Love, Joy, and Languages

In this Season 4 finale of Love, Joy, and Languages podcast, I share and celebrate language learning wins from listeners across the globe. Real life stories from real life language learners, inspiring us to see every bit of progress along our language journeys. In this episode, you'll hear stories from four language learners who recognize a variety of wins in their language lives. The achievements they've shared with me for this episode are inspiring for language learners of all types, ages, and levels. The languages they're celebrating include Spanish, Esperanto, Chinese, Catalan, and Occitan, plus my own wins regarding German and Italian. Some of these language lovers are still at the beginning of learning their languages, and others are futher along, but one common theme is that they see the value in celebrating the multitude of accomplishments along the way. This episode is made for you, my listeners. Every win we have matters. No achievement is too small. Every success is significant, and every win is worth celebrating. Join me in today's season finale episode by cheering on those who shared their stories with me and for everyone else out there working on your new language. Take a moment to reflect on your own wins, and celebrate them! Feel the pride. Give yourself a round of applause. Brag about it on social media. You're doing great, and you can be proud of yourself and your achievements. Instagram or X accounts for those who shared success stories in this episode: IG: @lafamillelyons, @vanessapatriciaoh X: @martinrue, @TimothyELDougl1, @kubacki__ Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang More language learning podcasts for you to check out: The Language Confidence Project (https://anchor.fm/emily-richardson1), by Emily Richardson Speaking Tongues Podcast (https://speakingtonguespodcast.com/), by Elle Charisse How to Learn a Language (https://howtolearnalanguage.fireside.fm/), by Lindsay Williams The Future is Bilingual (https://thefutureisbilingual.wordpress.com/), by Heather Talking to Grandma (https://languagepreservation.mykajabi.com/podcasts/talking-to-grandma), by Veronica Benavides Insecurities About Languages (https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alexandria-robinson2), by Alexandria Robinson Shhh, I'm Learning! (https://open.spotify.com/show/6v0GrjOA5UfLRd5vilj5lF) by Martha Summerlin The Fluent Show (https://www.fluent.show/), by Kerstin Cable Actual Fluency (https://actualfluency.com/actual-fluency-language-learning-podcast/), by Kris Broholm My favorite Italian podcasts: Il paradiso é qui (https://open.spotify.com/show/0uj2dwVPkz1QMqLgalRv48), by Gianluca Gotto Simple Italian Podcast (https://simonepols.com/simple-italian-podcast/), by Simone Pols Stivale Italiano (https://www.stivaleitaliano.com/copy-of-home-1), by Alessandro and Carolina Vaporetto Italiano Podcast (https://anchor.fm/vaporetto-italiano/episodes), by Francesco Cositore The Teacher Stefano Show (https://www.teacherstefano.com/podcast), by Stefano Psicologia per eroi (https://open.spotify.com/show/5iJsp9pgAEW8UPkDfQQeg4), by Dott. Luca Proietti Curiosità della Storia (https://www.radio-italiane.it/podcasts/curiosita-della-storia), by Storica National Geographic Italiano in Podcast (https://www.ispeakitaliano.it/italiano-in-podcast-5/), by Paolo of I Speak Italiano My favorite German podcasts: Natural.Fluent.German (https://open.spotify.com/show/66RoY4vSCSiSmyNV84NfHe) & Deutsches Geplapper (https://naturalfluentgerman.com/my-blog/podcast-transkripte/), by Flemming Boldbecher Deutsch Podcast (https://deutsch-podcast.com/podcast-hoeren/), by Virpi Hach & Sandra Durán Muñoz Feminismus mit Vorsatz (https://www.feminismusmitvorsatz.de/), by Laura Vorsatz Eine Stunde History (https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/podcasts/download/eine-stunde-history), by Deutschlandfunk Nova Other language learning podcasts I've been on: Shhh, I'm Learning! (https://open.spotify.com/episode/079VZM8YYpPzHuUemtGaV6) with Martha Summerlin How to Learn A Language (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3pNaW4b6aRl1R1oSpyp2TQ?si=93fa2099ca514ccc&nd=1) with Lindsay Williams Actual Fluency Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IYoo07RctdUz2EV4CfKWQ?si=a26ea3fec92640b7&nd=1) with Kris Broholm The Italian Escape Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3gSJaCTJVjwqRlnirZFw08?si=dd4029bb75d84908&nd=1) with Angelique Lusuan & Gabriele Minucci The Future is Bilingual (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ZmWsHawlLrtPuoFzuNeOA) with Heather About Esperanto: Actual Fluency archive episodes about Esperanto can be found here (https://actualfluency.com/tag/esperanto-3/). Esperanto website: Esperanto.net (https://esperanto.net/en/esperanto-the-international-language/)

I invited a very special language learning and language loving friend to co-host this episode with me and chat all about the joys of language learning. This is a very familiar voice in the language learning community, and it's such a pleasure to have Kerstin Cable of Fluent Language and The Fluent Show on Love, Joy, and Languages! We had an absolute blast talking about loving languages and finding joy in learning them. This chat is extra special for me because I don't think this show would exist without Kerstin and her Podcasting 101 course (https://www.kerstincable.com/podcasting101). Big thanks to Kerstin for putting so much goodness out into the world! In today's episode, Kersin and I talk about celebrating our language achievements, the value of self-work and appreciating your own personal journey, language exams and the excitement of the process, lots of German language, the link between language and culture, Kerstin teaches me a bit Welsh (you'll see why this language can easily become an obsession!), and Kerstin shares some of her favorite language things and people. Learning a language is a long road, and there are so many challenges along the way, but something that keeps us in the language learning world is all the joy we find in the process and the community. I hope you enjoy listening in to my chat with Kerstin, and I hope it reminds you of all the exciting things you find in your own language life. The Fluent Show episodes mentioned in this episode: Words of the Year 2023 (https://www.fluent.show/243) The Farewell Episode: The Joy of Finishing Good Things (https://www.fluent.show/240) I'm Not Dead Yet, So I'd Like to Keep Learning: Interview with German Learner Randy (https://www.fluent.show/8) Reviews of the Year with Shannon Kennedy: 2021 (https://www.fluent.show/234), 2020 (https://www.fluent.show/203), 2019 (https://www.fluent.show/166), 2018 (https://www.fluent.show/118) Marc Okrand on Creating the Klingon Language (https://www.fluent.show/172) Interview with Language Creator David Peterson (Game of Thrones, Dune, The 100, Doctor Strange) (https://www.fluent.show/158) Good bye Chemistry, hello Linguistics! with Sarah F. Philips (https://www.fluent.show/209) Other content mentioned in this episode: German Uncovered (Beginner) (https://learn.storylearning.com/german-uncovered-level-11674240494503) by Olly Richards Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Does Languages (https://www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/) Episode 59: A Joyful Chat with a Special Guest Co-Host, Love, Joy, and Languages with Lindsay Williams (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-59) Shannon Kennedy at Eurolinguiste (https://eurolinguiste.com/) Emily Richardson of The Langauge Confidence Project and Tea with Emily (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/) Yabla Language Immersion (https://www.yabla.com/?a=1568&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoJa2BhBPEiwA0l0ImDGlNae3Gj4g5NA4ZKbfPPdyHedENu_e2DlpUXLmNFuqM-BhhiYfwBoCVZ4QAvD_BwE) Language Habit System (https://www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/lhs), by Kerstin Cable AI Language Club (https://www.ailanguageclub.com/), with Kerstin Cable & Josh Goldsmith Kerstin can be found at: For language learning: Fluent Language Blog, Podcast & Language Tuition (https://www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/) For business: Kerstin Cable (https://www.kerstincable.com/) Kerstin's Podcast: The Fluent Show (https://www.fluent.show/) Instagram: @kerstin_fluent X (Twitter): @fluentlanguage Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Affirmations, or statements that affirm positive beliefs to you about you, are an excellent way to build yourself up. I use affirmations in many areas of my life, both general and specific, inlcuding language learning. They help remind me of my truth and keep me aligned with my morals and identity. Affirmations aren't about lying to ourselves or trying to fake it 'til we make it. They're about affirming true statements that we believe, at our core, so that we don't forget who we are, and that help us act in accordance with our true selves. Today's episode is full of meditative affirmations geared toward language learners. Have you ever considered what you believe about yourself as a language learner? Especially when things are stressful, and we feel like we're failing, we start to believe things that aren't true. We start to believe that we can't learn a language, that we're failures, that we're lazy, and so much more. These negative thoughts, while they feel true in the moment, aren't our real truths. Affirmations help keep us grounded in who we really are and in what we're really capable of. They pull us out of the negative spiral more quickly and remind us that negative moments don't define us. I hope you enjoy today's episode and are able to find many affirmations that you know are true to you. Take what you know to be true, what you really believe, and let that be a foundation of truth that you can tell yourself always, especially when you start feeling out of alignment with who you know yourself to be. Write out more affirmations that you know are true, and don't forget to be kind to yourself. If you want to read more about affirmations, here are a few sites to get you started: Using Affirmations (https://www.mindtools.com/air49f4/using-affirmations), from Mind Tools Positive Affirmations: Too Good to Be True? (https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/do-affirmations-work) by Crystal Raypole Affirmations: The Why, What, How, and What If? (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smart-relationships/201403/affirmations-the-why-what-how-and-what-if) by Kathryn Lively, PhD Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode I talk about extensive reading for effective language learning. Like I said in last week's episode, extensive input can be an excellent part of any language journey, but it can also go wrong. I feel very lucky that I didn't give up when it went very wrong for me. During my year-long project to boost my Italian to B2, extensive reading was one of my main (and favorite!) methods. Today I share a bit of my language journey and the early struggles I had trying to read in Italian, and then I share exactly what I did to make this method work for me in improving my language throughout the intermediate levels. I talk about all the reading sources I used, and also the ways in which I saw my Italian language improve. Language learning can be a very long journey, and it can feel like we're never going to get where we want to be. So it's very exciting and motivating to be able to look back and see exactly how my language has improved and what worked to get me there. I hope to inspire you all, as well, not just to read more (though that's always something I hope to inspire), but also to keep going. Find what brings you joy in languages, stick with what's working for you, and take note of all the ways your language journey is improving. I guarantee it really is improving. Other content mentioned in this episode: E76: Good Advice Gone Wrong: Input, Input, Input: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/ E67: Let's Talk About Flashcards: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-67 Profondo Come il Mare, Leggero Come il Cielo (https://www.ibs.it/profondo-come-mare-leggero-come-libro-gianluca-gotto/e/9788804745440), by Gianluca Gotto List of International websites for National Geographic here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Geographic) Simple Italian Podcast (https://simonepols.com/simple-italian-podcast/), by Simone Pols Vaporetto Italiano Podcast (https://anchor.fm/vaporetto-italiano/episodes), by Francesco Cositore Stivale Italiano (https://www.stivaleitaliano.com/copy-of-home-1), by Alessandro and Carolina iTalki (https://www.italki.com/en/i/ref/6eFGAf?hl=en&utm_medium=user_referral&utm_source=copylink_share), where I find language teachers and tutors (this is my Refer a Friend link) Italian CILS B2 Exam Prep Book I used: Traguardo CILS B2 (https://www.cdl-edizioni.com/tienda/esamecils/traguardo-esame-cils-b2/) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In this fourth episode of "Good Advice Gone Wrong," a segment in which I highlight some really good language learning advice that can also go wrong, I talk about input, input, input. Do all the reading and all the listening all the time! Language folk give this advice all the time, and I can't deny that it's got some amazing benefits, but it isn't a guaranteed path to success. Today I share three ways in which tons of input is great for languages bubut also three ways in which it could go wrong and has gone wrong for me. I finish up with three things you can do to make this method go right for you, if it's something you want to do. There are countless methods for learning a language, and I believe that all of them are good, but they aren't all good for everyone. Instead of just giving language learning advice, this recurring segment focuses on reasons specific pieces of good advice may not work for everyone. So if this method isn't for you, that's okay. I love sharing this segment in order to spark creative ideas for how we can mold advice and shape it into something that does work for us, if desired, and I hope to inspire you to discover your own creative, personalized language learning journey. If you like this episode, you can check out the other Good Advice Gone Wrong episodes: - Season 1 here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-9 - Season 2 here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-28 - Season 3 here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-49 Other content mentioned in this episode: E64: What I Love About Language Dabbling (curiosity): http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-64 E67: Let's Talk About Flashcards: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-67 Profondo Come il Mare, Leggero Come il Cielo (https://www.ibs.it/profondo-come-mare-leggero-come-libro-gianluca-gotto/e/9788804745440), by Gianluca Gotto Read more about getting lots of input for your language learning: Intensive Listening vs. Extensive Listening in English (https://www.leonardoenglish.com/blog/intensive-vs-extensive-listening#toc-4), by Emile Dodds on Leonardo English blog What to Know About Input-based Langauge Learning (https://www.fluentu.com/blog/learn/input-based-language-learning/), by Rachelawan on FluentU How I self-taught German to C1 using immersion - despite being busy and disorganized (https://www.monoglotanxiety.com/blog/how-i-learned-german-to-c1-using-immersion-despite-being-busy-and-disorganized/), by Elise Cutts (The title says "immersion," but read up! She talks about comprehensible input.) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

