about:

Marta is originally from Barcelona and has lived in Germany since 2002. She is a freelance translator who works from German and English into Spanish and Catalan, specialising in marketing and advertising.After many years of struggling with self-doubt, impostor syndrome and a fierce inner critic, Marta now offers consultancy services for fellow translators and interpreters, focusing on marketing and time management. What she enjoys most is encouraging people to believe in themselves and helping them to overcome their perfectionism when needed.We talked about: How we define perfectionism How perfection appears in the context of language learning How good attention to detail can help us, but perfectionism can also hold us back or make life harder Some practical tips and strategies for dealing with our perfectionist tendencies and reducing their impact on ourselves and our performance. Who and what can help us. Find out more on theshow notes page;https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode246/

My guest today is Joana Lisboa from Unleash your Vocal Power. We met on LinkedIn last year when I think I commented on one of Joana's voice-related posts. Then, after chatting some more, I thought she would be a great guest for the podcast.For the past 12 years, Joana's life mission has been to help others find their authentic voice. The process of self-discovery she suggests to her clients has been proven by her before starting her career as a Vocal Coach. She went from being a shy girl, barely heard, to someone who believes in applying her vocal power authentically, no matter the circumstances. She works with entrepreneurs and companies and also gives singing lessons. Anything related to voice and body captures her attention: communication, singing, acting, cinema, dancing.We talked about:

I loved recording this episode!Originally I asked for volunteers from the conversation club for freelancers and business owners to record an episode with me about why they come to the club, how it has helped them, and what advice they would give to anyone who was thinking about coming along. Patricia, Maria, Anja, Lieselotte, and Marta all volunteered and I was so happy to hear what they had to say. I'm proud of what we are creating together and so happy that a recurring theme was the feeling of safety within the club – safety to use the language, talk freely, and even make mistakes!The club is for people who aren't looking for a course, but who would like to have an opportunity to speak English in a welcoming and friendly group. We have a topic that is related to freelancing or running your own business and everyone has the opportunity to ask questions, share ideas, and we can all learn from each other.So, if you'd like to join us at the conversation club, you can sign up or find out more on the club's page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/conversations or on the show notes page for this episode:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode244***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.comor come and find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

My guest today is Rita Menezes, whom I met through the language networking events that I run with Rita Prazeres Gonçalves.Since 2002, Rita Menezes has been working as translator, subtitler, transcreator and reviser/quality controller in several audiovisual, transcreation and marketing projects; these projects include, for example, films and series now on streaming and marketing campaigns of well-known brands. Since 2014, Rita has also been involved in translator's training. Rita has a BA in Translation and Interpreting, a MSc in Relationship Marketing and a PhD in Translation Studies, specialised in audiovisual translation. As a researcher, her main research interests are subtitling, subtitling revision/quality control and pivot subtitling. She is the co-author of the educational project ApiVoT and co-editor of a special issue of “Perspectives” about pivot audiovisual translation. Creativity, ethics and technology are areas that awaken her curiosity.We talked about: Rita's background and how she got into subtitling Different types of subtitling projects Some of the rules that subtitlers need to follow when creating subtitles How subtitles can help you to learn a language or improve your language skills Current changes in the subtitling industry. Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode243***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.com

My guest today is Olivia Segal whom I met on LinkedIn last year.This is how Olivia introduces herself:Hi! I'm Olivia. I'm an English Language Specialist. I help Spanish- and Catalan-speaking organisations with all their content in English through my reviewing and editing, translation, writing, and language consultation services. I'm based in London, but you can find me in Barcelona a few times a year.I love talking about languages! I studied them at university, learnt even more by living and working abroad and am still amazed by the people you can meet through speaking another language.We talked about: Olivia's language story – which languages she is learning and where she has used them so far How Olivia worked to overcome her reluctance to speak while living in Spain and Brazil The power of learning through asking lots of questions and finding opportunities for authentic conversations Olivia's experiences with language tandems The importance of exposure to new languages to build vocabulary and how one-to-one classes can help with that How Olivia discovered podcasts during the pandemic and how looking at which podcasts are trending in each country can help you to discover new things to listen to. Find out more about olivia on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode242and check out the events section on my home page for details of te events that I mentioned at th beginning.***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.com

