Language Chats

In this episode, conversation designer Grace Frances discusses the creative aspect of conversational AI and training AI assistants to interact with people. They explore the types of conversational AI, frustrations with chatbots, the guest's linguistics background, the impact and ethics of AI, and the future of chatbots and conversational AI.

In this episode, we’re speaking with David Hua, Director of Audio and Language Content at SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) Australia, Australia’s multilingual, multicultural and Indigenous media organisation. We speak with David about his own cultural and linguistic background, what inspired him to get into the media industry, the role that SBS has in modern Australia, what he is most proud of in the work that SBS does, and representation of culturally and linguistically diverse people in Australian media. This episode was recorded in NAIDOC Week 2023. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia, especially those of the lands on which we recorded this episode - the Wadawurrung, the Wurundjeri and the Cammeraygal people. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. We live and work on land that was, is and always will be Aboriginal country. Do you have a question for David or for us? Get in touch or join our Facebook group, Language Lovers AU Community, to connect with other like-minded language lovers in Australia and abroad. Episode Links SBS (Special Broadcasting Service) Australia ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Our History - SBS Australia SBS to broadcast live COVID-19 updates on SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand in multiple languages - SBS Australia SBS Language - News & Podcasts SBS to serve more multilingual Australians than ever; investing more in Indo-Pacific and First Nations languages - SBS Australia NAIDOC Week 2023 Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan - SBS Australia Acknowledgement of Country in your language - SBS Australia Pitch your podcast idea to SBS - SBS Audio Media Diversity Australia David Hua - SBS Corporate | Twitter

In this episode, we’re chatting with Tom Shugg, VIC-based co-founder of Meg Languages. Meg Languages focuses on creating global citizens and getting students excited about learning a language by providing live Mandarin & Spanish language instruction in classrooms across Australia and around the world. Tom tells us about how he was inspired by a school trip to China in Year 9, studying Chinese at university and abroad, how Meg Languages came to be, the challenges of finding language teachers in both remote and metropolitan areas, and an exciting new project which the Meg Languages team is working on. We hope you enjoy this great chat as much as we did! Have a question for Tom or for us? Get in touch or join our Facebook group, Language Lovers AU Community, to connect with other like-minded language lovers in Australia and abroad. Episode Links Meg Languages About Meg Languages The School of the Air - ABC Education Find Tom Shugg on LinkedIn

Love watching movies from around the world? It turns out that Bec goes to the cinema quite a lot and always has a recommendation for a film up her sleeve! Most of the movies she goes to see are in languages other English - surprise, surprise! - so in this episode, Bec is sharing a few of the international films that she’s watched over the last year or so which might also interest other language- and film-loving folk. Have a question or want to share your film recommendations with us too? Get in touch or join our Facebook group, Language Lovers AU Community, to connect with other like-minded language lovers in Australia and abroad! Episode Links Palace Cinemas | Australian Movie Theatre & Cinemas Language Chats Ep #079 - Foreign Language TV Series & Film - What We’ve Been Watching in 2022 (with Lamont from Days of French ‘n’ Swedish) Language Chats Ep #057 - Foreign Language TV Series - What We’re Watching in 2021 Language Chats Ep #030 - Foreign Language TV Series - What We’re Watching in 2020 Language Chats Ep #003 - Foreign Language TV Series - What We’re Watching German Film Festival | Presented by Palace Der Fuchs / The Fox - German Das Lehrerzimmer / The Teachers’ Lounge - German Sisi (TV series) - German (currently available in Australia on SBS On Demand) Corsage - German Sisi und Ich / Sisi & I - German Sissi (1955) - German Alliance Française French Film Festival November / Novembre - French Mascarade - French Scandinavian Film Festival | Presented by Palace Margrete den første / Margrete: Queen of the North - Danish Smagen af sult / A Taste of Hunger - Danish Metsurin tarina / The Woodcutter Story - Finnish À plein temps / Full Time - French Language Lovers AU Community

In this episode, we’re speaking with Yoshito Darmon-Shimamori, a London-based languages teacher and author, writing specifically for multilingual children. Yoshito grew up in France, bilingual in French and Japanese, and learnt English and Spanish at school. His wife is Korean and they are now bringing up their children to be multilingual and multiliterate in their three home languages: Korean, French and English. We speak with him about his language-filled home environment, his work promoting multilingual parenting and the importance of making language purposeful, and creating a bilingual graphic novel which is adaptable to any home language. Do you have a question for Yoshito or for us? Get in touch or join our Facebook group, Language Lovers AU Community, to connect with other like-minded language lovers in Australia and abroad! Episode Links Library4Multilinguals Library4Multilinguals - Youtube Activities for Multilingual Families - Youtube Find Yoshito on Instagram: @multilingual_dad | LinkedIn: Yoshito Darmon-Shimamori

Speech language pathologist and language enthusiast, Lauren Williams, discusses her work, language learning experiences, and the growth of Polyglot Station and Language TV Club. They explore the field of speech pathology, personal language learning journeys, and using TV shows to connect language learners. They also talk about their language learning plans and starting an English TV Club.

Michelle Parkin, a passionate teacher and language enthusiast, discusses her language learning journey, from studying German, French, Italian, and Portuguese, to her experiences as a teacher. She shares resources for language learning, such as Duolingo, Coffee Break German podcast, and Easy German podcast. Michelle also talks about her excitement for Eurovision and the challenges of teaching one's native language.

In this episode, we’re chatting with Damian Bolton, an Indonesian language teacher based in Canberra who brings his passion and fascination for languages into the primary school classroom. Damian tells us about how he came to learn Indonesian after growing up in regional NSW with very little exposure to languages other than English, how an exchange program after high school changed his life, his love for his work as an Indonesian language teacher and what he thinks about the perception that Indonesian is an ‘easy’ language to learn. If you’d like to connect with other Aussie language lovers like Damian, join our Facebook group Language Lovers AU Community and get involved in the conversation! Episode Links Wiradjuri language - Wikipedia Indonesian matters in our schools - Pursuit - The University of Melbourne Language Lovers AU Community on Facebook

In this episode, Penny & Bec are chatting about where our interest in language has taken us in life, both literally and figuratively. We talk about what learning other languages has inspired us to do and how it’s allowed us to have some pretty cool experiences over the years - which have influenced our studies, careers and personal lives - as well as the things that we perhaps wish we had (or hadn’t!) done along the way. What has language given you the opportunity to do? How has learning another language impacted your experiences and view of the world? Join our Facebook group Language Lovers AU Community and let us know your thoughts! Episode Links Language Lovers AU Community on Facebook

Our guest for this episode is Joseph Lo Bianco, Professor Emeritus of Language and Literacy Education at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne. We were delighted to have the opportunity to speak with Joe about his career and work on language, culture and literacy education in Australia and around the world. Among many other interesting research projects and advisory roles, in the late 1980s he wrote The National Policy on Languages, Australia’s first explicit and comprehensive language policy, and the first multilingual national language policy in an English speaking country. Tune in and let us know your thoughts! Join the Language Lovers AU Community on Facebook to take part in the conversation or get in touch with us here. Episode Links Professor Joseph Lo Bianco - Find an Expert at The University of Melbourne Research Gate - Joseph Lo Bianco Excerpts from The National Policy on Languages (1987) - Multicultural Australia Australian Education Review: Second Languages and Australian Schooling (2009), Joseph Lo Bianco, University of Melbourne Find Joe on Twitter @josephlobianco | LinkedIn