The Future is Bilingual

It's been almost a year since I last published an episode, but today we are back and ready to relaunch The Future is Bilingual Podcast!This podcast is for everyone interested in languages and in making the future more multilingual, multicultural, diverse and inclusive.If you would like to be a guest, please reach out to me at tfibpodcast@gmail.com or contact me via my website https://thefutureisbilingual.wordpress.com/.You can follow me on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual and @arabicwordbyword

Today's podcast guest is Urmi, a polyglot who speaks 4.5 languages (I love this description!) She grew up in Italy speaking both Italian and Bengali as her first languages. She currently resides in Montréal, the largest city in the French-speaking Canadian province of Québec. She tells us about living and working in a bilingual city and how they know which language to use with clients at work. We discuss how Urmi learned all 4.5 languages and how she continues to maintain them while also working on her newest one (Spanish). Urmi has a YouTube channel where she shares her knowledge about finances, public speaking, language learning and more. Be sure to follow her there and on her other platforms. And don't miss the end of the episode where she tests my Italian and teaches us a useful Bengali phrase ;) Follow Urmi: Her Blog - https://www.myways.ca/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/urmamio/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@urmihossain French YouTube resources: Piece of French - https://www.youtube.com/@pieceoffrench French mornings with Elisa - https://www.youtube.com/@FrenchmorningswithElisa Ma prof de français - https://www.youtube.com/@maprofdefrancais Spanish YouTube resources: Spanish with Vincente - https://www.youtube.com/@SpanishwithVicente Spanish After Hours - https://www.youtube.com/@spanishafterhours

Today's interview is with Christina, Heather's friend and colleague at Freestyle Languages. Christina's life has brought her into contact with many languages and she has embraced each opportunity to broaden her horizons and learn more. She tells us about how she learned Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, French and Moroccan Darija, and not only that but how she maintains them. Our discussion covers many topics including traveling and living abroad, learning a language for a relationship, and teaching all different levels and ages of students. Christina offers many great tips on how to learn languages, what to focus on, how to maintain them, where to find great free resources, and more. ----- Resources mentioned: Hebrew Time Podcast Piece of Hebrew YouTube Channel Piece of French YouTube Channel Easy Languages YouTube Channel

Suzy is an Armenian-American EFL (English as a foreign language) instructor, multilingual poet and mom raising two young multilingual children. She grew up bilingually and much of her poetry focuses on the immigrant experience, especially for children of immigrants like herself. She shares with us her journey learning her various languages, how she met her French husband, and how they are raising their two children to be trilingual in Armenian, French and English. Suzy and Heather, who both teach English to foreigners in the U.S., agree that their experiences living abroad in France help them better relate to their students and to their struggles learning English while living and working in the U.S. They also discuss how important it is to learn about the culture as well as the language and grammar if we want to become proficient speakers. Suzy grew up in L.A. which has many dual-language programs and she is happy her son will be attending one and gaining exposure to a fourth language through school. To follow Suzy and her work: Instagram Linktree Other resources mentioned during the episode: Poetry Unbound Armenian YouTube Channel Armenian workbooks French YouTube Channel

Today's episode is a deep dive into the complex linguistic reality in India with Dr. Devina Krishna, assistant professor of linguistics at Patna Women's College in India. Not only is she an expert in the field but she is also raising her son to be multilingual. We get into the languages they speak and what communication looks like (spoiler: there is some code switching happening!). India has 22 official languages and we discuss mutual intelligibility between them and the logistics of recognizing regional languages. Devina brings up the important topics of language endangerment and linguistic preservation, and we also get into translanguaging and how it can be used in the classroom. Devina share so much knowledge and real-life wisdom with us regarding the highs and lows of bilingual parenting and being multilingual. The fact that her son is a budding polyglot making the effort to learn more languages on his own at the young age of 12 speaks volumes to how much languages and cultural understanding are valued in her home and community. ---- To find out more about Devina: - Follow her on Instagram @devinakaul (https://www.instagram.com/devinakaul/) - Follow her research on ResearchGate (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Devina_Krishna) and Google Scholar (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=UGDP0YMAAAAJ&hl=en)

So many truth bombs and inspiring tales in this interview episode with Anita, the founder of Bhasha Kids (⁠@BhashaKids⁠)! Anita is a Malayalam-American mom whose company helps kids (and adults!) connect with South Asian Languages and Cultures. Anita and Heather talk all about raising multilingual kids and the best ways to support them in their language learning journey, like why it's worth getting a tutor and/or resources. They also get into linguistic topics such as phonological awareness and the different proficiency levels (e.g. the European framework A1-C2). Another major theme in their talk is identity and being a heritage speaker. Anita offers tons of resources, some of which are free!, on Instagram and her ⁠Linktree page⁠. ----- If you enjoy this podcast, please do one (or more!) of the following: - follow it wherever you listen - follow me on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual - share it with a friend and on your social media - take a minute to rate it - leave a rating and review here - buy me a coffee here

Today's interview is with Tanner, a college student majoring in music business and minoring in Japanese. We talk a lot about Japan and Japanese culture, but first we discuss the other languages she has studied and what got her interested in Japanese. We touch on how her classes are taught using a flipped classroom model, which Heather also uses when teaching with Freestyle Languages. Tanner shares her experiences, tips and interests related to learning Japanese but also dabbling in Mandarin Chinese and Korean while Heather shares some travel stories of when she visited Japan with the high school she taught for.

