What foreign languages sound like

Ha! Trending on the internet right now is a video of a woman describing what foreign accents sound like to her. I'm always interested in to know how my students hear English and they are equally interested in how I perceive their language. Since the original video went viral she made a second one in an attempt to re-do some of them. However, it lacks the same humour as the first video. Oh well. :( Anyway, enjoy!

And the second one...

How to Stay Motivated

Learning another language can be a difficult process sometimes so it helps to have some methods to stay motivated. Below I discuss a few ways that you can keep yourself motivated while learning your target language.

1) Daily/Weekly/Monthly goals. Tracking your goals is best done by keeping some sort of journal, but even if you simply take a look back at your notes you'll be able to track your progress. How many words have you learned since you started your studies? How many words can you write in your target language?

2) Reward yourself. For every accomplishment, big or small, it helps to have some sort of way to reward yourself for your progress. Maybe it's chocolate, coffee, a night out or whatever, don't forget that you need to get away from your studies every now and then to give your brain a break. That's what rewards are for!

3) Simply start and start simply. Sometimes the simple thought of studying can be a burden but by simply starting and keeping it simple you'll be able to inch closer to your goals.

4) Think of how you'll feel if you don't do it. It's when you really don't want to do anything that you have to remind yourself of your goals, and that goes together with how you'll feel if you don't work towards them. Even if you do just a bit at a time, you'll feel much better if you at least do something rather than nothing. Doing nothing doesn't move you any closer to your language goals but by simply doing one little thing you'll be further ahead already.

5) Discuss what you've learned. Talk about what you've learned with a friend or classmate. Doing so not only reminds you of what you've learned, but may help uncover some trouble spots, either for you or your friend.

6) Stay off of social media. There's no bigger power drain than jumping on social media sites "just to check in." If you don't have to (and you rarely have to) then don't. Not only will you free your mind from all of the "noise", you'll give your eyes and brain an opportunity to look away from the computer screen.

7) Take a walk and do a review. If you're tempted to check your email one last time, go for a walk instead. While walking, take a look around you and see how much you can identify in your target language. Can you name all the colours? Animals? People? Can you ask for directions? By getting some exercise you'll get the blood flowing again and energize you for the next study session.

A Brief Guide to Teaching English Overseas

I often get asked about what it's like to teach English overseas. Below I've given a brief description of the different regions where you can teach English.

Middle East
-Well paid, longer-term contracts (think 2-3 years)
-excellent salaries, accommodation and flights are often included
-travel restrictions in some areas, turbulence in others
-university degree and ESL certification are often required

Asia
-HUGE demand for teachers, priority given to native English speakers from Canada, USA, Britain, South Africa, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand.
-flights are often paid for, same with accommodation
-cheap cost of living
-easy to get around to different parts
-salaries begin at $1000/month and go up from there

Eastern Europe
-close to Western European amenities
-salaries hover around the $1000/month level, no flights or accommodation provided
-cheap cost of living
-few qualifications necessary, but a desire to go is best

South America
-salaries hover around the $1000/month level
-cheap cost of living
-Ecuador, Argentina and Brazil are popular destinations

Western Europe
-decent salaries
-university degree and ESL certification often required
-easy to get around to neighbouring countries

North America
-university degree and teaching certificate are required
-good salaries
-demand isn't as strong for English teachers, but North America is a popular destination for international students

Online
-Don't forget that you don't need to travel overseas, you can always teach English online
-not many online English schools which means you're mostly a freelancer
-internet lag-time can be annoying during class

I hope that helps a little bit in determining where you want to go.

10 Conversation Tips

Whether it's at the beginning of class, spur of the moment, or simply to kill some time at the end of class, these conversation tips will help you (teacher or student) carry on the conversation.

1) Be interested. This should go without saying and sometimes it's difficult to remain interested, especially at the end of class. Asking questions simply for the sake of asking or, worse yet, waiting until it's your turn to speak. Be sure to make eye contact but don't stare.

2) Find common ground. One of the benefits of being a foreign English teacher is that your host country becomes a place to explore. Not only does living there begin to challenge what you read and understood before you got there, but it becomes a constant learning process. Food, music, culture, religion, people, language, it's all up for debate and discussion as you settle in. Your students will love the fact that you're taking the time to learn about their home and country and, in exchange, you'll love learning about it from their perspective.

3) Don't be afraid to challenge what's been said. It's okay not to agree with everything that is said. As a matter of fact, discrepancies can often lead to some of the most interesting conversation topics.

4) Don't tease... much. Know and understand the difference between playful and offensive teasing. In general, politics, sex and religion are sensitive subjects, but so are looks, manner of speech, dress and personal preferences or, even more important, mistakes or previous errors. As a teacher, it's your job to ensure a safe environment in which students can practice their English without fear of ridicule or censure. What goes on outside of the classroom isn't much of your business, but inside, it's your job to facilitate conversation and discussion. Let different views be heard and moderate the discussion so everyone has a chance to speak.

5) Smile. There's nothing that helps a conversation along better than a pleasant smile or an appropriate laugh.

6) It's okay to use hand gestures. Some people are more animated than others, but it's okay to use your hands to emphasize a point or draw a diagram in the air, etc. That doesn't mean you have to wave your hands frantically in the air

7) Learn how to read people's body language. This is especially important if you're talking about sensitive subjects. If people aren't interested in talking it's going to be a long day for both you and them to try to keep the conversation going. You can minimize this by finding common topics or getting them to talk about them.

