How to learn a language from scratch – Interview with polyglot Olly Richards

Summary

In this polyglot interview, Ollie Richards, creator of the language learning blog 'I Will Teach You a Language,' shares his insights on language acquisition. He emphasizes the importance of genuine interest in a language's culture and people as a driving force for learning. Ollie discusses the significance of speaking from an early stage, using mnemonics for vocabulary retention, and the value of immersion over apps. He also stresses the necessity of a consistent daily routine for language learning success, advocating for a balance between structured learning and natural language exposure.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Ollie Richards, from 'I Will Teach You a Language', emphasizes the importance of genuine interest and passion for a language and its culture as a driving force in language learning.
• 📚 Ollie suggests that learning a language should not be rushed, and that progress is often non-linear, requiring patience and consistent effort over time.
• 🗣️ Speaking is highlighted as the key to fluency, with Ollie recommending regular speaking practice, preferably with tutors or language exchange partners, to build confidence and skill.
• 🔍 He advises against relying on friends or family for language practice, to maintain the educational aspect separate from personal relationships.
• 📱 Ollie is critical of language learning apps, recommending instead immersive experiences with real materials to avoid distractions and enhance depth of learning.
• 📚 For beginners, Ollie recommends using 'Teach Yourself' style textbooks to get a basic understanding of the language structure before diving into immersive materials.
• 📈 He suggests a balance between passive exposure to the language and active learning, using mnemonics to remember particularly useful words.
• 📅 Consistency in daily practice is underscored as crucial for language acquisition, with Ollie noting that regular, shorter study sessions are more beneficial than sporadic, longer ones.
• 🎯 Ollie's language learning materials focus on stories and immersion, aiming to make the learning process enjoyable and contextually rich.
• 📘 His 'Uncovered' courses and 'Teach Yourself' short stories are designed to help learners progress by engaging with narratives in the target language.
• 🌐 Ollie's blog and podcast are recommended resources for language learners, offering a wealth of advice and strategies for effective language learning.

Q & A

What inspired Ollie Richards to start learning languages?

Ollie was inspired to start learning languages after moving to London at the age of 19 and realizing the diversity of people and languages around him.

Why did Ollie choose to learn French as his first language?

Ollie chose to learn French because he was working in a cafe where there were cool French people, and he wanted to connect with them.

What is Ollie's approach to learning a new language?

Ollie's approach involves a genuine interest and passion for the language, culture, or people associated with the language, which keeps him motivated throughout the learning process.

How does Ollie define fluency in a language?

For Ollie, fluency comes from a lot of speaking practice over a long period of time, especially with people he is interested in or likes.

What are the common principles Ollie applies in his language learning journey?

Ollie applies principles such as having a strong interest in the language, focusing on speaking to achieve fluency, and understanding that learning takes time without rushing the process.

How does Ollie approach vocabulary learning?

Ollie believes in learning vocabulary through exposure and immersion, and occasionally using mnemonics to remember particularly useful words.

What is Ollie's opinion on using apps for language learning?

Ollie prefers to stay away from apps due to the distractions they can cause and the lack of depth in learning that can be achieved through them.

What materials does Ollie recommend for language learning?

Ollie recommends using a variety of materials depending on the language, including textbooks, stories, and immersion in real content, rather than relying solely on apps.

How does Ollie view the importance of regularity and consistency in language learning?

Ollie emphasizes the importance of daily contact with the language, even if it's just for a short period, as it aids in better retention and understanding.

What are the uncovered courses that Ollie has created for language learning?

The uncovered courses are beginner-level language courses that teach languages through stories, combining immersion and lessons to uncover the language naturally.

How does Ollie's blog contribute to language learning?

Ollie's blog provides a wealth of information and articles on language learning strategies, tips, and resources, making it a valuable resource for language learners.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Introduction to Language Learning with Ollie Richards

The video script begins with an introduction to a polyglot interview featuring Ollie Richards, a well-known language learner and blogger. Ollie shares his journey from being monolingual to learning multiple languages. He emphasizes the importance of having a genuine interest in a language and its culture, which he believes is crucial for maintaining motivation throughout the learning process. He also discusses his approach to language learning, which varies with each language he learns, highlighting the need for a deep connection with the language and its people.

