Clozemaster App Review: Learn Language in Context

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Are you in the mood for a new language app? Want to go further than Duolingo?

Allow me to introduce you to...Clozemaster!

Clozemaster is a language learning app designed to help you practice languages quickly and effectively.

Read on to find out more about how it works, what's inside the app, and whether Clozemaster is the right language learning app for you.

How does it work?

The name gives it away: This app is based on the classic Cloze exercise explanation on Wikipedia, which means you will see a sentence in your target language and it's your task to cloze...excuse me, close the gap. The Clozemaster app gives you points for each time you close a gap correctly.

Each sentence you see is written in the target language with a translation provided in your source language. You can choose whether you want to use multiple choice mode or fully type the answers yourself for extra points.

You can set the length of your review session to suit the time and space you have available.

After each review session, Clozemaster shows you a progress review including your points, rank, and what percentage of all sentences you have played and mastered. The style and presentation of all this is simple, designed like a retro computer game. All in all, it's a super fast, fairly addictive and encouraging experience.

After each session, you can also read and listen to all sentences you covered again and add the most important ones to your favourites for easy review.

How can you get Clozemaster?

It's easy! You can download Clozemaster as a free app on your smartphone, tablet, or play it in your web browser. There is a Pro plan for those who want advanced features such as more stats, favoriting sentences, and customizing game play. There's even a lifetime purchase option.

How does Clozemaster compare to apps like Duolingo?

Clozemaster builds its database on natural sentences written by native speakers through the Tatoeba collection, so there's a wide and authentic range of grammar and vocabulary to work with. This use of different base sentences makes a real difference between Clozemaster and most other language learning apps. There are no themed collections of vocabulary and sentences, and you may well encounter a sentence like "Is this your typewriter?" or "Ken climbed down from the tree" the first time you open the language course.

Compared to Duolingo, Clozemaster offers a more challenging set of vocabulary and grammar. Compared to apps like Memrise, Anki, and Quizlet, it gives you a better way to practice language in context.

Collections and Fluency Fast Tracks

Many language options in Clozemaster offer you the option of following a track or specific collection designed to build up your language skills extra fast. For example, you may find:

  • Fluency Fast Track, where the sentence gaps are designed to prompt you to include a word included on a list of the most common words in a language. The sentences you see start with the most common and help you work your way up so that you are practicing extra efficiently. (Anki users will love this feature.)
  • Grammar Challenges, where you can choose a tricky grammar point in a language and work with sentences that help you practice this grammar point in context. For example, you could choose to focus in on practicing French prepositions or German verbs
  • Exam collections, where your vocab range is designed around a specific exam or coursebook like the HSK in Mandarin Chinese
  • Teaching collections, which allow teachers to create their own collections to practice with students or set as homework. You can even upload your own TSV or CSV files.

These options make the learning experience more motivating and allow you to adjust the practice session to your level more easily. They are not available in every target language though, so if you are studying a lesser-known language option, you may only find the "Random" track available which can feel like diving in at the deep end. I found all these tracks and collections extremely useful.

In Mandarin Chinese, I could easily follow and benefit from the HSK1 level of Clozemaster, but the "random" collection was a complete guessing game.

Who is Clozemaster best for?

Overall, Clozemaster is ideal for people who want to practice, but not complete beginners who will easily get lost in complex vocabulary and grammar points. It doesn't teach you a language, instead it lets you practice the language and it will improve what you already know.

From the CEFR perspective, I would recommend this to users at level A2-B2. The sentences used by Clozemaster are not overly complex, but they are definitely challenging.

Why is Clozemaster effective even if it doesn't give themed vocab?

It's simple: The Cloze exercise is not designed to you vocabulary only. It is about giving you the skill to quickly spot and recognise grammar and syntax patterns in natural sentences in your target language. When you identify the word that fits into the gap, you are challenged to think about how the whole language works. Over time, practicing the language through Clozemaster will increase your confidence and flexibility, help you settle into common grammar structures, and make you a better speaker of that language.

Which languages does Clozemaster offer?

