Shows
Radio St. Pete Podcast ArchiveAMERICA, the BILINGUAL Author/Podcaster Steve Leveen - A New Virtual Language Learning ConceptAuthor, publisher journalist, podcaster and founder of Levenger.com (Tools for Readers), curated episodes of Steve Leveen's AMERICA the BILINGUAL will now be streamed on RadioStPete.com monthly.
8/25/2025: E76 - Season 6 - Meet the maestro behind the new language gym America the Bilingual The conventional description of someone who speaks as many languages as Akshay Swaminathan does is “polyglot.” But as you’ll quickly hear when you listen to this episode, there’s nothing conventional about how this Knight-Hennessy scholarship recipient and PD Soros fellow approaches languages.
There is, however, a solid commitment to use what he’s learned abo...
2025-08-2528 min
Radio St. Pete Podcast ArchiveSTEVE LEVEEN - Author, Publisher, LEVENGER Founder's "America The Bilingual" Book & PodcastHost Nanette Wiser always knew that her fellow grad student Steve Leveen would go on to make magic out of his ideas and visions. Originally from San Diego, Leveen traded sunshine and sailing for snow and during his PhD achieved wrote eloquently and researched tirelessly under the guidance of Professors Rose K. Goldsen Robin Williams. But his passion for books and pens and writing and words inspired him to create a business with this wife, a former IBM exec, that bibliophiles found intoxicating. The founder of LEVENGER - Tools for Readers, the author and journalist is appointed a new President...
2025-08-1221 min
America the Bilingual74 - Season 6 - The unexpected truth about languages in AmericaThe United States leads the world in bilingualism.
No kidding.
Because of this, no country understands the world as well as the United States.
Seriously.
Ah, you may be thinking, there must be a catch. No catch—just a different way to understand the uncontested data that’s been accumulating for decades.
So…how did we get here, and how might we use this newly unveiled status to the betterment of the country?
In this episode, America the Bilingual founder Steve Leveen takes you through the history, context and science that have led him to this realization of America’s leadersh...
2024-09-0426 min
America the Bilingual73 - Season 6 - Global English: Blessing or Curse?While the whole world does not speak English, it’s nevertheless a ubiquitous language worldwide.
Is that a good thing or bad? Or is it, perhaps, more complicated than that?
Professor Rosemary Salomone, both linguist and lawyer, knows how to answer this question perhaps better than anyone. In this episode, she and Steve discuss her newest book, The Rise of English: Global Politics and the Power of Language, where she takes readers around the world to see just what kind of a global player English really is.
Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Mi...
2024-07-1029 min
America the Bilingual68 - Season 5 - Amy Chua, the Original Tiger Mom, Has Bilingual StripesJoin Steve for a lively, upbeat and often surprising conversation with first-generation Chinese American Amy Chua. A Yale law professor who gained fame as the Tiger Mom, she made sure that her children grew up as she did: bilingual. Listen as Amy describes three traits American immigrants share that help them excel. She also explains what the reviewers got wrong about her controversial bestseller “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” and explores how American bilingualism could bolster what Amy’s parents taught her was “just the greatest document in the world”: the American Constitution. Plus: why Amy’s newest book is nothing l...
2023-10-1123 min
America the Bilingual55 - Season 4 - Language learning: why tax your brain when there’s technology?This is our second of two episodes on what technology can and can’t do for language learning…and perhaps more important, what technology should and shouldn’t do.
Listen as Steve shares the week he spent in Silicon Valley attending the futuristic technology incubator called Singularity University. He had a chance to ask the high priest of language technology, Ray Kurzweil, how he sees the role of high tech in language learning. Ray’s answer might surprise you.
You’ll be listening to the audio version of Chapter 34 of Steve’s book, America’s Bilingual Century, presented by the award-winning...
2021-08-1113 min
America the Bilingual54 - Season 4 - To App or Not to App: That is the Language Learner’s QuestionEveryone, it seems, has an opinion on using technology for learning a language. That includes the many bilinguals Steve interviewed for Episode 54 of the America the Bilingual podcast. It’s a brief meditation on the merits—and demerits—of language technology.
How much should we depend on language technology to talk for us? What are technology’s limitations? Or is it just we humans who are limited in our thinking of what technology can do?
The role that technology plays in language learning is such a timely and important question that we’re devoting two episodes to answering it. Meet the guests...
2021-07-2811 min
America the Bilingual53 - Season 4 - America is too big for bilingualism. Fact or fiction?From sea to shining sea, English is spoken throughout all 3.8 million square miles of the US. Does it make sense to speak anything else?
To answer this question, in Episode 53, Steve takes you on a tour that starts in Little Rock and ends in Montreal, by way of Casablanca and Mali.