05:00

🗣️ The Importance of Speaking in Language Acquisition

In this paragraph, Ollie delves into the significance of speaking in language learning. He advises against relying solely on friends or family for language practice, as well as against hiring a teacher for structured lessons. Instead, he recommends finding online tutors through platforms like italki for regular speaking sessions. Ollie also shares his strategy of immersing himself in the language through listening and reading before starting to speak, which helps build a solid foundation. He encourages learners to begin speaking as soon as they have a basic understanding, but not to rush the process.

10:02

📚 Balancing Vocabulary Learning and Immersion

Ollie discusses his evolving approach to vocabulary learning, moving from deliberate memorization to a more natural acquisition through exposure. He stresses the importance of massive language input and interaction, suggesting that vocabulary should be learned in context. While acknowledging the value of mnemonics for retaining words, he warns against overemphasizing memorization at the expense of immersion. Ollie advocates for a balance between the two, focusing on learning vocabulary that is genuinely useful and frequently used.

15:03

🧠 The Psychology of Language Learning and the Role of Systems

This paragraph explores the psychological aspects of language learning, emphasizing the importance of understanding one's learning activities and maintaining focus on the most important aspects. Ollie discusses the value of having a system or structure in place, especially for less experienced learners, to reduce stress and provide direction. He also touches on the importance of regularity and consistency in language learning, suggesting that daily exposure to the language is more beneficial than sporadic, intensive sessions.

20:04

📚 Material Selection in Language Learning

Ollie shares his preferences for language learning materials, expressing a preference for traditional books over apps due to the potential for distraction and lack of depth associated with digital devices. He discusses the importance of using available resources, such as textbooks, when learning languages with limited materials. Ollie also mentions his approach to learning well-resourced languages like Italian, where he immerses himself in the language through reading and listening before engaging in speaking practice.

25:06

⏰ The Role of Routine and Consistency in Language Learning

In the final paragraph, Ollie emphasizes the critical role of routine and consistency in language learning. He advises against sporadic, intensive study sessions, arguing that daily, even short, periods of language exposure are more effective. Ollie stresses the importance of integrating language learning into daily life and maintaining a regular study routine to facilitate brain consolidation and pattern recognition. He also touches on the importance of genuine passion for the language as a motivator for consistent daily practice.

🌐 Utilizing Apps and Content for Language Learning

Ollie discusses the limited utility of language learning apps, recommending them primarily for quick dictionary lookups and accessing content in less commonly taught languages. He also highlights the importance of input and immersion, sharing his own experiences with creating content for language learners. Ollie's approach focuses on using stories to teach languages, offering a more engaging and enjoyable method than traditional textbooks. He mentions his 'Uncovered' courses and books that help learners progress through immersion and story-based learning.

Keywords

💡Polyglot

A polyglot is an individual who can speak multiple languages fluently. In the context of the video, Ollie Richards is referred to as a polyglot, indicating his proficiency in several languages. The term is central to the video's theme, which is about language learning strategies and experiences.

💡Language Learning

Language learning is the process of acquiring new languages. The video's main theme revolves around this concept, with Ollie and Lydia discussing various approaches and principles for learning languages from scratch, as evidenced by their conversation about different methods and personal experiences.

💡Immersion

Immersion refers to the approach of learning a language by surrounding oneself with the language in a natural setting. Ollie emphasizes the importance of immersion in language learning, suggesting that it helps in acquiring a language more organically, as illustrated by his experience learning Italian by consuming content in the language.

💡Motivation

Motivation is the internal drive that propels an individual towards a goal. In the video, Ollie mentions that having a real passion and interest in the language or the culture is crucial for maintaining motivation throughout the language learning journey, which is essential for overcoming the ups and downs.