There are currently 72 languages and 229 language pairings (for example, learning English from Spanish, or learning German from French) available.

The Best Things About Clozemaster

  • It's super efficient! Clozemaster is one of those apps that gives you all the information that you need to practice a language, and cuts out any fluff. Even the stripped down interface is helpful here as it gets you straight to the practice screen. The different fast tracks are all designed around frequency lists. While I am not an advocate of centering frequency lists in your studies to the cost of deeper meaning, I think this gamified interface is where the frequency vocabulary lists and super-efficient natural sentences really shine.
  • The language range and combinations are very rich and it offers an opportunity to practice many lesser known languages like Breton, Guaraní, Cornish, and even Interlingue. Even better, you can mix and match the language combinations and learn something new through your target language. It's twice the practice. Go and have a look now to find out if your target language is available on Clozemaster!
  • Clozemaster is an app designed for improvers, and not beginners, and it does its job extremely well. Truly the next thing after Duolingo!

What Clozemaster Could Improve in Future

  • Obviously, it would be amazing to get great functionality like listening-based practice and fluency fast tracks available in all languages. And I'd love to switch from Vocabulary mode to Listening mode in the middle of a review session, especially in languages that use a different writing system.

Finally: Is Clozemaster a good choice for you as a language learner?

The Clozemaster app brilliant for people who are learning a language and want to practice to improve on an intermediate to advanced level.The interface of Clozemaster is simple, but the exercise is not.

Clozemaster isn't for a total beginner. Instead it supports your language learning and helps you build flexibility and maintain the high skills you have been working for!

It's free, simple and engaging, and offers more languages than any other app I've seen - give it a try! You can download Clozemaster and get a special deal on Pro at www.clozemaster.com/fluentshow

Disclosure: Clozemaster is a current sponsor of the Fluent Show and asked me to write this independent review as part of the paid sponsorship package. The review is fully independent and all screenshots are my own. I only recommend and review products and apps I have tested and approved myself. - Kerstin

3 Lessons Podcasting Has Taught Me About Life and Languages

You know how much I love podcasting - you hear me do it almost every week! I have been recording The Fluent Show since 2013, and it has brought me such joy and excitement being able to chat with other guests and give you all the best language learning tips.

But today, I want to tell you all about my tips for starting a podcast.

My goal is to open you up to an idea - could you start a podcast? A little one? Maybe a big one? Maybe for your business, your project, for other language learners, for your students if you teach?

There are so many different reasons to start a podcast, and I know you have so much knowledge up in your brain that the world could use.

Now to help you understand the amazing experience that being a podcast host has to offer, I thought it would be fun to put together what podcasting has taught me over the course of the last 7.5 years...and to tie it back to the bigger picture!

Want to create and launch your own podcast?

Learn my tried-and-tested podcasting system in this Podcasting 101 workshop

Here are three ways that podcasting has made me better at languages.

#1: Consistent improvements and the joy of curiosity

Goals require our commitment, and that's the same for learning a language, creating a popular podcast, or anything else that we want to achieve.

When you decide to work towards a big goal, you decide to contribute to that goal on a regular basis.

With a podcast, the initial goal is to create many episodes and keep the project going for a while. Let's say we're aiming for 10 episodes. You probably can't get it all done in a day and must work on the project consistently to produce something good.

I started my podcast 7 years ago with my laptop, a jingle created by my friend Jonathan, and a will to spend an afternoon in GarageBand. Over the years, so many things have changed. I restructured, renamed, rebranded, re-edited, and learned how to create systems that make podcasting a lot easier. None of this happened overnight. Just like no language learner can be perfect overnight.

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I am still ready to talk about anything and everything and enjoy the process!

Podcast creation isn't about cranking out perfection. It's about having fun and capturing fun just by being yourself.

#2: Team work, trusting, and daring

When I first made the Fluent Show, I made it on my own. Same with my tutoring business. A whole one-woman show, and yes, that meant doing my own edits, publishing, and notes. You can hear in the first episodes that I was trying something out and finding my feet.