Enjoy this seventh free audiobook chapter of America’s Bilingual Century by Steve Leveen. You’re listening to Chapter 37, narrated by Sean Pratt.
Like the music? It’s “Quasi Motion” by Kevin Macleod at the start of the episode and then “West in Africa” by John Bartmann.
2021-07-1409 min
America the Bilingual53 - Season 4 - America is too big for bilingualism. Fact or fiction?From sea to shining sea, English is spoken throughout all 3.8 million square miles of the US. Does it make sense to speak anything else?
To answer this question, in Episode 53, Steve takes you on a tour that starts in Little Rock and ends in Montreal, by way of Casablanca and Mali.
Enjoy this seventh free audiobook chapter of America’s Bilingual Century by Steve Leveen. You’re listening to Chapter 37, narrated by Sean Pratt.
Like the music? It’s “Quasi Motion” by Kevin Macleod at the start of the episode and then “West in Africa” by John Bartmann.
2021-07-1409 min
America the Bilingual52 - Season 4 - True or false? The best way to learn a language is total immersionWant to learn Japanese? Go to Japan. Portuguese? Portugal or Brazil. Hindi? India. Immersion is absolutely the best way to learn another language…or is it? In Episode 52, Steve weighs in, and his answer might surprise you.
Enjoy this sixth free audiobook chapter of America’s Bilingual Century by Steve Leveen. You’re listening to Chapter 36, narrated by Sean Pratt.
Music: “Quasi Motion” by Kevin Macleod at the start of the episode, followed by “West in Africa” by John Bartmann.
2021-06-2310 min
America the Bilingual52 - Season 4 - True or false? The best way to learn a language is total immersionWant to learn Japanese? Go to Japan. Portuguese? Portugal or Brazil. Hindi? India. Immersion is absolutely the best way to learn another language…or is it? In Episode 52, Steve weighs in, and his answer might surprise you.
Enjoy this sixth free audiobook chapter of America’s Bilingual Century by Steve Leveen. You’re listening to Chapter 36, narrated by Sean Pratt.
Music: “Quasi Motion” by Kevin Macleod at the start of the episode, followed by “West in Africa” by John Bartmann.
2021-06-2310 min
America the Bilingual51 - Season 4 - What they don’t teach you in Harvard’s Spanish classesA middle-aged guy named Steve walks into an intermediate-Spanish class for Harvard undergrads, and does a quick assessment of their advantages versus his.Theirs: They’re smarter. They take tests really well. They’ve had more Spanish. They can hear perfectly fine. They’re highly motivated to get good grades. They seem to relish the mental struggle.Steve’s: He shows up on time. And it gets better. Like when Steve teams up with one of the students, Josh Robinson, to do an oral presentation in Spanish on Reggaeton. Steve’s first question to his teammate: “What’s Reggaeton?”The power of perseve...
2021-06-0932 min
America the Bilingual51 - Season 4 - What they don’t teach you in Harvard’s Spanish classesA middle-aged guy named Steve walks into an intermediate-Spanish class for Harvard undergrads, and does a quick assessment of their advantages versus his.
Theirs: They’re smarter. They take tests really well. They’ve had more Spanish. They can hear perfectly fine. They’re highly motivated to get good grades. They seem to relish the mental struggle.
Steve’s: He shows up on time.
And it gets better. Like when Steve teams up with one of the students, Josh Robinson, to do an oral presentation in Spanish on Reggaeton. Steve’s first question to his teammate: “What’s Reggaeton?”
The power of perseve...
2021-06-0932 min
America the Bilingual50 - Season 4 - How to give your kids the gift of two languagesAre there certain best practices for starting your children on a lifelong path to bilingualism? Absolutely, and in Episode 50, Steve shares the three that are most essential. They can work even if parents are not (or not yet) bilingual.You’ll also meet two families who started their children off as bilingual speakers and one family who wished they had. What caused their paths to diverge?Enjoy this fourth free audiobook chapter of America’s Bilingual Century by Steve Leveen. You’re listening to Chapter 18, narrated by Sean Pratt.Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Founda...
2021-05-2620 min
America the Bilingual50 - Season 4 - How to give your kids the gift of two languagesAre there certain best practices for starting your children on a lifelong path to bilingualism? Absolutely, and in Episode 50, Steve shares the three that are most essential. They can work even if parents are not (or not yet) bilingual.
You’ll also meet two families who started their children off as bilingual speakers and one family who wished they had. What caused their paths to diverge?
Enjoy this fourth free audiobook chapter of America’s Bilingual Century by Steve Leveen. You’re listening to Chapter 18, narrated by Sean Pratt.
Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Founda...