It's inevitable in our language learning that the reality of where we are on our journeys or what we're able to do doesn't match up with what we expected to happen. I know for me, this usually leads to be feeling frustrated, getting mad at myself, wishing I'd made different choices, and many the guilt and shame are overwhelming. What can we do to bounce back from this? What can we do when reality doesn't meet expectations in our language lives in order to move forward in a positive and helpful way? Today I share one of my very personal realities that hasn't met what I expected. I work through the feelings I've felt about it, the negative thoughts, and then the process of working toward a way ahead instead of remaining in my anger and frustration. Something interesting I realized as I was talking this out is that the journey I go through when reality doesn't meet expectations mirrors the five stages of grief, ending in acceptance and being at a place where I can logically decide what to do next. If you struggle with langauge journey expectations, especially with how to handle things when your language reality doesn't match up, give this episode a listen. Hopefully it sparks some inspiration for all language learners to process your own feelings and find a place from which you can continue the language learning that you love. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Today's episode is not to be missed! I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Emily Harris, the language loving woman behind Language Travel Adoptee, a YouTube channel aimed at helping others gain confidence in their language learning through self awareness and personal growth. Emily shares a lot of her own personal experiences learning languages as a high achieving perfectionist, a transracial adoptee learning the language of her birth country, and all the very intricate intersections of her life. Today we focus a lot on authenticity in language learning, but particularly from the aspect of content creation in a world like YouTube where content is often tailored toward clicks and likes and less about the authentic reality of oneself. It was so good to finally get to sit down with Emily and talk about some of the harder things many of us face in our language lives. She and I share many similarities in the history of our personalities and mindset, as well as similarities in our growth stories through navigating language learning in a holistic way. Don't miss the links below, where you can find and connect with Emily. Connect with Emily: Emily's Newsletter: Language Travel Adoptee (https://language-travel-adoptee.ck.page/5b31fef91b) Emily's YouTube: Language Travel Adoptee (https://www.youtube.com/@languagetraveladoptee) Emily's Podcast: Language Wellness and Identity Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/2eVbzHTByRNVbxlkPPoICO) Instagram: @languagetraveladoptee X (Twitter): @LangTravAdoptee Other content mentioned in this episode: How to Learn a Language (https://www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/podcasts/), Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Does Languages The Language Confidence Project (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcasts), by Emily Richardson Shhh, I'm Learning! (https://open.spotify.com/show/6v0GrjOA5UfLRd5vilj5lF), by Martha Summerlin Burt Goldman and Quantum Jumping (https://www.mindvalley.com/quantum) More interviews with Emily: Self-Compassion & Identity in Language Learning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzcDijthsJ8), How to Learn a Language, by Lindsay Williams Use Spiritual Practices to Quantum Leap to Fluency (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93U0dcrY_M), Laid-Back Languages Episode 143. Speaking Mandarin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J9f8KfsT1Y&list=PL4LpnS_O2PEuRtPkJg9mOi4UlIvuTNFYE&index=5&t=1s), Speaking Tongues Podcast, by Elle Charisse AFP 189 - Emily Harris: Language Learning, Culture, and PErfectionism as a Transracial Adoptee (https://open.spotify.com/episode/1NEh8DXZdGwXtjfT61Na9K), The Actual Fluency Podcast by Kris Broholm Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Today's episode is just a little reminder to meet your language learning energy where it is, not where you want it to be. It's too easy to push ourselves too hard or to be hard on ourselves when we aren't pushing, especially when we start to compare the intensity of or time spent with our languages to what it was a few days or months ago. What's important is to give yourself grace and realize that any tiny thing can change our energy. We move forward in a healthier way, and we maintain a better relationship with our languages and our entire language journey when we accept our energy as it is, meet it there, and do only what we really can. Go easy on yourselves, language learners. If you're feeling low on energy, don't push yourself beyond what you can do. And definitely don't make yourself feel bad for it. Know that just as your energy went down, it will go back up. You're doing amazing! Related Episodes From The Language Confidence Project: S4E20: Take that break (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s4e20) S4E23: Teach the person you arrived as this morning (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s4e23) S4E43: Start with the times you're in (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s4e43) S5E45: Showing up vs taking a break (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s5e45) S6E20: How will you tell your brain it's time to rest? (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s6e20) S6E35: You can be dedicated to something and still need a break (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s6e35) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode I'm talking more about what I think of language projects, the benefits of framing language activities and goals as projects, and what types of projects you could jump into in order to boost your skills, confidence, and motivation in your languages. Anything can be turned into or framed as a project, and for some it may just seem like semantics calling some of these things projects. I can't explain it, but for some reason, framing regular ol' language exercises, activities, and goals as "projects" actually makes a difference in how I approach the thing and the likelihood of me finishing it while gaining the language along the way. I hope you get something out of today's episode, and I would love to hear from you! Please reach out to me or leave a response below if you're listening on Spotify, and let me know what language projects you've taken on, what ones you want to do, or just what you think about this way of framing language tasks. I look forward to learning from you! Links from this episode: Related episodes of Love, Joy, and Languages: Episode 22: Am I Even Making Progress? (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-22); (on Spotify here (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2qRTY6TKjongoIl8ldRqIN?si=qIdKIK2fQ1-IjPt5TnYBbg)) Episode 70: A Polyglot's Journey of Discovery, Struggle, and Finding His Way (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-70); (on Spotify here (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2LVQyHUJyv9iopMa3HnT7A)) Episode 67: Let's Talk About Flashcards (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-67); (on Spotify here (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2CibOLaUHzWbBYmmSq78v2)) Episode 5: Facing Language Tasks We Tend To Avoid (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-5); (on Spotify here (https://open.spotify.com/episode/220mGXrwh6K0wxkKQgDqnc?si=yxrzUwtJQdKLnjyh5CrYMQ)) Lingua.com (https://lingua.com)* for learning languages through reading short texts. Speakly App (https://speakly.me)* *Not affiliated Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here, at www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

After a break to finish preparing for and actually taking my Italian CILS B2 exam, I'm back with a few reflections on this project I took on to take my Italian to the next level. As I studied and prepared for this exam, I noticed a lot of differences between how I was approaching it versus how I used to study and prepare for tests. It was a much less stressful experience, and no matter what my results are, I know I've got a lot to be proud of! Links from this episode: Ultralearning (https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/ultralearning/) by Scott H. Young Sara Hasbun's website, Miss Linguistic (https://misslinguistic.com/) Episode 10: Solidifying My Language Level (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-10), Love, Joy, and Languages Podcast Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode I'm chatting with my dear friend, Kuba, a polyglot and passionate language learner who has a fascinating history with languages. As a native Polish speaker, Kuba learned Spanish and English in school, Hungarian at University and through immersion, and Catalan through immersion before diving into a world of self-study. After becoming a polyglot in this way then dabbling in many languages for several years, Kuba started learning Turkish and realized that it wasn't as easy as his previous languages. He knew he could learn it because he'd learned so many languages before, but he struggled in a very unexpected way. Join Kuba and me today we we explore language curiosity, frustrations, and expectations. We dive into beliefs and doubts, avoiding and changing focus languages, goals versus projects, immersion and the weight of learning a language. Kuba brings so much experience and depth to conversations about languages, and what he brings is so much more than simple, cursory tips and tricks of what's worked for him. His openness about his struggles, especially while already being a polyglot and already having multiple fluent languages, is insightful, inspiring, and something from which I think each one of us can learn. Connect with Kuba here: X (Twitter): @langatu_ Instagram: @kubacki__ Other content mentioned in this episode: Kenny from Something Polyglot (https://somethingpolyglot.com/) Turkish Short Stories (https://us.teachyourself.com/products/short-stories-in-turkish-for-beginners) by Olly Richards Ultralearning (https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/ultralearning/) by Scott Young Episode 14: Navigating Language Learning Abroad - Interview with Sarah Knight (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-14); Love, Joy, and Languages Episode 49: Good Advice Gone Wrong: Move to a Country of Your TL (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-49); Love, Joy, and Languages Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Probably all of us have, at one point or another, had a goal of being fluent in our target language(s). When we think of being fluent, we often think of easily speaking the language, not having to think about what we're going to say, and just being able to spontaneously use the words and grammar we've acquired. There's this weird place I've found myself in with German where I can use the language in all the spontaneous situations I find myself in living in a German-speaking country, and yet I'm not fluent. I am very functional in the language, and I do use it with ease in most situations. But I'm far from fluent. This is a place on my language journey that's both exciting and frustrating. I'm excited to feel comfortable living in the country using the language. I'm frustrated because I can't fully express myself and be me in the language. I can function, but I don't feel like myself. I can't really showcase my personality, exhibit my intelligence, or converse about deep and meaningful things. Being functional but not fluent comes with a lot of complex thoughts and feelings, so in today's episode I start getting some of those thoughts out and guide a conversation that you can use as a starting point for your own unraveling of thoughts. Being functional in a language is a huge milestone. Be proud of that, and don't lose sight of it when you focus on getting to fluency. Links from this episode: Episode 25: What Is Fluency, Anyway? (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-25) Episode 68: Planning, Confidence, and Reflection w/Bront'e Singleton of The Polyglot Fox (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-68) The Language Confident Project (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/), by Emily Richardson Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Today's episode is one you won't want to miss! I recently sat down with Bront'e Singleton, the incredible woman behind The Polyglot Fox, to chat about her experiences learning languages and coaching others, guiding them to finding the right language path for themselves. Bront'e has a long list of languages she speaks and learns, and she is so inspiring. Bront'e shares some of the struggles she faced over the years trying to learn multiple and very diverse languages often at the same time, and she's built her coaching program, The Polyglot Fox, out of the lessons she learned along the way. The best part, I think, is that she demonstrates amazing openness and flexibility in how she guides language learners to reaching their goals at every single level. She understands that each one of us is different, and how we succeed will look different and fluctuate as we go along. Bront'e shares so much wisdom with us in this chat, especially when it comes to language study planning, building confidence, and allowing time for reflection to discover where we are and be honest with ourselves in order to choose the best next step. Speaking with Bront'e was an absolute delight, and I have no doubt you all will get something out of this conversation, as well! Connect with Bront'e here: The Polyglot Fox website (https://thepolyglotfox.com/) The Polyglot Fox blog (https://thepolyglotfox.com/category/blog/) The Polyglot Fox YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@thepolyglotfox) The Polyglot Fox on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thepolyglotfox/) Instagram: @thepolyglotfox TikTok: @thepolyglotfox Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

