The Tower of Babbling Podcast

Duolingo is one of the most popular apps for beginners in many languages. In this episode, I discuss if it's any good for learning Japanese. Visit https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/ (https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/) to join a growing community of Japanese learners and receive key insights on how to improve in Japanese

Keith reflects on the progress he's made in Japanese since returning to Japan, extracting 4 key insights that will benefit Japanese students at any level. (U.S. military affiliated persons living in Okinawa) Make 2022 the year you learn Japanese! Sign up for the list for a chance to be a member of the my language course, Groundwork Japanese. In addition to teaching you the basics of the language, you will also learn tested strategies and techniques that will teach you how to learn the language effectively on your own, while still having fun in the process! For more information: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/japanesecourseinterestpage Learn more about my Antarctic Expedition: https://keithhayden.net/antarctica-black-man/

Learn some highly contextual Japanese with the phrase 行けたら行く (iketaraiku). Keith also discusses the cultural implications of this phrase. https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=2 (Get a 20% discount off of your purchase of The Tower of Babbling) https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=83 (Get a copy of my Japanese notes including 行けたら行く (iketaraiku), and more!)

In this episode, Keith provides 4 pieces of advice he would give to his younger self when he started learning Japanese. With so many ways to learn Japanese available today, learners can easily become overwhelmed trying to choose the best method. Before you focus on what app to download or class to join, nail these 4 foundational skills to ensure your long term success with Japanese. Follow Keith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KH_waytolang Are you ready to learn Kanji and begin reading real Japanese? Try Skritter Japanese today and receive a 10% discount off of your purchase with the link below! https://skritter.com/signup?ref=keithhayden2&coupon=KEITHHAYDEN (Try Skritter today) Are you learning Japanese? Are you within the military community? Are you currently living in Okinawa, Japan? Then you are eligible to join my Japanese course, Groundwork Japanese! This course (aimed at beginners) is currently in development and will help you increase your proficiency and confidence, by helping yo create your own personalized study plan. Interested in improving your Japanese? Go to: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/ (https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/) and hit "I'm ready to learn Japanese" to join the waitlist When you join you will receive the introduction to The Tower of Babbling book and access to the mini-course Tower of Babbling: Scaffold for free! You can also use this link to go directly to the sign up page. https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=6 (https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=6)

In this new experimental short format, Keith shares insights from his own Japanese lessons by describing the meaning and origin of the Japanese slang チッキてる (chikkiteru) and パリピ (paripi). Ryoma's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/studyjapanese.jp/ Book a lesson with Ryoma: http://ryoma.noor.jp/ Follow Keith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KH_waytolang Are you learning Japanese? Are you within the military community? Are you currently living in Okinawa, Japan? Then you might eligible to be a guest on this podcast! Visit the website to fill out the form if you are interested. Website: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/ (https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/) Get the introduction to The Tower of Babbling book and access to the mini-course Tower of Babbling: Scaffold for free at: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=6 (https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=6)

In a Tower of Babbling Japan first, Keith welcomes Ms. Chloe Clougher to the podcast. An avid language learner who has studied Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, and now Japanese, Chloe shares her experiences from her international travel in China, Jordan, and in Japan. She also discusses the two reasons why after barely a month on island, she has dedicated herself to learning as much Japanese as she can during her time in Okinawa. Contact Chloe at: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cmclougher/ (https://www.instagram.com/cmclougher/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007613238232 (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100007613238232) Are you learning Japanese? Are you within the military community? Are you currently living in Okinawa, Japan? Then you might eligible to be a guest on this podcast! Visit the website to fill out the form if you are interested. Website: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/ (https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/) Get the introduction to The Tower of Babbling book and access to the mini-course Tower of Babbling: Scaffold for free at: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=6 (https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=6)

Learning Japanese can be difficult for native English speakers. In this episode Keith explains how he made his Japanese language learning harder back in the day and two lessons he learned from the experience. Are you ready to learn Kanji? Try Skritter Japanese today and receive a 10% discount off of your purchase with the link below! https://skritter.com/signup?ref=keithhayden2&coupon=KEITHHAYDEN (Try Skritter today) Are you learning Japanese? Are you within the military community? Are you currently living in Okinawa, Japan? Then you might eligible to be interviewed on this podcast! Visit the website to fill out the form if you are interested. Website: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/ (https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/) Get the introduction to The Tower of Babbling book and access to the mini-course Tower of Babbling: Scaffold: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=6 (https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=6)