2021-05-2620 min
America the Bilingual49 - Season 4 - How Bilinguals Find Their ‘Where’In Episode 49 of the America the Bilingual podcast, Steve introduces seven bilinguals whose new language came alive for them when they found where in their lives it should live.
Lorna Auerbach is one of them. She had struggled as a young student trying to learn a second language. But later, as an adult, she blossomed when she connected her “where” to the work she was passionate about—and found the language that she really wanted to learn.
Father Chuck Durante is another. A Catholic priest, he had abandoned his plans to minor in Spanish when he was in college. But when h...
2021-05-1223 min
America the Bilingual49 - Season 4 - How Bilinguals Find Their ‘Where’In Episode 49 of the America the Bilingual podcast, Steve introduces seven bilinguals whose new language came alive for them when they found where in their lives it should live.Lorna Auerbach is one of them. She had struggled as a young student trying to learn a second language. But later, as an adult, she blossomed when she connected her “where” to the work she was passionate about—and found the language that she really wanted to learn.Father Chuck Durante is another. A Catholic priest, he had abandoned his plans to minor in Spanish when he was in college. But when h...
2021-05-1223 min
America the Bilingual48 - Season 4 - How should you learn your new language?If how you’re going to learn a new language is the first question you consider on your bilingual journey, Steve has a surprise for you. In Episode 48, he reveals an even more important question to ask yourself about that new language—before you decide how you’ll learn it.
It’s one of the pivotal lessons Steve learned when researching his book, America’s Bilingual Century, and he thanks Guadalupe Valdés, a professor at Stanford, for enlightening him.
Enjoy this second audiobook chapter of America’s Bilingual Century. You’re listening to Chapter 1, narrated by Sean Pratt.
Like the music? It’s...
2021-04-2810 min
America the Bilingual47 - Season 4 - When Becoming Bilingual Becomes IrresistibleIn Episode 47, Steve shares why he decided in midlife to leave behind a comfortable career as CEO of his own company and light out for the long road to bilingualism.Enjoy this first free audiobook chapter of America’s Bilingual Century, the new book by Steve Leveen. You’re listening to the preface of the book, narrated by Sean Pratt.Then check out the story on Sean, and why this award-winning audiobook narrator was so taken with Steve’s book. He’ll also show you how he marked up the text of the preface, to turn the written words into spoken w...
2021-04-1420 min
America the Bilingual47 - Season 4 - When Becoming Bilingual Becomes IrresistibleIn Episode 47, Steve shares why he decided in midlife to leave behind a comfortable career as CEO of his own company and light out for the long road to bilingualism.
Enjoy this first free audiobook chapter of America’s Bilingual Century, the new book by Steve Leveen. You’re listening to the preface of the book, narrated by Sean Pratt.
Then check out the story on Sean, and why this award-winning audiobook narrator was so taken with Steve’s book. He’ll also show you how he marked up the text of the preface, to turn the written words into spoken w...
2021-04-1420 min
What's Up BainbridgeAmerica the Bilingual WU-576Meet Steve Leveen in this episode of What’s Up Bainbridge. A fierce champion of bilingualism in America, he is the author of the recently published America’s Bilingual Century, his third book which serves as a call to action to Americans to advance to a country where a majority knows English and another language. He maintains that “English is what unites us; our other languages are what strengthen and define us.” He shares his own experience of learning a second language as an adult, commenting on the rich value of multilingual living and the many advant...
2021-04-0931 min
Expand Your Mind, One Story at a Time - Free Audiobook RevolutionAmerica's Bilingual Century: How Americans are giving the gift of bilingualism to themselves, their loved ones, and their country Audiobook by Steve LeveenListen to this audiobook in full for free onhttps://hotaudiobook.com/freeID: 506435
Title: America's Bilingual Century: How Americans are giving the gift of bilingualism to themselves, their loved ones, and their country
Author: Steve Leveen
Narrator: Sean Pratt
Format: Unabridged
Length: 15:57:02
Language: English
Release date: 01-04-21
Publisher: Findaway Voices
Genres: Non-Fiction, Education
Summary:
Scientists have shown bilingualism to be brain-changing. It can also be life-changing.
InAmerica's Bilingual Century, author Steve Leveen takes you on a journey of reinvention--of yourself, your children, and the country--that takes place when we embrace bilingualism. Based on a decade of research and hundreds of...
2021-01-043h 57
Esto no es radioDe flores, pecas y constelaciones (Temporada 1)Desde 1953, los diecisiete municipios que conforman el estado de Tabasco compiten para que su representante sea elegida como la "Flor de oro". Fui a Villahermosa, la capital tabasqueña, a presenciar este certamen de belleza con la esperanza de contar una historia atípica. Lo que me encontré dio pie a un episodio totalmente distinto a lo que me esperaba… y a pensar de otra forma la belleza. Digno de un final de temporada, pues.
