147: Mastering a Language Through Full Immersion Before You Travel – John Fotheringham

Today’s guest on the Expat Money Show is John Fotheringham. He is a linguist, teacher, and author, and has spent 20 years developing a guaranteed method to help you master a foreign language―anywhere. He is the host of the Language Mastery podcast on all popular podcasting platforms.  In his program, The 7-Step Roadmap to Japanese Fluency, he says you’ll learn how to create a highly effective immersion environment anywhere in the world.   

WHAT WE DISCUSSED IN THIS INTERVIEW:

• The single best technique and one of the most powerful tools in learning a foreign language.
• The top tricks to master before you move to a foreign country will make learning your target language so much easier.
• When you finally do move to a foreign country, how to avoid the expat bubble that so many people fall into and how dangerous it can be for your language learning.
• Ultimately, the time required to see results in your target language and not get discouraged if you don’t reach it when you think you should.
• How real reverse culture shock is, you just won’t believe it. To feel strange in your own country and how that feeling is so normal for everyone.
• The trap people fall into when they visit other countries and look at what we do better, and what they don’t do as well, don’t get caught up in this!
• John shares his stories of moving across the world to a country that was so different from what he was accustomed to and his feelings of missing home. What did he do? And how did he accomplish his goals?
• Exactly how to maximize your time and have the greatest results learning a new language.
• The absolute worst method and most painful way to learn a language that most schools still teach today. (I can guarantee your school teaches this way!)

• How your brain decides what’s important, not you! 
• If you haven’t listened to my episode with Anthony Metivier and his use of the Memory Palace for learning a new language, don’t wait, listen to it now!
• Why put things in context is so powerful.
• How powerful methods like Remembering the Kanji by James W. Heisig can catapult your learning ability.
• Tips and Tricks that allow you to remember more, and why using these early on can help you have fun learning and not feel like such a chore.
• Mikkel and John talk about different apps and systems that have worked for both of them as they master languages. Go Here to learn more!
• For those who are not linguists or language nerds, people tend to think that language is just one thing: listening/learning/speaking/writing, when it is not just 1 thing. John explains in detail how our brains are hardwired to learn, it will all make sense!

 

RELATED PODCAST EPISODES

• 144: How To Raise Your Children To Be Multilingual - Sarah Tarvin
• 115: The Solution To Educating Your Children Abroad - Michael Strong
• 114: How To Memorize A Foreign Language - Dr. Anthony Metivier

 

HOW TO FIND JOHN FOTHERINGHAM'S WORK

• Language Mastery
• The 7-Step Roadmap to Japanese Fluency

 

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CONCLUSION

I am a huge fan of John’s work and I was absolutely thrilled to have him on our podcast. He did not disappoint. John unpacks so many amazing tips and techniques on how he mastered Japanese and what he has learned along the way. John shares new skills he has acquired over the years that will work for you in your language journey.  

Mentioned in this episode:

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