Do you have a reason why you are learning or want to learn Japanese? In this episode Keith invites you to think about your why, and offers an explanation for why having this foundation is vital to keeping you learning Japanese even after it gets hard. Website: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/ Get the introduction to The Tower of Babbling and access to the mini-course Tower of Babbling: Scaffold: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=6 Are you learning Japanese? Are you within the military community? Are you currently living in Okinawa, Japan? Then you might eligible to be interviewed on this podcast! Email me at: keith@tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide for more details

ようこそ！(Welcome) to the Tower of Babbling Japan! Keith discusses the difference between fluency and literacy, and how it is critical to helping you go further with your Japanese. Get the 2021 Introduction to The Tower of Babbling and access to the mini course, Tower of Babbling: Scaffold by joining the email list here: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/?page_id=6 (I'm ready to learn Japanese · Tower of Babbling - Learn Japanese (tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide))

It's back! Keith announces the return of this podcast, with a new look and new focus. Website: https://tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide/ (Gateway · Tower of Babbling - Learn Japanese (tobhowtolearnjapanese.guide))

Two months later... In this brief update, I talk about what in the world I've been doing for the past two months and introduce my second podcast, Cereus & Limnic Podcast! The podcast provides background information about the making of my debut science fiction/social commentary fiction novel titled Cereus & Limnic. After you've listened to this update, check out episode 1 of the Cereus & Limnic Podcast here! The Cereus & Limnic podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher. For more information about Cereus & Limnic go to https://keithhayden.net/.

This is the final episode of the podcast! In this episode I say thank you and farewell. I also talk about what I learned while making this podcast, and briefly discuss what my next moves will be. Website: https://keithhayden.net/

In the last episode, I discussed how technology may change the way that we learn foreign languages in the future. In this episode, I talk about ways you can prepare for that future. Website: https://keithhayden.net/

In the last ten to twenty years, technology has forever altered the way we live our lives and how we communicate with each other. But how will it affect foreign language learning in the future? Will we even need or want to learn one? Join me in this unique episode as I speculate on how technology may (or may not) impact our relationship with foreign languages. Website: https://keithhayden.net/

In this episode, I continue to discuss different methods that will help you standout as a language learner. Specifically, I discuss formal and informal language immersion programs and introduce you to a category of language learning materials that are on the rise in the professional world that more and more language learners are taking advantage of. Featured languages: Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Spanish Here's the link to the language resource review website I mentioned in the episode, but couldn't remember the name of! https://www.alllanguageresources.com/ Website: https://keithhayden.net/

You've learned your target language to a decent level, now you want to use it to get a job. What are some ways you could standout to employers, potential clients or other stakeholders? In this episode, I talk about the pros and cons of language degrees, online language courses, and formal language tests. I follow each discussion with advice I would give to anyone interested in pursuing one of these language credentialing methods based on my own experience with each. Featured languages: Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese Website: https://keithhayden.net/

Have you ever considered using your language skills in a professional capacity? If so, this episode will give you an idea of some of the positions that could be waiting for you in the job market. Some are well known, others are more obscure, but all require some form of proficiency in your language of choice. Whether you are a recent graduate from high school or college, career changer, or just curious about ways you could make money with your language, you will get a lot out of this episode! Website: https://keithhayden.net/

Becoming highly literate and proficient in a foreign language is a stunning achievement that few achieve. But over time, underuse and neglect can cause us to lose the gains that we have worked so hard for. What can you do to prevent this from happening to you in your target language? In this episode, I talk about my personal approach to keeping my languages in good shape through learning multiple languages. My routine not only provides regular language maintenance, but has also allowed me to improve in my Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Featured languages: Japanese, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin) Website: https://keithhayden.net/

It is an unfortunate truth that not everyone will be thrilled that you have reached such a high level in your target language. In this episode, I talk about how to recognize prejudice and what you can do to mitigate it. I also speak about discrimination in general through the lens of my personal background. Website: https://keithhayden.net/

One of the ways the you can improve in your target language at the Native-like level is to learn how to tell better stories. In this episode, I tell you the story of Jason, a UPS truck driver who desires to launch his writing career by giving a talk in Spanish. Will he be able to improve his storytelling skills in time to impress a major publisher? Listen to find out what happens to Jason and to learn how you can become a better story spinner in your target language! Featured language: Spanish Website: https://keithhayden.net/

Welcome to the Native-like Level! In this episode, I define what it means to be at this level of language learning, as well as provide you a road map for the methods for improvement and topics for consideration that we will cover in the next few episodes. Website: https://keithhayden.net/

