Speaking Tongues
157 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 26 ratingsThe podcast in conversation with multi-linguals. Join me each Monday as we sit down to discuss language and culture!
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Episodes
51. Speaking Spanish, Italian, French & Sicilian
April 05, 2021 11:00 - 51 minutes - 47.6 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. My guest today is Josie, the founder of Lumina Translations. In this episode Josie talks about growing up in a Venezuelan Spanish & Sicilian speaking home and how those two cultures came together in her life. We talk about learning French in Canada and the dialect of French that was taught during her studies. Josie tells us that she not only taught herself to speak Spanish but sh...
50. Speaking Iraqi & Palestinian Arabic
March 29, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 56 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. My guest this week is Belal and we’re talking about his two dialects of Arabic from both Iraq and Palestine. In this episode, Belal tells us about growing up in an Arabic speaking home with his family but veering away from the language as he grew up. Our conversation centers around how he is taking the steps to improve his Arabic but we also talk about the realities of learning a l...
49. Speaking North American French & Spanish
March 22, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 71.2 MBThis week's conversation with Marissa centers on North American French and North American Spanish. Marissa is a multilingual content creator and champion for all language learners! For this episode, we focused on dialects of French and Spanish spoken, and often marginalized, in North America. We were both eager to shift the French discussion away from Europe and talk about our French speaking neighbors here in our own country. Marissa talks about the Acadiens and Cajun French and how the la...
48. Speaking Flemish & Luxembourgish
March 15, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week’s episode is packed with languages, 11 of them to be exact so get ready! I couldn’t even get them all into the title! In this episode, I’m speaking with Petra, who is a hyperpolyglot and a translator from Belgium about how she has come to learning all of the languages she speaks and translates. Petra tells us what the term hyperpolyglot means to her and for her career as ...
47. Speaking Tigrinya, French & Portuguese
March 08, 2021 12:00 - 50 minutes - 46.7 MBHello Language Lovers. Thank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week I am joined by Desta, the founder of Languages Through Music to talk about her language journey through so many languages that I couldn’t fit them all in the title! While Desta has studied and spoken and taught different languages in her lifetime, in this episode we talk mainly about speaking Tigrinya, French & Portuguese. I loved this conversation...
46. Speaking German with The Fluent Show
March 01, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 70.9 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This week I’m joined by Kerstin Cable of The Fluent Show and I must say, I can barely believe it. I’ve been such a fan of The Fluent Show for a long long time. So what does one talk about with another language podcaster who has seen it all?! We talked about her language journey through loads of different languages, including her love of the Welsh language and culture. Kerstin tells...
45. Speaking Italian
February 22, 2021 12:00 - 59 minutes - 55 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. My guest today is Gloria, an Italian teacher and founder of SpeakIta. In this episode, Gloria and I talk about having patience when learning another language and she tells me a strategy that she used to help her learn English while living in the UK. We talk about mindfulness not as a practice but as an attitude that one can apply to learning another language and we discuss the issu...
44. Speaking Spanish with Project Olas
February 15, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 55.9 MBI’m so excited to bring you this episode where I’m speaking with Rebecca, a student at Georgetown University and the founder of Project Olas, student-led social impact venture that provides sustainable income opportunities for moms in vulnerable Central American communities, by offering Spanish language lessons live via WhatsApp. In this conversation, Rebecca talks about how her experience studying abroad in Spain led to her desire to start this initiative working with mothers and families ...
43. Speaking Bangla
February 08, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBMy guest this week is Sausan the creator of Learn Bangla and online resource for learning the Bangla language and for learning about culture in Bangladesh. In this episode, Sausan tells me about the ways Bangla stands out as a language in south Asia, we learn about how she typically approaches language lessons with her students and we learn how the Bangla language became the catalyst for Unesco’s International Mother Language Day. Sausan also tells us about life in Bangladesh, from how the...
42. Speaking Danish
February 01, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 65.8 MBThis week I’m so happy to bring you this truly awesome conversation I had with Kris Broholm of Actual Fluency about the Danish language. Kris was delightful to talk with and I learned a lot about the Danish culture and language. In this episode, Kris tells us some of the nitty gritty things about the language including Danish pronunciation, some fun facts about counting in Danish and we learn a thing or two about the grammar. We also talk about the similarities and differences between Danis...
41. Speaking Brazilian Portuguese
January 25, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 58.5 MBFor this episode, you long time listeners will find something different. For the first time in doing this show for one year now, I have two guests in one show. This week, I am joined by my friends over at Diversilingua Podcast, Diego & Renata and they are talking to us about Brazilian Portuguese. Diego & Renata are both members of a polyglot club in Brazil and in this episode, they are telling us some strategies for understanding new vocabulary in other languages, the differences between sp...
