Are you learning a foreign language (or want to)? Get the best and most unique advice and tips from Donovan Nagel, author of the well-known blog 'The Mezzofanti Guild - Language Learning Made Simple'. Also check out Talk In Arabic, a sister project.
In this episode, I share the results of an experiment I did to replicate overseas language immersion at home over Skype.
Check it out here: http://www.mezzoguild.com/italki-experiment-results
Get a f…
In this episode, I discuss web and mobile app innovation for language learning and the negative effect that technology is having on skill acquisition.
Has language learning innovation peaked already?
…In this controversial episode, I respond to frequent questions I've received about the constructed language Esperanto:
Is it worth learning?
What are the benefits of being able to speak it?
Will it h…
In this episode, I respond to the question "Is there such a thing as a hard language?" with an anecdote from my time in Korea going between Korean, Irish and French.
Check it out here: http://www.mez…
You may have heard at some point that there are two types of motivation – extrinsic and intrinsic.
Extrinsic is motivation that we get from our environment.
That’s extrinsic motivation.
Then there’s …
How do you take a language with notoriously difficult grammar and learn it easily (Russian for example)? In this episode, I explain how I do it and how you can do it too.
Check it out here: http://ww…
In this episode, I share the one thing that you can't BS in language learning: listening comprehension. It can't be faked and here's why.
Check it out here: http://www.mezzoguild.com/foreign-language…
In this episode, I share my experience as a visual-spatial language learner - how I discovered it and how I've adjusted my learning strategy as a result.
Check it out here: http://www.mezzoguild.com/…
In this episode, I break my 'no-politics rule' and discuss the rampant intellectual classism that's causing so many problems around the world. Particularly in relation to #Brexit.
Check it out here: …
In today's episode, I explain why reading is a waste of time for people wanting to learn to speak a foreign language. I also share ways in which it can indeed be beneficial once fluency is already re…
Hitting language learning plateaus can be frustrating. Really frustrating. We all experience them at some point - usually at an intermediate level. There are simple ways to beat them however.
Check i…
Like successful people in all areas of life, there are certain identifiable traits or characteristics of great language learnings and polyglots.
In this episode, I outline 11 of those for you.
Check …
When I started learning languages, I was a total failure. I failed Greek and Hebrew in college miserably. But everything changed for me thanks to a tiny but profound piece of ancient wisdom.
In this …
Ever thought about becoming a freelance translator so you can earn a living while travelling? I did it myself.
In this episode I explain how I got into it, what it takes and I dispel some of the misc…
Language education all over the world has been failing to produce fluent speakers of foreign languages. The reason? They teach languages backward by emphasizing a grammar-first approach which is tota…
In this episode, I give an in-depth and very honest review of the Assimil Method and series for language learning.
Visit the blog post to share your thoughts: http://www.mezzoguild.com/assimil-review…
Welcome to the very first podcast episode of The Mezzofanti Guild | Language Learning Made Simple (mezzoguild.com).
In this episode, I give a simple introduction of who I am, what my site is all abou…