💡Speaking Practice

Speaking practice involves actively using the language in conversation to improve fluency. Ollie highlights the significance of speaking as a key component of language learning, stating that it is through extensive speaking practice that one can achieve fluency, as opposed to merely studying.

💡Mnemonics

Mnemonics are memory aids or techniques used to help remember information. Ollie discusses using mnemonics to retain vocabulary more effectively, suggesting that consciously creating these memory devices can help in faster vocabulary acquisition.

💡Vocabulary

Vocabulary refers to the set of words that one knows and can use in a language. The script discusses various strategies for learning vocabulary, emphasizing the importance of learning it through exposure and context, rather than through rote memorization.

💡Fluency

Fluency in a language means being able to speak, write, and understand the language smoothly and effortlessly. The video's discussion on language learning techniques aims at achieving fluency, with Ollie sharing his experiences and methods that contributed to his fluency in multiple languages.

💡Consistency

Consistency refers to the regular and continuous practice of an activity. Ollie stresses the importance of consistent daily practice in language learning, stating that regular contact with the language is more effective than sporadic, intensive sessions.

💡Resources

Resources in the context of language learning include textbooks, apps, online materials, and other tools that facilitate learning. The conversation touches on the variety of resources available for different languages and how the choice of resources can depend on the language being learned and the learner's preferences.

💡Passion

Passion is a strong emotional connection or enthusiasm for something. In the video, passion is identified as a driving force behind the successful learning of a language, with Ollie explaining that a genuine interest in the culture or people associated with the language sustains the learning process.

Highlights

Ollie Richards, known for his blog 'I Will Teach You a Language', shares his unique approach to language learning.

Ollie emphasizes the importance of genuine interest and passion for a language and its culture as a driving force for learning.

He shares his personal journey from being monolingual to learning multiple languages, starting with French.

Ollie's strategy involves immersing himself in the language through speaking with native speakers to achieve fluency.

He advises against using friends or family as language learning tools due to emotional complexities.

Ollie recommends avoiding language learning apps due to distractions and suggests more immersive methods.

He suggests using online platforms like italki for regular speaking practice with tutors.

Ollie discusses the inefficiency of starting to speak a language without having a basic vocabulary.

He explains the importance of having a solid foundation in the language before engaging in conversations.

Ollie shares his method of learning vocabulary through massive exposure and creating mnemonics for retention.

He advises against excessive memorization, suggesting a balance between learning and immersion.

Ollie emphasizes the psychological aspect of language learning and the importance of understanding one's learning activities.

He discusses the significance of having a routine and consistency in language learning for better retention.

Ollie suggests that daily contact with the language, even if brief, is more effective than long, irregular sessions.

He talks about his resources, including the Uncovered courses and Teach Yourself books, focusing on story-based learning.

Ollie highlights the importance of using content like TV series and news in the target language for immersive learning.

The interview concludes with Ollie's encouragement for learners to find genuine passion for the language and commit to daily practice.

