Review of LingQ.com
LingQ is a language learning system created by the polyglot Steve Kaufmann (listen to my podcast interview with him here). The “freemium” site and mobile app allow users to easily look up and save new...
View ArticleDo Schools Kill Creativity?
In his thought provoking and entertaining TED Talk, Sir Ken Robinson (speaker, international advisor on education, and author of The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything) argues that...
View ArticleLanguage as a Window into Human Nature
I’m a big fan of Harvard’s Steven Pinker and RSA Animate makes his excellent talk about language and human nature even better. If you enjoy the talk, I highly suggest his influential book, The Language...
View ArticleComedy is Translation, Chris Bliss TED Talk
In his TEDxRanier talk, Chris Bliss posits that “Every act of communication is an act of translation.” I have always loved languages and comedy, and I was tickled pink by Chris’ connection between the...
View ArticleBenny Lewis Interviews Tim Ferriss, Author of “The 4-Hour Chef”
Check out this excellent interview Benny Lewis (The Irish Polyglot) did with Tim Ferriss, the author of The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, and his most recent—and I argue, best—work, The 4-Hour...
View ArticleWhatever Your Dream May Be, Start Today
w Descarga este artículo en español. / Download this article in Spanish. I am equal parts sadness and gratitude as I write this post. My friend Joe “Ninja” Northup (or “Sai” as my band of martial arts...
View ArticleMy 5 Favorite Tools for Watching Mandarin Chinese Videos Online
Video is an especially powerful medium for language immersion given the clear visual context, interesting plot lines, and the inclusion of both listening and reading input for videos with subtitles. I...
View ArticleRead Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” Speech in 12 Languages!
On August 28, 1963, The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., an American activist, humanitarian, and pastor gave what would become one of the most famous speeches of all time and a defining moment in the...
View ArticleMy Top Tips for Learning Mandarin Chinese: A Video Interview with Olly Richards
If you are learning Mandarin Chinese, check out this video interview Olly Richards from I Will Teach You a Language recorded with me. Olly is a great interviewer and even went to the trouble of...
View ArticleCognitive Psychologist Steven Pinker on Communicating Clearly in the 21st...
One of the most frustrating challenges I have encountered throughout my diverse career in language, linguistics, education, government, startups, consulting, and nutrition is the widespread use of...
View ArticleIs Texting Killing Language as We Know It? Linguist John McWhorter Says, “No,...
Every few months it seems, another article or blog post comes out making sensationalist claims like “Texting is destroying our language!” and “Kids today don’t know how to write anymore thanks to...
View ArticleLearn Japanese with: Video
This is the first post in a new series I’m calling “Learn Japanese with _____.” Each post will highlight a method, tool, resource, website, app, book, or life-hack you can use to immerse yourself in...
View ArticleLearn Japanese with: Amazon Prime Video
This post is part of a series called “Learn Japanese with _____.” Each post highlights a method, tool, resource, website, app, book, or life-hack you can use to immerse yourself in Japanese no matter...
View ArticleLearn Japanese with: Netflix
This post is part of a series called “Learn Japanese with _____.” Each post highlights a method, tool, resource, website, app, book, or life-hack you can use to immerse yourself in Japanese no matter...
View ArticleLearn Japanese with: TED Talks
This post is part of a series called “Learn Japanese with _____.” Each post highlights a method, tool, resource, website, app, book, or life-hack you can use to immerse yourself in Japanese no matter...
View ArticleSave the Planet…in Japanese!
On this day in 1970, the first official Earth Day was celebrated at thousands of schools across the United States. Nearly 50 years later, the day is now celebrated in 193 countries, including Japan,...
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My Top 10 Tools for Learning Japanese Through Online Videos
We have been conditioned by well-intentioned mothers to believe that television will “destroy our brains.” This might well be true if one spends their time watching “reality” TV shows that don’t...
View ArticleTED Talk: Why I keep speaking up, even when people mock my accent
Many TED Talks make you think, but this one gave me so many FEELS! I absolutely love Safwat’s story and how he overcame fear and resistance to be himself, own his voice (Pakistani accent, stuttering,...
View ArticleAri Smith (Xiaomanyc) on How to Learn Chinese Anywhere
Arieh Smith, a.k.a. Xiaomanyc (Xiǎomǎ, 小马), is a popular YouTuber who loves practicing Mandarin on the streets of New York and surprising unsuspecting native speakers. From 24-hour crash courses in new...
View ArticleFAQ: Should You Use Subtitles When Watching Anime, Shows & Films in Japanese?
The short answer? It depends. It depends on your Japanese learning goals Do you want to speak Japanese? If your primary goal is having conversations with people in Japanese, then subtitles are of...
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