"De flores, pecas y constelaciones" es un episodio escrito, producido y editado por mí, Fernando "Micro" Hernández.
Mitzi Pineda es la Productora Asociada, que a parte...
2020-06-0531 min
America the Bilingual46 - Season 3 - Summer Language Camps: A Short-Course on Six We LoveWinter may be coming, but next summer is not that far behind. Start planning now if you’d like to send your kids—or yourself!—to a summer language immersion camp. In Episode 46 of the America the Bilingual podcast, we give you capsule reports on five top programs we’ve featured in earlier episodes, plus a brand-new report on a different kind of camp in South Florida.
2019-10-3040 min
America the BilingualBilingual Child Month: Children of a Silent GodSince October is Bilingual Child Month, we are rebroadcasting our America the Bilingual podcast on the status of bilingual education among deaf children. What happens when their parents aren’t able to find schools that teach American Sign Language—and why can’t they?
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL—The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Mim Harrison, the editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual project, and edited by Fernando Hernández, who also does the sound design and mixing. Steve Lev...
2019-10-2514 min
America the BilingualBilingual Child Month: North Carolina's impressive rise in bilingual schoolsOctober is Bilingual Child Month, a good reason to revisit one of the country’s major success stories in bilingual education for children. Their secret? Start kids early, use a broad definition of biliteracy, and give every school district the power to pick the languages. Meet some of the powerhouse educators behind North Carolina’s impressive rise in bilingual schools, in Episode 42 of the America the Bilingual podcast: https://www.americathebilingual.com/42-north-carolina-a-dual-language-success-story/.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
The America the Biling...
2019-10-2114 min
America the Bilingual45 - Top Tips from Teachers for Adult Language LearnersFor anyone older than 20 who's learning a language, the all-new Episode 45 of the America the Bilingual podcast is one you won't want to miss. We tapped a slew of global language teachers and asked them for their best tip on learning a language as an adult. In the podcast, you’ll hear their advice—sometimes based on their own experience of learning another language when they were older. You'll also find a handy way to remember all the wisdom they impart.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Te...
2019-10-0214 min
America the BilingualHispanic Heritage Month - Ed de la Torre doesn't speak SpanishHere’s a fact you don’t hear talked about much: 25% of Latinos don’t speak Spanish--because they can’t. And that percentage is growing.
Hear Ed’s story set against the backdrop of the forces that are drowning out Spanish and other heritage languages in America. And hear what some dedicated language teachers are doing to promote a healthy bilingualism among young people.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, and producer Fernando Hernández, who also does sound design and mixing. Associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Mim Harrison is the editorial and brand director for the America the Bilingual p
2019-09-1821 min
America the BilingualSummer Light Series: In case you thought Latin was deadSummer Light Listening: “In case you thought Latin was dead…”Seriously? A podcast about Latin is supposed to be summer light listening? We promise, this one is. There’s not even a whisper about the subjunctive. But there’s sure to be a smile when you hear how one high school Latin teacher, who’s constantly teased with the question, “Learn Latin? Who you gonna talk to—the Pope?,” can answer: “As a matter of fact, yes.” Enjoy this rebroadcast of Episode 23 of the America the Bilingual podcast.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — Th...
2019-08-2819 min
America the BilingualSummer Light Listening: “With money, the dog dances,” and other wise wordsEl mundo es un pañuelo, goes the Spanish dicho, or saying. It translates literally to “The world is a handkerchief.” A handkerchief is small, and so is the world. See where this is going? Right—to a more colorful way of saying “It’s a small world.” In Episode 10 of the America the Bilingual podcast, Steve exchanges dichos with two Mexican friends. Every language has these pithy sayings, and they’re a memorable way to not only learn some words in the language you’re studying, but also get a glimpse into that language’s culture. This is summertime fun masquerading as...
2019-08-2232 min
America the BilingualSummer light series: Let’s go to the movies…in another languageSummer has its own movie theater allure, rainy-afternoon matinees being just one. Why not take in a few films this summer in a language you’d like to learn…even if it’s not raining? Steve will share with you how he’s done it in learning Spanish, starting with just dipping his toe in to diving right in. You can pick the immersion point that works best for you. Enjoy this rebroadcast of our America the Bilingual podcast, Episode 33, part of our Summer Light Listening series.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the campaign of ACTFL—The American C...