But I always knew that it takes a village to create something awesome.

I am not a practiced musician, so my friend Jonathan pitched in with a jingle, and my husband had a microphone he allowed me to use. Over time, I added an editor and an assistant who can help me organise the guest interviews.

One of my big dreams was also to have a co-hosted show. I listened to those and enjoyed them, and I remember first getting in touch with Lindsay and asking if she'd like to be involved with the podcast.

When you have more than one person who knows you're working on your product, you're no longer “playing”. That can be scary, because it’s you standing up and saying “this project is worth my time and your attention”.

Podcasting has taught me that a project I care about can be important enough to justify proper time and attention. It is a really good thing to dedicate yourself to a project like this.

What else does this remind you of? Learning a language!

Remember that, no matter how important someone else calls the language you are learning, your judgement is worthwhile and your goal is worth pursuing.

#3: Being myself and speaking like me

Podcasting means sharing your voice, your breath, and your physicality. It can feel vulnerable. For you as language learners, you know that feeling. Someone hearing your voice and accent, your thoughts, as you become a better speaker - that's putting yourself out there as less than perfect.

Over the years, podcasting has taught me how to become more comfortable with the sound of my voice and the way I express myself.

In conversations, I have learned invaluable skills about listening, prompting good answers, and supporting my conversation partner.

Here’s a fun fact: Extroverts are not automatically gifted communicators. There is a lot that can go wrong. I know many introverted or shy people struggle, but trust me, introverts make amazing podcasters. Extroverts have a few bad habits that need to be improved on: interrupting, speaking without thinking, thoughts that go nowhere.

Also, realize that you can edit everything you say (I've just learned the expression speaker's remorse! It's so perfect), but my podcasting philosophy is, hey, put it in well and save yourself the work. Podcasting has taught me how to become a better communicator in every possible way and it can make you a better teacher and learner as a result.

Podcasting 101

After 213 episodes, over 1.5 million downloads, 77 guests, I want to share everything I know about how to start a podcast for yourself.

Podcasting is simply perfect for people who love to communicate and learn. I am so passionate about podcasts and want to encourage others to start their own and share their voice, I have a workshop called Podcasting 101.

I believe launching a podcast is liberating, creative, and extremely good for business!. My followers discover me through the podcast 2x more than anything else.

The workshop will be perfect for you if:

  • You’re in the beginning stages of starting a podcast and need a clear roadmap to get you to success.

  • You’ve started a podcast, but now you need tips and trade secrets to polish it up and make it shine.

  • You’re interested but also worried it would be way too much work, and you want a system that allows you to publish weekly easily.

  • You’re looking for a flexible and straightforward way to plan out content, so you always know what’s coming next.

  • You’re unsure of your voice (or message) and want to express yourself confidently.

  • You want to expand your reach and turn listeners into customers who cannot wait to pay you and work with you.

Plus, I've prepared a fantastic workbook for you, too. So if you're pod curious and ready to become a great communicator, grow your business or project, and have so much fun, you should not miss Podcasting 101.

How to Parent Your Children to Be Multilingual

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As a German native speaker who speaks English all day long, I find the prospect of bilingual parenting both daunting and fascinating.

I have been contacted by so many different parents over the years for advice on how to raise your children to be multilingual.

First of all, I am so happy to hear that parents are interested in teaching languages to their kids early on. I hear from so many of my students that they wished they would have begun to learn languages earlier in life, so this will make a huge difference in their life.

One thing’s for sure: Raising multilingual children is as challenging as it is rewarding.

After consulting many bilingual parents (full list below) and learning from dozens of professionals in bilingual parenting, I have collected 6 tips for you to help you start parenting your children to be multilingual.

Tip #1: Don’t Expect Them to Be Good Right Away

Your young child does not need to be good at speaking a language, if it is clear they are doing it. Taking away this pressure is what will keep language learning fun for them and keep the curiosity brewing.

Rather than correcting them and making them repeat words and phrases over and over, keep encouraging them to step out of their comfort zone. Making them aware that there are other languages out there in the world will be a huge step.

