We need labels for academic measurement, but do they really motivate us and are they always correct?

Teacher Joseph's Podcast

Are labels like A1, B2 and C1 Motivating or Debilitating?

In this episode, I will share my stories about being a fully funded exchange student to the US during covid. It has all the story from the beginning with all the hardship and bitter-sweet until I found the right path that leads me to my dream and career in iTalki. Selamat mendengarkan!

I AM DENA MANDALA

Petualangan ke Negeri Paman Sam

La plus grande tour Eiffel en allumettes du monde

Le Français en deux minutes

Episode2: Une tour Eiffel en allumette

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bwqubu_-RZC2CoYQnpFy-j0AkVr-76I6/view?usp=sharing

Teacher Robert's Podcast

Tirana - Albania - Skandenberg Square (with transcript)

a moral from Shahname, written by the famous Persian poet and philosopher Ferdowsi. 

سپهری بر این‌سان که بینی روان
the flowing universe you see
  توانا و دانا جز او را مخوان
call only that almighty and all wise 
    تو رازِ جَهان تا توانی مجوی
don't search for the secret of the world
      که او زود پیچد ز جوینده روی
that it will quickly turn its back to the seeker
        به داد و دِهِش دلْ توان‌گر کنید
empower yourselves with justice and generosity 
          بر آزادگی بر سرْ افسر کنید
and make it your crown as a liberal 
             که فرجام هم روزمان بگذرد
that eventually our days will be over
              زمانه پی ما همی‌بشمرد
the universe is counting (the days) for us

Persian Poetry

حکمت شاهنامه (1)

As a pessimist, you might view language learning as hard work—and you’re not wrong.
Language acquisition requires effort, repetition, and managing confusion.

Here’s the beautiful part: Pessimists tend to manage disappointment better than idealists.
When you anticipate difficulty, you're less likely to be devastated by it.

In psychological terms, this creates cognitive resilience—the ability to stay in the game even when things go wrong. You expect challenges. You face them head-on. You recover faster because you weren’t expecting ease.

You might never say, “I’m going to be fluent in a year.” That’s okay.
But you might say, “I’m going to keep learning, even if progress is slow.”
And that is the spirit of persistence.
Don’t try to change who you are. Just learn to steer with it.
Pessimism doesn’t mean you’re giving up—it means you’re prepared to endure.
And that, my dear listener, is what long-term success looks like.


💃🏻111 Tips for Learning a Language 

Tip 65 - How Pessimism Builds Resilience in Language Learning

Um breve episódio falando sobre a importância da cultura para a língua.

Tudo é cultura

TUDO É CULTURA EP. 7 - A LÍNGUA É CULTURA

Emma: So, Mark, I detect an American accent. Are you from the States?

Mark: Yes, that's right. Have you ever been there?

Emma: No, but I've always wanted to go. Whereabouts do you come from in the States?

Mark: Well, I was born and brought up in San Diego. How about you? Did you grow up in London?

Emma: No, actually, I come from Brighton originally.

Mark: What exactly are you doing in London?

Emma: Iwork as an assistant for a television studio. It's pretty cool because I get to meet a lot of interesting people. I also get on really well with my colleagues, and I've made a lot of friends.

Mark: Sounds interesting. How long are you here for?

Emma: I'm here until the summer. Then I intend to go backpacking around Europe.

Mark: Great.

Emma: How about you? What line of work are you in?

Mark: Actually, I'm a student. I'm doing a Master's degree in architecture. I hope to work for an architectural firm in London when I graduate.

Emma: Oh, that's interesting. I imagine you must be a very creative person.
Mark: Well, I try to be.

Emma: How long have you been studying in London?
Mark: About a year, though it seems much longer.

Emma: How do you like the city?

Mark: I love it. There's such a variety of things to see and do. I'm not too keen on the weather, though.

Emma: Yes, it's been a pretty wet summer this year. Even by London standards. What's the weather like in San Diego at this time of year?

Mark: Oh, it's pretty sunny right now. So, what do you like doing in your spare time?

Emma: Well, recently, I've taken up yoga, so I've been spending quite a bit of time practicing it. Apart from that, I enjoy reading, going out and visiting museums and occasionally going to concerts.

Mark: Oh, really? What kind of music are you into?

Emma: Mainly rock. Though I listen to jazz and classical sometimes.

English Conversation/Dialogue

Making Friends

In this episode we are going to learn a Real Chinese Conversation【Weekend Plan】. 
--------------------------------------------------
A: 这（个）周末你有什么打算吗？
zhè （ gè ） zhōu mò nǐ yǒu shén me dǎ suàn ma ？
Do you have any plans for (this) weekend?
B: 还不知道呢。你呢？
hái bù zhī dào ne 。 nǐ ne ？
Don't know yet. What about you?
A: 最近天气很好，我打算去爬山。
zuì jìn tiān qì hěn hǎo ， wǒ dǎ suàn qù pá shān 。
The weather has been nice lately, I'm planning to go hiking.
B: 我很久没有爬山了，感觉很累。
wǒ hěn jiǔ méi yǒu pá shān le ， gǎn jué hěn lèi 。
I haven't climbed a mountain for a long time,(it) feels tiring.
A: 我要去的这个山很好爬，一点也不累。
wǒ yào qù de zhè ge shān hěn hǎo pá ， yì diǎn yě bú lèi 。
This mountain I'm going to climb is very easy to climb,not tiring at all.
B: 是吗？要爬多久？
shì ma ？ yào pá duō jiǔ ？
Is it so? How long does it take to climb?
A: 慢慢爬，两三个小时就爬完了。
màn màn pá ， liǎng sān gè xiǎo shí jiù pá wán le 。
Climb slowly, you'll finish in two or three hours.
B: 真的吗？听起来还挺轻松。
zhēn de ma ？ tīng qǐ lái hái tǐng qīng sōng 。
Really? Sounds easy.
A: 对啊。你要不要一起去？
duì a 。 nǐ yào bu yào yì qǐ qù ？
Yeah. Do you want to come along?
B: 可以啊，但是我没有登山鞋。
kě yǐ a ， dàn shì wǒ méi yǒu dēng shān xié 。
Sure, but I don't have any climbing shoes.
A: 我可以陪你去买。
wǒ kě yǐ péi nǐ qù mǎi 。
I can go with you to buy them.
B: 好啊，那我们下班后一起吃饭，吃完饭去逛街买鞋，怎么样？
hǎo a ， nà wǒ men xià bān hòu yì qǐ chī fàn ， chī wán fàn qù guàng jiē mǎi xié ， zěn me yàng ？
Well, how about we have dinner together after work and go shopping for shoes afterward?
A: 没问题。你想吃什么？
méi wèn tí 。 nǐ xiǎng chī shén me ？
No problem. What do you want to eat?
B: 好久没吃火锅了，你想吃吗？
hǎo jiǔ méi chī huǒ guō le ， nǐ xiǎng chī ma ？
It's been a long time since I had hot pot. Do you want some?
A: 火锅我也很喜欢吃，那就吃火锅吧。
huǒ guō wǒ yě hěn xǐ huan chī ， nà jiù chī huǒ guō ba 。
I like hot pot too. Let's have hot pot.
B: 行，晚点儿见。
xíng ， wǎn diǎn er jiàn 。
Okay, see you later.