2019-08-1420 min
America the BilingualSummer light series - How to Learn a Language Without Studying ItWe hope you’re enjoying your summer. At America the Bilingual, we’re taking a summer break from our podcast routine while Steve works on his new book about bilingualism in America. While he does that, we thought we’d rebroadcast a few of our podcasts that you might not have heard, or might like to hear again. This one, Episode 27, marks the first in our Summer Light Listening series. In it, we show you how learning another language doesn’t always mean studying it in a classroom. It’s summer, after all. Plus, enjoy these free tips on how adults can...
2019-08-0616 min
America the BilingualSummer light series: American outliersTo mark this Independence Day, we’re rebroadcasting our podcast on “American Outliers.” It tells a modern immigrant family’s tale and their success in coming to America, professionally but also linguistically. Both parents and both sons speak English plus four other languages. How did they succeed in becoming a two-generation, multilingual American household? Meet the Roepers and hear their story in Episode 8 of the America the Bilingual podcast. Happy Fourth of July from all of us at America the Bilingual!
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution License by:
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ke...
2019-06-2820 min
America the Bilingual44 - Season 3 - Africa’s Relaxed Multilingualism: A Model for America?In the west African country of Cameroon, it’s not unusual for youngsters playing a neighborhood game of soccer to encounter different languages among their friends. And throughout Africa, it’s not uncommon for people to speak three languages—even if they don’t write or read all three. How do they do it? And what can the United States learn from this continent of polyglots? Host Steve Leveen talks with three African educators on how they grew up the way many Africans do: speaking multiple languages. Hear their conversation now: Episode 44 of the America the Bilingual podcast.
2019-06-1212 min
America the Bilingual44 - Season 3 - Africa’s Relaxed Multilingualism: A Model for America?In the west African country of Cameroon, it’s not unusual for youngsters playing a neighborhood game of soccer to encounter different languages among their friends. And throughout Africa, it’s not uncommon for people to speak three languages—even if they don’t write or read all three. How do they do it? And what can the United States learn from this continent of polyglots? Host Steve Leveen talks with three African educators on how they grew up the way many Africans do: speaking multiple languages. Hear their conversation now: Episode 44 of the America the Bilingual podcast.
2019-06-1212 min
America the Bilingual43 - Season 3 - Buds of BilingualismNone of us can master every language, but we can all learn phrases that extend a symbolic hand in greeting and say, “To show I respect you, and therefore your language, I’ll try to speak a few words of it.” No matter how poor the result linguistically, you’ve often made a friend. And thus, a bud of bilingualism blooms. In Episode 43 of the America the Bilingual podcast, we’ll hear how some native English-speaking Americans practice buds of bilingualism everywhere they go in the world…including their own backyards.
2019-05-1517 min
America the Bilingual42 - Season 3 - North Carolina: A Dual-Language Success StoryIn 2005, North Carolina had seven dual-language schools; in 2018, there were 140. A 2018 graduating class at one of the dual-language high schools had two valedictorians—one a native Spanish speaker and the other a native English speaker, both now fluent in the other’s native tongue. How did North Carolina do it? Can their success be replicated? And are the number of dual-language schools outpacing the number of bilingual teachers needed for them? In Episode 42 of America the Bilingual, host Steve Leveen talks to six high-ranking educators on how North Carolina became a powerhouse of dual-language education.
The America the Bilingual podcast is p...
2019-04-2414 min
America the Bilingual42 - Season 3 - North Carolina: A Dual-Language Success StoryIn 2005, North Carolina had seven dual-language schools; in 2018, there were 140. A 2018 graduating class at one of the dual-language high schools had two valedictorians—one a native Spanish speaker and the other a native English speaker, both now fluent in the other’s native tongue. How did North Carolina do it? Can their success be replicated? And are the number of dual-language schools outpacing the number of bilingual teachers needed for them? In Episode 42 of America the Bilingual, host Steve Leveen talks to six high-ranking educators on how North Carolina became a powerhouse of dual-language education.
The America the Bilingual podcast is p...
2019-04-2414 min
America the Bilingual41 - Season 3 - French Immersion at Université Sainte-Anne: A Bubble of JoyThis fifth episode in our series on some of the finest summer language immersion programs takes us to Université Sainte-Anne in the tiny village of Church Point, Nova Scotia. A French immersion summer program, it is Canada’s most popular and attracts many students from the United States as well. In Episode 41 of the America the Bilingual podcast, hear how this school’s small size works to its advantage, and why many students claim to learn more in five weeks here than in five years of classes elsewhere.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campa...
2019-04-1027 min
America the Bilingual41 - Season 3 - French Immersion at Université Sainte-Anne: A Bubble of JoyThis fifth episode in our series on some of the finest summer language immersion programs takes us to Université Sainte-Anne in the tiny village of Church Point, Nova Scotia. A French immersion summer program, it is Canada’s most popular and attracts many students from the United States as well. In Episode 41 of the America the Bilingual podcast, hear how this school’s small size works to its advantage, and why many students claim to learn more in five weeks here than in five years of classes elsewhere.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campa...