We've probably all used flashcards at one time or another to memorize vocabulary in our new languages, and I'm sure we've all hated them or at least been bored by them. Many, many language learners, coaches, and teachers bluntly tell us to stop using flashcards because they don't work. But that's simply false. It's a narrative built on the assumption that everyone uses flashcards in one very basic and prescriptive way, namely, a single word on one side in your target language, and that word translated to your native language on the other side. This isn't the only way to use flashcards, though. It's just the way we've all learned somwhere in our educational journeys. Most of the criticisms against flashcards that I find in language learning spaces only address the limitations of this basic flashcard method. They don't apply to more dynamic ways of creating and using flashcards. So that's what I'm talking about today. Flashcards can be used very effectively as a complement to your language routine and study time. They can be one tool in your toolbox that helps you make great progress and jump forward into new levels. This goes for other methods we use for language learning, as well. Being flexible and creative in how we use various language learning methods can counteract many of the limitations to the prescriptive ways we've learned. Also, we have to consider the expectations that we place on language learning tools. If we expect one single resource or method to teach us a language to high levels, then we're probably going to be very disappointed. Using multiple tools in conjunction with one another, as I share today, will bring about great progress. Flashcards can absolutely be one of those tools that really boosts your language skills. In this episode I share some of the most frequently stated criticisms of flashcards for learning a foreign language, the reasons people boldly claim that everyone should stop using flashcards, and I give recommendations based on my own experience for how to better use flashcards to counteract these claims. I'm not presenting anything new here. All the thoughts I give are recommendations I received from language learners before me, but now that I've used them to effectively progress both of my main target languages, even at an upper-intermediate level, I can say without a doubt that effective use of flashcards has been an integral piece to the best season of my language journey so far. Resources mentioned in this episode: Anki (https://ankiweb.net/about) flashcard app Lingua (https://lingua.com/) for reading practice at all levels Reverso (https://www.reverso.net/text-translation) translation site for context Linguee (https://www.linguee.com/) translation site for context Forvo (https://forvo.com/) for pronunciation iTalki (https://www.italki.com/en/i/ref/6eFGAf?hl=en&utm_medium=user_referral&utm_source=copylink_share) to find a teacher or tutor for conversation practice Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Manifesting. Some people love it. Some people believe it's hogwash. Wherever you stand, the truth remains that our actions lead to consequences. When our actions are in line with our goals (something that takes conscious awareness and intention), then the consequences will be in line with our desires. So it makes sense that our actions that are aligned with our language goals will lead to the language results we want. This is exactly what we're talking about today. I am delighted to share this conversation I had with French language coach Angel Pretot of French Fluency. I first learned of Angel's work in an interview he had with Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Does Languages (linked below), and this led me to Angel's work guiding French learners to fluency with manifestation. While there are many, many different explanations and thoughts about what manifesting is and how it works, there are also many misconceptions about it, as well, especially when it comes to language learning. Because, really, I don't hear a lot of people in language learning spaces talking about manifesting and how we can use the power of our brains to bring the language to us and to align ourselves better with our language goals. Despite what some people think, manifesting in language learning is not simply thinking your language into existence. I need to say this because I know it's a very common misconception. And that's why I wanted to bring Angel onto the show to break this all down for us, talk about what manifesting is and how we can harness it to take inspired action in our language lives that leads to the language outcomes we desire. Angel shares some very practical tips for how you can strengthen your language learning by implementing manifesting techniques to unlock the power of your brain to consciously work for you and lead you to your language learning goals faster and more enjoyably. Connect with Angel: Angel's website: French Fluency (https://www.frenchfluency.net/) Manifesting French Fluency (https://www.frenchfluency.net/manifesting) Angel's Podcast: Cultural Fluency (https://www.frenchfluency.net/cultural-fluency-podcast) Angel's YouTube: Angel Pretot - The French Coach (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjUdQ0mm-jrP00TjeVgXiLw) Other content mentioned in this episode: 4 Step Progess to Learn Any Language with Angel Pretot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Slb0CmzC1WI), Lindsay Does Languages Simone Pols (https://simonepols.com/), Language Coach and host of Simple Italian Podcast Denise Duffield-Thomas (https://www.youtube.com/@denisedt), Manifesting YouTube Channel Burt Goldman and Quantum Jumping (https://www.mindvalley.com/quantum) More interviews with Angel: Conversation with Angel Pretot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzCAryta-go), Chandra Gore Consulting Use Spiritual Practices to Quantum Leap to Fluency (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93U0dcrY_M), Laid-Back Languages Meditations that Help You Learn Languages (https://www.bitchute.com/video/wNVLdp00H5Hz/), Speakingpodcast Interview with Angel Pretot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgOC8vQCYFQ), Dr. Wayne Pernell - The Exceptional Success Coach Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

As language learners, we always want progress, right? We all want to move forward, learning new words and taking in the grammar. Yet, many times in my language journey, I've found myself making some progress just to look back and realize that the progress I made was actually the opposite of helpful. Instead, it was holding me back from reaching my goals faster and in a more enjoyable way. And it really comes down to hanging on to tools, methods, or resources that just aren't right for you and your goals. I'm talking here about ignoring red flags. We all want to make progress in our languages, but if we're making progress in a resource just for the sake of finishing the resource or just because someone else said it's good or because we're afraid of change, then that progress isn't the type of language advancement that we want. I've forced myself, several times, to keep using a resource just because I was seeing some results. I was learning new words. I was remembering a few things. I did learn some of the language. But, I hated opening the program. I dreaded coming back to it. But I was afraid that ditching it would be worse because I was making some progress. Looking back, it's easy to see that I would have been better off leaving the thing behind and seeking out language tools that were more effective for my needs and that would lead to greater progress. Looking back, it's easy to see that those negative feelings of dread and loathing were huge red flags screaming at me to change things up. But instead, I let my fear of failure get in the way, and I stuck it out far longer than was helpful...because there was some progress. It doesn't help anyone to stick with something that just isn't working. If there are red flags, do not stay. Move on to a new method, a new resource, a new tool. Sometimes "progress" is actually an illusion. Sometimes progress is slower than it needs to be. Sometimes we keep progressing, but we're simultaneously forging a negative bond with our languages because of the negative feelings we have for a resource. So today I share some of my experiences making unhelpful progress and provide some questions you can ask yourself if you find yourself in the same situation with your language. Related Episodes: Episode 16: Forging A Joyful Bond With Your Languages (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-16) Episode 29: Sunk Costs in Language Learning (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-29) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Are you a language dabbler? Do you enjoy playing around with new languages in a fun and non-committal way? Language dabbling isn't for everyone, but I really enjoy it, and I find several benefits to dabbling that actually help me keep my main languages going. Of course there are often connections between languages that help to strengthen our understanding of them, but I've also found that language dabbling helps me prevent and work through burnout, and it keeps me curious. It helps reignite the fire and preserve the joy I need to move forward in my main languages. If you're a language dabbler or if you're curious about playing around with new languages in a way that doesn't take away from your main focus languages, give today's episode a listen, and see if you can find language dabbling benefits for yourself. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Do you find that you doubt yourself way more than you believe in yourself when it comes to your language knowledge and skills? I certainly do, and it isn't always warranted. No matter your level, I think we can all find a balance in our language lives where we can trust what we know and also take time to verify when we come across something in the language that doesn't seem right. The thing is, all language resources have mistakes and/or language variance. Textbooks have printing errors, tutors and teachers also make mistakes, and then there are just differences in how languages are spoken within various regions or spans of time. When we come across these things, if we immediately doubt ourselves and doubt our abilities, then it just makes our learning journey more difficult and much less joyful. I think we can find a sweet spot where we trust the "pros" but also trust ourselves. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Have you ever noticed that the word "excuse" has grown a very negative connotation? It's far too easy to internalize the idea that we should be in our languages all the time, every spare moment of every day, and if we aren't, then whatever the reason, it's "just an excuse." While perhaps once intended to motivate, this phrase and similar others more often lead to guilt and shame, leaving us farther from our goals instead of closer to them. In today's episode I talk about the word "excuse," its negative undertone, and do by best to remind you that your excuses are valid. They are, in fact, excusable. There are an infinite number of reasons we have for not studying our languages or immersing in our languages every single day, even if we do find 15 minutes of space. No matter your level, no matter how long your pause, and no matter your reason, phrases like, "There are no excuses," only seek to blame and shame. But really, blame and shame have no space in language learning, and honestly in life. They don't motivate. They don't inspire. And they certainly don't validate the reality of our everyday lives. So listen in if you're tired of feeling the heavy burden of "excuses," and see how you can change your inner dialogue to give yourself some grace and get back into spending time with your languages in a more joyful and accepting way. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Welcome back! Season 4 is finally here, and I'm just starting off with a quick chat about what you're going to find in these episodes and also what I've been doing with my language learning for the last four or so months. I've been doing a ton of intensive language time with both Italian and German, I've been dabbling in a couple languages, and I've been trying to find a good balance between pushing forward and resting. Today's episode is light and, well, about me, but don't worry. Season 4 will be packed with a lot of versatile content that hopefully helps you feel confident in your own language learning life. Links from this episode: Simone Pols website (https://simonepols.com/) and podcast, Simple Italian Podcast (https://simonepols.com/simple-italian-podcast/) 6 Week Challenge (https://6wc.learnlangs.com) Lingua.com (www.lingua.com) website for learning languages through reading (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portugal & Brazilian Portugese) Leggero come il cielo, profondo come il mare (https://www.ibs.it/profondo-come-mare-leggero-come-libro-gianluca-gotto/e/9788804745440) by Gianluca Gotto German travel blog, We Travel the World (https://wetraveltheworld.de/) Sprachen lernen Blog (https://www.sprachenlernen.blog/), by Carl Duisberg Centren Sprachenlust Blog (https://sprachenlust.de/blog/), by Lena Müller Natural.Fluent.German (https://open.spotify.com/show/66RoY4vSCSiSmyNV84NfHe) & Deutsches Geplapper (https://naturalfluentgerman.com/my-blog/podcast-transkripte/) podcasts, by Flemming Boldbecher Verena König Podcast für Kreative Transformation (https://www.verenakoenig.de/blog-und-podcast/alle-folgen/) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In this Season 3 finale of Love, Joy, and Languages podcast, I share and celebrate language learning wins from listeners across the globe. Real life stories from real life language learners, inspiring us to see every bit of progress along our language journeys. In this episode, you'll hear stories from four language learners who recognize a variety of wins in their language lives. The achievements they've shared with me for this episode are inspiring for language learners of all types, ages, and levels. The languages they're celebrating include German, Turkish, Spanish, and French plus my own wins in Italian and German. Some of these language lovers are still at the beginning of learning their languages, and others are futher along, but one common theme is that they see the value in celebrating the multitude of accomplishments along the way. This episode is made for you, my listeners. Every win we have matters. No achievement is too small. Every success is significant, and every win is worth celebrating. Join me in today's season finale episode by cheering on those who shared their stories with me and for everyone else out there working on your new language. Take a moment to reflect on your own wins, and celebrate them! Feel the pride. Give yourself a round of applause. Brag about it on social media. You're doing great, and you can be proud of yourself and your achievements. Links from this episode: The Talking Ticket blog (https://thetalkingticket.blog/) by listener Lucy, also found @talkingticket on X Langatu (https://langatu.wordpress.com/), listener Kuba's blog Speak in Spades (https://www.speakinspades.com/), listener Tiara's website Melissa can be found on Instagram at @melsouz_a Love, Joy, and Languages episode with Tiara as a guest: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-56 Info on the The New Year, New Language Summit (https://2024.newyearnewlanguage.com/) is linked here (free tickets available!). Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang More language learning podcasts for you to check out: The Language Confidence Project (https://anchor.fm/emily-richardson1), by Emily Richardson Speaking Tongues Podcast (https://speakingtonguespodcast.com/), by Elle Charisse How to Learn a Language (https://howtolearnalanguage.fireside.fm/), by Lindsay Williams Talking to Grandma (https://languagepreservation.mykajabi.com/podcasts/talking-to-grandma), by Veronica Benavides Shhh, I'm Learning! (https://open.spotify.com/show/6v0GrjOA5UfLRd5vilj5lF) by Martha Summerlin The Fluent Show (https://www.fluent.show/), by Kerstin Cable The Language Learning Show (https://open.spotify.com/show/2KqaP5uKhR6oTYsRKIX7gS), by Azren Insecurities About Languages (https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alexandria-robinson2), by Alexandria Robinson A Language I Love Is... (https://dannybate.com/2023/09/04/introducing-a-language-i-love-is/), by Danny Bate Actual Fluency (https://actualfluency.com/actual-fluency-language-learning-podcast/), by Kris Broholm My favorite Italian podcasts: Italianglot (https://www.italianglot.com/podcast-feed/), by Carmine Albanese Stivale Italiano (https://www.stivaleitaliano.com/copy-of-home-1), by Alessandro and Carolina Simple Italian Podcast (https://simonepols.com/simple-italian-podcast/), by Simone Pols Vaporetto Italiano Podcast (https://anchor.fm/vaporetto-italiano/episodes), by Francesco Cositore The Teacher Stefano Show (https://www.teacherstefano.com/podcast), by Stefano Psicologia per eroi (https://open.spotify.com/show/5iJsp9pgAEW8UPkDfQQeg4), by Dott. Luca Proietti Curiosità della Storia (https://www.radio-italiane.it/podcasts/curiosita-della-storia), by Storica National Geographic Italiano in Podcas (https://www.ispeakitaliano.it/italiano-in-podcast-5/)t, by Paolo of I Speak Italiano My favorite German podcasts: Natural.Fluent.German (https://open.spotify.com/show/66RoY4vSCSiSmyNV84NfHe) & Deutsches Geplapper (https://naturalfluentgerman.com/my-blog/podcast-transkripte/), by Flemming Boldbecher Deutsch Podcast (https://deutsch-podcast.com/podcast-hoeren/), by Virpi Hach & Sandra Durán Muñoz Feminismus mit Vorsatz (https://www.feminismusmitvorsatz.de/), by Laura Vorsatz Eine Stunde History (https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/podcasts/download/eine-stunde-history), by Deutschlandfunk Nova Other language learning podcasts I've been on: Shhh, I'm Learning! (https://open.spotify.com/episode/079VZM8YYpPzHuUemtGaV6) with Martha Summerlin How to Learn A Language (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3pNaW4b6aRl1R1oSpyp2TQ?si=93fa2099ca514ccc&nd=1) with Lindsay Williams Actual Fluency Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IYoo07RctdUz2EV4CfKWQ?si=a26ea3fec92640b7&nd=1) with Kris Broholm The Italian Escape Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3gSJaCTJVjwqRlnirZFw08?si=dd4029bb75d84908&nd=1) with Angelique Lusuan & Gabriele Minucci The Future is Bilingual (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ZmWsHawlLrtPuoFzuNeOA) with Heather