Transcripts

hey everyone welcome to a polyglot

interview with Ollie Richards I'm so

glad to have Ali here hi everybody

Welcome hi Lydia thank you very much

thank you so Ollie um is actually very

well known I don't think I need to

introduce him he has a wonderful blog I

will teach you a language and he helps

people learn languages

um in a similar way as I help others but

this time I want to talk to Ali exactly

about his way of

um how to learn a language from scratch

so Ollie could you first of all briefly

introduce yourself and your language

story yeah so um I grew up in the UK a

famously multilingual place where

everybody speaks 20 languages and

um I yes I grew up completely

monolingual with no no exposure to other

languages at all

um and then when I was about 19 I moved

to London from from the countryside I

moved to busy London and I and I

realized there was a big world out there

of people who are from different

countries speaking different languages

and that kind of plan to the seed in my

brain about languages and so I started

learning French

because there were some cool French

people

um in this Cafe where I was working at

the time in in London and then I took it

quite seriously so I ended up actually

moving to Paris

spent a few months there and I I was

quite successful at learning French

and so that gave me the confidence to

keep learning and then over the over the

following years I kept learning more and

more languages and then um you know who

we are today and I'm just kind of you

know moved around a lot and traveled a

fair bit got interested in different

people languages cultures and I've

always just learned the languages that

helped me

get to know

different cultures right wonderful we we

talked about how human languages and you

told me what actually every polyglot

tells me it's like I don't really have

one way to learn language I I learn

language differently in every single

language I've learned was different

right if I ask you like what are the

general principles that you are applying

your language learning or what would

that be yeah so

there are definitely a few commonalities

and I was saying to you before that the

most recent language I learned I used a

completely different way uh than the

first language I learned but there are

certain commonalities and the first one

is that I I only ever take on a new

language if I am extremely interested in

it so I have met some people I've moved

to a new country something has happened

that sparked his interest but it's not

just a mild curiosity it's a real

passion and love for for the country the

culture the people whatever it is and it

is that which pulls you through from you

know from from the very beginning to the

end because a lot of ups and downs along

the way and that's normal you know we

learn to anticipate those but it's your

passion for the language not even

necessarily for the language

often for me actually it's for the

people or the place that's the passion

for that thing

which keeps me motivated and energized

so that I can keep learning for long

enough so that would be the first thing

you know whenever I've tried to learn

language I'm not particularly interested

or I'm only half committed it never

works I always end up um giving up

eventually that makes sense tell me the

first thing the second thing is that

um I think there are there are lots of

different ways of getting started in a

language lots of different methods and

courses and approaches that you can find

out there but the really getting started

is the easy bit you know the the hard

bit comes later when you've you've

learned the language to maybe an

intermediate level and then the task is

okay am I going to continue on to try to

become really fluent in this language

very very confident to the point where I

can use this this language you know

genuinely in my life in a natural way

and that's where the real work begins

and for me that has always come down to

just one thing which is a lot of

speaking so it's it's spending time with

people who are

who I like or I'm interested in and just

speaking an absolute ton over a long

period of time and that's what that's

where the fluency comes from it's not

from Reading although that helps it's

not from listening or that helps lots of

things help

but for me to get to good levels in the

languages come basically from a lot of

speaking and um the reason I think

that's important is because a lot of

people you know really get round to that

like you stay on the sort of studying

hamster wheel but it's only really when

you transition to lots of speaking that

that helps

and I guess the last thing I'd mention

is you've got to be prepared for it to

take time

and if you try to rush it then you're

always going to get frustrated because

learning doesn't happen in a straight

line learning looks like this progress

looks like that right and so really the

magic really happens when you stop

worrying about your progress from day to

day and you just ride that wave of

learning the language because you have a

reason a genuine reason why because as

long as you're using it for authentic

purpose communicating with people

getting to know the culture then the

language will take care of itself

eventually so those are the three things

that have always been present in every

language that I've taken on I'm very

glad that you mentioned speaking this is

something that is repeated in all of the

interviews that I've done with everyone

and of course I also stressed it in my

video course because I think this is the

key and this is something that polyglots

come to realize naturally when they are