My guest today is Diego Perez, whom I first heard being interviewed on the Language Worker podcast! Thank you Rita for interesting me to so many cool people!!I wanted to do this episode because we're talking about something outside of my experience, but it is another way for people to develop their language skills.Diego Perez is a passionate and optimistic voice in video game localisation. With loc credits for Diablo Immortal, Baldur's Gate III, and Final Fantasy VII: Remake and nearly 10 years of experience under his belt, he is the Portuguese translator behind the upcoming Kenshi 2, a mentor for beginner translators, a language industry writer, and the lecturer of a game loc course at TranslaStars.We talked about: Diego's story and how he learned English by playing video games with his brothers What is meant by “game localisation” and why it's important Tips for how you can change the game language to see the content in another language Where you can find Diego online and information about his course on game localisation Find out more about Diego on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode241***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.com

My guest today is Megan Miller, whom I met last year on LinkedIn.Megan Miller is the CEO of Aprovechar Language Solutions, LLC, a company which acts as a bridge between English and Spanish language learners. Her personalized and small group programs take a habit-based approach, and whether it's in class or a Book Club – you know you'll have fun! Megan has a Bachelor's in Spanish Language, Literature, and Culture and is certified to Teach English as a Foreign Language.We talked about:• Megan's podcast for learners of Spanish and how she focuses on one word in each episode.• How habits and routines can help us to improve our language skills.• The mountains and valleys of language learning and what you can do when it stops being fun.• What we want to call ourselves – teacher? Coach? Mentor? Trainer? What do these things mean in different languages?• And it comes back again … learning a language needs to be fun!!Find out more about Megan on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode240***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.comor come and find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

My guest today is Craig WealandLondon-born Craig is a DELTA qualified teacher, materials writer and a professional podcaster and podcast editor.He settled in Valencia, Spain in 1997 where he worked for the British Council and was a Cambridge speaking examiner until 2021.He has spoken at several international conferences on podcasting and language teaching. These days, he spends his time teaching English conversation and fluency online and producing his co-hosted language podcast.We talked about:⭐ Craig's story and how he got into teaching⭐ The hidden meanings behind words and why it's important to understand body language as well as words⭐ Craig's experiences of living and working in Spain⭐ Tips and resources for passing the Cambridge speaking exam⭐ Craig's podcast for learners of EnglishFind out more about Craig on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode239***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.comor come and find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

My guest today is Renata Fernandes from Renata Fernandes Translation.Previously Renata was a guest on The Language Worker podcast and we met at one of the networking events for language professionals that I run with Rita Prazeres Gonçalves.This is how Renata introduces herself:“I'm a Brazilian bi cisgender female chronic pain warrior who translates movies and TV shows for a living, and someone who's relentless about pizza and inclusive communication.”We talked about:* Who Renata is and what she does* Why inclusive language is important to Renata* A Netflix initiative to promote inclusive language* Different ways of communicating inclusively in Brazilian Portuguese* Where you can find Renata online.Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode236***********Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.comor come and find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

I start this episode by running through the 4 events that I'm offering in March 2024. If you'd like to know more or you're interested in future events, check out the events section on https://www.englishwithkirsty.com I then go on to talk about my experiences of volunteering, 5 ways a voluntary role in another language can help you, and how not all volunteering roles are the same. They can be online or face-to-face, and there are many organisations that are looking for volunteers, so you're sure tto find something related to your interests or a topic about which you feel passionate.How about you? do you have any experience with volunteering in another language? Is it something that you would like to explore?Find out more on the show notes page:https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode237/Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.comor come and find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

