Lindie Botes is a polyglot, YouTuber, blogger, and UI/UX designer on a mission to master 12+ languages, including Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and more. She is originally from South Africa, but has lived all over the world and now calls Singapore home. Though she loves foreign languages, she sees them not as an end but as a means to break down the barriers that otherwise divide us.
Topics Discussed
- Lindie’s polyglot origin story.
- The crossovers between Korean and Japanese and the power of “language stacking.”
- Lindie’s Japanese learning habits, routines, methods, and materials.
- The importance of following your personal interests.
- How Lindie learns kanji in context.
- How to immerse yourself in Japanese right at home.
- How Lindie integrates Japanese learning into her day.
- How to build (and stick to!) effective learning habits.
- Lindie’s tips for getting the most out of online language tutoring.
- The advantages of personalized immersion learning over classroom learning.
- What Lindie does differently now when learning new languages.
- Funny language mistakes Lindie has made or witnessed.
- Lindie’s tips for beginning language learners.
Concepts, People, Resources & Terms Mentioned
- Afrikaans language
- Language “stacking” or “laddering”
- “Library” in Chinese (túshūguǎn, 圖書館, 图书馆), Korean (doseogwan, 도서관) & Japanese (Toshokan (としょかん, 図書館)
- Hiragana (ひらがな, 平仮名)
- Katakana (カタカナ, 片仮名)
- Japanese for Busy People
- Moshi moshi. (もしもし, “standard phone greeting”)
- Kikoemas ka? (聞こえますか？”Can you hear me?”)
- Nan sai des ka? (何歳ですか？”How old are you?”)
- Japan Times
- JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test)
- Remembering the Kanji 1: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters
- Jisho.org
- Just in time learning
- iTalki: Buy one language lesson and get one free
- ひいきびいき Podcast
- FAQ: How Can I Change the Display Language on iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, Kindle, Facebook, Instagram, etc.?
- Anki SRS
- Chunking
- Satori Reader
- Habit stacking
- Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits―to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life
- The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better (and Other People’s Lives Better, Too)
- All-or-Nothing Thinking (and other “cognitive distortions” that negatively affect language learning)
- Means goals vs. end goals
- Why Duolingo Won’t Get You Fluent (But Why You Should Use it Anyway)
- Lindie’s favorite resources
- HiNative
- Quora
- Bluebird Languages
- Jonathan from Seabolt Speaks (YouTube)
- Bunpo Japanese grammar app
- Greenlandic language
- Inuktitut language
- Nihongo ga ojouzu des ne (日本語がお上手ですね。”Your Japanese is good.”)
- Otsukarasama deshita (お疲れ様でした。 “Thank you for your hard work.”)
- Gochisōsama deshita (ご馳走様でした。”Thank you for the meal.”)
- Doraemon (ドラえもん)
- Tsugi no eki wa.. (“The next station is…”)
- Filler words
- Nan ka (なんか, “something like”)
Connect with Lindie
- Website: LindieBotes.com
- YouTube: Lindie Botes
- Facebook: @lindiebotesvideos
- Instagram: @lindiebotes
- Twitter: @lindiebee