I invited a very special language learning and language loving friend to co-host this episode with me and chat all about the joys of language learning. This is a very familiar voice in the language learning community, and it's such a pleasure to have Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Does Languages on the show! We had an absolute blast talking about loving languages and finding joy in learning them. We talk about current language learning wins, some favorite languages and connections to them (spoiler: you may want to learn Guarani after listening to Lindsay talk about it), and what keeps us joyfully teathered at each level of learning. Learning a language is a long road, and there are so many challenges along the way, but something that keeps us in the language learning world is all the joy we find in the process and the community. I hope you enjoy listening in to my chat with Lindsay, and I hope it reminds you of all the exciting things you find in your own language life. I was recently a guest on Lindsay's podcast "How to Learn a Language," where we chat about perfectionism & immersion. Blog, video, and audio formats of the interview can be found here on her site (https://www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/perfectionism-immersion-myths-that-need-debunking-with-heidi-lovejoy/). Lindsay can be found at: Website: Lindsay Does Languages (https://www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/) Podcasts: How to Learn a Language (https://open.spotify.com/show/6lDzDtfPLlXfetQnx8EeSs) and Teach Languages Online (https://open.spotify.com/show/0pFVzQIv9YLi6AX1QjQ1jH) Instagram: @lindsaydoeslanguages LinkedIn: Lindsay Williams (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindsayhwilliams/) Lindsay's Weekly Curated Spotify Playlist: Not My Mother Tongue (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5w71az9ijvXwtpBLMAXDSO) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang All episodes of the show can be found at www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com.

Are you the kind of language learner who meets something above your skill level and starts to tell yourself that you're just bad at this thing? It's too big. You're not the kind of person who can. You kinda already knew this language was too hard to begin with. I've found myself doing this loads of times while learning Italian and German, but a recent encounter with my daughter reminded me that sometimes we just need to get better first. We just need to get back to the language resources that are at our level and keep practicing. Instead of totally writing off those challenging things and telling ourselves that we're just bad at it, we're better served to remind ourselves that languages are hard, we are learning languages, and maybe we just aren't ready for what we've encountered...yet. We just have to get better first. If you're someone who loves learning languages and are looking for some extra insight into how to learn a language, then you've come to the right place. I love sharing my language journey as an adult language learner, and this includes the personal self-growth and mindset shift things many language learners don't often consider. Language learning is a beautiful and fulfilling journey, and it brings me great joy to share this love with passionate language learners like me. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

Today I'm talking about multitasking and monotasking. Multitasking, for me, is becoming something that really stresses me out. More often than not, I make mistakes and have to redo something, get easily distracted and frustrated, or completely forget what I'm doing. Multitasking affects our language learning not only when we're trying to do multiple language things at once, but also because all parts of our lives come together to affect each other. Every area of our lives that's vying for our time, attention, and thoughts, affects all other areas. So today I'm breaking down the ways in which I find myself multitasking, share how they affect my language progress, and talk a bit about what I'm trying to do to be more mindful in my language life...and all other parts of my life. Multitasking certainly has its place in life, and it isn't always bad. But being aware of the potential negative consequences and knowing how it makes us feel or negatively impacts our progress is the first step to creating a joyful language experience. Links from this episode: The Language Confidence Project, S1E18: Eliminate the monor irritations (https://open.spotify.com/episode/1TSWfXw9ntOvKa76mQdnTY), by Emily Richardson of The Language Confidence Project (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/) (

