Language Learning Advice From a Polyglot Veteran (Bilingual Interview with Judith Meyer)

Judith Meyer is well-known in the language learning world for co-founding the Polyglot Gathering event and writing several language books and courses. She's consulted by many and freely shares her own tips and experiences from learning over 14 languages.

Listen to my interview with her on the Creative Language Learning Podcast:

Happy places

We covered a lot of ground in this interview, and as a language learner you will be delighted to hear her excellent advice.

One Thing You Need to Know About This Episode

This is a bilingual podcast.

If you are not an experienced German learner, there will be some parts of the podcast that you don’t understand. But like all language learners, you’re not alone in that feeling. Try to stay with us, trust that we will come back to English again and again, and challenge yourself to become comfortable with not understanding everything.

German Learners: Click this link to view a full transcript (bilingual) of our conversation, so you can listen and read along at the same time.

The Learning is The Goal

Some people learn for practical reasons like travel or employment. to me is how both Judith and I come from monolingual households. There was no focus on languages, we both started at age 10, and yet this "late start" did not mean that it was impossible to do.

She says she used to try and invent her own writing system as a child because she found Chinese so fascinating.

Use Your Language Early

Judith says that it's important to do something that is NOT studying all the time. She says

I get easily demotivated if it's just studying a textbook

Judith books early lessons with tutors and uses her language in all kinds of ways so she can stay interested.

The Importance of Goals and Tracking

Even though Judith doesn't struggle with the general motivation to learn a language, she does keep track of her progress.

She's kept a spreadsheet on her computer for many years, and maintains a goal of doing a little more each year.

I absolutely agree with her on this, and found myself doing more with my language in the same amount of time when I started tracking. If you're interested in how learning languages works with my system, check out the Language Habit Toolkit.

How to Get Over an Intermediate Plateau

As someone who can hold a confident conversation in over five languages, Judith knows what it takes to go from a plateau to a much higher language level.

The trick is this: Your language level adapts to what you're doing in that language - in other words, you will grow with your challenges. You have to start trying to do something you cannot do.

The hard part is to start before you are ready. Judith describes how new Chinese challenges like presenting and debating tasks helped her get off the intermediate plateau.

But as Judith puts it:

If your lifestyle is such that you don't use C1 German, then good luck learning it.

You might get there for a short while, but to truly stay there you have to keep using your language.

Why Your Reason to Learn a Language Won't Be Enough

Finally, we chatted about the big reasons for learning languages. As a card-carrying member of "the tribe of those who learn a language because it's awesome", Judith has remarkable thoughts on why learning languages is important.

I don't need a reason to learn a language. I need an excuse.

By this she means that if you're looking for a reason, unless you're learning English there's often not a deep seated REASON that will keep you going for long enough to become fluent. Instead, make use of the good excuses out there, like learning for travel or for work.

But if you're just starting a language because you're fascinated, that is perfect.

After all, why would anyone learn so many languages if not for the love of them?

Understanding Germany

As the German part of a German-American couple, Judith knows that understanding other languages is a key part of learning other cultures.

She writes the blog "Understanding Germany", where she offers insights into what the Germans are like, how they think, and what's shaping the German mindset right now.

Click here to access all links and resources mentioned in this podcast

I look forward to hearing your feedback. Did you enjoy this bilingual podcast episode? Did you understand anything...and how did you feel if you did not?

9 of the Best Podcasts for Learning German

What would you do if you could easily understand spoken German? Perhaps you'd finally travel to the places you've dreamed of, watch the original version of your favourite film, or try ordering that fabled Club Mate to go full on German hipster.

If you want to prepare yourself for real conversations with German natives, there's great value in developing those listening skills.

Why Practice German Listening Skills?

German is a language with consistent pronunciation and spelling, so you will find that the more you listen, the more you can work out. And for any level of language, podcasts have come onto the scene.

And what easier way to do this than with a German podcast.

Podcasts are a great way to add a little German listening practice into your day-to-day life. They are free, and can accompany any part of your day: driving a car, washing your dishes, doing laundry, working out, reading, and more.

Quick Primer: How Do Podcasts Work?

