If you have been browsing our Spanish catalog lately, you may have seen a brand new category on the “Coming Soon” bar: podcasts!
Podcasts are the latest addition to Lingopie’s language-learning menu. From now on, we will start releasing new podcast episodes every day to help you geek out on your favorite topics while still practicing a foreign language.
Now, your language learning sessions will be a bit more intellectual, but just as fun.
Wait, Podcasts – am I ready for that?
Maybe, but how would you know without checking?
Lingopie’s mission revolves around using plots, characters and video to help your brain assimilate a new language. When you watch any of our TV series or movies, your brain will combine the context from the words, the images, and the subtitles at the same time. When you’re listening to a podcast, you may be missing one or two of these elements.
This can be frustrating at the starts. However, we won’t be simply throwing you to the wolves without any aid. Many of the features you have come to love from us will still be there:
- Transcripts
- Tap and get an instant translation
- Add new words to custom flashcards sets
- The chance to replay and slow down difficult parts
Lingopie’s Foreign Language Podcasts: 3 Reasons to Try them Out
So let’s say you are an intermediate-into-advanced student. What can podcasts bring into the table for you?
"To have another language is to possess another soul" – Charlemagne
#1 – They’re (more) portable
The thing with watching TV and movies is that, well, you need to be watching. This means that the ideal set-up will require you to be at home and in front of a screen.
Podcasts, on the other hand, lend themselves better to long commutes, runs, and while you go around taking care of your errands. Granted, if you don’t pay attention to the podcast, you will miss most of what’s being said – but even just having it on the background will help you stay immersed for longer.
#2 – They Help you Exercise those Listening Muscles
All language acquisition skills work like muscles: in order to exercise them, you need to train them. A common weakness of traditional language learning programs is that, thanks to their strong emphasis on grammar rules and structures, make for great writers and readers – but often create mediocre speakers.
The “oral” half of learning a language usually takes longer: after all, you can’t usually pause the people you are speaking to, and freeze them mid-sentence while you reach for your dictionary app.
Oh, but with a podcast you can! You can also use a quick gesture to get the day’s teacher to repeat their last phrase. No embarrassment needed.
#3 – Need more vocabulary about your favorite hobby?
They’re the right way to go!
One big thing to know about Lingopie’s podcasts. They are not language-learning podcasts. You won’t find much there on how to use your flashcards or any in-depth explanations on grammar.
(While we do have a members-only webinar, it won’t be as dense either)
Instead, our podcasts are all real deep dives into other topics. It all depends on where your side interests are. Do you want to research early-20th century history? Wellness and nutrition? Yoga? Philosophy? Then learn a bit about them AND about Spanish.
This can be particularly helpful if you want to be able to discuss your favorite topics in a different language. Following a podcast will send a lot of specialized vocabulary your way, in a natural manner and in the right context.
In order to learn these useful new words, you may need to sacrifice a bit of mobility. So go back to your desktop, use the transcripts, and write down the terms that feel useful. It will be extra work at first – but you will no longer have to deal with that horrible tongue-tied feeling that comes with having all the ideas, but being unable to express them.
So What Do We Have For You?
Our podcasts list won’t stop growing. We will be adding new creators regularly, and many of them will pull out new episodes weekly or daily.
Some of the topics we will cover from the start will be:
- Yoga
- Mysteries and creepy stories
- Wellness and health
- Humor
- Science journalism
- Education
- Books and literature
- Testimonials from folk with odd professions or strange lives
- Crime
Lingopie is an on-demand service offering thousands of hours of foreign language TV series and movies. Our goal is to help you master a second language and a second culture. Sign up for a free trial.
