Unconventional language hacking tips from Benny the Irish polyglot; travelling the world to learn languages to fluency and beyond!
From the blog’s origin era (2009–2014) — kept as lived proof of the method. See all the missions. It’s been a few weeks since I arrived in Hungary and got my teeth into my latest mission. I had a bumpy start, but got over it and am on schedule towards my end goal! So it’s […]
If you’ve come here to find a detailed explanation categorising down to precisely one answer, or a small list of the toughest languages, then stop reading the post right now. I’m not in the business of discouraging people so if you are looking for some more discouragement, you’ve come to the wrong place! The term […]
I’ve had many jobs in the last many years on the road but the one that I could always rely on was ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. I worked in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Brazil, and Ireland as an English teacher for non-natives and found it to be very satisfying work. However, what I […]
Learn how to question German stereotypes, interpret unfamiliar communication more carefully, and practise German with respect for individual preferences.
Warning: This video contains a silly looking Irish guy singing a German song in bad karaoke-style. Protect your ears! Singing is an amazing way to dramatically improve your language learning strategy. To prove to you that I’m serious about this, you can see a video of me singing in German at the bottom of the post. […]
After years of investigating what separates successful language learners from unsuccessful ones, I believe I have found the one thing that those who ultimately succeed and speak the language fluently, all have in common. It’s not the course materials they use, or their ability to travel, it’s not a particular aspect of their “method”, it’s […]
Having audio in your target language on in the background is not the same thing as studying it. It may make the sound of the language feel more familiar, and it can be enjoyable, but it is a weak substitute for the attention you need to understand, remember and use what you hear. The useful […]
From the blog’s origin era (2009–2014) — kept as lived proof of the method. See all the missions. It’s time for a new 3 month language mission! Since I started the blog about a year ago, I’ve learned pretty good Czech in 2 months, convinced some Brazilians that I was a Carioca, got by in […]
Every Friday I send out an e-mail to the Language Hacking League (scroll to the bottom of this page to sign up) with a list of interesting websites to check out, as well as more precise updates regarding my own language missions. This particular tip got a great response from our readers, so I’ll share […]
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