This month has been an absolute whirlwind. Things are so busy, and every day there are so many things that need my attention, between work, kids starting school, general parenting, appointments, and house chores. Honestly, it's just all too much. I recently realized, however, that as my to-do list grows but my time and energy shrink, I've started asking myself this one simple question to be really honest with myself about my expectations. "What really matters?" Some days I try to do it all, and I feel defeated (and angry, negative, powerless, frustrated) when I can't do it all. Other days I realize that it's okay not to do it all because I was never meant to in the first place. My expectations were too high. So asking this quesiton, "What really matters?" allows me to focus on the things that matter most and put off other things until my time and energy allow. It's been a lifesaver this month. This question can be so valuable to language learning. Whether I'm stressed about not reaching the highest levels of Italian or not being what anyone would consider "fluent" in German, if I ask myself what really matters, then I realize it's okay. I'm doing okay. I can still keep working toward the highest levels of Italian, but what really matters is that I can converse with my Italian-speaking friends. I keep working on my German, but what really matters is that I feel comfortable communicating in the situations that arise living in the country. I can do both of these things, so keeping that in perspective helps me progress from here in a joyful, low-stress way. Because everything else doesn't really matter right now. They're just extras. So I can give them my attention when my time and energy are higher. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Though "parent" is in the title, this is an episode for all. Language learning was the first area in my life where I started being able to face some of my personal demons and really start on a path to self-acceptance and growth. The skills I've gained through this journey of learning languages have absolutely been useful in other areas of my life, as well, like in parenting. There are so many similarities between how I used to approach language learning and how I've approached parenting. While it may sound odd at first, this shouldn't be surprising because there's one common factor here - me. The perfectionist language learner in me is also the perfectionist parent. The part of me that lacks confidence and always assumes I'm wrong when it comes to languages is the same part of me that always assumes I'm screwing up in parenting. And the side of me that beats myself up over language mistakes and just wishes I could go back in time to prevent the mistake? Yep, she's there in my parenting, as well. It just so happens that, for me, language learning was the first area of my life where I could start facing these things, questioning them, and figuring out how to overcome them or at least live with them in a better headspace. So when I started finding better ways to deal with these things in my language life, of course I eventually started asking myself if they'd work in my parenting, as well. I'm not at the end-state of this story, though. I absolutely still have down days and troubling times when I fall back into my old ways, both in languages and in parenting, and I'm not here to paint a picture of perfection that simply isn't reality. But let's start talking about these intersections of life because none of the challenges we face exist alone, and recognizing what challenging parts overlap can be incredibly useful to accelerating your personal growth, as well as your language growth. Links from this episode: New Year New Language Summit (https://2024.newyearnewlanguage.com/), Online, 10-14 January 2024 Multilingual Parenting Websites: The Language Preservation Project (https://thelanguageproject.co/) Bhasha Kids (https://bhashakids.com/) Multilingual Parenting (https://multilingualparenting.com/articles/) Multilingual Family (https://www.multilingual.family/https-multilingualfamilypodiacom-about) Multilingual Parenting Podcasts & Videos: Talking to Grandma Podcast (https://languagepreservation.mykajabi.com/podcasts/talking-to-grandma) The Future is Bilingual (https://thefutureisbilingual.wordpress.com/) Bilingual Parenting Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/31Ae68sigZ1kL60Qz6fEO0) Speaking Tongues Podcast (https://speakingtonguespodcast.com/latest-episodes-language/) (Not multilingual parenting specifically, but Elle has tons of guests who grew up multilingual and/or are multilingual parents, so there's a wealth of resources and networking here) Multilingual Family (https://www.youtube.com/@MultilingualFamily/featured) on YouTube Multilingual Parenting (https://www.youtube.com/@Multilingualparenting) on YouTube Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode I'm talking about building habits and routines. This all started with me wanting to make a habit out of going to the library every week with my kids, getting books, and reading them. Sounds simple, right? But after a few weeks of the kids complaining and us bringing home books that were then never opened, I started to feel like this was a useless endeavor. I was clearly failing at such a simple activity, so I might as well just give up. This all-or-nothing thinking doesn't work for me anymore, though, so I gave it some thought and identified what was really going on, and it all came down to expectations I had that were rooted in the word "habit." So today I talk about the difference between habits and routines and why that could be important to your mindset. I share how I've worked to turn this library and reading thing into a whole process that, little-by-little, is actually working for us to do the thing that I've desired to repetitively and frequently do for so long. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode, I'm chatting with German teacher Kris of Deutsch mit Kris. Kris shares her story of how she got into the German language as a high school student from the Southern United States. She had the typical story many of us know growing up in a place where only one language is spoken, taking a few years of language in school, and performing really well but not being able to speak the language. Yet something happened for Kris that sparked her interest in German, and luckily, she followed that curiosity all the way to living and studying in Germany and then to becoming a teacher of the language. But her path wasn't that simple. Kris shares many of the struggles she experienced having a high level of academic German but still not feeling like she could speak it at all. She tells a wonderful story of how she grew into her advanced level German, gaining ability and confidence as she found a way to force herself into speaking situations; she explains how her experiences in language classrooms shaped her entire teaching philosophy and methods; and she talks a bit about what she does to continue learning and expanding her German while living in the country as an advanced speaker and teacher of the language. We cover being a science/math person who also loves languages, how cultural misunderstandings affect when and how we speak our languages, and helpful versus unhelpful feedback from others. Kris has such an honest and down-to-earth approach to language learning, and listening to her share how she worked to overcome her own hurdles and then translated those into helping her students is so exciting. I love her approach, I love her transparency in her own journey, and I have no doubt you all will enjoy it, too. Kris's online info is below, so you can connect with her, nerd out over languages and math with her, and share her German course with anyone you know who can benefit from her work. Find Kris Here: Website: Deutsch mit Kris (https://deutschmitkris.com/) YouTube: Deutsch mit Kris (https://www.youtube.com/@deutschmitkris) Instagram: @deutschmitkris Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode I share 4 (or 4.5) tips for creating benchmarks along your language journey to guarantee that your future self will recognize and believe that you're making progress. In language learning, it's really easy to be so down in the weeds and the details of studying and practicing that progress feels slow or even stagnant. Yet, every single word we learn is a tiny bit of growth, and the more progress we see, the more we keep coming back for more. But it can be difficult to recognize that progress, especially if we don't work toward a particular measure of progress like taking a level exam or counting the number of words we learn or something like that. But why wait for those big measures of progress to happen? At any point in your language journey, you can intentionally create meaningful bencharks that will set you up for future moments of progress recognition. I hope today's episode allows you to brainstorm some creative ideas that bring a little extra excitement, motivation, and pride into your language life. If you like the idea of making sure you see the language progress that you're making (because you are making progress), check out episode 22 here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-22), where I talk about the role mindfulness also plays in seeing and believing our language progress. Links to other resources for getting ideas on how to realize and measure your language progress and growth: Blogs & Articles: * How to Record Your Language Learning Progress (https://www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/how-to-record-your-language-learning-progress/) by Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Does Languages * Language Learning Progress: 9 Ways to See How Far You've Come (https://www.fluentu.com/blog/language-learning-progress/) by Meredith Kreisa on FluentU * Keeping Track of Your Learning (https://lindiebotes.com/2021/04/07/how-to-track-language-progress/) by Lindie Botes * The Ultimate Language Learning Guide Part III: Commitment -- Drops (https://medium.com/languagedrops/the-ultimate-language-learning-guide-part-iii-commitment-drops-d42b597ad3) by Shannon Kennedy, published in Languagedrops Podcasts & Videos: * Signs That You're Making Progress with Language Learning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2U71LB9nLk) by Grace of Guresu * Don't Let the Intermediate Plateau Scare You (https://anchor.fm/emily-richardson1/episodes/S2E13-Dont-let-the-intermediate-plateau-scare-you-e1o2rf3) by Emily Richardson of The Language Confidence Project * 5 Steps for Creating Your Language Habit (https://www.fluent.show/130) by Kerstin Cable of The Fluent Show * Tracking Your Language Learning Progress (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y-QvN_9u5o) by Lindie Botes Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode I'm talking about overstimulation and how it affects my language learning. As language learners, I think we often get the message that speaking and listening are the most important skills to work on. I've struggled with getting in a significant amount of speaking and listening practice in both of my languages, which comes with a lot of guilt. Lately, though, I'm coming to realize that my struggle is more than the usual fear of making mistakes, not being confident, and feeling uncomfortable when I don't understand something or can't find the words I'm looking for. Although all of those things have definitely been true for me, there's a lot more to unpack here. Even though I have conversation lessons, speak with friends in my languages, and use one of them almost daily in my community, I feel a lot of guilt when I don't speak to myself in my languages when I'm in the car alone or while getting myself ready in the morning. Even though I listen to Italian music daily and hear German all around me, I feel a lot of guilt when I don't listen to a podcast on my languages on my commute home or while I'm cleaning up after dinner. But ya know what, sometimes I just can't do it. For my own sanity, I can't listen to anything in any language. For my own sanity I can't listen to anyone talk, even if it's myself, and even if it's a language I absolutely love. Instead, I just need to process my thoughts, reserve my energy for my kids, or just...be. Some days or weeks, I find joy and comfort in filling the little moments with language time, but other times, I don't. And then I feel guilty. My negative thoughts tell me that I just don't have it in me, I'm not the kind of person who does, and I'm never going to reach the level I want because I'm slacking too much. But instead of giving in to the guilt and the negative thoughts, I'm trying to question them and allow myself to see and believe the bigger picture of me. More often than not, I'm just feeling overstimulated, overwhelmed, and/or completely drained of energy, and I need to seek out silence instead. And that's okay. There's no reason for any of us to feel guilty for taking care of what we need for our mental health, so I really needed to explore that today, and I hope it reaches those who need to hear this message, as well. Links from this episode: Stephen Krashen's Comprehension Hypothesis (http://sdkrashen.com/content/articles/comprehension_hypothesis_extended.pdf) The Language Confidence Project (https://open.spotify.com/show/5nM0fRi9tUDvl2XNHhsuqt) podcast, by Emily Richardson (link to Spotify) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In this third episode of "Good Advice Gone Wrong," a segment in which I highlight some really good language learning advice that can also go wrong, I talk about moving to a country where your target language is spoken. I hear (or read on social media) language learners giving this advice almost daily, and I can't deny that it's amazing for immersion and natural input. There are so many benefits to learning a language while abroad, but it isn't a guaranteed path to success. Not only that, but moving abroad isn't possible for everyone, which can create a sense of missing out on some magic key to success. I started learning Italian after we moved to Italy (literally, I looked up the word for "thank you" while I was waiting at baggage claim and realized I didn't know how to say anything!), and most of my German acquisition has been while living in Germany. I can't say that moving to the countries hasn't helped me or that I've completely failed, but I can definitely say that in-country immersion hasn't been the missing piece to my language puzzle that effortlessly gave me the language. Today I share three ways in which moving to a country of your target language could go wrong. Living abroad is something I wish everyone had the means and opportunity to do. Expanding our horizons, worldviews, mentalities, and experiencing and appreciating other cultures are invaluable. But when it comes to learning a language in a country where it's spoken, it isn't always rainbows and butterflies. There are still challenges, it can still be a long and difficult road, and living abroad isn't a guarantee that one will learn the local language. Things like culture shock, native-language bubbles, and our own personal roadblocks are just three things that can cause this good advice to go wrong. It's important not to restrict ourselves to taking advice exactly as-is and putting too much stock into one single method being the magic trick to acquiring and speaking the language of our desires. I also give some words specifically to those who are living abroad and find that the natural immersion just doesn't seem to be helping them improve their languages. I, too, have this experience, and I completely understand. I share my thoughts on what you can do to overcome the roadblocks you've found (some of which I'm currently trying out myself), and hopefully it sparks some ideas of your own. I also speak to those who want to move or travel abroad but aren't yet able to do so. Moving country takes time, money, and a lot of sacrifice. It really isn't simple advice, even though many toss it around as such. I see you. I know the stranded and frustrated feelings of not being able to be where you want to be. For you, I also spend some time giving my most creative ideas for building an immersive environment right where you are for little-to-no money, and I hope you get some fantastic ideas of your own that allow you to connect with the language and culture of your dreams. There are countless methods for learning a language, and I believe that all of them are good, but they aren't all good for everyone. Instead of just giving language learning advice, this recurring segment focuses on reasons specific pieces of good advice may not work for everyone. So if this method isn't for you, that's okay. I love sharing this segment in order to spark creative ideas for how we can mold advice and shape it into something that does work for us, if desired, and I hope to inspire you to discover your own creative, personalized language learning journey. If you like this episode, you can check out Good Advice Gone Wrong from Season 1 here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-9), where I talk about watching kids' TV in your target language, and from Season 2 here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-28), where I go over doing what you love but in your target language. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode, I'm speaking with Dr. Veronica Benavides. Veronica is a Harvard-trained doctora of education with several years of experience in creating meaningful learning environments for children. She is also the founder and CEO of The Language Preservation Project and host of Talking to Grandma podcast, both of which were created as resources for other heritage language learners and for building community around reversing the trend of language loss across generations. Veronica is a heritage Spanish speaker and also a mother raising her children in Spanish as part of a multilingual/multicultural household. In our chat, Veronica shares her story of growing up in the U.S. with Spanish-speaking parents who chose to raise their children in English. While she gained some Spanish in childhood, she walks us through her path to discovering a passion for her heritage language in college. She shares her experiences living in Mexico City as a Fulbright Scholar and raising her children in Spanish even as she herself was still learning so much about the language. Veronica and her husband maintain three languages with their children, and she tells us what that looks like for their family on a day-to-day basis. Her experiences raising her children in her heritage language is an amazing example of perseverance and strength, rebellion and acceptance, love and grace. She shares inspirational words of advice and encouragement for all parents raising multilingual children, but especially for those passing on their heritage language to their kids. She talks about emotional and technical challenges she's faced in her journey and also about the moments that pushed her forward. Something really incredible about Veronica's story is what she and other Latina women are building to help other heritage language speakers on a multilingual/multicultural parenting journey. They've seen and experienced the gaps in resources for cultural and linguistic diversity in Spanish language resources, despite the incredibly diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds of Latinx communities in the United States, and they are actively bridging that gap. Please check out and share The Language Preservation Project and Talking to Grandma podcast, linked below. Find Veronica's Work Here: The Language Preservation Project (https://thelanguageproject.co/) Instagram: @languagepreservationproject Talking to Grandma Podcast (https://languagepreservation.mykajabi.com/podcasts/talking-to-grandma) Instagram: @talkingtograndma Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

If you're like me, you sometimes find yourself listening to a podcast like this about language learning, in your native language or one that's very advanced, as a way to escape the actual language learning you want to be doing. It sounds crazy to those who don't experience this feeling, but language avoidance is a real thing for many language learners, and podcasts like this can feel great because we're improving our general language learning by listening to shows like mine. But, I also want to honor your language time by creating space for you to study. We're all busy. There are so many things to manage and improve. So today's episode, after the introduction, is 20 minutes of silence with a 10-minute notification. It's a place holder for you to do something with your language. I decided to create this episode to give a little nudge to anyone who comes here and also wants to study, to anyone who comes here to sort of avoid a language thing but still wants to be connected, and also as a placeholder for language time. Any time you have 10 to 20 minutes to study and need some accountability or a bit of a boost, come back to this episode. Download it and keep it in your playlist, and any time you're having difficulties getting started, come back to this episode, and I will be here with this study time placeholder for you. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In this epsiode, I share my current situation with German. For a long time I felt like I was at an impasse with the language, and I needed to decide to either commit to pushing forward or circle back around to the beginning to strengthen my abilities. I distinctly remember being at this place with Italian, and that time, I pushed forward. The problem was that I did it out of fear. I was afraid of being behind where I should be. I was afraid I didn't have time to go back and review or pass through old material. I was afraid that going back would reveal too many failures of things I didn't know. I struggled to face those things that I thought I should know by that point. So when I reached this point with German, I decided it would be valuable to do things different. My intuition told me that I had missed several things on my first pass through the beginner level and that it would be beneficial to me to go back through and pick up on more of those things. So I listened. But what does "starting over" even mean when I can already function in the language in a country where it's spoken? How does one start over when they're already at the cusp of an intermediate level understanding of the language? Listen in to discover all my thoughts and perceptions, including what exactly I've done and how it's going. I promise, it's not quite as boring and crazy as it sounds. Also, enjoy the sporadic sound of birds chirping in the background. It was such a pleasant day when I recorded this episode, and I couldn't bring myself to shut the windows or hide away from the fresh air and feelings of nature! Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