Today's interview is with Maria Twena, a second-generation Latina, a bilingual children's book author, and the creator of "MariVi: The Master Navigator". Maria tells us about what it was like growing up and straddling not only two languages but also two cultures and two opposing worldviews, one collectivist and one individualist. She only realized as an adult how challenging her experiences had been and that many bicultural children share these same experiences. She created her book series "MariVi" because she didn't see herself depicted in the general media nor in the Spanish-language media. She strongly felt the need to start a conversation about the experiences bicultural children have and her books and animated TV show do just that. She's embarking on no small feat. She plans to create a massive resource of 18 books spanning 6 years of schooling (from 1st to 6th grade, 3 books per school year) showing all the different aspects of growing up biculturally and bilingually. Her first two books are out and available on Amazon: ⁠School Crossing (Book 1)⁠ & ⁠Weekend Ways⁠, and the 1st season of MariVi the animated TV series is available exclusively on the new free streaming platform Nuestra.TV. --- Other resources mentioned: - Study about marketing to Hispanics: https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2007/10/17/hispanic-search-marketing-u-s-focus-global-perspective/ If you enjoy this podcast, please do one (or more!) of the following: - follow it - follow me on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thefutureisbilingual/) - share it with a friend and on your social media - take a minute to rate it - leave a rating and review (https://ratethispodcast.com/bilingual) - buy me a coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/futurebilingual)

Today's guest, Jesse, is a multilingual father of two and a seasoned English teacher living in Spain. He first started teaching English in South Korea and shares stories of his seven years spent over there. Throughout the episode we talk about the importance of intentionality when raising our children, for example we both make a concerted effort to expose our children to different cultures and different ways of living. We also get honest about parenting and the struggles we face raising bilingual kids. We swap stories about teaching students of different levels and drop some hilarious truth bombs. We hope this episode will resonate with you and we would love to hear your comments on instagram @thefutureisbilingual or via email TFIBPodcast@gmail.com. To get in touch with Jesse: - LinkTree (Social media information and resources): https://linktr.ee/jesse.sweed - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/sweedacademy - His free resource "The Conscious Leading Playbook" (resources, 10-minute framework to journal consistently and focus on your goals, and a unique format for your day planner): https://eaglemethod.newzenler.com/f/playbook 

Bienvenue au premier épisode du podcast "The Future is Bilingual" en français !

In this episode, I attempt to tackle the highly controversial topic of native speakerism and what it means to be a good language teacher. The episode is divided into three main parts: 1. My personal experiences learning multiple languages, including a shameful secret 2. My professional experiences as a teacher of 4 languages 3. What I learned from others during an open discussion I lead at the Polyglot Gathering online this past March on the same topic. There are so many things that could and need to be said on this topic, and I invite you to keep the conversation going by replying to my posts on Instagram on the topic or writing me a message (https://www.instagram.com/thefutureisbilingual/). You can also find out more about the show on my website (https://thefutureisbilingual.wordpress.com/). If you enjoy this podcast, please consider doing one (or more!) of the following: - follow it - share it with a friend and on your social media - take a minute to rate it - leave a rating and review (https://ratethispodcast.com/bilingual) - buy me a coffee (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/futurebilingual)

Episode 57 - Tiffany takes us on a journey around the world from Colombia to France to the U.S. and back again. She tells us about her adoption, growing up bilingual in France, what it was like going to an international school, how she met her husband, and how they are raising their two children multilingually. So much wisdom in this episode! Tiffany works as a communications associate at The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law so I am delighted to have this episode come out on Earth Day 2023! I love Tiffany's message that we don't have to chose which parts of our identities to embrace, we can embrace them all and celebrate our rich cultural and linguistic diversity. To find out more about Tiffany, check out her blog MamanEarth and follow her on Instagram @Maman_Earth. You can find Heather on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual, on her website or by writing to her at TFIBPodcast@gmail.com.  If you enjoy this podcast, please let a rating on your favorite podcast app and a review here. You can also buy a coffee to help support the show :) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 56 - Today's episode is with Lauren from Polyglot Station and Language TV Club! She is a language enthusiast and a speech language pathologist. She tells us how she started Polyglot Station and where the idea for the Language TV Club came from. They regularly have clubs in German, Italian, French, and Spanish, but they also include other languages. The idea is we all watch the same show on our own time on Netflix and meet to talk about it in the target language. It's the perfect way for intermediate and advanced learners to practice and continue using their language while also learning more about the culture. All learners are welcome to join and listen in if they're not ready to speak much yet. I am personally very interested in this topic as I am teaching a Spanish course based on "Casa de Papel" (Money Heist) and I'm developing curriculum for a French class based on "Dix Pour Cent" (Call My Agent). If you're interested in learning more about these classes, check out Freestyle Languages, the company I teach for. During our