40. Speaking Levantine Arabic with NASMA of NY!
January 18, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 66.1 MBToday, I’m speaking with Carol, a Levantine Arabic teacher and the founder of NASMA of New York and the host of Levantine Arabic Made Easier Podcast. Friends this conversation was so much fun because as you know by now if you’ve listened for a long time, I love the Arabic language and am always happy to learn about Arab culture from my arabic speaking friends. In this episode, we talk about the lebanese school system, living in an international city in the Gulf, the differences in dialects...
39. Speaking Martinique Creole & French
January 11, 2021 12:00 - 58 minutes - 53.8 MBToday, my guest is Mickael, founder of FrenchClass NYC and we are talking about creole spoken in Martinique and French spoken in France. Actually, in this episode, we’re talking about a multitude of topics that include the perception versus reality of people of color in France, diversity and the expression of black voices in France. I’m asking Mickael about representation of French Caribbean culture in Paris and we’re even discussing the similarities and differences among French, creole a...
38. Speaking Yoruba
January 04, 2021 12:00 - 56 minutes - 51.8 MBOn this first episode of the new year, I’m speaking with Anike, a writer, storyteller from London about her heritage language of Yoruba. In this conversation, we’re not just talking about Yoruba language, friends. Oh no no…. We’re talking about Nigerian heritage and the culture of British Born Nigerians & how their culture is expressed in the UK. We discuss the connection between storytelling and language, the links between Yoruba language and culture throughout parts of the Caribbean and ...
37. Speaking Japanese
December 14, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 60.7 MBMy guest today is Yoko, the creator of Foodstory, a Japanese food experience that offers cooking classes in Los Angeles & Culinary Tours in Japan. In this episode, I talk with Yoko not just about the Japanese language and vocabulary but also about the culture. We discuss the differences between men’s and women’s vocabulary, dialects throughout Japan and the influence of indigenous people in Hokkaido. She even gives a surprising tip for anyone wanting to learn or improve their Japanese langu...
36. Speaking Danish
December 07, 2020 12:00 - 57 minutes - 53.4 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. My guest today is Sarah, joining me from London to talk about the Danish language. This is the first time I’ve featured Danish on the show and I’m really excited to have had this opportunity to learn a bit about it from Sarah’s perspective. In this episode, Sarah tells us about growing up in a house with Danish speaking parents and how she ended up learning Danish abroad while stud...
35. Speaking French, Norwegian & Irish
November 30, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 60.4 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. Today I’m speaking with Tyler, a language lover who began his road to speaking a second language as an adult and if you love to read or love literature, you’re going to love this conversation. In this episode, Tyler tells us how his mormon upbringing helped spark his curiosity with foreign language and travel. We talk about how Tyler developed his love of the French language throug...
34. Speaking Ladino with The Hyperpolyglot Activist
November 23, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 63.9 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multi linguals. Today I’m speaking with Dr. Carlos Yebra-Lopez of Ladino 21 and The Hyperpolyglot Activist, about the endangered Judeo-Spanish language also known as Ladino. In this episode, Carlos gives us all an overview of Ladino starting from its origins and its spread throughout the diaspora. If you’re only slightly familiar with Ladino or unaware of it, as I was, this is a great conversatio...
33. Speaking Swahili, Kikuyu & Sheng
November 16, 2020 12:00 - 1 hour - 65.8 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. This episode we are talking with Wairimu, creator of Mwalimu Wairimu about Swahili, Kikuyu and Sheng. Friends, I loved having this conversation and in fact we talked for over two hours and I still didn’t get to talk about all of the things that were looming in my mind -- but more on that later. Wairimu tells us about growing up and being encouraged by teachers to speak English in s...
32. Speaking Wenzhou, French and Mandarin
November 09, 2020 12:17 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. Today we are going on a linguistic journey around the world speaking Wenzhou, French and Mandarin with Lihui Ke, the founder and creative director of Kerisma Knits, a family owned, Los Angeles based knitwear design company. In this episode, Lihui tells us some of her story from her time growing up in China, moving to Paris at a young age, moving once again to New York City before ...
31. Speaking Mexican Spanish
November 02, 2020 12:00 - 50 minutes - 46.4 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. Today’s conversation we are talking about Mexican Spanish with the founder of Speak Like a Mexican. In this episode. Ricardo talks to us about some specific things that make Mexican Spanish stand out from Spanish spoken in other regions of the world. We talk about how he’s able to teach Spanish to foreigners through tourism and we learn about some amazing connections to indigenous ...