Today I share my list of words and phrases that I often switch to my native for during convo lessons. Kenny of Something Polyglot (https://somethingpolyglot.com/) once pointed out to me that I often switch to English for things like, “How do you say?,” or “What's the word?” Once he brought this to my attention, I started noticing lots of little phrases that aren't part of the main conversation, so I habitually leave the conversation language to say them in my native language. Making a list of these words and phrases has been very useful for me to consciously change my habit of switching to English and immediately increase the amount of time I spend in my target languages when speaking them. Quite literally, the day after Kenny pointed this out, I had a conversation with Sara of Italiano con Saretta (https://italianoconsaretta.com/), and I spent much more time in Italian because I was actively remembering to say these little phrases in Italian. Immediate boost! Listen in to hear my list of things that I'm working to stop habitually saying in English, and I hope you're inspired to create your own list or become mindful of your own native language phrases that peek their heads during your target language conversations. This mindfulness will allow you to spend more time in your new languages, build more confidence, and provide proof that you're doing this thing! Thanks, Kenny, for giving me this boost! Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In this episode, I share a fascinating and wonderful chat I had with Urmi Hossain, a polyglot, author, YouTuber, and a woman empowering and inspiring others. Urmi shares her history of language learning, which began in childhood as she grew up in Italy with Bengali heritage. She tells of growing up in Sicily, speaking Bengali at home and Italian in the community and how she often felt in between worlds, neither fully Italian nor fully Bengali. Urmi takes us through her path toward realization that she doesn't have to choose between cultures and which one she identifies with, and that, in fact, she is of both – Italian by birth and Bengali by blood. In this chat, we get to hear about Urmi's journey through other languages, as well, about the challenges she faced moving to Montreal as a French speaker, and about her passion for Spanish. You will hear the love for Spanish in her voice as she takes us through her travel experiences in Mexico and the Dominican Republic! It was such a pleasure to have this chat with Urmi and be given the honor of hearing her personal story of self- and cultural identity and the role languages have played in that. I hope you enjoy her stories as much as I did, and make sure you check out her work linked below. Find Urmi's Work Here: Book: Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth from Interracial Struggle (https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0B75X14G7/ref=sr_1_2?crid=38ODHSOSYZ3W8&keywords=urmi+hossain&qid=1658373403&sprefix=urmi+hossain%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-2) Blog: My Ways (https://www.myways.ca/), a female-focused platform to empower girls and women to take control of every aspect of their lives Youtube channel: Urmi Hossain (https://www.youtube.com/@urmihossain/featured), a channel about study methods for the CFA, career, language learning, and personal growth Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

One of the biggest issues language learners have is making comparisons to others. Comparison is part of human nature, though, and I'm not here to tell you to just stop comparing because it's the thief of joy and no one else is like you so comparisons aren't even legit to begin with. Even though I believe those things are true, they're also not exactly practical for everyone, and sometimes I think the more energy we give to avoiding comparisons, the more energy we actually give to making comparisons because we give energy to fighting something, which gives energy to that thing instead of really addressing what's going on internally. Comparisons by themselves aren't always bad. Making comparisons is part of how we process the world around us, create identity, make choices, and become inspired. But comparisons can be a gateway to jealousy, and that's a dangerous path. When comparisons turn into jealousy, it's much more difficult to see our progress, to be proud of our accomplishments, or to be content and joyful in our language journey. And when someone has a history like mine that's overshadowed by years of extreme jealousy, comparisons are even more dangerous. Even as an ex-jealous person, there have been many times when I've felt a bit of relapse into that negative mental space of jealousy when I'm not learning as fast as someone else or when I'm reminded that I didn't have the opportunity to grow up bilingual or do an immersion program at university, for example. I have to acknowledge that jealousy happens for me, especially in language learning because of the nature of language learning, the vulnerability of being a beginner, and the fact that no matter what I do, there will always be someone better with a different path that is seemingly easier than mine. Thankfully, my jealousy usually stops before getting severe and internally destructive, and that's what I explore today. Listen in to hear about my history as an extremely jealous person, shifting away from jealousy and learning to appreciate and celebrate others' experiences, and how it affects my language learning. I talk about what I do in my language life to protect my mindset when jealousy starts to rise up. Links from this episode: Language Travel Adoptee (https://www.youtube.com/@languagetraveladoptee/featured), by Emily Harris on YouTube E6: Jealous of your past accomplishments and feel like you don't match up now? (https://open.spotify.com/episode/7hFBkJJgZAAe5rrDZiziEX?si=934fac1feb114da7&nd=1), Language Wellness and Identity Podcast, by Emily Harris Episode 37: Celebrating my 3-Year Soberversary (And What That Even Has To Do With Langauges) (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-37), Love, Joy, and Languages Podcast Episode 25: What Is "Fluency," Anyway? (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-25), Love, Joy, and Languages Podcast Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode, I share my top tips for what to do when you feel stuck in your languages. It's totally normal to reach a point where you don't know what to do next, what to study, or you feel uninspired, your motivation is dipping, and you feel like your learning is getting stagnant. This can happen at any point in your language journey, and I think the strategies I share today are useful at every level. Or at least, learners of all levels can find some inspiration here. Listen in to discover what I do when I'm feeling stuck, and I hope it sparks some ideas for yourself to get creative and build your own strategies that work for you. There is so much good advice out there for what to do when feeling stuck, and I know my methods aren't for everyone, so I won't leave you hanging on my words. You can find more tips, tricks, and strategies used by other language learners here: Podcasts: (any episodes that link to Spotify can also be found on any other podcast platform) The Language Confidence Project: (these episodes and MANY more!) S1E5: Stop planning and start starting! (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3NoS8pcS0GcGL5SdCNj6U9) S2E13: Don't let the intermediate plateau scare you (https://open.spotify.com/episode/0mropkVwnTZwKtxqOiQKSa) S3E45: Do the thing you're avoiding (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3MxVxRCxZ2xWDPM1cCg3GG) S4E14: When doubts are derailing your studies (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ml9Xyq8QhWcUoV6zw8MkJ) S4E26: What decisions are you not making? (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4JuumNaYXXNabB4cY6BMd2) The Fluent Show: Episode 115: Notes From An Intermediate Speaking Dilemma (https://www.fluent.show/115) Episode 136: Frustrated! What To Do When You Just Can't (https://www.fluent.show/136) Episode 149: A Language Learner's Guide to Mindset, Mantras & Emotions (https://www.fluent.show/149) Episode 193: How To Reach Higher Langauge Levels (https://www.fluent.show/193) Episodes from other wonderful pods: The Future Is Bilingual Ep. 51: Spice up your language learning routine (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3r5OzFLekJdg8W3k4bB2Is) Language Chats Podcast: Ep #076 - Help! I'm not a beginner anymore: Navigating the intermediate language learning stage (https://www.languagelovers.com.au/podcast/ep-076) YouTube: How to ENJOY language learning when you're stuck (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-LvFN62nc), by Language Travel Adoptee How to get UNSTUCK in Langauge Learning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE03LByUjMI), by soundlyawake How to Get Unstuck in Language Learning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9FRGz3ZIb4), by Luca Lampariello How to get unstuck in your language learning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zip7-Y2-dAU), by Multilingual Mastery Blogs: How to Break Through a Language Learning Plateau (http://eurolinguiste.com/break-language-learning-plateau/), by Shannon Kennedy of EuroLinguiste If You're Feeling Stuck Learning a Language (https://medium.com/the-language-learning-hub/if-youre-feeling-stuck-learning-a-language-one-of-these-two-exercises-could-help-746375a3948b)," by Mathias Barra on Medium.com The Dreaded Language Learning Plateau: How to Rise Above It (https://www.fluentu.com/blog/language-learning-plateau/), by Meredith Kreisa on FluentU Links from this episode: Ultimo on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/artist/3hN3iJMbbBmqBSAMx5veDa?autoplay=true) and YouTube Music (https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCv-FuU7xoxY8auq4r66KRFg). National Geographic in German here (https://www.nationalgeographic.de/) National Geographic in Italian here (https://www.nationalgeographic.it/) Stivale Italiano podcast (https://www.stivaleitaliano.com/) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

Welcome back to Season 3! In this episode, I talk about how we view and use resources with respect to finishing them. In Episode 1 (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-1), I talked about history of having a strong internal desire to finish every resource I use or language project I begin. I'm a bit of an extreme case, I think, because it's been more than just wanting to finish what I started or valuing the content of the resources I find and finishing for the sake of learning the things they teach. From the beginning of my language journey, I felt behind and like I needed to catch up, and finishing a resource seemed to be the ultimate marker of progress. Yet, focusing on finishing made every resource feel like a chore. It sucked the fun out of the process, and I found myself avoiding things rather than working on them. This misguided objective of finishing things stayed with me for years, and every time I started something new and didn't finish it within some arbitrary amount of time, I felt like a failure. Not finishing was clearly an indicator of my inability to learn a language, despite the fact that I was actually learning the language. Ceasing to use a resource, whether I liked that resource or not, validated my core belief that I wasn't the kind of person who could learn a language, that I was too old, not motivated enough, not dedicated enough or hard-working enough. Today I dig deep into this history and the mindset I worked under for several years and how it led to burnout, stress, frustration, guilt, shame, and very slow progress with little joy. I share the process I went through to bring myself out of this finishing mentality (beginning with sobriety, which I talk about here in Episode 37 (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-37)) and what my language learning focus looks like today. There have also been some very unexpected benefits to changing up how I view and use resources, helping me tackle other language learning problems I've had as a perfectionist, such as hoarding resources and not using them to their full potential. I hope you get something out of my story and insights today, and I'm so happy to have you here. Thank you for coming back to Season 3! Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In this Season 2 Finale, I share and celebrate language learning wins from listeners across the globe. Real life stories from real life language learners, inspiring us to see every bit of progress along our language journeys. In this episode, you'll hear stories from eight language learners who recognize a wide variety of wins in their language journeys. The achievements they've shared with me for this episode are inspiring for language learners of all types, ages, and levels. The languages they're celebrating include Portuguese, Norwegian, Russian, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Welsh, and Darija, plus my own win in German. Some are still in the beginner phase of acquiring their languages, and others are futher along. Some are working on their first or second non-native language, and others their fourth or...tenth. This episode is made for you, my listeners. Every win we have matters. No achievement is too small. Every success is significant, and every win is worth celebrating. Join me in today's episode by cheering on those who shared their stories with me and for everyone else out there working on your new language. Take a moment to reflect on your own wins, and celebrate them! Feel the pride. Give yourself a round of applause. Brag about it on social media. You're doing great, and you can be proud of yourself and your achievements. Links from this episode: @rhapsodyinlingo (Rhapsody in Lingo on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/c/rhapsodyinlingo)) @kerstin_fluent (The Fluent Show Podcast (https://www.fluent.show/episodes) & Kerstin's website (https://www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/)) @thefutureisbilingual (The Future is Bilingual Podcast (https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual)) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang More of my favorite language podcasts for you to check out: The Language Confidence Project (https://anchor.fm/emily-richardson1), by Emily Richardson Speaking Tongues Podcast (https://speakingtonguespodcast.com/), by Elle Charisse How to Learn a Language (https://howtolearnalanguage.fireside.fm/), by Lindsay Williams Language Hacking (https://www.fluentin3months.com/podcast/), by Benny Lewis & Shannon Kennedy Talking to Grandma (https://languagepreservation.mykajabi.com/podcasts/talking-to-grandma), by Veronica Benavides Language Chats Podcast (https://www.languagelovers.com.au/podcast), by Penny & Bec My favorite Italian podcasts: Stivale Italiano (https://www.stivaleitaliano.com/copy-of-home-1), by Alessandro and Carolina Simple Italian Podcast (https://simonepols.com/simple-italian-podcast/), by Simone Pols Vaporetto Italiano Podcast (https://anchor.fm/vaporetto-italiano/episodes), by Francesco Cositore The Teacher Stefano Show (https://www.teacherstefano.com/podcast), by Stefano Podast Italiano (https://podcastitaliano.com/), by Davide News in Slow Italian (https://www.newsinslowitalian.com/), by Linguistica360 The Italian Escape Podcast (https://www.theitalianescapepodcast.com/episodes), bilingual Italian-English, by Angelique Lusuan & Gabriele Minucci Mitologia: le meravigliose storie del mondo antico (https://www.spreaker.com/show/mitologia-le-meravigliose-storie-del-mon), by Alessandro Gelain My favorite German podcasts: Natural.Fluent.German (https://open.spotify.com/show/66RoY4vSCSiSmyNV84NfHe) & Deutsches Geplapper (https://naturalfluentgerman.com/my-blog/podcast-transkripte/), by Flemming Boldbecher Deutsch Podcast (https://deutsch-podcast.com/podcast-hoeren/), by Virpi Hach & Sandra Durán Muñoz Slow German (https://slowgerman.com/), by Annik Rubens Sprach Venture (https://www.podcast.de/podcast/2529098/sprachventure-podcast-sprachen-lernen-sprachreisen-mehr), by Markis Galli Feminismus mit Vorsatz (https://www.feminismusmitvorsatz.de/), by Laura Vorsatz Eine Stunde History (https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/podcasts/download/eine-stunde-history), by Deutschlandfunk Nova Korean learning podcasts: Talk to Me in Korean (https://talktomeinkorean.com/podcasts/), by TTMIK (link to 4 podcasts) Sponge Mind (https://soundcloud.com/spongemind), by Jonson Lee Podcast in European Portuguese: Mia's Portuguese Podcast (https://learn-portuguese.org/european-portuguese-podcast), by Mia Esmeriz Practice Portuguese (https://www.practiceportuguese.com/posts-all/?post_types=post), by Practice Portuguese Say it in Portuguese (https://sayitinportuguese.pt/podcast-SiiP), by Christina

