“If you want the job it’s yours.” I couldn’t believe it. After teaching English for a few years in China I’d been offered a job as a cultural liaison. I’d be working at an international design and manufacturing company in China, using my Mandarin Chinese skills every day. I’d previously tried to find a job […]MORE
A big mistake new language learners make is sticking to one method of study. You may feel you need to go out and buy the most expensive textbook or online course and focus your attention only on that. Restrict yourself to one learning method, and you run the risk of getting bored. This can lead […]MORE
After studying French for over a decade, I still couldn’t speak it. I started studying French when I was eight years old. Five years in elementary school, two years in high school, and four years in university. And I still couldn’t call myself fluent. I knew the language. I could read almost anything, and I […]MORE
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by everything that needs addressing in your life, day after day? If your answer is a resounding YES, then let me tell you – I empathise! Between work commitments, money managing, keeping your health in order and an ever-demanding social calendar, it can be difficult to achieve some sense of […]MORE
When you look back over your life, what stands out? I’m guessing it’s your achievements. Those small (and big!) successes that lead us to the bigger triumphs. Here’s the rub: by focusing on success, we gloss over our failures. Aren’t those important, too? I think failure is really important. In fact, the best language learners […]MORE
This is a very detailed and frank review of the latest version of Rosetta Stone: version 4 TOTALe Rosetta Stone is one of the biggest brands in language learning in the English speaking world (not to be confused with the Rosetta Stone that helped us decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics, which it is named after). The problem is that it is out of the budget...MORE
Today's guest post is from Zack, (@zackjsimon) who is a long-term reader of the blog and has sent me this guest post idea for a concept that you all know I like to write about for as many languages as I can! Considering French is considered by some to be among the world's "hardest languages" (yes, seriously, Parisians will insist on this; luckily, you...MORE
One of the most popular and well-known tools for learning a language online is Duolingo. Duolingo is completely free. But is it worth it, and how do you use it? To investigate, Agnieszka from 5-Minute Language shares her experience using Duolingo to genuinely learn some languages. Over to you Agnieszka! The free language learning app Duoling...MORE
Napoleon Hill wrote in his bestselling book Think and Grow Rich, "There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge." Do you say to yourself, "I am too old/young/fat/skinny/rich/poor/educated/uneducated/white/black/gay/straight/hairy/hairless/sheep/goat to be learning a new language [or insert any formidable-sounding thing]." Realize this...MORE
“Japanese is really freaking difficult.” “Japanese is really freaking vague.” “Japanese is really freaking illogical.” These statements have three things in common.MORE
Have you ever wanted to woo a lover with your prowess in languages? What better way than by giving them a very special name from another part of the world. Around the world and across languages, people express their love in different, imaginative and sometimes - to our English speaking minds - strange ways. You may be surprised to learn that some term...MORE
The rolled r comes up in so many languages. I've heard it in various forms in Czech, Thai, Hungarian, Tagalog and of course in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. And yet it seems to be something that evades native English speakers. The laziest of them will just give up entirely and use the bullshit excuse of "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". [Desp...MORE