If you're curious about podcasts, but not quite sure how they work, here's what you need to know:

1. You can subscribe for free to podcasts on your phone, tablet, or computer.

2. If you use an iPhone or iPad, go to the Podcasts app. If you're on a Mac, use the iTunes directory.

3. On a PC or Android device, try the Pocketcasts app for a quick and easy start.

4. Subscribing means you'll always have the latest episode ready and waiting for you as soon as it's published.

German is a great language for learning by podcast. There is a big selection, so I've gone and selected 9 of the best shows for you to discover.

Listen To The Fluent Show

In addition to the German podcasts you'll find in this article, check out the my own podcast The Fluent Show where we share languages, learning methods, and how to live a multilingual life.

As a German learner, you will love this recent bilingual episode in German and English with polyglot Judith Meyer.

The 9 Best German Podcasts for Learners

In this article, you'll find

1. German Podcast Courses from Deutsche Welle

2. Podcasts in Slow German

3. German Video Shows

4. Story-Based and German Culture Podcasts

5. A tip on how to find podcasts produced by native German speakers

German Podcast Courses from Deutsche Welle

• Deutsch - Warum Nicht? (Deutsche Welle - A1-B1)

Deutsch - Warum Nicht? is a 4-part podcast series for complete beginners and early German learners. Parts 1 and 2 focus on the A1 and A2 (beginner) stages while Parts 3 and 4 focus on the B1 (intermediate) stages. It tells the story of Andreas Schäfer, a journalism student and hotel doorman. Each of the four series contains 26 lessons all with PDF dialogues, exercises, and downloadable audio clips. These series are for beginners, intermediate learners, and advanced learners.

• Deutsch - Wieso Nicht? (Deutsche Welle - B1)

Deutsch - Wieso Nicht? is the sequel to Deutsch - Warum Nicht. It focuses on intermediate level German (roughly B1). Everything is in German and like its predecessor, downloadable PDFs and audio files are available. The podcast focuses on topics related to daily life in Germany and Austria on fun and interesting topics and situations. It is very clear and easy to understand and follow. I wholeheartedly recommend it to intermediate German learners.

Podcasts in Slower German

These podcasts present slow or slightly simplified German language content, while keeping you attuned to real German voices. Make sure you keep yourself attuned to faster spoken German too, otherwise you might flounder in conversation.

• News in Slow German

News in Slow German is an intermediate level podcast. This podcast covers world news, grammar, and expressions and slows down all the dialogue to make it easier to process what you hear. Every episode breaks down a point on grammar and vocabulary.

The audio is very clear and easy to follow. On the website there are transcripts for each episode available with grammar, expressions, pronunciation, and quizzes.

• Slow German Mit Annik Rubens

Annik Rubens from Munich produces German learning podcasts for two levels:

• For absolute beginners, there is a podcast in English which introduces basic German words.
• For intermediate learners, she covers interesting aspects and stories about Germans, German culture, and German places.

The podcast offers a paid premium version with great extras such as slowed down lessons, PDF guides, grammar and vocabulary tutorials, fairy tales, and quizzes.

German Video Shows

• Learn German With Videos (Yabla)

Yabla is a video-based learning platform with bilingual subtitles and integrated dictionaries. The subtitles are interactive, which is a really cool concept! Check out how Yabla works in detail by reading my full review.

Yabla is great for all levels from basic to advanced. There is a free German podcast available with plenty of videos to watch.

Story-Based and German Culture Podcasts

• Authentic German Learning

This podcast comes on the back of the successful Authentic German Learning website and YouTube channel! It promises to be an exciting one, as the host, Marco Rösler, is an enthusiastic and energetic host with a zest for life. This podcast is focused on learning German through personal development and the TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) method. The concept invites you to read and listen to the dialogue at the same time.

• LingQ German Podcast

The LingQ German podcast was recommended to me by German learner Alex Gentry as one of his favorites. Steve Kaufmann, the founder of LingQ, emphasises learning German through extensive listening to audio and reading of texts. This is called the comprehensible input method.

The LingQ podcast is excellent for beginner and intermediate learners. There is no English, the tone is relaxed and conversational, and steve gets right in there talking to German native speakers. All exercises are available to download via iTunes, and you can sign into LingQ to get the podcast notes, transcripts, and exercises.

• Coffee Break German

Coffee Break German, a podcast from Radio Lingua Network, combines German language lessons with a lot of useful information about German food, culture, German-speaking countries, and so on.

My favorite part of the podcast is the chemistry between relaxed and charismatic host Mark from Scotland and native speaker Thomas from Bavaria. Cultural Correspondant Julia from Potsdam has great cultural advice, and Grammar Guru Kirsten from Scotland discusses grammar in a clear, easy to understand way.