8) Find a common topic or theme. Make a note of any topics or themes that keep popping up in discussion or in the textbook. If it keeps coming up, talk about it.

9) Talk about them, not you. People love talking about themselves. Master this and people will love you.

10) Know when to move on to the next subject. Sometimes a subject just dries up or no one wants to talk about it. If you can't encourage your students to talk any more, try an anecdote or a short story. If that fails, move on. There's no point wasting time on something that isn't going to happen.

I hope that helps!

How to Learn A Language

I get asked this question a lot: how do you learn a language? There's no real complicated secret to learning another language, but it does take some time and dedication. I know, sucks doesn't it? Below I list a few things to keep in mind as you begin your language studies:

1) Make it relevant. I firmly believe that you will learn a language better and faster if it's relevant to your life. Why do you want to learn a language in the first place? To meet new people? For work? For fun? Identifying your reasons for learning a language will help a lot in making your language learning relevant.

2) Make time everyday to study your language. Even if it's only 15 minutes a day, spend some time each day learning your target language. It's even better if you're able to work it into your daily routine. Write a movie or CD review, join a chat group or forum, read a newspaper in your target language. Whatever it is, spend some time each day practicing your target language.

3) Keep a journal. Track your progress by keeping a journal of your language learning. How many words are you able to type on the keyboard? Are you able to name all the days of the week, numbers, colours, etc.? How well can you understand a news clip? The list goes on.

4) Celebrate your successes. Don't be too hard on yourself if it feels like it's taking forever to learn your target language. It takes time so remember to celebrate your successes and achievements. If you've been keeping a journal, can you see how often you've been writing? How long are your paragraphs? Is your vocabulary expanding? If it is, give yourself a pat on the back and maybe a night out in celebration of your achievements.

Those are just some of the things it takes to learn a language. I hope it helps!

10 English Idioms

Below you'll find some common English idioms or sayings that you can use in everyday speech.

"A Piece of Cake"
Meaning: Something that can be done very easily.
The idea is that cake is sweet and easy to swallow, that is, enjoyable, as opposed to medicine or something similar. If you enjoy something it tends to pass by faster.
Example: That assignment was a piece of cake.

"To Make A Long Story Short"
Meaning: People say this when they want to shorten their story so they don't bore you. If you like, you can always ask for details. Something someone would say during a long and boring story in order to keep his/her audience from losing attention. Usually the story isn't shortened.
Example: “I ordered that computer I wanted. To make a long story short, I never got it. It got lost in Russia.”

"Pull the plug"
Meaning: To stop doing something. To finish whatever it is right away.
Example: “This project isn't working. I'm pulling the plug.”

"Hit The Books"
Meaning: To study something, usually by reading a lot of books.
Example: “My exam is coming up! I'd better hit the books!”

"A Dime A Dozen"
Meaning: Anything that is easily acquired, that is, anything where supply exceeds demand.  Example: Guitarists are a dime a dozen.

"Raining Cats and Dogs"
Meaning: It's a very loud and noisy rain storm.
This is a common question from my students. They often ask where the idea came from. The best answer I can give is that it sometimes rained so hard in that the small cats and dogs that on rooftops would slide off and fall to the street below. Another idea is that the saying finds it's roots in northern mythology where cats were said to have great influence over the weather. Witches often took the form of cats. Moreover, the dog is a signal of the wind, like the wold, both of whom were attendants of Odin, the storm god. Thus, "cats" may mean heavy rain and "dogs" may mean strong gusts of wind.
Example: During the monsoon season, it's like it's raining cats and dogs.

"Saved By The Bell"
Meaning: Saved at the last possible moment.
A life-saving sound to students all around the world. The teacher asks you that question you were hoping he would never ask. Luckily, the bell rings and you and your friends are off to your next class (and trying to finish the homework for that one, too!)
Example: I was saved by the bell 'cause I didn't have anything prepared!

"Third time's a charm"
Meaning: You've failed twice but try again and the third attempt might be better, especially lucky.
The idea here is to keep trying despite failure. Learn from your mistakes and apply what you learned. The “time's” is an elision of “time” and “is”.
Example: Try again. Third time's a charm.

"Three strikes and you're out!"
Meaning: You've messed up three times and you won't be given another chance. This saying comes from the sport of baseball where a batter has three attempts to swing and hit the ball. Each miss is recorded as a strike and he is allowed three strikes in total.
Example: I'll let you get away with it this time but, remember, three strikes and you're out!

"You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover"
Meaning: You can make a decision based on the outward appearance alone.
Imagine you're walking through a bookstore. How many books do you see? How many are you tempted to pick up? How many are you tempted to buy? What kind of book are you looking for? What book do you buy because it had a nice cover only to find out it was a terrible book?
Example: You should go out with him because you can't judge a book by its cover.

"Hit the road"
Meaning: Get on your way. Get a move on. Leave.
Example: “Thanks for dinner but it's time for me to hit the road.”

"Barking up the wrong tree"
Meaning: You've got the wrong person, idea or impression.
Example: I don't know what you mean. You're barking up the wrong tree.