Nick Nasev is a London-based accredited translator of Southern Slavic languages into English. He has also been an editor of and contributor to many award-winning books and journals about southeast Europe. But get this… his surname might not show it, but he's actually a fourth-generation Aussie and also an expert in Australian culture and its own form of English, topics he also writes about. For almost 2 decades Nick has been working for many high-profile clients adapting their English copy and text for an Australian audience. And no, it's not simply a case of just adding -ie to the end of every word.We talked about: Nick's early introduction to languages and his multilingual upbringing Some differences between Australian English and British English plus Australian English accents Why it's good to be like a child when you're learning a language How Nick keeps his Australian English up-to-date Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode236Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.comor come and find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

Helen, Gwen, and Nicola, who are regular members at my monthly Wednesday evening events for general conversation, share why they come to the club, how it helps them with their English, and their message for anyone who would like to come along and join us!The club is for people who aren't looking for a course, but who would like to have an opportunity to speak English in a welcoming and friendly group.So, if you'd like to join us at the conversation club, you can sign up or find out more on the https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/conversationsFind out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode235Send me an email if you have any questions or suggestions about the English with Kirsty podcast:podcast@englishwithkirsty.comor come and find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

Christine Konstantinidis from Erfolgreiches Sprachenlernen first featured on episode 62 of the podcast back in 2015.I invited her back because I saw that she is involved in a new project.Christine presents an exciting language-learning experience on her YouTube channel! Through the innovative combination of visual mind maps and short, engaging videos, she provides a fresh approach to mastering German vocabulary. Whether you're starting out or brushing up on your German skills, Christine's content caters to language enthusiasts of all levels.We talked about:* Christine's work teaching German and her YouTube channel.* What are mind maps and how can they help you to learn?* How learners can be more proactive with a topic-based approach to learning.Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode234Send me an email if you have any questions or feedback about English with Kirsty:podcast@englishwithkirsty.comor come and find me on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-wolf-a8478235/

Mónia lives in Portugal and is a freelance translator from German and English into European Portuguese. She's now specializing in the literary translation field, after fifteen years of a solid background of translating in the technical field.She loves languages and is constantly seeking to improve her linguistic skills. She has learned French, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, and even Icelandic, for which she has a special affection, although she can barely remember a word now. She considers herself an introvert and struggles with speaking in public, but she does not let her fears and insecurities prevent her from having great experiences. She lives by her recent motto: ‘doing difficult things makes you grow'.We talked about:Mónia's work as a literary translator.How spending time living and working abroad can help you to develop your knowledge of another language and culture.The difference between what you learn when you study a language and what you need for everyday conversations.Mónia's advice for anyone who is starting out on their career journey and who wants to develop their language skills by working abroad.Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode232

Do you enjoy podcasts?Would you like to know how to find the best ones for you and what you can do with them so that you improve all areas of your English, not just your passive listening?The first in my series of interactive workshops is about podcasts and how they can become an important part of your language learning journey! Date: Thursday 22nd February Time: 16:00 UK/Portugal Time (17:00 CET, 18:00 eET) Duration: 60 minutes Location: Zoom Price: £25 Find out more on the workshop's web pagehttps://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast-workshopI work with multilingual professionals who want to develop their English, but these learning strategies will work if you're learning other languages too.Let me know if you have any questions and I hope to see you there!Email: podcast@englishwithkirsty.com

Today I decided to do a short episode to ask you a question!We talk about increasing our vocabulary, but sometimes there are words about ourselves or our language skills that don't serve us. It would be better if we stopped using them.I give some examples of things that I often hear, or something that I want to stop saying in my Portuguese classes when the teacher asks me a question!Are there any words that you want to banish from your active vocabulary about yourself?