• GermanPod101.com (InnovativeLanguage)

GermanPod101 from InnovativeLanguage covers any level you can think of from basic to advanced German. With enticing titles and interesting themes for each episode, you'll never get bored.

The dialogues are presented by engaging presenters and the hosts Judith (a native speaker) and Chuck (a fluent speaker) cover both cultural and grammatical aspects clearly and concisely. On the website you can sign up for the premium content to access spaced repetition flashcards, PDF lesson notes, and a community forum for a subscription fee.

Advanced Learner Tip: Native German Podcasts

The German podcast world has come a long way in recent times, and these days you'll be able to find a big array of native level content to listen to when you want to get German language immersion. You can choose from a full catalogue of shows on topics from politics to film reviews. The easiest way to access native German language podcasts is to go to iTunes and switch your country setting to "Germany" or "Austria".

There's no restriction on your switch, and you'll be able to access all podcasts in the same way that listeners from Germany can. One of my favorites is Serienjunkies, covering TV reviews from Game of Thrones to new netflix arrival Dark.

Free German Guide for YOU

My mini-guide to speaking German is out now! It’s called Make Your German Sound Amazing and will give you the best tips and 26 key phrases to make you ready for any conversation. Get it today by subscribing to the Fluent Language Newsletter.

Your Intuition is Wrong about Learning Languages

Do you have a vague feeling that you're too old to learn a language?

Are you still looking for the best way to do this?

Or do you just....feel like you're never quite doing enough?

Then we have the show for you!! Hit play now and check out episode 69 of the Creative Language Learning Podcast

(Beware listeners: This episode contains a discussion of a few English swearwords, so if you want to avoid them please skip the first 20 minutes.)

Here's wbat's on the show this week:

Language Stories: Lindsay has a new podcast, reporting back from her adventures around the language landscapes of cities like Montréal, New York, and more.

Even after 20 years of English, I still don't know all the words. We discuss an English slang word that was news to me.

The Psychology of Rewards

We discussed why and how you can reward yourself when you reach those study goals.

Here are a few ideas from the super cool Fluent Language Learners community on Facebook:

Treat Yourself as a Reward

• Enjoy a coffee and take some time out in a café, watch the people, and take in the atmosphere
• Read a good book...maybe in your target language, maybe a bilingual text
• Treat yourself to some new stationery
• Go out and explore where speakers of your language hang out, for example if your city has an area where you can find ethnic food and goods
• Go to a concert or have a kitchen dance party

Enjoy the Rewards of Successful Language Learning

• Enjoy the happy glow of passing a certificate or good grade (Carlos), or the good feeling of completing a project
• Allow yourself a moment to recognise how much you have achieved

Some group members said that they never feel like they reach their goals. If this is you, check out our podcast for tips and thoughts on how you can reframe rewards and make them work for you.

Language Learning Misconceptions

What are the most common misconceptions, and which one is your (and my) top one?

There is even a Wikipedia article about this.

Some of them are intuitive and easy to accept, and some of them are so widespread that they have even made it into marketing.

Here's the list we discussed on the show:

• Children learn their first language effortlessly
• Younger learners learn languages more easily than older learners
• Intelligent people are better at learning languages
• Immersion is the best way to learn a language
• Grammar study is detrimental to second-language acquisition
• Learning a second language hinders the development of the first language
• Once a child can speak a language, the language-learning process is complete

Consider: All these ideas and beliefs are widespread, but none of them are true when taken at face value!

Interlinear Books Review: a Powerful Language Learning Tool

Remember the recent podcast about reading in other languages? We talked a lot about how difficult it can be to find original literature in your target language that is actually comprehensible too.

In today's post, I've asked Fluent contributor Victoria to take a look at an intriguing offer...Interlinear books - they're like original subtitled literature. Say what! Victoria is both Norwegian and book-obsessed - no better candidate to review the books we examined in this post.

Read on to find out if the promise of Interlinear books delivers:

When I was asked to review Interlinear Books, a language learning literature tool, I was intrigued - I'm always looking for new reading experiences, and this certainly was unlike anything I have read before!

Short version of verdict: Interlinear Books are a great supporting language learning tool for intermediate learners to infuse some foreign language literature into their lives.