Tip #2: Exposure Matters More Than Perfection

Exposure really matters, much more than hitting some perfect system or having them “perform” languages beautifully. (The same goes for adults too, by the way.)

Exposing your child to your target language means you can get far with accessible practices like multilingual music, TV/YouTube, and storybooks.

Several generations of learners have told me that Muzzy was their first spark of love for languages. You might start with their favourite TV show in another language (Peppa Pig is a big hit apparently), or read a bilingual story together (try Tim Tim Tom for example).

There are so many different avenues and resources out there to expose your child to other languages in a playful way that they are going to enjoy.

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Tip #3: Get Involved Within the Community

Could you get your kids involved in communities where other languages are spoken within the neighbourhood? Chances are, you aren’t the only person in your neighborhood or community who is trying to learn a new language, and there is hidden linguistic diversity everywhere.

You can reach out to other families you know by searching in Facebook groups or connect with your local community. Connect your child with other children who are learning to be multilingual and set up play dates where they can read books, have playtime, or watch their favorite TV shows together in the target language.

Everything is better with a buddy!

Tip #4: Have Language Time

Having specific language time is very helpful for adults, and the same goes for children. This means setting up a dedicated time of the day or of the week where you are only speaking the target language.

This could be 30 minutes after school where your child is telling you about your day, during bath time or at the dinner table.

Tip #5: Try the “One Person, One Language” Strategy

The one person, one language approach is where one person in the family speaks solely one language within the family. It’s very common when parents have two native languages, meaning each parent only speaks their first language with the child.

But even if you are NOT a native speaker of the language you want to share with your child,

Doing this strategy consistently gives the child the expectation that all of their interactions with this person is to be in a specific language, so there are no surprises and they start to develop confidence. This also helps to make sure that your children are receiving continuous exposure and interactions in different languages.

Tip #6: You Aren’t Going to Do It Wrong

No matter what, know that you aren’t doing this wrong! You know your child best and what will work most efficiently for them to learn and interact.

While some parenting experts swear by “OPOL” above all other strategies, it’s important to remember that there are plenty of right ways to do something.

The very fact that you are taking your time and energy to teach and expose your child to a new language is a beautiful thing and something they will be thankful for later in life.

Thank you for sharing the world of languages with your children! 🙏

Resources for Raising Multilingual Children

There are so many different resources that are available for parents who are raising multilingual children or have the vision to do so. Below are different Facebook groups, businesses, podcasts, and more to help you along this journey.

Facebook Groups

Podcasts and Teachers to Follow

“It’s Hard Work But It’s So Worth It”

This quote is from Marianna du Bosq, who runs Bilingual Avenue and shared her expertise on my podcast. Click PLAY below to listen in.

Keep in mind that it will probably be difficult to help your child learn a new language, but it is going to be so worth it to them!

As they go through life, they will be so thankful and appreciative that you took the energy to teach them a new language at a young age.

Going through the process together as a family can be a fun and exciting experience that makes you so proud of seeing their progress. If you are currently parenting your children to be multilingual, I encourage you to keep going and try these tips out.

Are you raising a child or planning to involve languages in their life in the future? Leave me a comment below to share your story!

How I Study Languages: A Quarterly Check-in for Welsh, Italian & Chinese

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This blog post is an my own language learning goals and progress.

Read on to hear about

  • what happened in my life and business so far this year
  • which languages I’m learning and how I’m doing in them
  • which courses I’m taking and creating
  • what I’m planning to do next!

I’ll be referring to January-March as “Q1” from here on, since it was the first quarter of 2021.

Lockdown Language Life in Q1 2021

I live in the UK, and our winter was not exciting. Shortly after the new year started, our country went into a pretty strict coronavirus lockdown which is only now beginning to ease.

Cue…another 3 months spent in and around the home. I’m unbelievably lucky to have space and quiet available in my home, and the rules allowed for just enough outdoor activity to help me avoid loneliness and depression.