learning their fifth language and they

see what has worked before so I'm glad

we're stressing this part so can you

give us some more practical tips um

about that speaking like how does that

happen how do you how do you do it do

you find a tutor do you find an exchange

partner when do you start speaking and

what do you speak about at the beginning

at the beginning yeah so I mean at the

beginning I'm quite particular about

finding what I would call speaking

partners

so it might be easier to to say what I

don't do because I think a lot of people

get a bit they run into trouble with um

with certain things so I don't look to

friends or family to help me speak

because there's too much

stuff involved you know emotions

friendships my friends and family not my

teachers they are my friends and family

so I don't look to friends and family I

also don't hire a teacher I don't take

lessons as such

because I look to other resources to to

learn by myself right I want to spend I

don't want to pay someone by the hour to

watch YouTube videos Molly coddle me

through you know I can I can learn that

stuff in in books

um I I also I used to do language

exchanges where you'd you know I'd be

we'd speak Japanese for an hour and

English for an hour I don't tend to do

that anymore because it takes up a lot

of time but I think that's a great way

to do it so what I personally tend to do

is find tutors online through a service

like italki

uh and I just have very regular short

regular speaking sessions with them and

I like to actually pay them because it

just keeps it regular and there's you

know there's people people they they

turn up usually

and so you can actually get that

reliable regular speaking practice in

and so I look for somebody specifically

for that do you start speaking from

very very

big tomorrow

no

no for the simple reason that if you

don't know any words what are you going

to talk about I mean I have done in the

past you know I but I tend to do that

only when I'm learning a language with

very few resources so for example when I

learned Egyptian Arabic there are very

few resources for Egyptian Arabic and um

the only ones that there are are written

in Arabic so it's impossible to use as a

student so I actually did find local

tutors

um who I could just sit down with spend

time with

ask very simply like how do you say this

how do you say that but it's a very very

very inefficient way of learning because

you're spending a long time with almost

a couple of things so assuming that

you're learning a relatively popular

language with lots of resources I would

um I would spend a lot of time just

getting as much immersion in the

language as I can

so last year for example I learned

Italian and for for an entire month I

didn't say a word of Italian I just

spent all my time listening and reading

to very low level resources

and um just trying to flood my brain

with with that

information you could call it you know

and I'm just and what I'm doing is just

trying to make sense of the information

gradually just getting used to it and

maybe look up a grammar rule here or

there or look up a word here or there

but generally speaking what I'm trying

to do is just to get a very kind of

solid foundation in the language because

then once you've learned some some some

words and phrases when you do come to

speak later it's just you've got stuff

to say you can understand you know these

kind of really fundamental things

um so I don't start speaking from the

very beginning but having said that I

don't wait too long because I actually

find

that you do learn a lot about speaking

through speaking and I don't I don't

feel you have to wait that long because

even if you're not particularly

confident even if you don't know a great

deal I I do I do like to start speaking

but mainly I think for me because that's

what's in that's what interests me oh

you know what I want to be able to do is

to speak and so I just get motivated by

speaking with somebody I think it's fine

to wait longer I think it's fine to

start speaking on day one if that's what

you want to do but I personally like to

um have a little bit under my belt

before I start speaking yeah absolutely

I couldn't agree more with you as this

is exactly the way I I do it as well I

and I recommend it to people to wait a

little bit and as you said have

something to say in in first

conversations but it's really stressful

that way yeah of course absolutely and

as I said it's also about efficiency you

don't want to waste a lot of time going

through the basics many many times when

this is the first time you ever heard

those words so this is your first

important exposure so I believe it's

it's better to to have had some exposure

before that yeah okay cool how about

vocabulary that's an interesting yeah as

well my thoughts on vocabulary are

always changing in always developing um

right you know I went through a phase of

really trying to develop different

techniques for Learning and memorizing

vocabulary I've kind of gone through

phases of

um deliberately memorizing new words and

then other phases of doing no memorizing

whatsoever and just letting it all come

naturally the conclusion I've come

through is it on a big a big picture on

the grand scale I think the basic

principle is

has to be that you should learn

vocabulary from exposure to the language

okay so that by interacting a lot in The

Language by reading listening speaking

and by doing a lot of that then

vocabulary you learn naturally in

context it's the most powerful way of

learning that's the that's the big

picture now when you start to look at

