Archive by Author
“Hey Kids!”: Learning a Language with Your Children Posted by mtaulier on Nov 24, 2014 in Archived Posts
From carting them around to school, practice, recitals and beyond, to feeding them three square meals each day, making sure they’re doing their homework, and trying to fit our own personal needs in there somewhere, our children often become our excuse not to take on new hobbies or projects, like learning a foreign language. For…
6 Ways a Foreign Language Can Further Your Career Posted by mtaulier on Oct 27, 2014 in Archived Posts
What can you do to increase your chances of landing a job in the new, globalized economy? Motivation and experience certainly help, but being bilingual can give you a clear advantage over other candidates. The ability to speak a second language has become a valuable asset as our society becomes increasingly diverse in the 21st…
Confessions of a Native English Speaker Posted by mtaulier on Aug 25, 2014 in Archived Posts
In my last post, I interviewed my wife Natalya. Natalya shared her language learning experiences as a Ukrainian native who left her country to settle in the United States. Today, I’d like to share with you the same kind of interview I conducted with my mother. My mom, born and raised in California, moved to…
Confessions of a Native Russian Speaker Posted by mtaulier on Jul 28, 2014 in Archived Posts
Any adult who makes a decision to learn a foreign language knows the road will be perilous, long and often frustrating. We pore over books, listen to audio CDs, take classes and commit to memory dozens, if not hundreds, of vocabulary words to make the process quicker and easier. But we all known it isn’t…
Bilingualism: Laying the Groundwork for Future Language Learning Posted by mtaulier on Jun 25, 2014 in Archived Posts
The title of this post may confuse you. How can being bilingual help you learn a foreign language? You’re probably thinking, “I’m still struggling to learn my first foreign language!” Let me relate a personal anecdote you might find helpful. Many years ago, I moved to France with my parents. We did not live in…
5 Things for Adults to Keep in Mind when Learning a Foreign Language Posted by mtaulier on May 28, 2014 in Archived Posts
We’re all familiar with the famous adage “Children’s brains are like sponges.” People often make this reference to children in the developmental stages who are learning a language for the first time. It’s always amazing to see a child pick up a language just by listening. It’s even more amazing to witness children who live…
Let’s Get Physical! Using Gestures to Learn a Foreign Language Posted by mtaulier on Apr 28, 2014 in Archived Posts
According to experts, human communication is divided into three distinct parts: 55% is attributed to body language, 38% comes from the tone of your voice, and only 7% is based on the words you speak. What this means is that over half of what we say is determined by our body language, not by our…