“HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE FOR ME TO LEARN (insert language here)?” We’ve all heard it. “A person can learn Italian in X amount of time.” “You need X amount of hours to reach conversational fluency in Russian.” “It takes X years to master Japanese.” I’ve been teaching languages since 2015 and I’ve been learningContinue reading “This Question Is Sabotaging Your Language Learning—Please Stop Asking It, My Friend”
Tag Archives: language skills
How Learning a Language is Like Climbing a Mountain
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” John Muir My wife and I love to be in the mountains. Recently on a hike on Mt. Rainier I thought to myself “Self: You know, learning a language is really a lot like climbing a mountain.” In what ways? No Two MountainsContinue reading “How Learning a Language is Like Climbing a Mountain”
Get Emotional—Why Language Learning Is Not Just Business, It’s Personal
What we learn with pleasure, we never forget. – Alfred Mercier As you probably know, English is currently the international language of business. Therefore it’s not surprising that most of my English students are business professionals. Many of them are very highly educated and very successful in their fields. But I’ve noticed that it’s notContinue reading “Get Emotional—Why Language Learning Is Not Just Business, It’s Personal”
Anyone Can Cook
As a language coach, translator and someone who spends a lot of time talking about language, I often encounter two misunderstandings about language. Each view diametrically opposed to the other, but both equally flat-out wrong.
Pioneer Languages 