chat, Laurent tells us the best and worst parts about learning a language through TV shows. She also gives us her expert opinion on whether we should or shouldn't watch with subtitles. Lastly, she gets honest about the languages she speaks and the ones she only dabbled in, and what she learned from those experiences. I also ask her for her opinion on learning a language like Mandarin or Japanese that has a complex writing system since she speaks Mandarin. Thank you so much to Lauren for sharing her journey and fantastic ideas with us. You can get in touch with Lauren and check out all she's offering online on Instagram and on her websites: - Polyglot Station on IG - Language TV Club on IG - Polyglot Station Website - Language TV Club Website - Become a Host for Language TV Club - 8 Strategies to Improve Language Learning with T.V. Shows - Chrome extension for dual-language subtitles --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 55 - In this episode, Heather chats with Mackenzie, one of the hosts of the podcast The ABCs of Matrescence, about how she is raising her two children completely in French while living in the US. Mackenzie's husband is Vietnamese and she tells us about how they considered adding Vietnamese into their family language plan and what their final decision was. We get all the details on how Mackenzie's raising her children in French, her second language, and how much dedication it really takes. There is a lot of responsibility in being the primary caregiver, and even more so when you're the only person speaking a minority language to your children. Nonetheless, Mackenzie makes the great point that she finds raising her children in her second language stimulating for her, especially during this particular period in her life. Heather and Mackenzie discuss the true gift that we give our children when we make a concerted effort to raise them or teach them another language. Listen to Mackenzie and her co-host Emma's podcast The ABCs of Matrescence Follow Mackenzie and her cost Emma on Instagram During this episode Mackenzie mentioned: Concordia Language Villages and Tonies --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 54 - Looking for new ways to practice your language without breaking the bank? No matter what language you're learning or how advanced or rusty you are, this episode gives you close to 40 ideas to try without spending a penny. Let me know if I forgot something or what you favorite tip is! You can find me on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual, on my website or by writing to me at TFIBPodcast@gmail.com. If you enjoy this podcast, please let a rating on your favorite podcast app and a review here. You can also buy me a coffee to show your appreciation :) --- Resources mentioned in the episode: Free game night on Jan. 11th in French and Spanish with Freestyle Languages!! Free monthly events in French and Spanish with Freestyle Languages *If you're a new student with Freestyle, use my code HEATHER15 to get 15% of group classes, private tutoring, Saturday cafés, resources and more! You can take a placement test on our website or write to me and I'll help you decide.* Hoopla & Libby - library apps for ebooks, audiobooks, music and more MyTunerRadio - free radio stations from around the world Journaly - "Improve your language skills and connect with others through journaling" Inna's book "Trilingual me! Moi, trilingue!" - check it out or leave a review if you already know it! Elle's daily language challenge on Instagram (Also check out her podcast called Speaking Tongues to hear conversations with multilinguals) The Utalk - language learning app to practice almost any language or dialect My Darija tutor @my_arabic_diary --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 53 - This short episode invites you to say goodbye to 2022 and welcome in the new year with one simple question: "What do you want to do more of?".  The end of the year is an exciting time with lots of energy, but it's also a difficult time for many and can be filled with negative thoughts and self doubts. Let's focus on what we love and what brings us joy as we create plans for the new year. I will tell you about 3 things I'm currently working on doing more of to give you some examples. Other episodes from the archives to listen to this time of year: Episode 29 - How to turn goals into habits Episode 41 - Creating an immersive environment Episode 7 - How to become fluent Wishing you and yours the happiest holidays and new year filled with lots of love, joy, and most importantly health!  Joyeuses fêtes et bon nouvel an ! ¡Feliz Navidad y próspero año nuevo!  Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo! Wesołych świąt oraz szczęśliwego nowego roku! !كل عام وانتم بخير In altre parole by Jhumpa Lahiri Les enfants sont rois by Delphine de Vigan --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 52 - In this episode, Heather talks about the idea of celebrating a "weekly win" as you go about your language learning journey. What is a weekly win and why do we need them? Tune in to find out. --- This idea came to life during a work meeting at Freestyle Languages, where Heather teaches French and Spanish. To learn more about our classes, teaching style, private tutoring, free monthly events, and more, check out our website at https://www.freestylelanguages.com. New students can use the code HEATHER15 to get 15% off our group classes, private tutoring, Saturday cafés and products. If you have any questions, please reach out to Heather at heather@freestylelanguages.com or Freestyle Support at support@freestylelanguages.com for help. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 51 - Stuck in a language learning rut? Wish you had a more consistent study routine? This short episode gives you a weekly plan with different ideas for each day of the week. To see the original instagram post click here. --- Enjoy this podcast? Please take a minute to leave a rating & review here or on your favorite streaming service (Spotify, Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, etc.) You can also help support it by buying me a coffee here Click here to follow the podcast on Instagram Check out the podcast's website here Interested in being a guest on the podcast? Email Heather at TFIBpodcast@gmail.com and tell her more about your story. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 50 - Today's interview is with Yoshito, also known as @multilingual_dad on Instagram.  Yoshito was a guest on Episode 35 of the podcast where he told us his own story about growing up bilingual and how he and his wife are raising their two sons multilingually.  In this episode, we focus on Yoshito's newest book "In Search of the Lost Words".  This graphic novel is designed specifically with bilingual kids in mind while his first book was written for parents raising bilingual kids.  He tells us all about where the inspiration for this new story came from, how long it took to create, how readers can customize it, and how he's launching it on kickstarter.  You can support his campaign and get a copy of the book by clicking here.  There are many rewards and incentives if you pledge early - starting on October 17th and 18th - so check it out! Follow Yoshito on Instagram @multilingual_dad https://www.instagram.com/multilingual_dad/?hl=en Yoshito's 2nd book: “In Search of the Lost Words – A Bilingual Time Travel Adventure” Register to get notified of the launch of the campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yoshitods/in-search-of-the-lost-words-a-bilingual-timetravel-adventure Learn more about the book and its benefits: https://www.library4multilinguals.com/about-1 Check the rewards: https://www.library4multilinguals.com/about-4 Yoshito's 1st book: “The Parents' Guide to Raising Multi-literate Children” Read the first chapter for free: https://www.library4multilinguals.com/the-parents-guide-book Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Parents-Guide-Raising-Multi-literate-Children-ebook/dp/B094KVT9DK/ Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Parents-Guide-Raising-Multi-literate-Children-ebook/dp/B094KVT9DK/ Resources accompanying The Parents' Guide to Raising Multi-literate Children: https://www.library4multilinguals.com/shop Other resources for multilingual families: Yoshito's Blog: https://www.library4multilinguals.com/blog Library4Multilinguals (YT Channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKvLptNLZN7R3hU0rE6siVQ Activities for Multilingual Families (YT Channel): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVGHm4bFZvnzfOs5ZnPVBew --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 49 - Today's guest is Misty, a self-proclaimed small-town girl from the US. She and Heather, the host, met while studying abroad in France, and Misty takes us back to those first days arriving in a new country and realizing how much she still had to learn, despite years of studying French. She met her French husband there and we talk about how they've balanced their use of French and English over the years depending on their situation and goals. Misty and Heather discuss the real struggles they both face when raising multilingual children as the non-native parent. They mention specific examples and brainstorm ways to make the most out of each situation we may find ourselves in. Misty's story will inspire you and make you laugh out loud. If you'd like to get in touch with her you will find her on Instagram @mistyclover and on LinkedIn. Podcast website: https://thefutureisbilingual.wordpress.com/ Rate & review the podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/bilingual Contact Misty: https://www.instagram.com/mistyclover/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mistyprigent/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 48 - Today's guest is Heidi, an American expat raising her two young children first in Italy and now in Germany. She tells us about her experience learning languages later in life and recounts some of the struggles of raising multilingual kids when you're still learning the language yourself. She shares how she dealt with expectations related to her kids' and her own language learning and how her relationship to language learning has transformed over the years. Despite being a busy mom, she tracks her language learning progress and shares with us how she decides what counts as studying. Heidi recently launched her own podcast called Love, Joy, & Languages so go check out the amazing content she is publishing there plus on her blog and Instagram page. Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/love.joyandlanguages/ Podcast - https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/podcast/ Website and blog - https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 47 - The New Year is almost here and many of us are reflecting on what we'd like to improve in our language learning and/or family language plan.  In today's episode, Heather and Marcin discuss 10 things you can try doing more of in 2022 to have more success passing on and/or learning one or more languages.  No matter which tips you decide to try in 2022, remember that success comes from starting small, celebrating each win, and being consistent.  Happy New Year!  Bonne année !  ¡Feliz año nuevo!  Buon anno!  Szczęśliwego nowego roku!  Frohes neues Jahr! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 46 - In this episode, Inna and Heather talk about what's been happening since Inna published her bilingual children's book "Trilingual Me! Moi, trilingue!" last year.  We discuss how she's been promoting her book, highlights from the year, workshops she's done for teachers, and an after-school program she ran at her local library.  She also does virtual classroom visits so reach out to her if you're a teacher and interested in that. We also get into different ways to read a bilingual book depending on the child or children's level, and Inna reads us a page in both languages.  The episode ends with some fun, rapid-fire questions. There's still time to order the book and get it before Christmas!  Consider buying one for friends and/or family too.  Readers do NOT have to be bilingual/multilingual to appreciate this inspirational story of overcoming obstacles.  