Author, polyglot, and “langpreneur” Olly Richards from I Will Teach You a Language (now called StoryLearning®) returns to the podcast six years after our first chat to share what new lessons he’s learned and how a high-altitude near death experience led him to the power of stories in language learning. Olly has been quite the busy bee since we last spoke, going on to build one of the most popular language blogs on the planet, launching a series of in-depth language courses, and publishing 16 short story books with Teach Yourself (with more coming soon, including a Japanese edition)!
Note: This interview contains some adult language.
Listen to part 2 of the interview here.
Topics Discussed
In part one of our wide-ranging, in-depth conversation, we get into:
- How Olly went on to learn 10 languages despite being a “late bloomer.”
- How and why he built I Will Teach You a Language.
- Why Olly finds story-based language learning so effective.
- The importance of doing what you like and why enjoyment leads to more time on task.
- The difficulty of finding stories and readers ideal for beginning to intermediate learners.
- The challenge of proving whether a particular language learning method works or not, especially when studied in less-than-ideal classroom environments.
- The few essential ingredients necessary for effective language learning.
- The primary struggles faced by independent language learners and how best to overcome them.
- How Olly’s approach to―and attitudes about―language learning have shifted in the past few decades.
- The tyranny of perfectionism and the beauty of becoming a “disciplined half-ass.”
- “Rigging the game to win” vs. “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”
- Why the imperfect method you stick to is better than the perfect method you quit.
- The tension between setting realistic expectations about how much time and effort it takes to learn a language, and encouraging new learners to get started and build momentum.
- How I learned kanji in college and whether I would use the same method if starting from scratch today.
- Why mnemonics are so much more effective than rote memorization and muscle memory.
- The law of diminishing returns for the last five perfect of approaching native-like fluency and the euphoria of starting a new language.
- Which languages we are learning now and hope to learn next.
- The critical importance of having a strong, meaty WHY when learning a language.
- The role of identity in language learning and the challenge of feeling like “a stupid kid” again.
- Why I argue that languages like Japanese are “different,” not necessarily “difficult,” and why the language itself is not what’s difficult, but rather the need to endure uncertainty and ambiguity.
- How cognitive distortions (e.g. “all-or-nothing” thinking) sabotage our efforts to learn a language, build a business, or anything in between.
- Why enthusiasm, confidence, and the eagerness to communicate matter so much more than language ability or linguistic accuracy.
Concepts, Events, People & Resources Mentioned
- Olly’s courses (see list below)
- Olly’s short story books from Teach Yourself (see list below)
- Langpreneur Business Breakthrough (Berlin, March 28-29, 2020)
- Crónica de una muerte anunciada (“Chronicle of a Death Foretold”) by Gabriel García Márquez
- Narrative (Wikipedia)
- Language acquisition (Wikipedia)
- Psychological nativism (Wikipedia)
- Confounding (Wikipedia)
- Richard Simcott (hyperpolyglot)
- Matt vs. Japan (YouTuber)
- Openness to Experience (Wikipedia)
- Remembering the Kanji 1: A Complete Course on How Not to Forget the Meaning and Writing of Japanese Characters by James Heisig
- Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Asahi Shimbun (朝日新聞, a major national Japanese newspaper)
- Commit to Tiny Daily Language Habits So Easy You’ll Do Them Even When You’re Unmotivated (Blog Post)
- The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting by Dr. Jason Fung
- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
- JET Program
- Jōyō Kanji (常用漢字, the Japanese Ministry of Education’s official list of 2,136 “regular-use” Chinese characters)
- The 80/20 Rule or Pareto Principle (Wikipedia)
- Total physical response (Wikipedia)
- Mnemonics (Wikipedia)
- Chinese character radicals (Wikipedia)
- Law of diminishing returns (Wikipedia)
- The Polyglot Conference (October 16-18 2020; Cholula, Mexico)
- Intro to Olly’s Italian Mission (YouTube)
- Why Learning to Speak a Foreign Language is Like Riding a Bike (Blog Post)
- 3 Reasons to Learn Japanese Through Martial Arts (Blog Post)
- Define Your “Why” for Learning a Language (Blog Post)
- Is Japanese Difficult? Do You Have to Be Really Smart to Learn It? (Blog Post)
- The “Trough of Sorrow” (Medium)
- Tim Ferriss (author)
- John Waitzkin (learning expert)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Wikipedia)
- Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by Dr. David Burns, M.D.
- 10 Common Thinking Errors That Cause Depression & Anxiety and Block Your Path to Fluency in a Foreign Language (Blog Post)
- Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz, M.D.
Olly’s Short Story Books from Teach Yourself
- Short Stories in Arabic for Intermediate Learners
- Short Stories in Brazilian Portuguese for Beginners
- Short Stories in Dutch for Beginners
- Short Stories in English for Beginners
- Short Stories in English for Intermediate Learners
- Short Stories in French for Beginners
- Short Stories in German for Beginners
- Short Stories in Icelandic for Beginners
- Short Stories in Italian for Beginners
- Short Stories in Italian for Intermediate Learners
- Short Stories in Norwegian for Beginners
- Short Stories in Russian for Beginners
- Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners
- Short Stories in Spanish for Intermediate Learners
- Short Stories in Swedish for Beginners
- Short Stories in Turkish for Beginners
Olly’s Courses
- Uncovered Courses: Beginner story-based courses for French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish that allow learners to naturally learn and uncover vocabulary and grammar in a fun, contextual way.
- Language Learning Foundations: This step-by-step video course shows you the exact techniques and routines Olly used to learn 10 languages. You’ll learn how to start speaking with confidence in months instead of years.
- Grammar Hero: Ditch boring textbooks and learn how to internalize Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Russian, or Spanish grammar the natural, effective way.
- Spanish Experience Summit: This epic online masterclass with the world’s top experts in language acquisition, travel hacking, and expat living is perfect for anyone wanting to live or retire in Spain or Latin America.
Connect with Olly
- Site: IWillTeachYouaLanguage.com
- Podcast: I Will Teach You A Language Podcast
- Facebook: @iwillteachyoualanguage
- Instagram: @iwillteachyoualanguage
- Twitter: @Olly_IWTYAL