Learn Languages with Steve Kaufmann

Francesco’s story is typical. A passion for languages and a passion for the culture of his homeland, Italy, took him from his background in economics to creating an online presence helping people learn Italian via videos and podcasts.

Listening is the easiest language learning activity to do, anywhere, any time. To be effective, there should be some ability to understand at least some of what you hear.

When I was 17 I essentially spoke only one language, English. Today I speak 20 languages, six of them quite well, six fairly well, and the rest are work in progress. How did that happen?

We don't need to be perfect to communicate in a foreign language. John Cena doesn't speak perfect Mandarin Chinese, far from it, but he communicates effectively from the heart.

I love French for its history and cultural influence. For English speakers, or speaker of other Romance languages, the amount of familiar or recognizable vocabulary is a major advantage to learners, despite the occasional "false friend".

Will John of Goluremi Languages is an American polyglot and professional soccer player, who has played in many countries. He grew up in the "heartland" of America. He credits his mother for his interest in languages.

I hear people say their level in English isn’t good. Many have unrealistic expectations. English is an international language of communication. If you can communicate you’re doing just fine.

Mark Kaufmann, CEO of LingQ and the visionary behind LingQ 5.0, shares exciting updates about the revamped language learning platform. He discusses the completely rewritten system and new features designed to enhance user experience, including gamification elements to boost motivation. The conversation highlights user-requested changes like customizable playlists, improved lesson importing, and intuitive interface upgrades. Mark emphasizes the importance of user feedback in shaping future enhancements for LingQ, ensuring it remains a top choice for language learners.

Ancient Greece and Rome had an outsized influence on the culture of Europe, and even the world. We may call their languages dead today but they were living languages for much of recent history.

In language learning, the obsessive pursuit of perfection can be an obstacle to achieving a comfortable ability to communicate in the language.