Visit Inna's website to see all the ways you can order a copy: http://innafigotina.weebly.com/order-her-book.html Link's to Inna's pages: * Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/trilingualme.moitrilingue/ * Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/trilingualme.moitrilingue/ * Website - http://innafigotina.weebly.com/  Links to Instagram pages mentioned in the episode: * Charlotte / The Bilingual Club - https://www.instagram.com/thebilingualclub/ * Marcela / Lion and Archer Books - https://www.instagram.com/lion.and.archer.books/ * Yoshito / Multilingual Dad - https://www.instagram.com/multilingual_dad/ * The Future Is Bilingual - https://www.instagram.com/thefutureisbilingual/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 45 - Today's guest, Sandra, is a multilingual mom from Peru. She tells us how she started teaching her daughter Spanish at 4 years old and why she creates her own materials about Peruvian culture. She takes us on a trip around the world as she recounts how learned her multiple languages, how she met her husband, and how they're blending their two languages, cultures, and religions. You can find out more about Sandra, her Spanish lessons, and her Peruvian materials by visiting her website and Instagram page below: Sandra's website - https://www.laperuanitatutoring.com/ (courses, blog, etc.) Sandra's instagram - https://www.instagram.com/laperuanitatutor/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 44 - This episode is a brief update about Heather's new life in Canada. She talks about some expressions she's noticed used a lot in Quebec, which courses she's taking at the University of Ottawa, and how her language studies are going. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 43 - Today's guest, Natalia Simons, is the author of two bilingual children's books and the founder of Bilingo Books. Her first book is called "The Spanglish Girl/La Chica Espanglish" and her second book is "The Mexiglish Girl/La Chica Mexiglish". We talk about her motivation to write these books, how she was able to publish them on her own within the same year, and what other books she'd like to publish in the future. She tells us about growing up bilingual and why she believes her case was successful. Find out all about Natalia and her books on her website BilingoBooks Follow Natalia on Instagram @BilingoBooks Links to order the books @BilingoBooks Linktree Self Publishing on Amazon --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 42 - In this first episode of season 3, Heather speaks with Tetsu Yung, a well-known polyglot and multilingual father in the bi/multilingual parenting community. Tetsu himself grew up multilingual and is now raising his four children to speak five languages (Mandarin, Japanese, French, English and Spanish). We first talk about his journey learning languages and all the places it took him before focusing on his family and multilingual parenting. How does his family balance five languages? One method they use for one language in particular is having an au pair. Our discussion covers the joys, struggles, and complexities of multilingual parenting, and Tetsu gives us his best parenting tips. Make sure to check out Tetsu on all of his social media platforms. In addition to his website and YouTube channel, he hosts a language conference in Montreal called LangFest and has collaborated with Richard Simcott who hosts the Polyglot Conference. He also co-hosts Raising Multilinguals Live with Rita Rosenback and Ute Limacher-Riebold. These bi-weekly interviews with experts focus on specific topics or issues in multilingual parenting. You can follow them on Facebook or YouTube. Quick links: LangFest Conference Instagram: @asktetsu Raising Multilinguals Live Facebook Raising Multilinguals Live Instagram Raising Multilinguals Live YouTube Twitter: @asktetsu Website: AskTetsu.com YouTube: Multilingual Kids - Ask Tetsu --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 41 - Marcin and Heather tackle the topic of language immersion. What is it? Why is it important? How can we as parents and language learners create an immersive environment for ourselves and our children? We tell you about all that and more from the perspective of a language learner and a parent raising multilingual kids. We end the episode with an ideal immersion day for each of us. We'd love to hear from you about how you're using immersion for yourself and/or your kids. --- Join the Bilingual Connect Club to meet other parents raising multilingual kids. --- You can find Heather on Instagram @TheFutureIsBilingual and you can write her an email at TFIBPodcast@gmail.com --- If you're enjoying this podcast, consider leaving a rating and review --- Visit The Future is Bilingual website here --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 40 - This Multilingual Motivation (MLM) episode is all about watching TV in your target language (TL). Why should you watch TV shows or series in your TL? What if you're a beginner? We will answer these questions and discuss what you can do to get the most out of this "study" time. --- I'd love to hear what shows you're watching or have already watched in your TL. Are there any you've heard about and are planning to start watching soon? Find me on Instagram @TheFutureIsBilingual and comment on this episode's post to keep the conversation going. If you share this episode or podcast on your social media please remember to tag me so I can see it

Episode 39 - In today's episode, Heather speaks with Marisol, a multilingual mom originally from Mexico but raised in the U.S. She tells us how she and her husband are raising their daughters in three languages using the OPOL (one parent, one language) method. We discuss the role their daughters' international school plays in their multilingual upbringing and how much exposure they get to all of their languages daily. Marisol reminds us that each child is an individual with their own personality type and strengths, and that we shouldn't force a language on them as it may lead to resentment. As a child of immigrants, Marisol reflects on the changes in the way bilingualism is seen in the United States and possibly around the globe as well. Now as a parent herself, Marisol and her family are about to move abroad so she talks about how they're planning for that change linguistically. Lastly, Marisol gives us some great tips to keep the minority languages and cultures alive and thriving. