Language & Travel Hacking

Can anyone join the active polyglot community?If you’re hesitant to join the active polyglot community, polyglot and language mentor Miguel, also founder of the blog The Multilingual Bronxite, shares about what he’s discovered from taking part in these communities.In this interview with Benny, Miguel shares his perspective on the usefulness of the polyglot community. As a regular participant and speaker himself at international polyglot events such as Polyglotar, Miguel explains how the community is less intimidating than what would seem from the outside. As he puts forward, everyone is learning, so everyone is very open and like-minded!Miguel also discusses how studying on your own can prove more valuable than learning languages the academic way as well as his opinion regarding immersion. Does it really help you learn a language, or does that depend on your skill level?Mentioned in this EpisodeThe Multilingual BronxiteThe Assimil MethodFluent in 3 Months BlogPoliglotar Conference WebsiteitalkiJoin Our PatreonEnjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to support what we do!Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

How closely does improving your body impact improving your memory?Michael Campbell, founder and CEO of Glossika, one of the most popular language resources on the Internet, shares how he has improved his physical and mental abilities by making important changes in his life.In this unusual episode (which focuses more on self-improvement than languages), Micheal andBenny discuss the benefits of changing diets and switching mindsets to achieve a healthier personal health.Michael also compared using Glossika and learning languages to being consistent in going to the gym. The main comparison between being successful at both? Repetition.Mentioned in this EpisodeGlossikaJoin Our PatreonEnjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to support what we do!Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Benny explains how language exchanges work by describing his own experience with the MundoLingo events. He covers how events are organised to make language recognition easy, shares how the set-up is ideal even for introverts, and mentions a few tips to make the most about the event.To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email ask@languagehacking.com

This episode includes a Black Friday promotion. Follow this link to get the Black Friday price.Check out all our Black Friday deals on 50+ languages here.How can language learning happen through reading stories?Olly Richards, creator of the Uncovered Language Courses, is back on the Language Hacking Podcast to answer the question above.Olly shares his story and explains how he combined his background in education, his polyglot skills, and his passion for writing in order to make language learning more accessible to the everyday language learner. He explains how there is more to language learning than just passive absorptionBenny and Elizabeth encourage Olly to talk about the structure of his courses, how they cover microskills needed by beginners to build solid bases in a new language, and the struggle to find the right native tutor to support the courses’ development.The discussion also covers Olly’s recently released intermediate-level Uncovered courses and how they follow the same methodology as his beginner courses.If you’re interested in testing out Olly’s Uncovered method, take advantage of the Uncovered Courses Black Friday promotion going on right now!Follow this link to get the Black Friday price.Mentioned in this EpisodeUncovered Language Courses Black Friday DealsOlly’s first podcast episode: #005 | Olly Richards on Living Abroad and Story LearningFrench Uncovered review: French UncoveredItalian Uncovered review: Italian UncoveredGerman Uncovered review: German UncoveredSpanish Uncovered review: Spanish UncoveredJapanese Uncovered review: Japanese UncoveredJoin Our PatreonEnjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to support what we do!Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

How much does living in different countries shape your personality and influence your personal development?In an episode packed with cultural exploration anecdotes, writer, translator, and educator Kelsey Lechner shares her experience with learning six vastly different languages, keeping her career tightly related to languages in unexpected ways, and adapting to new cultures while living in countries like Tanzania, Japan, and Bangladesh.Kelsey also shares her flexible language learning strategy pointers, which she developed while learning Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Swahili, and Bengali. She and Benny discuss how social acceptance works when trying to adjust to new cultures, how to take missteps in cross-cultural communication in stride, and how to deal with culture shocks.(Psss… Wait until minute 28 for a funny anecdote about how mixing up Bangladesh and Spanish led Kelsey to hit up on someone without meaning to!)Mentioned in this EpisodeAnkiKelsey’s posts on Fluent in 3 MonthsJoin Our PatreonEnjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to support what we do!Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Are dead languages worth learning?Latin learner, polyglot, and professional translator Brian Powell answers this question by explaining his experience with learning Latin and the way it changed his perspective on learning languages.Among other topics discussed in this conversation with Benny, Brian explains the “Living Latin” movement, using Latin in a spoken way, and whether or not Latin is a useful stepping stone to learn modern romance languages.Brian also shares about his love for grammar, insights on the other languages he has learned, including Arabic, Farsi, and French, as well as stories and tips from his career as a translator.PS: Definitely listen to this episode if you want to hear Benny’s special pronunciation of Latin words :)Mentioned in this EpisodeBrian’s blog post on Fluent in 3 Months: How to Speak Latin: A Beginner’s Guide to Living LatinLingua Latina Per Se IllustrataScorpioMartianus YouTube channelMagisterCraftLatinitiumAssimilitalkiIndustryArabicPodcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Benny starts off this episode with a personal case study related to language immersion at home: studying Egyptian Arabic while still living in Brasil back in 2012. He then gives his favorite tips for home immersion.To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email ask@languagehacking.com

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and Greek learner, Nina, shares her experience taking part in the Challenge and connecting with her husband, in-laws, and daughter through Greek with hosts Benny and Shannon.We guarantee that anyone who completes the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge will have a 15-minute conversation in their new language after 90 days of learning. You can find out more here.Featured ResourcesFluent in 3 Months ChallengeJoin Our PatreonEnjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to bonus content and monthly exclusives.Mentioned in this EpisodeFluent in 3 Months ChallengeitalkiLingQGlossikaEpisode OverviewSome of the topics brought up during the interview are:Figuring out how much you want your language teachers to correct youHow to get through the intermediate plateauLearning multiple languages simultaneouslyReading to learn languagesComing back to languages after a breakBecoming more direct with your language tutors in order to get the most out of your lessonsBalancing your energy and being more aware of your energy levelsLearning languages with the unpredictable schedule of having a new babyLearning your partner’s native languageHow Nina supports her daughter’s language learning and multilingualismPodcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

Fluent in 3 Months Challenge participant and French learner, Melanie, discusses taking part in the Challenge and connecting with her kids through French with hosts Benny and ShannonWe guarantee that anyone who completes the Fluent in 3 Months Challenge will have a 15-minute conversation in their new language after 90 days of learning. You can find out more here.Featured ResourcesFluent in 3 Months ChallengeJoin Our PatreonEnjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to bonus content and monthly exclusives.Mentioned in this EpisodeFluent in 3 Months ChallengeEpisode OverviewSome of the topics brought up during the interview are:Learning French in the Fluent in 3 Months ChallengeHow language helped Melanie find new ways to connect with her kidsLearning a language alongside her kids and how supporting one another goes both waysCreating a language learning environment with 7 kidsLearning a heritage languageWays to support your kids’ language learningHow being a part of her kids’ language learning journeys has helped Melanie improve her own learningPodcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy

The life of a polyglot globe-trotter only knows one constant: change! In this new update, Benny explains why his decision to postpone his trip to Thailand is the best for his goals in Thai. In fact, he will be focusing on including five languages in his daily life in the next few months.To ask Benny a question, leave a comment on Instagram (@languagehacking) or Twitter (@fi3m), or you can email ask@languagehacking.com