The Language Confidence Scale is a self-assessment tool that allows you to evaluate how confident you are in your target language. In this episode, follow along as I self-assess my language confidence as a Spanish language learner. As I go along, I provide you with my rationale for why I give myself and certain score, and how you can apply some of my lessons learned to your unique language learning goals. Featured languages: Spanish Website: https://keithhayden.net/ Links to Medium Articles (My Early Years Learning Spanish) How I Learned Spanish - Textbooks How I Learned Spanish - Duolingo How I Learned Spanish - Pimsleur Method How I Learned Spanish - Tutors How I Learned Spanish - TED Translations How I Learned Spanish - Unlimited Spanish Podcast

We have reached the end of the Advanced Level, but before we move on, I'll cover some ways that you can test your reading and writing skills in your target language. I also discuss general considerations that all advanced language learners should know, as well as how I create an immersion environment in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese to take my language learning to the next level. Featured Languages: Spanish, Mandarin Chinese Website: https://keithhayden.net/ Skritter Chinese and Japanese (Non-affiliate link! I just like the app!)

As you gain more experience in your target language one way to prove to yourself and others that you really know your stuff is by taking a test and having an objective entity evaluate your skills. If it has been years or perhaps decades since your last test, the idea of taking one may make you uncomfortable. You may be asking yourself questions like: "How can I test myself?" "What makes a good test?" In this episode, I will discuss specific methods to test your speaking and listening skills in your target language. I also cover some general considerations for those advanced learners on the cusp of calling themselves native-like students of any language. Website: https://keithhayden.net/ American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interviews - Speaking Test

Writing can be a very private affair, but as advanced student one of the best ways to improve is to get feedback for your writing. In this episode, I discuss various ways to get your writing in front of an audience, even if it is just one person and why it is more important than ever to have confidence in anything that you produce. I also talk about the importance of learning a little about culture of people that speak your target language. Featured language: Spanish Website: https://keithhayden.net/ Translator: https://www.deepl.com/en/translator

With the ability to listen to almost anything you want in your target language comes the confusion of how choose and get the most out of materials created for native speakers of your target language. In this episode I talk about general advice on how to choose better materials and get more out of dedicated listening time. I also provide my take on the pros and cons of using music as a tool for language learning. I even read some Spanish rap lyrics and sing a little karaoke to a classic Japanese song! If you enjoy music and languages you will love this fun episode! Featured languages: Japanese, Spanish Website: https://keithhayden.net/ "Innocent World" © 1994 Toy's Factory Records

In Black American culture, an open mic night is an event where anyone can say whatever is on their minds in order to share their thoughts, emotions, and ideas with other people. If you have attained a high level of speaking proficiency in your target language, you can count yourself among those speakers ready to step to the mic and say whatever you want to whoever will listen. But what should you say? Who should you talk to? In this episode, I discuss techniques for improving your speaking. I cover the following topics: How to get more out of traveling/living abroadHow to find practice in your local communityAlternatives for practicing your speaking alonePractice options if you cannot travel or have no regular internet accessWhy learning idioms is a difficult but worthwhile pursuit in your language studies and how to learn them NOTE: Forgot to mention it in the episode, but Word Reference is a great resource for learning Spanish idioms! Lots of explanations by native speakers can be found for certain idiomatic expressions. I use it quite often as a reference when I encounter an unfamiliar expression. Featured languages: Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese Website: https://keithhayden.net/ Resources: Español con Juan

As an advanced student of your language, you can now read almost anything you want in your target language. But how do you decide what you should read? How can you begin to get the most out of your reading sessions with books and other long form written materials? In this episode I explain different techniques on how to take advantage of all of the colors of the reading rainbow to increase your overall language proficiency. Featured languages: Spanish Medium article on reading in a foreign language: https://medium.com/@kwhayden11/frustrated-with-reading-in-a-foreign-language-heres-how-to-do-it-better-8a348d078128 Website: https://keithhayden.net/

Welcome to the advanced level! You may feel already fluent and even functionally literate in your target language. This is a significant accomplishment! But are there more ways that you can still improve? Of course! In this episode I provide you with an overview of some of the ways that you can continue to improve in your target language as a veteran language learner. I also discuss the advantages of using a monolingual dictionary to further enhance your acquisition of the language. Featured Languages: Japanese, Spanish Monolingual Dictionary Article: https://medium.com/@kwhayden11/how-i-learned-spanish-part-7-using-a-monolingual-dictionary-74ddab955691 Website: https://keithhayden.net/

You invested serious effort to reach an intermediate level of literacy or proficiency in your target language. Maybe you've scoured the internet for free and paid resources, muddled your way through countless awkward conversations, or even dared to take a trip to a place where your target language is the primary language. It's a lot of work. Which is why hitting a language plateau or a period of zero or even negative growth can feel very frustrating and confusing in your language journey. In this episode, I talk about how to recognize that you have reached a plateau with your target language, and ways to reinvigorate your study activities in order to motivate and keep you on track to meet your goals. Featured language: Spanish (If you are learning Spanish you will find helpful resources here) Español Automático Website: http://www.espanolautomatico.com/start-here Website: https://keithhayden.net/