30. Speaking Papiamento
October 26, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 79.1 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. Today’s conversation we are heading back to one of my favorite regions in the world to talk about Papiamento with Keisha Weil, a PhD candidate and Linguistic Anthropologist. In this recording Keisha was talking to me from Aruba where Papiamento is widely spoken and she has been conducting her research in the language! In this episode, Keisha tells us why Papiamento is considered a ...
29. Speaking French with The French Wine Tutor
October 19, 2020 11:00 - 53 minutes - 49.4 MBThank you for joining me for this episode of Speaking Tongues- the podcast in conversation with multilinguals. Today’s episode is quite the departure from the norm in one specific way! My guest today is Katie from The French Wine tutor and we are talking all about the French language, French culture and of course, French wine. This is the time you may want to pause here, go grab a glass of wine and come back and listen to the episode in order to get the full experience. In this conversation...
28. Speaking Spanish, French & Italian
October 12, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 56 MBIn today’s conversation, I’m talking with Juliana of The Language Mindset about her journey through three romance languages- Spanish, French and Italian. In this episode, Juliana --who is so full of adventure!- guides us around the world from her time studying abroad in Europe college to her very immersive experience with Spanish in Buenos Aires! Juliana talks to us about how she started The Language Mindset and some of her methods for teaching very young children and adults alike. Juliana ...
27. Speaking Hindi
October 05, 2020 11:00 - 56 minutes - 52.7 MBToday’s conversation is one of firsts because this is the first time we’re speaking about a language from India and my guest today, Vivek, is the first guest that I’ve recorded with over a huge time difference! I’m so grateful to Vivek for being able to make the time to coordinate our schedules for this conversation. In this episode, I learned a LOT and I think Vivek was the perfect person to have this conversation with. He’s very passionate about the Hindi language and his profession as a ...
26. Speaking Sicilian
September 28, 2020 11:00 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBToday I’m talking with Nadia and this is my third episode talking about Sicilian. If you notice and listen to each of the episodes, all three of my guests have had different perspectives on the Sicilian language. This is one thing I love about this show is that no matter how many times we talk about one language, we’ll always have different stories to share our experiences. In talking with Nadia today, she tells me about Sicilian spoken in Agrigento, her experience with Italians living in A...
25. Speaking Cantonese, French & Portuguese
September 21, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 62.3 MBWelcome back to another episode of Speaking Tongues. Today I’m speaking with Acacia, the founder of Ethnic Ties, a travel company specializing in pre-departure preparation so you can have an authentic and comfortable travel experience. But that’s just one role that this entrepreneur has. She also hosts language meetups and she’s developing a Black Travel App which she’ll tell us more about in the episode. One thing that I think is really cool about Acacia’s language journey is how she has ...
24. Speaking Sicilian & Italian
September 14, 2020 11:00 - 44 minutes - 41.4 MBToday I’m back with another episode of Sicilian conversation and this time, I’m talking with Ari, a writer and translator who lives near Messina. If you remember earlier this summer we had another Sicilian conversation and you might be wondering why we’re hitting Sicily so hard and the answer is-- because Sicily is a very old language, influenced by many cultures over centuries and I feel that it’s impossible to have just one Sicilian perspective on the culture. Also, I’m in love with Sicily...
23. Speaking Bahamian English
September 07, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 70.9 MBToday we’re doing things a bit differently. Usually, we’re talking about languages other than english and but today we’re talking about The Bahamian dialect of english with the founder of iisabahamianbey, Kache Knowles. I’ll mention in a minute why this episode is so close to my heart but first I want to talk about why this episode is an important milestone not just for this podcast but also why it’s so important to have this conversation. English is spoken all over the world in many count...
22. Speaking Basque
August 31, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 60.1 MBThe Basque language is one of the most unique languages in the world. Spoken in parts of Northern Spain and Western France, Basque is considered a language isolate - meaning that it is unrelated to any other language and many believe that it predates the Spanish language. In today’s conversation, I’m talking about Basque with Naroa who grew up in the Basque country speaking Basque at a young age. I had so many questions for her and in this episode she tells us about the unique features of t...
21. Speaking British English with Quintessentially English
August 24, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 61.2 MBToday I’m bringing you the eighth and final episode in this summer’s “Summer School” series where all summer long we have been having conversations with language teachers. In today’s episode I’m speaking with Melissa, an English teacher and the founder of Quintessentially English. I wanted to do something different with this episode and if you’ve been listening for a long time now you’ll notice that this is the first conversation that I’ve had about the English language. What makes this int...
