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BRAVE Blog

Polyglot Wannabe? Start a Business to Learn Languages

When you’re setting out to do something ambitious, the first instinct is usually to get rid of distractions, and focus only on the daunting task at hand. This is how works of art are conceived, heart transplants performed, and (in my household at least) breakfasts cooked.

But sometimes, the right thing to do seems to be the opposite. Learning languages may be one of these things. As a language learner and a former business owner, I’m going to try to sell you a weird idea today.

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BRAVE Blog

Tell ’em.

The most amazing, frightening, beautiful, shocking, stressful and productive moment of your language learning…

It’s when you commit, go out, speak up, make yourself heard. It’s when you take the risk.

Today, I started a Facebook page and a Google+ page for this blog. Until now, I was reluctant to do it. The reason, I think, is exactly the same as an excuse people make for not speaking foreign languages: fear of embarrassment.

Benny Lewis, from “Fluent in 3 Months,” will deal with that excuse in no time:

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I will only add two things:

1. The meaning of every communication is the response you get. And the only way to get meaningful results is to take the risk.

2. Thank you for reading this. If you want to join a small, but growing group of people who share your love for languages, you’ve got Facebook and Google+ to choose from.

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BRAVE Blog

Four TV Shows Which Will Help You Learn Languages

Someone once counted that we spend 12 years of our lives watching TV. Once again, I find that my decision not to get one is one of the best ones I’ve made. But if you’ve already got one – or if, like me, you like to watch a show online every now and then – you’ll quickly find that some shows are more useful than others.

For language learners, almost every show in their favourite foreign language should be a huge incentive, but also a challenge. Watching TV in foreign languages improves your listening skills, and is a great way to absorb a lot of foreign culture along with the vocabulary. Sure, it’s hard at first – but very rewarding eventually (and it can be used to lower your language learning anxiety, as described here).

Here’s even more good news – certain shows (or kinds of shows) are useful to all language learners. They’re either universal, very popular (and translated), or – due to their unique focus and creativeness – appealing to any language learning enthusiast. Today I want to describe four such shows – I hope you’ll enjoy them and suggest some more!

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BRAVE Blog

Love and Language Learning – Does Romance Help You Learn?

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You probably heard it a hundred times: guy falls in love, girl speaks another language, guy learns girl’s language just to be with her (replace girls with guys as you fancy). But does it really work that way? Being close to the person you love is a strong motivation to do something – anything – but does it actually help you learn a language? Let’s look at some pros and cons, and maybe find some solutions!

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BRAVE Blog

Fear Less: Four Easy Ways to Lower Your Foreign Language Anxiety

My speaking exam was starting in five minutes, and I was about to faint. I wasn’t the only one: my partner, whom I’d never met before, was just as stressed. We were both sitting there, winding ourselves up, and then she said something strange:

“We should have had a vodka or two before that, you know.”

Several years later, I know how right she was.

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BRAVE Blog

Too Big to Bother: The Pros and Cons of Accredited Language Schools

The reason for my prolonged absence from the blog lately is important, big and overwhelming. The school I’m working at is undergoing two accreditation inspections, back to back. We’re currently preparing for the inspections, printing out piles of documents, dotting every “i” and crossing every “t.” The important question, though, is: why bother?