I am so happy to know that our vaccine programme is progressing well, and the relief it’s going to bring vulnerable people, their carers, and all who work in healthcare.

We held another Women in Language online conference!

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Let’s start with the biggest event first: Women in Language 2021! The conference was another smash hit and we learnt SO much over the course of 4 days - it’s impossible to sum up everything, but here are some of my personal highlights.

  • Kaché Knowles from The Bahamas helped us kick off the event in the best possible, sunniest, most celebratory mood. I loved her energy!
  • I moderated the “Language Learning in Australia” panel and learnt just SO much about languages down under from Michele Frolla, Bec Howie & Karla Zuluaga. Australia is a 360 degree language space with so many indigenous, regional, and immigrant languages. Wow wow! Loved it!
  • We added our first ever bilingual presentations with contributions in Spanish, French and Mandarin

We had an entrepreneurial streak running through many presentations, including

  • Inspired Teachers Create Inspired Learners! by English language icon Lindsay McMahon
  • A 5-Step Manifesto on Becoming a Language Teacher Rebel by Swedish teacher and Author Anneli Haake
  • A wonderful conversation on Mindset and Self-Worth as you grow your language business by Gwyneth Jones & Marija Dobrovolska I found myself engaged and excited for the many baby language businesses in the chatroom, loving the opportunity to share my knowledge through mentoring.

Stats round-up: 599 participants, 34 speakers, 56 countries, 1145 Facebook group comments over 4 days. PHEW! It is really cool to see more and more men attending this event each year.

Mobile Mentoring by Kerstin Cable

Through February, I have been quietly trying out a new mentoring offer for online teachers and I’m so excited to share that this is now LIVE! I have offered coaching/mentoring for online teachers for a few years now. It’s the perfect mix of

  1. Talking shop
  2. Helping language business owners find the answers that they need for all those decisions about prices, offers, marketing and more
  3. Lighting that fire of excitement in them about the many fantastic ways they can create a business that makes a difference in the world (and makes some money, that's important too)

Long story short, you should consider booking one!

It’s a 1:1 deal with a twist: you get a whole day with me and we’ll be chatting via voice message! Want to learn a little more and try it out? Here’s my booking page link!

Learning Languages in Lockdown 3

When you don’t plan ahead and set myself manageable goals, you don’t achieve as much either.

But when languages are a habit and always form part of your life, you never stand still even in a super busy month.

Closing the 书 on Chinese for now

At the end of last year, I had just completed level HSK 1 in Mandarin Chinese and I wasn’t sure whether to take it any further. Well, after sitting on a very vague intention to do something or other with Chinese, in the end I decided it was time to pack it in.

I am really happy that I took 2020 to learn my first East Asian language, and I’ll happily return to Chinese at some point in the future. I didn’t find it scary or uninteresting, but equally I never quite found my Chinese passion either.

Guess for now we’ll choose to stay friends. 谢谢for the good times, 中文！

La signora nuova on the scene…it’s Italian!!

One of the reasons I wanted to let go of Chinese was to create space for just one of the many languages on my list: Italian! I studied Italian for 2 years as a teenager and I’ve got plenty of cross-language skills from learning other Romance languages over the years. But speaking Italian? Quasi ninety!

In 2021, I’m finally spending a little time with Italian again. I had a really lovely time with it in the late 90s, so I'm looking forward to playing around with Italian again!

I’m not ready to speak to anyone quite yet, but will get there in the next 3 months. Until then, I’m working with my own Vocab Checklist to build a bank of essential phrases and listening to a few learner-friendly podcasts to get into the groove.

Want to find out what I love for learning Italian? Click here to view my page for Italian learners!

My 6th Year of Learning Welsh (Y 6ed blwyddyn yn dysgu Cymraeg)

I love learning Welsh! Yes, even 6 years in I still do. My language level is B2, and I reached it without ever pushing super hard. I have so much fun with Welsh.

My attendance at the Advanced 1 course continues, a friendly weekly evening with other learners. I’m the only one who is joining the group from England, so I’m getting a great treat here from the 2020 online lessons.