I invited a very special language learning friend to co-host this episode with me and chat all about the joys of language learning. By now you're probably familiar with my Italian teacher, Kenny from Something Polyglot, and it was an absolute pleasure to speak with him about loving languages and finding joy in learning them. Learning a language is a long road, and there are so many challenges along the way, but something that keeps us in the language learning world is all the joy we find in the process. I hope you enjoy listening into my discussion with Kenny, and I hope it reminds you of all the exciting things you find in your own language life. If you want to hear more from Kenny, the following are language learning interviews he's done: Speaking Tongues Podcast, episode 116. Speaking Finnish (https://anchor.fm/speaking-tongues/episodes/116--Speaking-Finnish-e1paonu) My Fluent Podcast, epiosode 108 - Something Polyglot - Kenny from Belgium (https://www.myfluentpodcast.com/108-something-polyglot-kenny-from-belgium/) Language Come Up Livestream: Episode 2 with Something Polyglot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQ8INq7dPHk) Polyglot Insights, Two Polyglots Speaking a Bunch of Languages in Madrid, Spain (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKP0Zlaxino&t=34s) Polyglot Insights, Fellow Polyglot in Madrid shares his Learning Method and Strategies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zP2Vd9tYdg&t=15s) Kenny can also be found at: Something Polyglot website (https://somethingpolyglot.com/) Instagram: @something.polyglot Twitter: @Kenny_DB1983 Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode, I talk about language victories we have along our journeys that have nothing to do with reaching the next level. Moving up a language level is often our overarching objective, but sometimes reaching a new level is so far away that it's difficult to recognize our progress. And progress, by the way, doesn't only show up in results. Sometimes it's easy to see these victories when they have to do with our language ability, but victories can also show up in the activity we do (or don't do) and also in the mentality we have about our language journeys. I can see my improvements in ability, for example, when I speak almost exclusively in my target language during a 30-minutes conversation lesson, but in this same example there are also victories related to activity and mentality. The act of scheduling the lesson is a non-level victory for me that proves I've made progress over the years because I used to feel so nervous about conversation lessons that I would put off scheduling them regularly. Not beating myself up when an English word does sneak into that conversation is a mental victory, as well, because it indicates a huge shift between negative self-talk and self-disbelief to belief and focusing on the positive things. It's so important to recognize all the victories along our langauge journeys, not just the biggest or most obvious ones. They're proof that we're improving. They're proof that the non-linear line of progression is trending upward. We have victories in our languages every single day in the activities we face, our language abilities, and how we mentally confront ourselves and our languages. Take some time this week to think about all the great victories you have in your language life, and I hope you share some of those with me, especially for the season finale episode in two weeks. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode, I share a bit of the more personal parts of my life. Last week I celebrated three years of sobriety, and while it may not be obvious how this ties into language learning, I can say that the link between these two things is very strong for me. I can say for sure that my early experiences learning Italian while living in Italy had a strong impact on my self-doubt, which had a strong impact on how much and how often I drank in order to escape the stress and pressure I put on myself, the raw feelings of vulnerability and failure, and so much negative self-talk. And I can say for sure that how much and how often I drank had a strong negative impact on my language learning because, while I was trying to escape my negative thoughts, I also escaped the positive ones, and I masked the joy of progress I was making and the pride of what I was accomplishing in my language. So this soberversary was a perfect time for me to reflect on the things that contributed to my downward spiral, with both alcohol and languages, and what I've done to start creating a life from which I don't want to escape. It's not a far stretch for me to see similarities between my journey to and through sobriety and my language learning journey, and some of the tools I used to get and stay sober have also worked for helping me improve my mentality about languages. Thank you for listening to this vulnerable yet uplifting episode. I hope you get something out of it and are more inspired to create a joyful life for yourself with languages and beyond. Here are some links to resources for anyone who is newly sober, questioning their relationship with alcohol, curious about sobriety, or just interested to know how an alcohol-free life might change their health, wellness, clarity, or anything at all: Recovery Groups/Programs: Tempest: Online Alcohol Recovery and Support to Quit Drinking (https://jointempest.com/) Sober Mom Squad (https://www.sobermomsquad.com/) Sober Black Girls Club (https://soberblackgirlsclub.com/) Soberistas (https://soberistas.com/) Gay & Sober (https://www.gayandsober.org/mission) Smart Recovery (https://www.smartrecovery.org/) Life Ring Secular Recovery (https://lifering.org/) Sexy Sobriety (https://sexysobriety.com.au/) This Naked Mind (https://thisnakedmind.com/) Sobriety & Recovery Podcasts: Home (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home-podcast/id1021126077) by Holly Whitaker & Laura McKowen The Only One in the Room (https://theonlyonepod.com/the-only-one-in-the-room-podcast/) by Laura Cathcart Robbins Sober Black Girls Club (https://open.spotify.com/show/0n2x82Mb2ITXXNd5v1btR3) by Khadi A. Oluwatoyin and J. Nicole This Naked Mind (https://thisnakedmind.com/podcasts/) by Annie Grace The Seltzer Squad (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/seltzer-squad-staying-sober-in-the-city/id1444561115?mt=2) byJes Valentine and Kate Zander A Sober Girls Guide (https://www.asobergirlsguide.com/podcast) by Jessica Jeboult Sober as a Mother (https://www.sobermomtribe.com/sober-as-a-mother-podcast) by Alyson Premo Recovery Rocks (https://www.stitcher.com/show/recovery-rocks) by Lisa Smith & Tawny Lara Reading Material: The Temper (https://www.thetemper.com/) by Tempest My Goodreads Sober Book List (https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/110718710-heidi?ref=nav_mybooks&shelf=sobriety) SobrieTeaParty Blog (https://www.sobrieteaparty.com/) Simon Chapple Blog (https://besober.co.uk/be-sober-blog/) Laura McKowen Blog (https://www.lauramckowen.com/blog) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

A listener reached out on Instagram and asked if I would do an episode on textbook learning vs. real life. Having lived in Italy for 4 years and Germany for a 1 1/2 years to-date, I have experience learning both Italian and German while living in those countries, and I've also used language textbooks, as well as taken textbook-based classes in each language. I decided to present this topic in a way that highlights things I like about both learning methods. I know there's often a bias or perceived advantage to learning in-country, and even though there so many benefits to learning a language in a country where it's spoken, there are also so many frustrations. Of course, the same can be said for textbook learning. What's really important is to remember that whichever way we learn, given our time, desires, or life situation is valid and useful, one of the best things we can do is find value in and extract everything we can from the resources to which we have access. I'd love to hear from you, too! Do you have experience learning a language by living in the country? What did you like about it? What was most frustrating? Are you a textbook learner? What benefits can you find in this method? What do you feel is still missing? Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