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 38 - This Multilingual Motivation episode is all about Duolingo Events. No idea what those are? You're not alone. Whether you use the app for language learning and/or dabbling or not, these events are a great way to practice all 4 language skills and broaden your cultural knowledge. Click the link to see the upcoming Duolingo Events on their website. --- Listen to Erin's podcast "Exhaling Words" and her recent episode about Duolingo here. Follow her on Instagram and other social media @PolyglotErin --- Check out to Simone's podcast "Simple Italian Podcast" and follow him on Instagram @SimonePols --- You can follow me on Instagram @TheFutureIsBilingual, on Duolingo @HKozi, visit my website, or write me an email at TFIBPodcast@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 37 - Part 2 of my conversation with Guillaume, a polyglot and language teacher from Belgium. We kick off this part of our discussion with a quick recap of his 9 languages IN those languages. I challenge you to not skip ahead and to use your knowledge of other languages to try to understand what he's saying. Click here to read the transcript and translation on my website. Guillaume is not a parent, but so much of our conversation related to teaching can be applied to raising multilingual children. Listen to the end to hear what language learning and love have in common as well as which words Guillaume decided to teach us. Here are the people and resources we mentioned during our discussion: --- HYPIA: The International Association of Hyperpolyglots and Guillaume's interview on HYPIA's website --- Polyglot/Language YouTubers that Guillaume mentions: Evildea (for Esperanto) Benny Lewis Luca Lampariello Moses/Laoshu 505000 Richard Simcott Steve Kaufman --- Link to the Middlebury Language School --- Click here to leave a rating and review. We'd love to hear from you. Find me on Instagram at TheFutureIsBilingual or write to me at TFIBPodcast@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 36 - Today's episode is part one of my interview with Guillaume, a polyglot and language teacher from Belgium. In the first few minutes, you'll hear Guillaume speak two of Belgium's official languages (read the transcript and transliteration here), but don't worry, we switch back to English for the rest of the interview. We talk about the complex linguistic situation in Belgium and what it was like growing up as a French-speaker in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium. Guillaume recounts how he struggled for years to learn Flemish, and what finally changed when he was learning English. Can you guess which of his nine languages is his least favorite? Listen to find out. He also tells us about his website which has resources for 15 languages including hundreds of free resources. --- Visitez son site-web ici. His website is available in English here. --- Watch Guillaume's YouTube videos here. --- Follow Guillaume on Instagram @cameleondeslangues --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 35 - In this episode, I talk with Yoshito, a fellow French and Spanish teacher and multilingual parent. Yoshito, who is half French and half Japanese, is raising two multilingual boys with his Korean wife in the UK. We discuss how he learned and uses his various languages, how he became a teacher, and what the linguistic situation looks like in his house and community. --- Yoshito has written a book for parents of multilingual children to help make learning to read and write in their home languages more fun. If you are interested in reading the first chapter of his book, please write to Yoshito on Instagram @Multilingual_Dad or by email at Contact@Library4Multilinguals.com The book is due to be released in early May 2021. --- A virtual book release party is happening Friday, April 30th, 2021 at 6:00 P.M. UK time. Please contact Yoshito for information about how to sign up. --- Follow me on Instagram @TheFutureIsBilingual or write to me at TFIBPodcast@gmail.com --- If you enjoy this podcast, please share it on your social media page and leave a rating and review. It really helps other people find out about the show. Click here to rate the show. Thank you so much! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 34 - Today's Multilingual Motivation is all about social media - one of my favorite topics!  If you have a social media account (FB, IG, Snapchat, TikTok, etc.), you know how addicting they can be.  That's good news for us because we are going to take advantage of the time we're already spending on social media to engage more with content in our target language(s).  Listen to hear the 5 easy steps you should take to practice your target language more through social media. --- During the episode, I mentioned @yoonssam_kr --- Follow me @TheFutureIsBilingual or write to me at TFIBPodcast@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 33 - Today's interview is with Lera, a multilingual mom, linguist, and investment banker.  Lera and I cover a wide range of topics during our talk.  We start with how she learned her many languages (Russian, English, German, Korean, Polish and Dutch) and touch on some similarities and differences between languages that we've noticed.  We also dive into her family's goals and plans for their multilingual and multicultural children, and why their plan has changed.  Lera is full of linguistic knowledge and answers some burning questions that many multilingual parents have such as: - Is code-switching a good idea? - Should I speak the minority language out in public? - What percentage of input needs to be in the minority language to raise a bilingual child? - What is the difference between active and passive engagement with a language? Immigration, assimilation and white privilege come up during our talk (we recorded this episode right after the killing of 8 people in Atlanta, GA).  Lera shares with us how she keeps their minority language alive and strong as well as some common phrases you'd hear in her house in Russian and Dutch. --- You can follow Lera on Instagram @growing_up_inbetween as well as @futurelingual Stay tuned for an exciting project she's been working on which should launch in May 2021. --- Follow @TheFutureIsBilingual on Instagram and be sure to tag us if you share this or any episode.  We really appreciate your support --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 32 - This week, we dive into identity and growth mindset. How do you see yourself as a language learner? What words do you identify with?  