Your ego is the reason you are not speaking the language (My 3 week video: speaking with a native)
Sounding like an idiot early on is the smartest thing you can do in a new language. I filmed my own stumbling beginner Arabic to show you why.
Category: Language Hacks
Learning set phrases is essential for beginners on the road to fluency, not just for tourists
My “Learn Egyptian Arabic in Brazil” week 2 project update. Here I have no script to refer to, and I recite the entire seven minute script from memory. There are a LOT of mistakes, but I like to think I am at least coming across as a bit more confident than the previous week.
Solving specific problems rather than trying to learn everything: My first ever video in Arabic (reading)
Here it is – my first ever video in Arabic, a week after starting to learn it! Subtitles are provided in original Arabic, English and Portuguese for all videos of this project. In this video, I read a script written entirely in Arabic (no romanisation) about how I’m in Rio and just starting the mission. To make it more interesting, I’ve thrown in some nice views of the city at various points in the video, but there is no editing out of my pauses and hesitations.
Learning Egyptian Arabic to fluency in 3 months… in Brazil! Benny’s new language mission!
This may be one of the craziest language projects I’ve ever undertaken! Watch the video for the proper introduction. As you’ll see, I have three months, starting today, to reach fluency (more specifically, high level B2/low C1 on this scale) in (Egyptian) Arabic and I plan to do it… in Brazil!
How I learned more Italian in London than in Italy
One of the most prominent myths in language learning is that you have to go to the country to successfully learn it. This is so untrue!! I have always said that it depends on your attitude not your latitude and moving to the country may not help at all in some cases. This topic will […]
Interview in Irish (as Gaeilge): Raidió na Life, modern Irish use and how I got into the language myself
[Quick reminder: the next language mission will be announced in the Language Hacking League email list next week! Enter your email at the bottom of this page to find out in advance of the blog announcement] Check out today’s video interview with Diarmuid Ó Mathúna from Raidió na Life, and don’t forget to click Youtube’s […]
Advanced Hiberno English: More on How to speak English like the Irish
I’m back in the Emerald Isle for the month (currently up in Donegal again, improving my Gaeilge before going back to Cavan for the Fleadh). It’s not just great to be speaking our first national language again, but also our second one; since I don’t have to water down my English to be more understandable, […]
Video in ASL: Gallaudet university, city of American Sign Language and Deaf culture
I spent a month in Austin (TX) and learned enough ASL to make a multilingual music video in ASL, but not enough to record a video interacting with someone. But then I made it a major focus to improve my ASL to a level where I could interview people to share Deaf culture and more about ASL and how it works with the world. Check out today’s video, entirely in American Sign Language.
Language leveling up: Moses and Benny speak a dozen languages in Columbus Ohio
I met up with fellow Youtube polyglot, Moses McCormick (see his Youtube channel) in Columbus, Ohio and the two of us went to a mall simply to walk up to complete strangers and practise a bunch of languages with them.
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