Proficiency: How to Measure Language Learning Progress (Fluent with What you Have Part 1) – Anthony Lauder
Anthony Lauder is a brit currently living in Prague and a friend of mine. I started watching his videos about language learning a few years ago and what has always struck me about Anthony is his intelligence, kindness, humour and knowledge. I stayed at his place when I was in Prague in April 2016 and...
How to plan to learn two languages at once
In all my years learning languages, I had never been more excited It was September 2015. I had come up with a brand-new language project, and I couldn’t wait to tell the world about it. I, Luca Lampariello, was about to embark on the herculean task of learning two languages at the same time:...
How to Fall in Love with a Language
My Relationship Status A few weeks ago, I invited some friends to my apartment to play a game of Risk. It was cold and rainy outside, so I felt that playing the exciting strategy-based board game would be a great way to spend the evening with friends. The first to...
How to Learn the Hardest Languages
“I can’t learn that language. It’s too hard for me” Have you ever had that thought? Have you ever believed a language to be out of your reach, simply because it looked too difficult, or others told you that it was so? I’ve felt that way many times. And unfortunately it was that very thought...
10 Things about NY and 10 Important Life Lessons I Have Learned
Introduction On the 8th of October 2015 at 6:30 P.M local time, I finally landed on the runway of JFK airport, in New York. It was my first time on the American continent. After 34 years, I had finally made it to the country that began to fascinate me when I was a teenager and...
How To Learn Vocabulary Efficiently Without Flashcards
I love Paris, and I try to go back there as much as I can. In December 2014, I was there for my birthday and I was glad to see some old friends. One of them was Zaur, a Chechnian guy studying in Paris. One night he introduced me to Julien, a friend of his...
Saeko in Rome (3/3): 7 Tips to Make the Most of a Friend’s Stay for Language Learning
The day after I woke up a little groggy, given the fact that we had drunk a bit too much the night before. The weather was incredible. Neither hot, nor cold. Rome just before spring is a sight for sore eyes. After having breakfast – typical Italian breakfast with cornettos and cappuccino – much to...
11 Crucial Lessons that Helped Me Learn 11 Languages
I published an article on Babbel where I talk about the 11 crucial lessons I’ve learned as a language learner by learning 11 languages. I often say that languages are alive. To take it further, each language has a life of its own, and because of this my experience with each language has been different....
Saeko in Rome (2/3): An Amazing Discovery in Rome that Helped Bring my Japanese Alive
Saeko had been telling me for some time that she would have loved to come back to Rome to explore its food, monuments and people with a native Roman. She had been in the eternal city already a couple of times, but with other Japanese, and she wanted to explore the city in a different...
Saeko in Rome (1/3): Understanding When your Approach to Language Learning is Just Not Working
“If Mohammed will not go to the mountain, the mountain must come to Mohammed” Have you heard this expression? That’s exactly what I thought while standing on the platform waiting for my Japanese friend, Saeko. Saeko? Mohammed? What do they have in common? What does any of this have to do with language learning? Let’s...
2 Crucial Mistakes Beginner Japanese Learners Make and How to Avoid them
Japanese is not like any other language you might have studied before. Many people struggle even to reach a level where they can hold a very basic conversation after having studied it for three or four years. Obviously, it’s not their fault. My name is Luca Toma, and I’m the founder of JapaneseCoaching....
The Compact Guide To Fluency For Struggling Language Learners
Face it. You’re a language learner, not a perfectionist. And yet, isn’t fluency all about getting it right? You care about being perceived as intelligent and personable. Just as you are in your mother tongue. And you’re smart enough to know that if you want to be taken seriously, you’ve got to come across as...