The intermediate phase of language learning is full pitfalls and traps. Some of these are a result of the natural process of acquiring a language that we have little knowledge in. Others are self imposed. The goal of this episode is to outline some of these pitfalls, and describe techniques to help you avoid them. By describing my language study plan for Mandarin Chinese, I hope to provide you with a template to better structure your language study in this difficult phase. Featured language: Mandarin Chinese Link to website: https://keithhayden.net/

Many language learners see writing as a "nice to have" skill when studying their target language. So why write at all? In this episode, I discuss why writing often gets ignored by language students and easy ways to take baby steps into writing (even if you feel you are a terrible writer). Featured languages: Spanish, Japanese My early Spanish writing on Medium. Link to website: https://keithhayden.net/

ABOUT OUR GUEST: Steve Kaufmann is a former Canadian diplomat who has turned his passion for learning languages into a full time job. He is the creator and owner of the popular language learning website LingQ, and can speak 20 languages, 18 of which he learned without formal academic instruction. My conversation with Steve touches on what it's like to become proficient in a language over the age of 60, the secret sauce to Steve's language success, and his views on the future of language learning. Listen to the episode to receive a code for a discount on a 1 year LingQ membership! Steve's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/lingosteve LingQ: https://www.lingq.com/en/ Steve's website: https://www.thelinguist.com/about/

Listening as an intermediate learner is, in my opinion, is the most difficult phase of learning a language. For an unknown period of months or even years, you may be hovering in between being able to understand only select words/phrases, and being able to understand an entire movie that you have always wanted to watch in your target language. This can be a frustrating experience that can make you want to give up on your language goals. How can you make this stage of language learning a little easier? In this episode, I provide you with a framework that will help you map your path through the expansive and dense territory that is listening as an intermediate learner. I distill my years of learning Spanish into 30 minutes, as I give you specific examples of what to do and not to do in this critical phase of your language learning process. Featured Languages: Spanish, Japanese Get a 35% discount on a 1 year LingQ membership! With the link below! 35% discount on a 1 year LingQ membership

As an intermediate language learner reading and speaking can be difficult. Large walls of text in your target language are still intimidating and having a true conversation seems beyond your reach. So how can you improve both of these skills? In this episode, I provide you with a few ideas for lower level reading materials and techniques for taking those first small steps into reading. I also discuss how to approach sessions with conversation partners to maximize your speaking practice. Featured Languages: Mandarin Chinese, Japanese For more insight about the Beginner-Intermediate Gap in Language learning, take a look at an article that I wrote that explains more, here.

Let's be honest, studying grammar is usually not a language student's first priority when it comes to learning a foreign language. But it is important. It can make the difference between sounding natural and sounding like an amateur in your target language. Most of us learn languages to be able to communicate well with others, good knowledge of grammar is another key piece of the puzzle. How can you study grammar in a way that does not bore you or discourage you from learning the language? In this episode I share practical strategies for absorbing grammar, as well as reveal my number one grammar technique that has allowed me to master grammar in Spanish and Japanese.

The Intermediate level of language learning is where many language students begin to have a hard time. Routines become tedious and dull, motivation to study can plummet, overall interest in the language may slowly begin to vanish. All of these factors and many more may drive us to give up on our language goals. But don't despair! This episode will be the first of several that will help you navigate through what in my opinion is the most difficult phase of the language learning process. In this episode I focus on one of the biggest aspects of language learning: vocabulary acquistion. I talk about ways to improve your memory, present various methods for learning large amounts of new words that helped me succeed as a Spanish medical interpreter, and reveal several personal methods that I have used that makes vocabulary learning less of a chore and more exciting. Check out my article on Medium for more about mistakes I made in learning vocabulary here or on my website at keithhayden.net

Learn about how having a plan to learn the language is the key difference between a beginner and an advanced beginner language learner.

Calling all beginners! If you are just starting or are thinking about starting to learn a language, this episode is for you! I cover the Dos and Don'ts for beginners of any language. I also share a personal story about my first days learning Japanese!

Self-assessment can be difficult for all language learners. Learn how to do it better using the Language Confidence Scale. I use my Chinese language studies as a template to walk you through this powerful self-assessment technique.

Welcome to the to Tower of Babbling! This episode discusses the how to get the most out of the book to improve your language studies.

I read the introduction to my book The Tower of Babbling. And talk about the inspiration behind the cover. I also speak about the difference between language fluency and literacy.