more practicalities that can be

difficult because it takes a long time

and it can be quite frustrating

when you are having you know experience

after experience after experience where

the rewards that you don't know you

don't understand things you can't say

things that mentally like like

psychologically for people is very very

tough and with experience I think you

get better at that but I think that

there is a kind of a balance

to be had

and I think where I where I come down

now is is that you need to be getting

that that massive exposure because

without that you're never going anywhere

it doesn't matter how much you try to

memorize you can never memorize enough

vocabulary okay so the massive exposure

and input that's your core that's your

fundamental now after that I think that

in order to make that more effective I

think there are things you can do to

help yourself retain words and I think

mnemonics so the idea of creating memory

devices uh word play things like that

little hooks I think consciously

thinking of those mnemonics can really

help you retain vocabulary faster so

what I tend to practically do is get a

lot of exposure that's my go-to thing

and then when I find vocabulary that I

think is really useful I stop I pause

and I just think okay how can I remember

this word and I try to create a mnemonic

of some kind to uh to remember that word

um I I used to go much more

uh in depth with that but I've come to

the conclusion now that really the more

time you spend consciously trying to

memorize stuff the more time you're just

taking away from the actual real work if

you like of immersion and input so I

think that the best kind of practical

guidance

that I can give based on what I do is to

say plan to forget 99 of everything that

you learn but that one percent of stuff

that you think man that that word if I

if I were to learn that word I would be

using that every day like that's super

useful stuff take that spend a bit of

time with it come up with some ways to

remember it because that will speed up

the process but just don't let that

creep into you know a state where you're

trying to look up every word and

memorize every word because that's when

you really get into trouble because it's

just a never-ending cycle yeah okay I

like that that's uh that's a good tip I

would say maybe not one percent or maybe

a little bit more uh just to you know

have enough words to useful words to to

use and use them long term

I mean that's as a proportion of what

you're listening so if you're spending

really lots and lots of time reading and

listening then one percent of that is

actually quite a lot and if you're only

doing a small amount of

overeating and listening then maybe you

need a slightly higher percentage you

know I mean no one's going to sit there

calculating the percentage of words

they're trying to remember but the kind

of basic principle I think is not to let

the active learning and vocabulary get

in the way of of more holistic work

which which for me is that kind of input

and that reading and listening because

that's the big danger you know the big

danger and the the Trap that everybody

falls into is just to spend too much of

their time and energy

on memorizing stuff

um and that that's when it starts to to

get to get tricky

yeah and then maybe look at it from a

two technical point of view like this is

the amount of words I need to cover and

uh yeah and then they actually forget to

use the language and communicate right I

mean so much of this stuff that we're

talking about I mean it's interesting

because like your question is phrased as

as all good language learning questions

are like how does one learn vocabulary

but actually the technical answer is not

really the point because what most

people have to deal with is the

psychology of actually working on

something every day and

um and the psychology of understanding

what activities they're doing and for me

I've always found that to be far more

important you know if you let yourself

go down too many rabbit holes it doesn't

matter how good your techniques are they

won't help you because you're doing the

wrong things thinking in these kind of

Big Blocks of principles is so important

because it just helps you stay focused

on on the really important things

without which learning would become

impossible yeah exactly well as you

probably know I have these four basic

pillars of my language learning

philosophy make it fun

um effective methods in a system and

enough contact with the language so yeah

that is kind of along along the lines of

this is the overarching principle and

and you can of course apply it to

anything else

um I think I think that's just one thing

I'll just add is that I think when

you're a big when you're just starting

out if you're a less experienced learner

that's when I think the systems become

important because you know when I'm

talking about the things that I do now

what's so important to say that so much

of this

has grown out of 15 years of experience

doing this right but if I hadn't if I

didn't have that experience

then I would start on day one with a new

language and just ah what am I supposed

to do like you know tell me what to do

and that's where the system is is

fantastic because it reduces the stress

levels

um it might not be that the truth as it

were but you don't need the truth when

you're just starting out you need some

assistance to just get you going and

give you the give you the confidence to

just do something that moves you in the

right direction so you know as with all

things it changes over time and you you

