Kerstin Cable's Blog, page 38

On Doing Things When Your Fear Says "DON'T"!

Hi everyone, I just have a quick announcement about my blog today. But first, let me tell you what I did this morning! I took part in the Lancaster University Charity Abseil from the highest building on campus, 13 storey Bowland Tower. I saw the advert for this a few weeks ago and got excited right away. Abseiling is cool, right? Before I knew it, I'd asked my other half to sign me up and done that before I could even think about what this really means. Well, today was the day and I can't eve...

Feel the Fear - Do it Anyway

Hi everyone, I just have a quick announcement about my blog today. But first, let me tell you what I did this morning! I took part in the Lancaster University Charity Abseil from the highest building on campus, 13 storey Bowland Tower. I saw the advert for this a few weeks ago and got excited right away. Abseiling is cool, right? Before I knew it, I'd asked my other half to sign me up and done that before I could even think about what this really means. Well, today was the day and I can't eve...

The 16 Words that Sum Up All Learning Dilemmas

As my 50 Calls Project continues and I get to talk to more amazing language learners and language teachers about all things to do with learning, I come across some of the best things people say. It really is a treat to be able to connect with so many people from all over the world. I have made some new friends in London, Macedonia, Egypt, the USA and Spain.

The following quote just had to be shared with you. It is the perfect summary of why we learn and why we find it frustrating, right?

As y...

Five German Things to Shout During the Football World Cup

Guys, here's something you may not know about me: I go CRAZY when the football (soccer) World or European Cup rolls round. For a German living in England, I am completely reckless in my support of die deutsche Elf ("the German eleven" - if you don't know that a soccer/football team has 11 players, this is not your article!).

I have my team jersey on order, I may even drink beer, and I am totally ready to go and support Özil, Klose and Schweinsteiger in my local English pub. Inspired by this...

New Podcast! X-Men, Game of Thrones, At the Gym...and Tips To Beat Stagnation

On today's podcast I'll be talking to you solo and covering a lot of ground about recent observations in language learning.

Click Here To Listen On The Blog


Click Here To Go to iTunes

img ©HBO and Marvel

This podcast turned out quite lovely and I'm sure you'll find something in there to help you out, no matter if you're stuck or just a nerd hoping to celebrate Game of Thrones (I certainly am!).

Unhelpful Words For Language Learning

Language used to describe language learning does can almost be...

The Email That Makes Private Lessons Worth The Cost

photo © Mary Ann Clarke Scott

Ahh, private language lessons - where do you stand when thinking about them? For learners who struggle to speak in the tough environment of a busy class, 1-to-1 structures are the peaceful and safe space they need to start talking. For busy people, online lessons can be the one way to fit learning into their schedule. And for every single one of us, a personal lesson means a personal commitment to concentrating with an expert helping you out for an hour.

But for...

Exciting News: Nominated for Top Language Lovers 2014

Hey Language Lovers!

I am so excited to announce that, for the second year in a row, I'm nominated for the Top Language Lovers 2014 competition, which is AMAZING. Fluent has been going for two great years and picked up so many smart and wonderful readers. I can't thank you enough. Let's get this done!

I think Fluent Language can climb up the ranks this time round in 2014, but for this to be an absolute possibility, I'll need your help - this comes in in the form of two small clicks!

Please vote...

Motivation: Why "This Language is Hard!" Is No Reason

Ahh, procrastination. It's a beautiful thing to be doing. On my lazy Sunday morning journey through the wilderness of Pinterest, I discovered a powerful thought and wanted to share it with you language learners. The quote is from John Green, author of The Fault In Our Stars and various other novels.

To me, the most important part that Mr Green points out in this quote is

Hard is often seen as the opposite of fun.

All the successful language learners I know have done one major thing at a poin...

Pioneer Nation: 4 Lessons for You and Me

Well hello there fellow language fans, and welcome to a personal post. I hope you'll like this personality, she's sat at the bar with a Gin and Tonic.

So a few months I travelled to Portland - the other side of the world for me, and I attended a business conference. It was called Pioneer Nation and designed to give a lot of practical support to solo-businesses, tiny makers, people with something to say. Well, let me tell you this conference was beautiful. Everyone got to wear a wooden name tag...

Why You Should Stop Playing The Polyglot Game

So, yes, what you are reading today might be a little controversial and first of all I want to thank you for engaging with it! What I'm about to put out here is as much a reflection of what I see on the internet as it is a declaration of who I am. The word I'm going to focus on is "polyglot". It's used to describe "a person who speaks many languages".

But here's the thing. I don't like that word. I speak 4 languages and I am not a polyglot. In today's article, I want to examine a bit more abou...