Know your reasons why you want to learn, use a mix of resources that work for you, don't feel obliged to do what everyone else says works for them, fit language learning around your life not the other way around.
1. Tell us about your background and journey?
I grew up in a small town in the middle of England, we spoke English at home and school. I did however go to French club in primary school, which was my first exposure to other languages! I decided against the conventional university route and opted instead for part time distance learning with the Open University.
Halfway through my degree, I quit my job and started Lindsay Does Languages to tutor languages privately full time. That was 2012. In 2014, I moved the business online and in 2017-18, my husband and I took things on the road to make Language Stories, a documentary series about languages in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Hopefully the first two of many Language Stories seasons! Now, I live near Milton Keynes in the UK and am studying part time for my Masters in Applied Linguistics whilst working full time and learning Russian in whatever time is left.
2. When and how did you develop interest in learning languages?
For me it was quite gradual but there's some key moments...
- When I was younger we went camping in France a lot and I loved using my basic phrases to buy baguettes and make friends on the campsite playground.
- When I was 13 I wanted to translate Shakira lyrics, that led me to picking Spanish for exams.
- When I moved school for my A level exams, I unexpectedly picked a specialist language school and seeing the range of languages they taught inspired me that I could do even more than French and Spanish!
I think by that point it felt pretty clear to me that languages were "my thing"!
3. Being a polyglot, how do you manage to remember so many languages?
Good question! I think it gets easier the more you do because each time, you're laying down some more groundwork. You've learned what "cases" are from German?
Great, you can skip the "what are cases?" lesson when you start Russian and go straight to learning and practising them. So that helps. To be honest, I don't remember them all though. Most of the time, I need a little "reactivation", you know?
4. Which was the toughest language for you to learn and how did you overcome the difficulties while learning it?
I think technically the most difficult language we all learn is our first foreign language. No one language is inherently easy or difficult. It all depends on our prior experience, how closely related languages we already know are to what we're learning, and how much time and energy we can devote to learning a language.
So many variables! For me though, I found Korean not to be as "sticky" as other languages and it's still one I struggle with a lot! But that's definitely not going to be the case for everyone.
5. How do you keep yourself motivated while learning a language?
Firstly, you've got to have a strong reason why you're learning. That anchors you when you feel motivation drifting. But also, it's important to acknowledge that motivation does drift. You'll never be 100% on your game and motivated every single day.
So having that reason to connect back to really helps. It's also great if you've got some "lighter" contact with the language to fall back on and enjoy - TV, films, music etc. This can be great for keeping a connection when you're not as actively studying.
5. How was your experience being interviewed by Steve Kauffman?
Great! Steve is a lovely guy with a lot of language knowledge and it's always an honour to chat with him.
6. Who inspires you the most and why?
Probably Shakira! She's hardworking, doesn't put herself in a box, and does good through her charity work.
7. What tips and advice would you give to language learners?
Know your reasons why you want to learn, use a mix of resources that work for you, don't feel obliged to do what everyone else says works for them, fit language learning around your life not the other way around.
8. Which is your favorite language and why?
Ooo, that's like picking a favourite child! I'll always have a soft spot for Spanish because it led me to learning all the other languages I have.
But I do love Guarani, a language spoken in Paraguay and surrounding parts of South America because it's an unusual case where it's become a real identity marker for all Paraguayans, not just indigenous Guarani people. Also Guarani has lots of nasals and glottal stops, which are two of my favourite language features in words!
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