20: Speaking Italian with Speak Italiano
August 17, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 60.8 MBHello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for another episode of Speaking Tongues, the podcast in conversation with multi-linguals! I’m your host, Elle Charisse. Today I’m bringing you the seventh episode in this summer’s “Summer School” series where all summer long we are having conversations with language teachers. In today’s episode I’m speaking with Linda, an Italian teacher and the host of the Italian language podcast, “Pensieri e Parole”. We cover quite a bit of ground in this...
19: Speaking Spanish with Maria Ortega Garcia
August 10, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 66 MBHello Language Lovers! Today I’m bringing you the sixth episode in this summer’s “Summer School” series where all summer long we are having conversations with language teachers. In today’s episode I’m speaking with Maria, a Spanish teacher in Ireland and an Embodied Spanish Coach. I really enjoyed connecting with Maria as we discussed methods for learning another language. As you will hear in this episode, she has been able to coach her students through the written word and helped them to ...
18: Speaking Brazilian Portuguese with Divergent English
August 03, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBHello Language Lovers! Today I’m bringing you the fifth episode in this summer’s “Summer School” series where all summer long we are having conversations with language teachers. In today’s episode I’m speaking with Duda, an english teacher in Brazil and the founder of Divergent English. I first met Duda months ago when she reached out to me on Instagram to tell me about her language classes. Since then, we’ve had a chance to work with one another on several workshops for her students and i...
17: Speaking Sicilian with Languages in Progress
July 27, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 61.8 MBToday I’m bringing you the fourth episode in this summer’s “Summer School” series where all summer long we are having conversations with language teachers. In this episode, I am speaking with Ilaria, a professional language teacher and instructor and the founder of Languages in Progress. Ilaria is originally from Sicily and today she’s telling me all about the Sicilian language, some bits about Sicilian culture and if you listen all the way through, you’ll get to hear us speak with one anoth...
16. Speaking Yoruba with Ase Ire
July 20, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 102 MBHello Language Lovers! Thank you for joining me for another episode of Speaking Tongues, the podcast in conversation with multi linguals! I’m your host, Elle Charisse. Today, I have the honor and privilege of introducing you to Dr. Funlayo E. Wood-Menzies. Dr. Wood-Menzies is a leader in her community, a scholar-priestess of Ifá-Òrìsà and a teacher of the Yoruba language and that is just a short list of her work! Iya Funlayo, as she is also known, earned her PhD in African and African Ame...
15: Speaking Hebrew with The Kefar
July 13, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 64.8 MBHello Language Lovers! Today I have the honor of bringing you the second installation in this summer’s “Summer School” series, where all summer long we’re having conversations with language teachers. In this episode I’m speaking with T’helah, a Hebrew teacher and the founder of The Kefar. The Kefar is an online Hebrew education platform that teaches the language in an accessible, engaging and culturally responsive way. In this episode, T’helah and I talk about growing up in NYC and the lan...
14. Speaking French with French Sunny Side
July 06, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 66.8 MBHello Language Lovers! Today I have the pleasure of bringing you the first episode of this summer’s “Summer School” series where for the next two months, each episode will be a conversation with a language teacher. In this first episode of the series, I’m talking with Jessica of French Sunny Side. Jessica is a french language teacher and mindfulness coach who helps her students to find their authentic voice in the French language. In this episode we discuss her early experiences with langu...
13. Speaking Japanese with the co-founder of Miso Studios!
June 29, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 65.3 MBHello Language Lovers, Today, I have the pleasure of talking with Melita Issa of Miso Studios, an NYC/ Tokyo design studio with a focus on hospitality. dining and multi-family design interiors. Melita is an interior designer who has lived and worked in Japan off and on throughout her career. In this episode, we talk about how she developed a love for Japanese language, Japanese culture, Japanese design and Japanese food. We talked about youth culture, work culture, design aesthetics and of ...
12. Part II - Speaking Hungarian, Spanish, Catalan, Basque, & Greek
June 22, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 63.2 MBThank you for joining me for Part II of my conversation with Kuba- an incredible language lover and polyglot who speaks Polish, Hungarian, Spanish, Catalan, English and is learning Basque and Greek. In Part I of this episode, we spoke about his native Polish and in this episode we're talking about how Kuba became fluent in Hungarian, living life in a bilingual society & we share some observations on Catalan identity. Kuba talks about his experience with actively and passively learning Basque...