2019-04-1027 min
America the Bilingual40 - Season 3 - Children of a Silent GodWhat if young hearing children in America were never taught how to spell or properly pronounce words? That’s what’s happening to many of the children in America who cannot hear. They do not have the same access to the language of the deaf—American Sign Language, or ASL—that their hearing counterparts have to English. In Episode 40 of America the Bilingual, we interview experts from Gallaudet University and the National Association of the Deaf, along with a college student who’s majoring in ASL, on how they’re working to change this. Special note: if you’d like to share this...
2019-03-2714 min
America the BilingualATB - EP40 - ASL2 - V2What if young hearing children in America were never taught how to spell or properly pronounce words? That’s what’s happening to many of the children in America who cannot hear. They do not have the same access to the language of the deaf—American Sign Language, or ASL—that their hearing counterparts have to English. In Episode 40 of America the Bilingual, we interview experts from Gallaudet University and the National Association of the Deaf, along with a college student who’s majoring in ASL, on how they’re working to change this. Special note: if you’d like to share this...
2019-03-2714 min
America the Bilingual39 - Season 3 - America the Bilingual goes to MoroccoWhat could be a better example of free speech in America than to be able to speak freely in public in another language? And when it comes to patriotism, what could be more patriotic than defending our country by actually being able to understand our allies, and our enemies, in their own languages? To help envision such a new normal in America, we take you to a country that shows how a linguistically diverse nation can function. Come with us as America the Bilingual goes to Morocco, in Episode 39 of our podcast.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of...
2019-03-1333 min
America the Bilingual39 - Season 3 - America the Bilingual goes to MoroccoWhat could be a better example of free speech in America than to be able to speak freely in public in another language? And when it comes to patriotism, what could be more patriotic than defending our country by actually being able to understand our allies, and our enemies, in their own languages? To help envision such a new normal in America, we take you to a country that shows how a linguistically diverse nation can function. Come with us as America the Bilingual goes to Morocco, in Episode 39 of our podcast.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of...
2019-03-1333 min
America the Bilingual38 - Season 3 - STARTALK: Another Peace Corps for the 21st CenturyOn September 11, 2001, the value of knowing another language was probably the last thing on the minds of most Americans. But 9/11 revealed another fissure in this country’s infrastructure: the thousands of jobs going unfilled in our intelligence agencies because not enough Americans speak the language of the countries these agencies must understand. The Department of Defense has done something about it, funding a summer program throughout the country to teach what it identified as critical-need languages. Called STARTALK, the program is the reason why some Americans now speak Russian, Korean, Arabic and Urdu. In Episode 38 of America the Bilingual , host St...
2019-02-2728 min
America the Bilingual38 - Season 3 - STARTALK: Another Peace Corps for the 21st CenturyOn September 11, 2001, the value of knowing another language was probably the last thing on the minds of most Americans. But 9/11 revealed another fissure in this country’s infrastructure: the thousands of jobs going unfilled in our intelligence agencies because not enough Americans speak the language of the countries these agencies must understand. The Department of Defense has done something about it, funding a summer program throughout the country to teach what it identified as critical-need languages. Called STARTALK, the program is the reason why some Americans now speak Russian, Korean, Arabic and Urdu. In Episode 38 of America the Bilingual , host St...
2019-02-2728 min
America the Bilingual37 - Season 3 - Concordia Language Villages: Waltzing with Mops, and Other AdventuresIn our continuing series of dual language summer immersion programs, in Episode 37 of the America the Bilingual podcast, we learn what it means to “live the language” at Concordia Language Villages—from learning opera in Italian, soccer in German, volleyball in Spanish, and French while waltzing with mops.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, and edited by Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mixing. Associate Producer Beckie Rankin provided her fine field wor...
2019-02-1329 min
America the Bilingual37 - Season 3 - Concordia Language Villages: Waltzing with Mops, and Other AdventuresIn our continuing series of dual language summer immersion programs, in Episode 37 of the America the Bilingual podcast, we learn what it means to “live the language” at Concordia Language Villages—from learning opera in Italian, soccer in German, volleyball in Spanish, and French while waltzing with mops.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, and edited by Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mixing. Associate Producer Beckie Rankin provided her fine field wor...
2019-02-1329 min
America the Bilingual36 - Season 3 - A Tidal Wave of Love: The John Rassias LegacyIn our continuing series of episodes featuring the most well-known summer language immersion programs in America, in Episode 36 we travel to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, home of the famed Rassias Center named in honor of the beloved professor John Rassias.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL—The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written and produced by Steve Leveen, and edited by Fernando Hernández, who also does the sound design and mixing. Mim Harrison is the editorial and brand director of the America the Bil...