This review is based on no previous knowledge about Interlinear products, and all comments are based on my first-hand experience of trialing the Swedish Interlinear book.

What are Interlinear Books?

Interlinear are bilingual books that include the original and an English translation below. The English is in a smaller font, so that it doesn’t distract too much from the original language. Each word or phrase is translated below the original one, and the books are classic literature from the language it is teaching. In Interlinear Books’ own words: it’s like subtitles for books.

Click here to view all Interlinear books

Does it work?

Initially I was intrigued by the idea of learning language by reading quality literature – as a literature graduate and a book lover at large there could hardly be anything more fitting! I chose the Swedish title, Skatten: Herr Arnes Penningar (The Treasure: Sir Arne’s Money) and dived into it.

As a native Norwegian speaker, I was already fairly acquainted with Swedish as a language and feel that I was already somewhere between advanced and fluent level. However, I find that reading books in the language you are learning is always useful to broaden vocabulary, regardless of your fluency level. I wanted to feel more confident reading Swedish and thought this would be the perfect tool to do so with some guidance.

The story is not the most compelling and the language is fairly poetic for a novel, which I thought was a slightly strange choice. However, Interlinear does ensure that this poetic language carries through into the English translation, which I appreciated.

Not Your Usual Translation

Since each word is translated in the word order of the original text, I found that the English text could sometimes be strange to read. As a consequence of the word-for-word translation, the English sentence structure is sometimes quite unusual. However, this appears to be an effect of Interlinear’s aim to make you read sentences, rather than single words; the intention is for you to be able to grasp the meaning of the sentence without looking up every single word, just the ones you don’t already know. The text is translated and proofread by humans, which sets it apart from other translation language learning services.

Personally, I found the layout of the pages slightly hard to follow; the translation may be in a smaller font, but it is nonetheless very existent on the page and can be distracting at times. The result of the text appearing twice on one page is often that there is very little white space. You do get used to this as you read, however it may throw you off slightly at first.

I did, however, very much enjoy reading the text, and found that my reading skills improved throughout reading the text, as well as adding new words to my vocabulary. I also enjoyed the fact that Interlinear Books allow you to explore the literature of the country whose language you are learning and consequently get an insight into the cultural specifics.

Intermediate Learner? Look to Explore Interlinear

Interlinear really works best if you're an intermediate learner, as the concept of understanding the meaning of a sentence from understanding a few key words is unlikely to be effective at a beginner level. For this same reason I would also suggest that the Interlinear Books are a great tool for bridging the gap between beginner and intermediate; it allows you to put your language skills to the test with the translation to fall back on when necessary.

The key question you're all probably wondering about right now – can the Interlinear Books support your language learning experience? The answer is: absolutely.

So Should You Give Interlinear Books a Go?

If you're an intermediate learner, the short answer is: yes – but be aware that it cannot replace more conventional language courses or classes. It works best as a learning supplement.

The whole concept of Interlinear Books is to provide a tool that helps support your language learning, and the books should therefore not be the sole language learning you implement in your everyday life. Instead, you should use the books to replace some of your other English-language reading – read a chapter during lunch or during your commute, for example. The books are relatively short, so they are likely to feel easier to get through than a massive brick.

Interlinear Books currently have 10 books on offer, in 10 different languages. They're also continuously developing new books and languages, and you can sign up for their newsletter to be the first to hear about any new titles they produce.

View the Interlinear catalogue in full by clicking here

So, if you're looking to take that next step into reading books in the language you are reading, Interlinear Books is a brilliant place to start.

My 5 Simple Steps to French Fluency in 2017

I started learning French over 20 years ago and persisted with it diligently, but for a long time learning French felt like the harder version of learning my other languages, like English and Italian. It’s just that little bit trickier: a little harder to pronounce, a little less seductive.

I never quite connected to that relatively formal French culture, saying Madame and reserving the jokes for a little later. My language level slid down a little from C1…but this year something changed. In 2017...

French came back into my life!

After my first visit to Montréal, I discovered the joys of Quebecois and the relaxed French-Canadian mannerisms that were so on my wavelength. And since moving to Canterbury in South East England, I suddenly started hearing a lot more of the language, bumping into French people, and visiting the French bakeries here.

French is spoken by 80 million people on every continent of the world, and I’m part of a huge community of French learners. In other words, I was able to re-connect to French and focus on how much fun it is to learn a language when we love the places where it’s spoken.