become you refine your methods over time

to suit your understanding of your own

learning absolutely yeah I totally agree

um what about materials that you like to

use do you like to use books to start

learning a language or are you a friend

of apps what do you usually pick

I stay as far clear of apps as I

possibly can

um I'm a real anti-app person I have to

say and it's nothing against apps there

are some good apps out there although

not many but

um the big thing about apps

is not the fact that it's an app it's

the fact that you're on your damn phone

getting distracted pressing buttons and

that's not what language learning is the

research on

social media smartphone new screens in

general it's Crystal Clear it destroys

our brains in so many different ways and

language learning is so much about the

depth that you get into you know when

you're with a text or you're listening

to some audio or you're watching a TV

series and you're just getting so do it

you're really in the zone like you can't

get that depth when you when you're

looking at a smartphone so although I'm

sure there are some good things out

there and I do use some apps

um I've got a few who I could show you

if you're really interested for very

specific things but in general I still

well clear of apps I I for me I find

that like old school paper works really

well because there are no distractions

I'd like the feeling of holding stuff

so um the exact material it depends on

the language actually because I think

four if I refer to the uh the Italian

project I mentioned before

in that particular case there are lots

of resources for Italian it's a very

well resourced language especially for a

beginner so I could find lots of

material

in Italian that is written for beginners

that I could just spend time with I had

no particular need for a textbook to

tell me how a verb works and all of that

stuff you know I can just spend time

with the material so that's great now

for other languages you try and do that

and you're you're stuck because you

don't you don't understand the thing

it's far too hard it's very distant from

English and you might not even have any

materials so in that case you use

whatever you can find I I'd be

interested to know what it's like for

Swahili actually because I I have no

idea about that but certainly for

languages I've learned like Cantonese or

Egyptian Arabic or Thai there's almost

nothing out there for a beginner so the

question of what materials do you like

to use that's a luxury you know you just

use whatever you can find and you make

do with it because that's what you got

so with lots of languages you know I

found that but you know assuming that

someone is assuming it's a

well-resourced language

then um if it was a language that I

didn't know anything about or I didn't

know a similar language then what I

would probably do is just get a kind of

teach yourself textbook and just work

through it I just go through it quite

quickly I wouldn't do the exercises or

anything I just go through I'd read the

dialogue I'd look at the grammar point I

tried to just kind of map it onto my

brain you know what what are the key

things I need to know about this

language the key characteristics

um and then after that I would go as

soon as possible into finding material

to read and listen to so then you're

starting that process of getting you

know input in the language and spending

as much time with the real thing uh

every day as

as possible

yeah wonderful I I like that

um as you say with some languages it's

easier than with others but fortunately

now these resources such as teach

yourself SML Etc they're available for

so many languages that you can find them

even for the less frequently World

languages

yeah okay

um actually we're getting to the end of

this interview so let me just ask if

there's anything else you'd like to

mention that is important I think we've

covered a few really really important

points is there anything else that you

you find importantly imagining for

Learners who are just starting with the

language from scratch

this is the thing isn't it I mean you've

kind of got the big principles which

we've covered yeah and then a lot of a

lot of little tactics and

um you know really if you get the big

the big the big picture right then I

think the tactics kind of take care of

themselves but I think the one thing we

haven't mentioned it which is very

important is the idea of routine and how

much uh how you organize your your own

time and how you step up to the task of

learning every day

and this is always difficult because

everybody leave these busy lives and

um we all have lots of things to do

competing commitments one day we feel

great the next day we feel tired and all

these things one of the the really core

Notions in language learning is that you

learn through regularity and consistency

so if the only time that you spend

learning your language is

Saturday morning let's say all day

Saturday

the fact that even if you do say eight

hours studying on a Saturday the fact

that you then have six days before you

know to wait until you come back to it

means that your brain is you're missing

so many opportunities that you're in

which your brain could be consolidating

it would be far better to do just 15

minutes a day but make sure you do it

every day because your brain will will

start to

connect the dots recognize patterns make

sense of the language when it's coming

into contact with it every single day

and I think it's very difficult to

stress enough the importance of that

regularity over time you know

and and it is a long time you need to