2019-01-3024 min
America the Bilingual36 - Season 3 - A Tidal Wave of Love: The John Rassias LegacyThe summer language immersion program that Professor John Rassias founded at Dartmouth College is famous worldwide for showing results in as little as 10 days. But now that this larger-than-life language visionary has passed away, can his legacy—and his method—live on? Join us for Episode 36 of America the Bilingual, “A Tidal Wave of Love: The John Rassias Legacy,” as we journey to New Hampshire to find out.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL—The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written and produced by Steve Leveen, an...
2019-01-3024 min
Esto no es radioDe flores, pecas y constelacionesDesde 1953, los diecisiete municipios que conforman el estado de Tabasco compiten para que su representante sea elegida como la "Flor de oro". Fui a Villahermosa, la capital tabasqueña, a presenciar este certamen de belleza con la esperanza de contar una historia atípica. Lo que me encontré dio pie a un episodio totalmente distinto a lo que me esperaba… y a pensar de otra forma la belleza. Digno de un final de temporada, pues."De flores, pecas y constelaciones" es un episodio escrito, producido y editado por mí, Fernando "Micro" Hernández.Mitzi Pineda es la A...
2019-01-0931 min
America the Bilingual35 - Season 2 - The Magic of MiddleburyWorld War I shattered a way of life for millions. But one positive result, invented by a German-American immigrant, continues to deliver blessings to Americans today. Almost no one knows her name or her story, but the peacemaking legacy of Lilian L. Strobe, today called summer language immersion experiences, is the subject of Episode 35 of America the Bilingual: The Magic of Middlebury.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen and edited by Fernando Hernández. Mim Har...
2019-01-0927 min
America the Bilingual35 - Season 3 - The Magic of MiddleburyWorld War I shattered a way of life for millions. But one positive result, invented by a German-American immigrant, continues to deliver blessings to Americans today. Almost no one knows her name or her story, but the peacemaking legacy of Lilian L. Strobe, today called summer language immersion experiences, is the subject of Episode 35 of America the Bilingual: The Magic of Middlebury.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen and edited by Fernando Hernández. Mim Har...
2019-01-0927 min
America the Bilingual34 - Season 2 - Parents, Give Your Child Bilingual WingsJenny K. Messner credits the high school cultural exchange program of AFS with transforming her life. Living in Brazil for a year in the 1970s, Jenny learned a new culture, became fluent in Portuguese, and parlayed her language skills into a career in international finance. Then she found a way to help hundreds of other young American bilinguals-to-be follow in her path. But would she let her own daughter venture so far from home in today’s world? Hear Jenny’s story in Episode 34 of America the Bilingual.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages camp...
2018-11-1414 min
America the Bilingual33 - Season 2 - Let’s Go to the Movies…in Another LanguageMovies, especially with the help of new streaming services and à la carte language options, offer a virtual language immersion where you can choose how far to wade in. In Episode 33 of America the Bilingual, we’ll venture into the four stages of movie immersion—from just dangling your toe to diving in head first.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the campaign of ACTFL—The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was hosted by Steve Leveen, and co-hosted and produced by Fernando Hernández, who does the sound design and mixing as well. The associat...
2018-10-3120 min
America the Bilingual33 - Season 2 - Let’s Go to the Movies…in Another LanguageMovies, especially with the help of new streaming services and à la carte language options, offer a virtual language immersion where you can choose how far to wade in. In Episode 33 of America the Bilingual, we’ll venture into the four stages of movie immersion—from just dangling your toe to diving in head first.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the campaign of ACTFL—The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was hosted by Steve Leveen, and co-hosted and produced by Fernando Hernández, who does the sound design and mixing as well. The associat...
2018-10-3120 min
America the Bilingual32 - Season 2 - Why a World War II Survivor Adopted the Enemy’s LanguageListen to Steve’s conversation with octogenarian Bill Davis, whose bilingualism was essential to an unexpected—and rewarding—life after World War II. Bill describes what it was like to hide in the mountains during the Second World War to escape the enemy, all the while loving the language of the enemy. Years later, he had another, very different escape… from a future American president.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL—The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Special thanks from Steve to Sylvette Jouclas, Bill’s wife, for graciously w...
2018-10-1717 min
America the Bilingual32 - Season 2 - A dispatch from France (Minisode)Your host Steve Leveen calls from France to talk a little bit about upcoming episodes where we'll explore language immersion camps, and the term "buds of bilingualism" that he coined.