If you also feel a desire to improve your French, either build on old foundations or to start from scratch, check out the following resources to see how I added more French language into my life.

1) Adding French to My Podcast List

My go-to podcast in French is News in Slow French, a short show that takes up no more than 7 or 8 minutes. I also had a root around the French iTunes Store to find more interesting shows.

My usual podcast joys are true crime, languages, politics, and TV reviews so I added Whisperos, a French review show all about Game of Thrones. The great thing about podcasts is that they’ll teach me a bit more colloquial French, my total weakness after years and years of academic and secretarial studies in the language.

Such a small button, such great results

2) Reading in French for 10-15 Minutes a Day

People don’t read anymore? Nonsense! I believe that the text-based nature of the internet means that most people who own a screen read more than ever. My French education had always focused on reading formal language like business letters and Le Monde, so I went out of my way to look for texts with street cred on this one.

Street Cred:

First, I added a subscription to the MademoiZelle feed to my list of blogs. Second, I went out and purchased magazines like Marie-Claire in French. So that was lots of casual, women’s mag style topics, perfect for keeping me interested.

…and Edu Cred

Third, a trip to the library sorted me out with the book 50 Ways to Improve Your French. Sometimes it’s nice to revisit language instruction and focus back on little linguistics points to improve and exercises that go with them. The book is split into different sections so that I only had to pick what was new to me (vocabulary and a review of irregular verbs, job done).

Adding to that, I regularly read articles from French Crazy and French Together to get new words and interesting points into my system.

3) Working through Glossika

I actively sought out educational materials for French learners. I worked on Glossika 123 French to speak more - the majority of sentences were a little below my level, which allowed me to think on my feet and whiz through them.

4) Setting Goals and Making Them Public

As a busy person who is already tackling one main language (Welsh), it was important for me to make sure I actually commit to the time I was going to spend studying the French language.

I’m not someone who learns for over an hour every day, and I do not believe that daily hours of study are necessary for fluency. But having said that, the German saying von nix kommt nix (from nothing comes nothing) is also true. If I was going to get better at French, I had to spend a little more time and effort on it.

So in addition to looking for a few new resources that I was interested in, I also made the decision to be very public about my renewed French efforts. I set up my goals in the Language Habit Toolkit, printed them out and pasted them in my notebook.

A post shared by Kerstin Cable (@kerstin_fluent) on Aug 29, 2017 at 8:58am PDT

The best thing about planning in this way was that I got to eliminate my background worries about how learning French would make it impossible to progress in Welsh, and instead I always had clarity on how much I was going to add in each language.

Posting the photo on Instagram may not be much of a public commitment for some, but for me this was really important. When I tell you guys I’ll do something, it’s just one more reason to keep going.

5) The Easiest Way My French Improved: Speaking to More People!

French is spoken all over the world, so you can look forward to connecting with people in this language anywhere from Canada to Sénégal, from France to Shanghai. Sometimes the French speakers do seem to hide a little bit though, so my trips to Canada and my move to Canterbury really made a difference.

Now, I hear French spoken in the street, at my office, and on the television. But that didn’t solve my conversations issue entirely, so I went one further and found regular text partners. I’ve not started video calling in French yet, but have high hopes for adding in a few conversation classes soon.

If you’re looking for an online tutor or partner, the best online directories to use are italki (for qualified, independent, fair priced live tutors), and HelloTalk (for texting new people).

Keeping My Commitment

Before I started, a small part of me was grappling with the lack of excitement I was feeling. French wasn’t as hot as Welsh somehow, it felt like more of a chore. Adding interesting content and keeping the commitment to “little and often” helped me pull through and improve quickly.

I never aimed to read or listen to French for more than a quarter of an hour every day, but found that this made it a lot easier to get started. If you’re finding it particularly hard to get going, try my “ok then” trick and set a timer for just 10 minutes. It’s a lot better than ignoring French altogether and letting that guilt mount up in your head.

In conclusion, language should never feel like a chore…even if it does require some hard discipline now and then!

How Good is your French?

Are you a French learner, too? Have you been trying to master the language for 20+ years like me, or do you feel like you’re just starting to fly?

I’d love to hear your favourite resources and tips, so go ahead and leave a comment below.

By the way: If you're keen to improve your French grammar, check out Finally Get It in French Grammar, a course I'm teaching in the Fluent online school.