My Welsh conversation skills and my grammar have improved. I now feel more confident and competent expressing myself in the language, and I CANNOT WAIT for everyone’s vaccinations and all those festivals and trips I’m going to enjoy after covid. C’mon, world!

Want to enjoy a quick dabble in the beautiful Welsh language yourself? Try my Language Dabbler’s Guide to Welsh!

Also on the Scene: Le Français

In French, I’m in the lucky position that I’ve got a strong basis to fall back onto even if I don’t study for ages. In Q1, I practiced my French mostly with Call My Agent/Dix Pour Cent on Netflix, and in March by listening to Cathy Intro’s awesome My Polyglot Life podcast.

Every now and then, I practice speaking or writing French but it’s not at the top of my priority list.

Want to find out what I love for learning French? Click here to view my page for French learners!

In Conclusion: Steady Effort Wins for Me

That’s it for reviewing my Q1! After many months thinking I’m ready to move on from Chinese for now, I’ve finally done it. It feels good to have taken the pressure off myself, though I want to continue to look beyond Europe for my language education in the future.

A 4th language I’m eager to learn is BSL (British Sign Language), but I’ve decided I’d like to start that in an offline class so it’s on hold for obvious reasons.

2021 is off to a great start, with a successful Women in Language event under our belt, and I’m excited to dive into more support for online teachers and language entrepreneurs through my mobile mentoring days.

Courses & Classes I Use for Languages

Believe it or not, I don’t watch YouTube. some of these links above are affiliate links

Courses & Programmes I Created / Promoted

  • Women in Language 2021 (our 4th one)
  • Mobile Mentoring for language teachers and businesses
  • A new live round of the Language Habit Toolkit (including BINGO with prizes…I love games!)
  • How to Get Fluent When Life’s Chaotic (free class, link coming soon)

Blogs & Podcasts

This post is part of the #clearthelist round-up hosted by Shannon Kennedy and Lindsay Williams. I used to do these check-ins on a monthly basis, but since I’ve found relaxing the pace recently, I decided that a quarterly check-in is just as good.

The world is feeling like that cloud over our heads is starting to move a little. What about you? Do you feel the same? Leave me a comment below if you have any thoughts or questions for me!

Language Coaches: What They Are and How to Work With Them

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Language coaches are the hidden treasure of the language learning world.

An amazing coach can train you up, just like a sports coach, to be an incredible language learner.

But if you don't pick a great match (or don't work with them in the right way), you can end up frustrated and out a lot of money.

In this master post, you’ll find everything you need to figure out exactly what a language coach will do for you and how to get the most out of every session.

By the end of this guide, you will have:

  1. an actionable plan to start with a language coach,
  2. how to get the most out of your investment, and
  3. how to use alternative products to get better at language learning.

What is a Language Coach?

Before we get into the super helpful topics on this list, let’s explain what a language coach is and isn't.

That's because there are a ton of misconceptions about what a language coach's responsibilities are and confusion about the differences between a language coach and language teacher.

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Pretend you are an English speaker learning French. You would need a French teacher who also speaks French, right?

Well for a language coach, it doesn't matter if they speak French or not.

You could even be working on a language that that language coach had never even heard of before! That's because a coach isn't going to teach you any specific language skills.

So what are they going to teach you?

To put this into perspective, what sets strong adult language learners apart is their ability to troubleshoot their own problems; come up with unique solutions; and build strong study habits.

A language coach will help you become that strong language learner. Unless you bring up specific problems with grammar, vocabulary, or any language learning skills, those won't be the focus of your sessions.

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Sure those rules can be broken, but in general, a teacher will help you catch and fix errors by explicitly telling you the "right" way to do something.

But because we are all individuals with our own personal learning styles, busy lives, language goals, and language anxieties, a language coach will more likely focus on solving your problems with you: but not necessarily telling you the one "right" way to do something.

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There's also the question of what makes someone a language coach.

With language teachers, there are large institutes, recognized accreditation programs, and achievable diplomas to show a student that they are qualified to teach a certain language. Not all language teachers have these, but many do.