12. Part I - Speaking Polish
June 15, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBHello Language Lovers, I'm excited to bring this episode to you today and guess what! It's another two part episode. Today my guest is Kuba, a true polyglot, originally from Poland who speaks not only his native Polish but has also learned English, Spanish, Hungarian, Catalan. He's learning Basque and he's starting to learn Greek and so we had a lot to discuss. In this first episode, we talk about his native Polish language and this conversation touches so many things from digraphs and case...
11. Speaking German, French & Spanish with the founder of Black Girls Learn Languages!
June 08, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 61.6 MBToday, I have the pleasure of speaking with someone who is not just a learner of language but also a leader in language. My guest today, Shahidah, aka Language Bae, is the founder of Black Girls Learn Language, a multi-platform digital community for black women who are passionate about languages. In this episode, Shahidah talks about her journey to fluency in German, her experience with French as a student and tells us about her true passion for the Spanish language. In February of 2020, B...
10. Speaking Lebanese Arabic
May 25, 2020 12:55 - 1 hour - 64.7 MBWell, here we are friends, we've reached Episode 10 of Speaking Tongues and I'm so happy to have made it this far. Sure, I know that 10 is not a large number but for a show that's had some hiccups getting started, I'm truly happy to be here at number 10 and I'm looking forward to the next 10 with all of you. My guest on today's episode is a truly, truly special person and a very good friend of mine. Rena is originally from Lebanon and currently lives and works in NYC as an interior designer...
09. Speaking Korean
May 11, 2020 11:00 - 47 minutes - 43.5 MBI'm so happy to bring you this 9th episode of the show and this time, we're talking about Korean with Hanna and guess what? It's another "live" episode since we recorded in a Le Pain Quotidien! Hanna is an interior designer originally from Seoul, Korea currently living and working in New York City. In this episode we talk about the Korean language and we also talk about her experience learning english since moving to NYC several years ago. In this conversation we talk about Korean accents a...
08. Speaking About Hebrew & Yiddish
April 27, 2020 15:21 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MBToday, I have the pleasure of speaking with Leor, talented designer, musician and a good friend. I wanted to speak with Leor about her relationship with Hebrew although she isn’t fluent in the language at all. You see, one of the goals of this podcast is to celebrate language at any stage we’re in as learners. Though Leor isn’t fluent in Hebrew, her relationship to the language tied into her heritage as a woman of Israeli descent is valuable. I think this conversation is important because whi...
07. Part II: Speaking Spanish & Brazilian Portuguese
April 20, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 61.3 MBHello Language Lovers, Today, as promised, I bring you the second half of my conversation with Amarens, a linguist and the creator of Untranslatable, a multi-lingual urban dictionary where people get to share local idioms, slang and expressions in any language. We last spoke about her native Dutch language and her connection to Frisian and today we're talking about her experience learning Spanish and Portuguese and a few new languages she's presently learning. She also takes the time to sha...
07. Part I: Speaking Dutch & Frisian
April 13, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 63.6 MBIn this episode, I'm speaking today with Amarens, who is a linguist & the creator of Untranslatable a multi-lingual urban dictionary where people get to share local idioms, slang and expressions in any language. In the first part of this conversation, we're discussing Amarens' native Dutch & her connection to Frisian and in the second part of the conversation which you'll hear in the next episode, We'll be talking about her journey to learning Spanish and Portuguese and she's even sharing som...
06. Speaking Spanish - Buenos Aires
March 30, 2020 11:00 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBHello Language Lovers, Today I have the honor of talking about Argentine Spanish with one of my long time very best friends. We often discuss the intricacies of Spanish and English with one another and she may not know this but she was one of the few people who inspired me to begin this podcast journey. Our casual conversations inspired me to want to have casual conversations with people from all linguistic backgrounds! I couldn't very well keep all of our thoughts and theories to myself! I...
Bonus Episode: Learning German
March 23, 2020 13:00 - 10 minutes - 9.88 MBAs I said last episode, I'm trying to learn a little bit of German. Now I just want to be clear. I'm not trying to become fluent in German! I went in with a very clear goal - even though I joked about being fluent by December- of just learning enough. Some basic grammar and vocabulary and maybe a handful of helpful phrases. I think this is the approach I'll probably take toward learning new languages going forward. I've put enough pressure on myself trying to learn French and Italian and I s...
05. Speaking German
March 16, 2020 11:00 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBI met my next guest as he was planning his upcoming trip to NYC. He's currently completing a screenplay about a frog who comes to visit New York City for the first time. In preparation for his trip, he reached out to me through the magic of the internet for some logistics planning and we connected! When he arrived in New York, I had a chance to show him around town for a few hours and that led to me asking "Hey, wanna be on my podcast?" (aside from asking him the German words for dozens of ra...