Language skills – The Prepared Expat

Phonetic Finesse: The Art of Being Understood

An abstract close-up of a human mouth pronouncing different phonemes, with colorful sound waves or light trails emanating from it. Highlight tongue placement subtly with a translucent overlay. Minimalistic background with a focus on clarity, using colors like blue, green, or orange to symbolize precision in language.

Close enough is often not good enough. Learn why phoneme differences and hearing challenges produce obstacles in communication and, more importantly, how you can overcome those challenges so that you are understandable and comprehensible to locals.

Learn Smart, not Hard: A ZPD Reality Check

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Unlock the secrets of effective learning with the ZPD. Discover how to harness this powerful psychological framework to accelerate your skills, improve performance, and maximize your learning. Learn smart, not hard!

Play to Learn: Language Is Like a Sport, Not a Science

An abstract image of two people playing football while also talking, symbolizing the similarities of football and language.

Learning a language is more like playing football than studying math, but a lot of learning methods don’t take this into account. Learn how to grow faster by shifting your perspective in this latest article.

Sound Advice: Learning to Hear Again

When learning a language, you probably are hearing it wrong. Learn how you can learn to hear anew with practical language learning tips.

Cows, Curry, and Contrasts: Learning Language and Culture Through Comparisons

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Unlock the meaning of words and cultural symbols! Discover how comparing and contrasting symbols can deepen your understanding of both language and culture.

The Why Factor: How Motivation Powers Your Language Journey

Discover how a strong “why” can overcome your biggest challenges and fuel your journey to language fluency. Follow this 6-step plan so the Why Factor can work for you!

Context is King: Discovering Language Through Life

A cartoon-style image of of a man talking to locals in a market

To gain fluency and communicate across cultures, it’s more important to know how to use a word than to know its meaning. Read why this is and how you can adjust your study for maximum benefit in this latest post from The Prepared Expat.

Shake Off the Foreigner Label with Actionable Language Learning Tips

Best-selling author Lawrence Feldman shares anecdotes and advice on the importance of learning the local language when living abroad. He suggests the key to embracing another culture lies in communication and understanding of its language, and offers practical tips on how to make learning a language a habit.

ChatGPT: A Game-Changer for Language Learners

Learn 5 powerful ways you can use ChatGPT to supercharge your language studies in this latest tip from The Prepared Expat.