But with language coaches, there is no universally recognized accreditation or certification program.

So how do students decide if the coach is the best expert for them? All language coaches speak several languages so they know your struggle and have been in your shoes. They usually have blogs, YouTube channels, podcasts, or books on the subject so you can judge their expertise for yourself. Because of all of this, language coaches are a bit harder to qualify. (But don't worry: we'll give you some good tools for how to do so below.)

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Finally, neither a language coach nor a language teacher can fix your problems themselves.

Language learning is one of the most egalitarian skills in this world because you cannot buy it from anyone.

Sure, people with more money may also have more time: but it's truly a question of who is willing to put in the effort.

So before you consider going any further, you must ask yourself: if I work with a language expert, am I willing to put in what it takes to train myself into an amazing language learner?

How to find a language coach you love

Now that we've cleared that up, follow this roadmap and you are bound to find a language coach that you love.

Follow along and see what your next steps might be:

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The most important thing here is that you find the best-fit coach for you yourself.

So outside of a quick Google search, our advice is that you follow potential coaches outside of social media and see what they really have to say.

No matter what, we highly recommend learning more about language learning whether or not you find a coach.

To do so, check out The Fluent Show (a podcast about loving, living, and learning languages) or any other number of linguistics podcasts or linguistics books.

The most important thing you are building with a language coach is your metacognitive and metalinguistic skills - that means knowing more about how language learning works and how to set up the right study systems for yourself.

And while a coach can be an amazing investment along the way, ultimately it's up to the student to truly learn and practice their skills.

Next up, the best tips to help you prepare for a future coaching relationship.

But if you're looking for an alternative to language coaching, you’ll find those in the final section of this article.

What To Expect & How To Prepare for Working With A Language Coach

If you've never worked with a language coach before, it can feel vulnerable to open up about your problems to a stranger. Here’s what to expect from your first language coach meeting:

A Chat with Nicole: Illustrator and Language Coachee

Nicole began studying French at university, but after moving to the UK wanted to dedicate more time towards her language studies. Her problem? How to find time and dedication for solo learning after the beginning stages. How do you get really good?

If you're a podcast fan, listen to this Fluent Show episode either in-browser here or where ever you listen to your favourite podcasts. In it, Nicole and I talk more about what working together to solve Nicole's problems was like.

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A Talk with Suzanne: Grad Student and Language Coachee

Suzanne (@suzanne.linguist on Instagram) is a self-proclaimed language dabbler, who's hobby has always been trying out little bits of languages here and there.

But as she moves closer to finishing her Master's in Library Science, she wanted to take her linguistic curiosity to the next level and work towards fluency in several languages.

That's when she began working with me as her language coach. Here are some of the tips she laid out for anyone thinking about trying out coaching for the first time.

1. Feeling a little nervous is normal.

Suzanne admits she was excited, "and also feeling a little anxious." Not knowing what to expect is normal, and with time going into sessions will feel more and more natural.

2. When booking your session, leave a note to your coach about what you want to talk about.

When using an online booking platform, most coaches have a place where you can leave a note. If you have an idea of what you want to discuss during your session, you can drop it there for them to glance at before the session.

3. During the days before your session, reflect on your problem.

Suzanne's two biggest tips involve preparing yourself for your session.

"First and foremost, come with questions," she says. "Second, have some idea of your topic priorities. My best sessions with Kerstin are when I’m very well prepared."

And how can you go about thinking about those questions?

"I’ve tried different methods [of preparing]," says Suzanne. "I once did a mind map. Usually I brainstorm in a digital note. And always I ask a polyglot friend or two, which is invaluable, as they’ll remind of things I brought up but had forgotten about."

4. Be present and truthful.

There might be a bit of nervousness in the first session or two, Suzanne reflected. But she also joked: "Stay calm... you’re in good hands!"

Remember: language coaches have seen plenty of problems before, so if you openly share your roadblocks or frustrations with them, that's not admitting failure. In fact, it's the first step to fixing the problem!