really aim for daily contact with the

language

and to keep that up over a long period

of time like if you if you do that it's

very difficult not to learn and not to

improve you know it's almost impossible

I'd say to be you know learning spending

time with the language every day and not

to improve but I think so many people if

you pin them down and say so how much

language then did you do last week and

you looked on their diary actually you'd

find a lot of big gaps right and that's

the easiest quickest way to just improve

start doing it regularly yeah

and um and it is difficult because

people have got busy lives and this is

where that whole we come back to this

principle of really having a genuine

passion for the language because if you

don't have that genuine passion you're

not going to be motivated to uh to spend

that time every day so

I think it's

you really have to have an honest

conversation with yourself and say how

much do you really want to learn this

language and are you prepared to put the

time into doing it that it that is

required because what's required is

daily work

over a long period of time and even if

it's only 15 minutes 30 minutes that's

okay but it's through the consistency

that your brain will just be your best

friend and will start to

um we'll start to do so much of the work

for you so consistency consistency

consistency yes absolutely I'm glad

you're saying it so openly because

people need to hear this a lot of people

out there saying oh you know this will

happen just like that within two weeks

fluency Etc it will yeah especially

enough yeah exactly a little less than

one another big friend of labs actually

so in my video of course there is a

module on apps and I actually don't

recommend using apps either maybe as a

fun activity like okay last five minutes

of the day well let's do Duolingo right

but not as a main resource okay there

are two cases where I think apps are

genuinely useful

um and the first is dictionaries so you

know to be able to look up a word

quickly is just a phenomenal asset you

know then the second is content so if

the only way you can read in Swahili for

example is to access the Swahili Daily

News or whatever it is on your phone

then great that's fantastic yeah

fantastic resource it's also very good

actually for a non

uh Latin scripts languages so if you're

learning Chinese or Japanese for example

then these apps can help you look up the

Chinese characters very very quickly so

it's kind of like a dictionary really

and and I think apps are like beautiful

for those things because it just speeds

speeds it up so much and gives you

access to that content so those are the

things that absolutely really really

important I'm actually using right now

an app for Swahili or well I'm trying to

because so it's an app with

um TV

um TV series in Swahili but it's so bad

like it's so badly done it looks like a

student video it's a quality is just so

bad

I I really have to force myself also

what's the importance of input okay only

my last question I'm speaking of content

um well you're actually a very good

person to come to content for because in

the last years you've been creating

amazing

um content material for language

Learners of different languages can you

briefly tell us what you have available

especially for beginners

yeah so my focus is to create material

for people to learn languages through

this input immersion method that we've

been

talking about here is the antidote to a

textbook where you learn about the

language but you don't actually learn

the language so what I do is to create

material and programs that help you

learn specifically through story that's

that's what I what I do so I have a

series of courses called uncovered

courses and these are beginners courses

so teach you Spanish German Italian

French for example and we teach you

through story and that's a combination

of immersion at the beginner level plus

lessons that help you learn by

uncovering the language from the story

which is a you know a very good

immersion focused way of doing it I also

have a series of books with teach

yourself

and their books of short stories and

that's for people who have got a bit of

a grounding already in the language and

it helps you start to read and this

because we have audio books from an

early stage so you can get all the

benefits of reading books without having

to wait till your super advanced and

then beyond that we have programs for

what intermediate level which focus on

things like listening skills and grammar

and again all of this is tied in with a

story methodology so that you're

learning all these things by uh combine

by reading and listening to fun uh

stories in the language and so that's

that's really what I'm trying to do I'm

trying to just bring that sort of

immersion focused

story-powered approach to uh delected

language learning I like that including

story in it making it more enjoyable

more fun not all these boring types that

we

that we so thank you for for doing that

and creating amazing resources

um and I definitely recommend to

everyone to check out that blog I think

it's it's uh probably the best the best

look out there in English about learning

languages and it's huge and there's so

many really great articles I also love

your podcast so I definitely recommend

people to follow you and to to listen to

your tips because they're great

okay thank you very much for your time

Ollie I I'm sure people got a lot of

really interesting uh information from

this interview and I'm looking forward

to seeing you somewhere

um very soon yeah good luck everybody

okay

bye foreign