The Fluent Show - Episodes Tagged with “Duolingo”

Bored by Duolingo - What Now?

Kerstin Cable — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 07:00:00 +0100

Every other week on the Fluent Show, I put aside a little time to answer your listener questions. Email your question to me at kerstin@fluentlanguage.co.uk or tweet it to @thefluentshow

Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

Luka asks:

I have been learning Spanish for 3 months. I started learning with Duolingo and was really into it, and recently I have been using a textbook as well but have become really demotivated - not because I give up, because I am bored of duo lingo. I’m tired of the way it’s trying to teach me and I don’t feel like I’m progressing. [..]

My question is, if I’m not using Duolingo, what can I actually do to learn Spanish? I’ve looked everywhere and all the websites have a lot of ‘tips’ but not an actual guide saying things like resources to use etc.

Tips for Dealing with Duolingo boredom - while using Duolingo!

Get on the web version so you can read explanations
Restrict yourself to a few minutes a day - pairing is good here, how about Duolingo while waiting for your kettle to boil or your bus to arrive
Try out a club so you can compete

Beyond Duolingo, the key to stop yourself getting bored and to staying interested in your target language is to take control of your own language routine.

If you want to learn more about this, the Language Habit Toolkit is designed to help you set up exactly this way of thinking and create a solid language learning routine.

For Spanish Learners

You can find my curated list of resources and articles for Spanish learners at www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/for-spanish-learners.

Thank you to Andy for this episode introduction.

Finding friends who love languages (with Chuck Smith)

Kerstin Cable — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 14:00:00 +0000

These days, the Polyglot Gathering pulls in hundreds of language learners who share and enjoy community in the heart of Europe. A lot of this is thanks to Chuck's contributions, along with the wonderful Polyglot Gathering team.

This year, Chuck published his first language learning app, Amikumu.

What is Amikumu?

Want to text another person and ask them to meet up and practice a language...without looking creepy?

Amikumu will help you find people near you who love languages. The purpose of the app is to help you find people nearby to chat and meet up, and it supports the world's 7,000+ languages (including 100+ sign languages).

The idea for Amikumu came out of Chuck's love for the planned language Esperanto. It’s not a natural language choice, it’s a minority language. Why would anyone bother to learn?

Language Learning Apps

In recent episodes, we've covered language learning apps on a regular basis. If you have a smartphone and you live in the 21st century, they are an essential component of language learning. More and more developers are working on apps for language learning, and Chuck's experience stands out from the crowd: he is the creator of Duolingo's Esperanto course.

In our interview, Chuck explained how he came to work on Duolingo and why he loves gamified learning, how we can bring more soul into language learning apps...and why you could probably learn a language if you have three apps.

Check out Chuck's app recommendations in our link list below.

Special Guest: Chuck Smith.

"You assume they don't have chick lit in Polish"

Kerstin Cable — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 07:30:00 +0100

In this episode, polyglot expert Shannon fills in for Lindsay - we catch up on our language learning and Duolingo, and then discuss why and how reading makes you fluent and smart and cultured.

Remember: If you visit our sponsor Clozemaster at www.clozemaster.com/cllp, you'll be supporting the Creative Language Learning Podcast for free!

Listen to find out..

Why did Duolingo wait so long to release Korean?

K-Pop and Kimchi lovers, look out for Duolingo's latest offering.
We catch up on news with the world's (probably) biggest language learning app, looking at its course offers and money-earning developments. They have a Pro membership now, but we're not mad at them!

How early should you read?

Reading from day 1 is what it's all about, and we discuss why it can boost fluency and memory when you start by reading right away. Think connecting what you see with what you hear to avoid stumbling blocks like bad spelling, dodgy pronunciation, and all-round low confidence.

What about difficult scripts?

While I've "elegantly" avoided learning complex writing systems such as Hiragana or Arabic for my languages, Shannon was on hand to advise on what it's like to learn another script.

How to find input for your level

It's hard to get over these two problems:

Coursebooks are obvious, but they're so limited and dull.
Books for learners are great, but they take for actual ever to read.

In this show, we share a few tips for reading in your target language and in a way that is actually interesting! Shannon reads with her son and loves the Lingq app, and I am a big fan of magazines.

Revelation about the Lingq app

I have tried reading-focused app Lingq before, but didn't quite get it...while Shannon is their biggest fan! What gives? Shannon shares tips and insights from what it's actually like to use this app.

Why you shouldn't just read Harry Potter in another language

Translated literature opens up linguistic worlds to you, but you could be missing a trick. There is nothing like reading the words that came from a country, and I make the case that it is always worth it to spend the extra time and effort on finding texts that are originally written in another language.

The Language Reading Challenge

For more inspiration and a look at what Shannon and other polyglots are reading right now, head to Goodreads to join the Reading Challenge hosted by Shannon.

What do you think? What do you read in your target language? And have you tried Shannon's challenge?

Special Guest: Shannon Kennedy.

Kris Broholm from Actual Fluency on Challenges, Information Overload and Book Club

Kerstin Cable — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 11:00:00 +0000

In Episode 12 of the Creative Language Learning Podcast, I interviewed a fellow podcaster! Chris Broholm is a language learner with a big mission: 10 Languages in 10 Years!

“As long as you’re doing something, you’re doing it right.”

— Chris on Language Learning Methods

Article of the Week

Duolingo is Getting More Serious by Kay Alexander on Fair Languages

Tips of the Week

Chris chose Tip 1 as his favourite, because goal setting is still WAY undervalued in learning a new language.

Tip 1: set your chosen Fluency level (travel fluent, job fluent?)

Tip 2: Be a historical linguist
- Word origins and vocab divergence can help with remembering words
- Look up "etymology"

Tip 3: Sprint with the Language Challenge

Tips and Links from this Podcast

Support the Creative Language Learning Podcast through Patreon - from just $1!

Actual Fluency Indiegogo Campaign

The italki New Year Challenge: Study 20 Lessons and Win

Actual Fluency Episode 32 with me talking about how to be an independent online teacher

Handbook of Russian Affixes

Russian in 10 Minutes a Day by Kristine Kershul

Special Guest: Kris Broholm.