Do you have a growth or a fixed mindset? Tune in to find out! --- Sources: https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/ https://sites.dartmouth.edu/learning/2017/05/18/understanding-the-growth-mindset/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 31 - Week two of Multilingual Motivation is all about music!  Do you listen to music in your target language?  Whether you already do or you don't yet, you will find useful tips to actively engage with music in your target language and improve your skills.  ---  Please share this episode as well as any songs, groups, playlists, etc. that you find on social media and tag @TheFutureIsBilingual  ---  You can also write to Heather at TFIBPodcast@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 30 - Welcome to the first episode of Multilingual Motivation!  In these short episodes, Heather will talk about a resource or idea you can use to increase your exposure to your target language(s) during the week. This first episode is special as it's coming out on the Monday before International Day of Multilingualism, which takes place on March 27th. You will learn more about this day and how you can get involved in the celebration.  If you decide to take part and post on social media, please remember to use the hashtags #MultilingualIsNormal , #MultilingualismDay , #MultilingualMonday , #MultilingualMotivation , #TheFutureIsBilingual and #TheFutureIsMultilingual .  You can follow the podcast on Instagram @TheFutureIsBilingual or write to Heather at TFIBPodcast@gmail.com --- International Day of Multilingualism Website --- Richard Simcott's blog post and video interview with Thomas Bak --- Richard Simcott's Instagram @SpeakingFluently --- Thomas Bak's Twitter @thbaketal --- Thomas Bak's Instagram @thbaketal --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 29 - Do you have a goal you'd like to make into a habit?  In this episode, Heather gives you the 5 steps you need to take if you want to instill a new habit into your life.  She offers multiple examples from her own life and explains how she finds time to study and maintain her languages while being a busy mom of two toddlers.  You can follow Heather and the podcast on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual or write her an email at tfibpodcast@gmail.com --- In this episode, Heather mentions Kendra Adachi's podcast The Lazy Genius (Kenda's book is also a New York Times bestseller), the Routines and Things podcast by Ashely Brown, and the classes she takes with Polski Daily. You can also find Kendra, Ashley, and Paulina on Instagram. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 28 - Marissa is a Polish-American polyglot whose latest project is relearning her native language. We talk about learning languages at school vs. on your own, making your target language part of your everyday life, and maintaining multiple languages. Immigration and questions about identity come up before we dive deep into heritage languages and what it means to be a heritage language speaker. Marissa is an expert at summing up all the scholarly articles and making them understandable so you don't want to miss this explanation. She also shares her language learning tip and her favorite Catalan expression, plus a bonus book recommendation if you're learning Polish or would like to. --- Want to know more? Check out Marissa's blog post about the 9 Most Asked Questions about Heritage Languages --- Follow Marissa's journey on her website Relearn A Language, on her YouTube channel Relearn A Language, and on Instagram @multilingualmarissa --- You can follow us on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual and write to us at tfibpodcast@gmail.com --- If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a rating and a review! It would really help us grow our community and reach more people. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 27 - Marcin and Heather bring you a wealth of different terms of endearment from around the world in celebration of Valentine's Day this weekend. While this is in no way an extensive list, we hope you will learn something new and laugh along with us (not at us!)  We do want to apologize for any mispronunciations or misrepresentations.  Thank you so much Etai (@justetai), Yoshito (@multilingual_dad), Eliza (@eli.kutty) and Arjun for contributing to this episode.  We really appreciate the time and effort you took to send us those messages.  ---  Follow the podcast on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual or email us at tfibpodcast@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 26 - My guest, Mali, is a French-Lao mom of three who has been living in Spain for over twenty years. We talk about how she is raising her three children to speak three languages fluently. She gives us a lot of practical tips and things we can start implementing today to support our children's minority language(s). We talk about being a multicultural family and how to blend traditions. We touch on her journey learning languages, and go on a few tangets related to our experiences in the classroom as both the teacher and a student. We hope you will walk away from this episode more inspired to speak, play, and read with your children in their minority language(s). We encourage you to join a group of multilingual parents for support and ideas. You can find many on Facebook and Instagram. --- If you enjoy this podcast, a rating is the best compliemnt you can give us as it helps others find the podcast. Please share the podcast with your friends and on your social media accounts and make sure to tag me. And don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any epsiodes! --- You can follow Mali on Instagram @malichanh and @ludolingua and find her Lindolingua group on Facebook. You can follow me @thefutureisbilingual on Instagram and write to us at tfibpodcast@gmail.com. We love to hear from you! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 25 - In this episode, Heather and Marcin discuss the advantages and disadvantages of studying languages with apps versus taking notes and writing things down.  We do not believe that there is one best way to study.  Rather, we hope that this episode will provide you some food for thought when considering how you learn best.  