Alice MANSAUD is a French coach and podcaster whom I discovered through The Language Worker podcast.In France, Italy, Poland, Spain...Alice has always cherished international encounters and experiences, so much she decided to teach her native language, French to non-French speakers! Through her own journey in learning languages and expatriation, she explored the power of the brain and life challenges, which led her to create her own method. With "Moi-même en français", she helps non-French speakers to learn and absorb French in order to be(come) themselves in French. We talked about:* The importance of being and becoming yourself in another language.* Alice's podcast, the different kinds of episodes that she produces, and how listening to podcasts can help us to learn other languages.* The need to find new challenges as intermediate language learners.Alice's newsletter for people who are learning French.Finding our own way as language learners and identifying the strategies that will be most useful for us.Our take-away at the end - be open and curious to try new things that will take your language learning adventure to the next level!Find out more on the episode's page: | https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode230/

Today I decided to do a short episode to tell you about my conversation club and how it can help you to improve your English.The most popular solo episode in 2023 was about improving your active language skils and I know that sometimes it's hard to find ways to do that. So in this episode you'll find out what the club is, who it's for, what we do, and how it can help you! You can sign up or find out more on the club's pagehttps://www.englishwithkirsty.com/conversationsSend me a message if you have any questions or you'd like to know more:podcast@englishwithkirsty.com

Today I'm talking about the different ways in which friends can help us to practise our language skills. I share some ideas from my own experience - not all language exchanges have to look the same. There are different ways in which we can learn from those around us and it doesn't have to involve using your first language at all.These tips work for any language. I talked about German, Romanian, and Portuguese.I know many people here are learning English. My ideas are great if you know people or you have friends with whom you can practise English. If not, come and join us at the conversation club, you can sign up or find out more on the club's page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/conversationsFind out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode228And let me know your experiences when it comes to learning with others.If you have any questions, suggestions, or any language experiences that you'd like to share, you can write to podcast@englishwithkirsty.com or look for me, Kirsty Wolf, on LinkedIn.

We're back!I love making content with Rita Prazeres Gonçalves and you'll be seeing more from us in 2024!This time we talked about:* Our podcasts and why we decided to create them (Rita also has a new one, The Intuitive worker).* Why people listen to podcasts and how they can help us.* What we've learned from the experience of creating podcasts.* How learning other languages gives us access to new content in areas that are relevant to us.* Our networking events for language professionals.Find out more on the show notes page:https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode227/

I met Lynn on LinkedIn through Carol Constant, whom some of you may remember from previous podcast episodes. Lynn Swain is a  TEDx Speaker, Trust Activator, and finalist in the 2023 Woman of Stature Awards for Coaching and Mentoring. She is the founder of the Symbiota Leadership Institute.Lynn holds a Master of Science degree in Neuroscience of Leadership from Middlesex University, and as a result,  offers a distinctive perspective on trust and performance. Her recent TEDx talk, 'A Trust Mindshift to Create a Trust Revolution,' delves into the transformative power of self-trust. Lynns impactful interventions and talks are dedicated to leaving audiences with game-changing tools. We talked about:* Lynn's recent TED talk and how it felt to prepare for it.* What's actually going on in our brain as we move from the fight or flight reaction to a more confident and focused state.*  The impact of self-trust and empathy on our ability to move past fear and think clearly.* How to get past our insecurity or the fear reaction that comes up when we try something new.* The TRUST model and How to redirect our attention and give our brain access to the resources that we need to focus and succeed.Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode226

I first met Marta online last year when she took part in my “31 ways to improve your English” challenge in January. Since then, Marta has been participating in my conversation club and earlier this year, she gave a presentation there to the group for business owners and freelancers. This was something new for Marta, but she accepted the challenge! Then she accepted a new challenge – her first podcast guest appearance in English!We talked about:* Marta's challenges with saying “no” and what changed for her* Some of the benefits that we can enjoy when we say “no” to things that are not right for us* How knowing ourselves and our values can help us to say “no”* Tips for people who find it difficult to say “no” at work* Challenges and solutions for saying “no” in an additional language.How do you feel about saying “no”? Do you have any tips or experiences to add?Find the show notes herehttps://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode225/