Do you set New Year's resolutions for your languages? Better yet, do you set long-term language goals no matter the time of year? For years, I tried every goal-setting method I could find, yet over and over I found myself avoiding anything I had formally set as a goal, especially in language learning. In today's episode I recount this (failed) goal-setting history of mine. This time of year, we're bombarded with all sorts of advice for setting and reaching goals with the underlying message that goals are the only way to make real progress. We went from December's tips and tricks for reaching our 2022 goals with what little time was left in the year (even if we hadn't habitually worked on them all year) to January's tips and tricks for setting specific goals for 2023 with rigid plans and pressure to hold ourselves accountable because otherwise we're doomed to fail from lack of motivation. Yet, goals have never really motivated me. In fact, they more often cause me to freeze. Something inside of me is so afraid of failure and afraid of what it might say about me if I don't reach a goal that I have a difficult time taking the steps necessary to work toward the goal. Perfectionism paralysis, some call it. So over the years I tried setting SMART goals, incremental goals, tiered goals -- anything to become a goal setter (or, more specifically, a goal achiever), but it just never worked. I avoided my goals every single time. Finally, I gave up. I just stopped setting language goals because I kept avoiding them. I simply wasn't motivated by the idea of reaching an deadline where I would feel obligated to claim victory or failure according to some pre-determined standards. Throughout this entire journey, however, I was definitely making progress in my languages. It's just that the progress wasn't associated with a specific goal. I was doing the work of learning my languages and making progress just because I wanted to. I wanted to study and practice my languages, so I was studying and practicing my languages, and goals had nothing to do with it. At the end of 2022 I intentionally decided to give up on trying to set language goals, or any life goals, really. Instead, I just want to focus on the actions I can take to improve my languages and my life. I want to speak more Italian, so I'm speaking more Italian. I want to study more German grammar, so I'm studying more German grammar. And Korean? I want to learn more words and phrases, so I'm learning more words and phrases. I don't need a goal of speaking a certain number of minutes, completing a certain number of chapters in a grammar book, or learning a certain number of words in a specific amount of time. I'm just doing it. All of this doing in my languages has been so much fun. I love accessing my languages every day. I love speaking and studying and learning. I love not feeling tied to a goal or rigid plan. And mostly, I love every bit of the progress I notice in all my languages every week. Setting goals can be incredibly motivating for some people, but I think many of us have received the message that it's the only way to stay motivated or make progress. But I'm proof that this isn't the case. If you're a goal setter, and you joyfully progress in your languages with your goals, then that's fantastic. Keep doing exactly what you're doing. But if you tend to give up on your goals, ignore them, or feel pressured by them, then it's worth considering that goals may not be for you. Maybe you're more motivated by just taking action or by only focusing on progress. Progress can be the only goal, and it doesn't have to have a finish line. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode, I explore all the details of what my life could look like if I had more self-belief, especially as a language learner. This content is prompted by Emily Richardson (https://teawithemily.com/) of The Language Confidence Project (https://anchor.fm/emily-richardson1), a daily podcast that gives language learners a boost of courage, no matter our life situations. In Episode 35 (https://anchor.fm/emily-richardson1/episodes/S2E35-What-does-self-belief-look-like-for-you-e1pi23n) of her show, Emily talks about self-belief, and she points out that self-belief is often discussed from the point of view of someone who has already overcome their challenge, completed their quest, and proven to themselves that they can do it. However, we rarely (or perhaps never) talk about self-belief as we're in the process of working through these challenges or quests. It's easy to say we believe in ourselves from the other side, where we've already reached our goals and worked through the messy middle. But what does self-belief look like in the middle part? Using the very pointed and thought-provoking questions Emily asks in Episode 35 of The Language Confidence Project, I talk today about what that could look like for me. I'm definitely in the messy middle of my language journey. I'm actually in the messy middle of many aspects of my life -- parenting, healing from perfectionism, the beginning of a second career, living abroad and deciding where to go from here. So when I hear the term "self-belief," what do I think of? Do I feel like I have it? What does having self-belief look like for me? If I had more self-belief, how would I respond when I make mistakes, receive criticism, or face something completely new to me? What feelings might come up when facing something very difficult, if I had self-belief? And most importantly, how can I bring more self-belief into my life? I share a lot of very personal thoughts in today's episode because taking time to envision a world where self-belief exists for me was very revealing and healing. Taking the time to write out my responses to the questions Emily poses in her episode allowed me to really think about how I respond to and feel about very specific aspects of my language journey and beyond. It gave me space to consider alternative ways of thinking that don't include beating myself up or living in a mental space of constant doubt and negativity. I encourage you to go back and listen to Episode 35 of The Language Confidence Project (https://anchor.fm/emily-richardson1/episodes/S2E35-What-does-self-belief-look-like-for-you-e1pi23n) BEFORE listening my episode today because I don't want my responses to influence yours. Self-belief looks different for everyone, and I truly believe in the value of defining that for yourself and painting a picture of possibilities for moving forward with a bit more self-belief in your own life.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Elle Charisse, the host of Speaking Tongues Podcast. Elle is a change maker in the language learning community as someone who notices issues like gaps in representation, conversations being ignored, communities being overlooked, and she does something about it, letting her curiosity of the world and of humanity guide her to creating a space for all languages, all cultures, all histories, and all voices to be heard. In our interview, Elle shares a bit about how she grew an interest in languages growing up in New York City, living close to but separated from other cultural communities in NYC, and starting to notice some variation in languages spoken around her and wanting to just have conversations with speakers of those languages, which led to the creation of her podcast. Elle discusses how she connects with such a wide variety of multilinguals on her show and her vision for her platform and how it's evolved because of the stories other people share with her about their languages and cultures. Her mission to add to language discussions and hold space for the speakers of indigenous, African, west and south Asian, Polynesian languages, and so many other language families – languages that many of us have never even heard of – to hold space for speakers of those languages to share their stories, cultures, and languages – is one of the most powerful pursuits in the language community. Elle and I touch on a range of deep, thought-provoking topics seldom discussed in the largest of language learning spaces, from representative language in course material to the issue of homogenous speaker panels at language conferences to the need for inclusion of all multilinguals from all walks of life. And, of course, we chat a bit about food because, well, you can't talk about language and culture without talking about food. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did, but more importantly, I hope it broadens your view of language learning and what that can mean for so many people around the world, and I hope this conversation leaves you with an insatiable curiosity to know more. Connect with Elle: - Speaking Tongues Podcast: https://speakingtonguespodcast.com/ - STP on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg - Follow on IG: @speakingtonguespod - Follow on Twitter: @stpodcasthost - Like her Facebook Page: @speakingtonguespod - Buy her 'zine, Taste Buds! https://www.lulu.com/shop/elle-charisse/taste-buds-vol-1/paperback/product-wn2n46.html?page=1&pageSize=4 Other Interviews w/Elle: - Speaking Tongues Podcast, Episode 100: https://anchor.fm/speaking-tongues/episodes/100--Speaking-with-Elle-Charisse-e1i8ada/a-a7svc1j - The Fluent Show, Episode 221: https://share.fireside.fm/episode/aHx_iT3N+DtdPT4vR More Women Bridging the Gaps in Representation in Language Learning Community: - Errol of Morenita Mommy: https://morenitamommy.com/ - Conversation w/Errol on STP, Episode 54: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwhDkcw7M_k - Sisters Only Language Summit: connect on Instagram @sistersonlylanguagesummit - Black Girls Learn Languages http://www.blackgirlslearnlanguages.co/ - Women in Language Conference https://womeninlanguage.com - Modern Immigrant by Vero https://modernimmigrant.buzzsprout.com/ or YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@modernimmigrant - Dr. Kami J. Anderson https://www.kamijandersonphd.com/ - Jamii https://www.jamii.co/about

This is the second of a two-part series in which I talk about impostor syndrome as a language learner. I know many of us in the language learning community have experienced or do experience impostor syndrome – that feeling that we're faking it, we're frauds, we aren't deserving of the praise we receive for our achievements, and one day someone is going to discover that we really have no idea what we're doing. There's a lot of content out there about impostor syndrome, both in general and with respect to language learning, but during a recent private conversation I had with Elle at Speaking Tongues Podcast (you can find her podcast here (https://anchor.fm/speaking-tongues) and YouTube here (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg)), I had to give this topic a lot of thought to consider what I do in my own life to try and manage impostor syndrome. In Episode 31 (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-31), I explored some connections between impostor syndrome and certain thoughts and ideals that are common in language learning. I talked about how vague, undefinable goals (such as fluency (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-25)) sets us up to feel like frauds throughout our entire journey. I discussed how labels or titles (such as polyglot or multilingual (https://www.fluent.show/194)), and especially the underlying characteristics or expectations we have of someone with such titles, can leave us feeling like impostors in our own journeys. And finally, I dug into how putting our language learning idols up on a high-status pedestal and comparing ourselves to their accomplishments will always cause us to feel unworthy, fake, or deceiving in our own language achievements. Today I work through what I do to combat these things and manage the feeling that I'm not really learning my languages – the feeling that someone is going to call me out and tell me I don't really speak them. For me, these things include mindfully working against negative confirmation bias; claiming my own labels or titles without additional qualifiers; and deeply knowing myself as I am in order to leverage my identity, history, personality, and preferences to live authentically and genuinely as myself. Impostor syndrome isn't easy to manage, and changing how we view and feel about ourselves within certain spaces doesn't happen quickly. But every step we take toward knowing ourselves and living unapologetically as ourselves is a step toward believing that we are legitimate, we are valid, we do belong, and we do deserve praise and acknowledgment for the real work and progress we've made. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

This is the first of a two-part series in which I talk about impostor syndrome as a language learner. I know many of us in the language learning community have experienced or do experience impostor syndrome – that feeling that we're faking it, we're frauds, we aren't deserving of the praise we receive for our achievements, and one day someone is going to discover that we really have no idea what we're doing. There's a lot of content out there about impostor syndrome, both in general and with respect to language learning, but after a recent private conversation I had with Elle at Speaking Tongues Podcast (you can find her podcast here (https://anchor.fm/speaking-tongues) and YouTube here (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJFOPq3j7wGteY-PjcZaMxg)), I started noticing conversations, thoughts, and ideals within the language learning community that, in my opinion, sort of breed impostor syndrome – things that, I think, can easily lead to this phenomenon in a person's language journey, even if they've never before experienced it in other areas of their life. Today I explore some of these connections. I talk about how vague, undefinable goals (such as fluency (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-25)) sets us up to feel like frauds throughout our entire journey. I discuss the link between labels or titles (such as polyglot or multilingual (https://www.fluent.show/194)), and especially the underlying characteristics or expectations we have of someone with such titles, can leave us feeling like impostors in our own journeys. Finally, I dig into how putting our language learning idols up on a high-status pedestal and comparing ourselves to their accomplishments will always cause us to feel unworthy, fake, or deceiving in our own language achievements. Discussions about wanting to become fluent, being an aspiring polyglot, or wanting to be like the most well-known language learners out there are very prevalent in language learning spaces, and I think it's important to deconstruct these ideals and dig into the underlying thoughts, expectations, and beliefs we associate with them. For me, I see a clear link between each of these things and impostor syndrome, something I've experienced for decades, and I bring them out today because I'm interested to know if others can see the same connections I do. Other Language Content on Impostor Syndrome: Articles: How to Overcome Impostor Syndrome for Language Learners (https://www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/how-to-overcome-imposter-syndrome-for-language-learners/) by Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Does Languages Impostor Syndrome When Learning English (https://www.leonardoenglish.com/blog/imposter-syndrome-when-learning-english) by Ramsay Lewis on Leondardo English How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome When Learning Spanish (https://www.spanish.academy/blog/how-to-overcome-imposter-syndrome-when-learning-spanish/) by Luis F. Dominguez on Spanish Academy blog Am I a heritage language learner, speaker, or impostor? (http://bild-lida.ca/blog/uncategorized/am-i-a-heritage-language-learner-speaker-or-imposter-by-sumanthra-govender/) by Sumanthra Govender on Belonging, Identity, Language Diversity (BILD) Research Group blog Dealing with Imposter Syndrome as a Non-Native Language Tutor (https://thelunartreehouse.com/2021/03/30/dealing-with-imposter-syndrome-as-a-non-native-language-tutor/) by Heather of The Lunar Treehouse blog Impostor Syndrome? Prescribe Yourself Some Polyglot Community! (https://www.polyglossic.com/about-me/) by Richard West-Soley of Polyglossic How to Stop Feeling Like an Impostor (https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/2019/05/06/imposter-syndrome/) by Scott H. Young (Note: In the episode I state that I found no other resources making the same connections I do, but I found this article after recording, and Mr. Young does, indeed, claim one of the same links!) Podcasts: How to Stop Feeling Like and Impostor (https://soundcloud.com/user-324815295/ep-49-how-to-stop-feeling-like-an-imposter?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fuser-324815295%252Fep-49-how-to-stop-feeling-like-an-imposter) by Scott H. Young (podcast version of article linked above) Why do I feel like a fraud every time I speak English? The Impostor Syndrome (https://hadarshemesh.com/podcast/11/) by InFluency Podcast Videos: Feeling like an Impostor in English? It's not you. It's the Impostor Syndrome (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD2zCu_a7x8) by Accent's Way English with Hadar (video version of InFluency Podcast linked above) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In this episode, I simply read a letter I wrote to beginner me. She was so excited to start her language journey, but she was also very lost. She had no idea what was ahead of her, but she jumped in head-first with a lot of motivation...and fear. I've made a lot of mistakes in my language learning journey, and it's hard not to look back and wish I'd done things differently. It would be too easy to focus on the past, realizing that if I knew then what I know now, everything would have been easier. Instead of going down that path of "what ifs," I decided to write this letter to myself. Honestly, it was a very healing process. Writing out my doubts, understanding where they came from, and encouraging myself to just keep going allowed me to accept and move forward from my history of mistakes. I decided to turn this letter into an episode to share with you because I think we all need to give ourselves a bit more grace...a bit more compassion. I hope this letter speaks to you in a way that reminds you of how far you've come since your beginnings. I hope it reminds you to go easy on yourself, find joy in your journey, and celebrate all your accomplishments along the way. If you struggle to let go of a challenging past, and you find yourself thinking often about where you "could be" if only you'd started earlier, studied harder, put yourself out there, or whatever, then I encourage you to write a letter to yourself. Let beginner you know how far they're going to go and how proud you are of them. Because you know you can do it, and you deserve to tell yourself so. Music in this episode is "Metaphor" by Jason Shaw on audionautix.com (https://audionautix.com/)