Our discussion touches on fitting learning into a busy schedule, knowing yourself and what motivates you, gamification of learning, language proficiency, memory and recall, and much more.  ---  You can always reach out to us on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual or by email at tfibpodcast@gmail.com.  We love to hear from you! --- We mentioned a lot of language learning apps in this episode.  Here's what we had in our notes: Babbel Busuu Conjuu Drops Duolingo DW Falou FreeRice HelloTalk LingQ Lingodeer Lirica Mango Memrise Muzzy (for kids) Quizlet Pimsleur Rosetta Stone SuperMemo Tandem Utalk --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 24 - In the second half of my interview with Etai, we discuss many interesting topics including how languages can help you learn another one, language attrition, how and why he learned some Hungarian, interpreting, how to study two languages at the same time, grammar and cases, and lots more. We play a little language game near the end and talk about some of our favorite Youtubers and language games. --- **Important: There are one or two swears in this episode which is why I have marked it as "explicit". ** --- We mentioned Fifty na pol, Dave z Ameryki, Ecolinguist, Bahador Alast, Dating Across Borders, Easy Languages and more. We briefly referenced these language guessing games: Language Squad, Ling Your Language, and Name That Language, but I'm seeing more out there now if you search "language guessing game". You can get in touch with Etai on Facebook or email him at etaithelisteningguy@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 23 - Part 1 of my discussion with Etai about all things related to language and culture. Etai is a polyglot who was born in Israel and moved to the U.S. as a toddler to receive better care for his CP (Cerebral Palsy). He loves learning new languages and has studied 10+ and counting. We talk about the importance of having an emotional connection to the languages we study and why we find learning languages so worthwhile. Both of us see languages as the best way to understand other people and to foster a sense of connection. Maintaining many languages can prove challenging, but Etai gives us his favorite ways to stay connected to his various languages. We also discuss active versus passive learning and maintenance. Part 2 will be out soon so stay tuned! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 22 - This short episode was inspired by a blog post Heather wrote on her new website.  In it, she talks about why her family language policy has changed since last year and why we should all remain flexible and open to change as our families grow and our lives change.   ----   Link to the website: https://thefutureisbilingual.wordpress.com/  ----  Link to the specific post: https://thefutureisbilingual.wordpress.com/2021/01/04/update-our-family-language-plan-for-2021-and-beyond/  ---- To take the Listener Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUwEWdepQYe2JR0Ov3h-1Yag4sFR-ZMmkqFi2lJfcJxP_PnA/viewform?usp=sf_link ---- Form to be a guest on the Podcast: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeW5jNmHh-bzPx9gPad9g_vlA2eHUnHFxe2wt-iFyiuSWe8JA/viewform?usp=sf_link ----  Find me on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual  ----  Write me an email at tfibpodcast@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 21 - In this interview, Heather talks with her good friends Carly and Michal who are expecting their first child.  They are both children of immigrants, however, their experiences with heritage language maintenance differs.  They discuss their own journeys learning different languages and what they hope their little one's bilingual future will look like.  We hope that this episode provides all listeners with a sense of new beginnings and inspiration to take on a new challenge this year.   ----   Listener survey https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUwEWdepQYe2JR0Ov3h-1Yag4sFR-ZMmkqFi2lJfcJxP_PnA/viewform?usp=sf_link  ----  Be a guest form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeW5jNmHh-bzPx9gPad9g_vlA2eHUnHFxe2wt-iFyiuSWe8JA/viewform?usp=sf_link  ---- IG @thefutureisbilingual ---- Email: tfibpodcast@gmail.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 20 - A quick wrap up of 2020 with some statistics, survey announcements, personal news, and messages from previous guests.  ---  Take the Listener Survey at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdUwEWdepQYe2JR0Ov3h-1Yag4sFR-ZMmkqFi2lJfcJxP_PnA/viewform?usp=sf_link  --- Fill out the Guest on Podcast Form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeW5jNmHh-bzPx9gPad9g_vlA2eHUnHFxe2wt-iFyiuSWe8JA/viewform?usp=sf_link  --- Please write to me at tfibpodcast@gmail.com with any questions, comments or feedback.  Happy New Year! :D --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 19 - This episode is about why you should listen to the radio in your target language.  Heather, the host, briefly explains Krashen's theory of comprehensible input and how it relates to listening to the radio in another language.  She goes through the various advantages for all learners, from complete beginners to fluent speakers.  She uses examples from her own life and 3 different languages she studies at different levels to further illustrate her points .  The app she suggests downloading is MyTunerFree as it has radio stations from all over the world.  You can find more @thefutureisbilingual on Instagram or email Heather at tfibpodcast@gmail.com. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support

Episode 18 - Part 2 of a 3-part series reflecting on the past year.  In this episode, Heather talks about the different languages she and her two toddlers have been speaking and learning since last December.  She also shares some personal language goals that she has for herself and her family going forward. She will share more about this on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual in the coming weeks. You can write to her at tfibpodcast@gmail.com  ------ Here are a few of the resources she mentions during this episode: @polski_daily, @go.polish, @ttmik, @duolingo, @utalk_app, @horizontetrilingue, @musique_en_bulle, Pathways for Parents on Facebook, La Clef and Ville de Sherbrooke on YouTube. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/the-future-is-bilingual/support