Straying off-topic a bit of thinking out loud might be a normal part of this process. "I can get off on tangents," admits Suzanne.

But part of working through these problems is also helping you explore different angles while saying on the right path.

5. Have a scrap paper nearby, but don't worry about it.

"I don’t usually take notes," says Suzanne.

The goal is to be present and thoughtful. But jotting something down might be helpful every once in a while.

6. After your session, take time to reflect and plan.

Coaching tends to get your creative juices flowing. For some people, pausing post-session to journal or talk to someone can be a great extension of what you worked on with your coach.

"In the hours following a meeting, I often brief polyglot friends on any new ideas or directions," says Suzanne. "I also put any time-bound items in my task manager, which is where I organize my language hobby."

7. Use your new skills and solutions during the coming weeks

Remember: a language coach can't magically teach you a language. (Teaching you a language isn't even their job!)

So it's important to take ownership of your own learning process. See what works, see what doesn't, and see everything through.

Then, bring in those new experiments and experiences into your next session.

8. Connect with other language learners

Over and over in our interview, Suzanne kept bringing up one thing: the online language community.

First, and most obviously, there are the native speakers of the languages we want to learn.

"I'm motivated to learn modern languages because I'm fascinated by cultures and communities. Interacting with native speakers, I've learned so much about their lives and the way they think."

But outside of just language exchanges or tutoring relationships, there are also huge communities on Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, and Tumblr of other people who, regardless of language, want to connect with us.

"Language learning for me brings more joy when I can geek out with those who 'get' me," she says. "I love the mutual encouragement [and] the camaraderie."

With this community, you don't necessarily need to speak the same language--just love to talk about struggles, victories, and new experiences.

"Sometimes we're too close to ourselves to see the bigger picture," says Suzanne. "Language friends and coaches inspire and inform us!"

3 Alternatives to Language Coaching

If language coaching is out of your budget, that doesn't mean that you can't benefit from the advice of experts.

Here are the top 3 alternatives to language coaching.

1. Language podcasts

There are plenty of language learning podcasts hosted by experienced language learners and coaches who will fill your feed with awesome educational material.

PROS: My own podcast, the Fluent Show, has a massive back catalogue of over 200 episodes, many of which answer the most common questions you have about language learning. It's inspirational, educational, and will always be free.

CONS: Unlike one-on-one coaching, there's no one to address your specific problems or help with follow-up questions.

Click here to listen to The Fluent Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or search your favourite podcast platform today.

2. Linguistics Books

Plenty of language learning experts have written some amazing linguistics books specifically for language learners.

PROS: Linguistics books are thoroughly researched and edited by professionals, meaning the quality of content and advice is going to be much higher than other platforms like YouTube.

CONS: Since your library is unlikely to stock this niche category of books, you'll likely have to invest a few dollars into buying them.

But as a starting point, check out these in-depth interviews with two awesome book authors who specialise in language learning!

Becoming Fluent by Dr Roger Kreuz

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Ultralearning by Scott Young

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Find more linguistics book recommendations for language learners here!.

3. The Language Habit Toolkit

Finally, there's the Language Habit Toolkit.

The Toolkit is designed to help students solve the 10 most common problems they are likely to see a language coach about, and costs less than a first coaching session might. It includes (1) a multimedia training on Teachable.com, (2) printable worksheets and accountability trackers, and (3) plenty of annual goodies like live trainings, study sessions, and pop-up community groups.

PROS: It will help you solve the most common problems language learners have for a price that's better than coaching. It's not only a training, but comes with monthly activities, planners, and trackers.

CONS: It requires more self-discipline than working with a coach since you have no human holding you to using it.

Conclusion: What Do You Do Next?

This article was designed to give you the most in-depth understanding possible of what language coaching is and how you could use it.

But ultimately, you won't know if it's a good fit for you until you try it out.

As you leave this article, consider reviewing the above flow chart and picking your next action based on what makes the most sense for you.

Click here to contact me about a trial session, click here for the Language Habit Toolkit, or check out The Fluent Show on your favourite podcasting platform.