2018-09-1105 min
America the BilingualSeason 2 - Minisode 1 - A dispatch from FranceYour host Steve Leveen calls from France to talk a little bit about upcoming episodes where we'll explore language immersion camps, and the term "buds of bilingualism" that he coined.
2018-09-1105 min
America the Bilingual31 - Season 2- Not your uncle's language classWhat older generations may remember from their language classes—drills of verb conjugations, constant corrections of grammar and sentence structure—is not what they’ll find in many global-language classes today.
What we’ll hear in “Not Your Uncle’s Language Class,” Episode 31 of the America the Bilingual podcast, may shock many of us old-schoolers:
Global-language teachers are no longer looking for perfection from their students!
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Many of the educators you heard from in this episode are current or f...
2018-09-0518 min
America the Bilingual31 - Season 2- Not your uncle's language classWhat older generations may remember from their language classes—drills of verb conjugations, constant corrections of grammar and sentence structure—is not what they’ll find in many global-language classes today.
What we’ll hear in “Not Your Uncle’s Language Class,” Episode 31 of the America the Bilingual podcast, may shock many of us old-schoolers:
Global-language teachers are no longer looking for perfection from their students!
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Many of the educators you heard from in this episode are current or f...
2018-09-0518 min
America the Bilingual30 - America the Bilingual podcast season 2 - A New Generation of Cherokee Speakers RisesAmong the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, there are fewer than 200 first-language speakers of Cherokee . In Episode 30 of America the Bilingual, you’ll hear from people, both Cherokee and non-Cherokee, who are finding ways to embed the Cherokee language in classrooms and music, giving rise to a new generation of Cherokee speakers in the process. But is it too late? Join us for Episode 30, "A New Generation of Cherokee Speakers Rises."
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was...
2018-08-1511 min
America the Bilingual29 - America the Bilingual Season 2 - When Baby’s First Words Are Not SpokenWhen Viviana Cisniega’s son Luis was four months old, she taught him to talk—not in English, not in her native Spanish, not even by speaking. Instead, she taught her son some American Sign Language, the physical language of the deaf. For a number of years, some very young hearing babies have learned a few of the signs in ASL, as a way to successfully talk with their parents and caregivers before they begin to speak. But how do members of the deaf community feel about using ASL for infants who can hear? Find out in Episode 29 of the Amer...
2018-07-1112 min
America the Bilingual29 - America the Bilingual Season 2 - When Baby’s First Words Are Not SpokenWhen Viviana Cisniega’s son Luis was four months old, she taught him to talk—not in English, not in her native Spanish, not even by speaking. Instead, she taught her son some American Sign Language, the physical language of the deaf. For a number of years, some very young hearing babies have learned a few of the signs in ASL, as a way to successfully talk with their parents and caregivers before they begin to speak. But how do members of the deaf community feel about using ASL for infants who can hear? Find out in Episode 29 of the Amer...
2018-07-1112 min
America the Bilingual28 - America the Bilingual Podcast Season 2 - And Crown Thy Good with BrotherhoodWhen people find out I’m learning Spanish, they frequently ask me, “How are you doing it?” It’s an obvious question. But over the years I’ve discovered that it’s not the best question. A better one is “What are you doing with your language?” For when you can answer that question, you have discovered a place, or places, where your adopted language can live in your life. That, as we’ll hear in this episode, makes all the difference.
This episode was written by me, Steve Leveen. Our producer is Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mi...
2018-06-2018 min
America the Bilingual28 - America the Bilingual Podcast Season 2 - And Crown Thy Good with BrotherhoodWhen people find out I’m learning Spanish, they frequently ask me, “How are you doing it?” It’s an obvious question. But over the years I’ve discovered that it’s not the best question. A better one is “What are you doing with your language?” For when you can answer that question, you have discovered a place, or places, where your adopted language can live in your life. That, as we’ll hear in this episode, makes all the difference.
This episode was written by me, Steve Leveen. Our producer is Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mi...
2018-06-2018 min
America the Bilingual27 - America the Bilingual podcast Season 2 - How to Learn a Language Without Studying ItWhen people find out I’m learning Spanish, they frequently ask me, “How are you doing it?” It’s an obvious question. But over the years I’ve discovered that it’s not the best question. A better one is “What are you doing with your language?” For when you can answer that question, you have discovered a place, or places, where your adopted language can live in your life. That, as we’ll hear in this episode, makes all the difference.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of F...
2018-06-0616 min
America the Bilingual26 - America the Bilingual Season 2 - Are you too old to learn another languageEven at 16 we may be too old to learn a new language and speak it without an accent. So what about us adults over 50? Should we even bother trying? Hear longevity expert Laura Carstensen debunk some common assumptions. And hear the story of one intrepid fifty-something language learner who refuses to give up on her efforts to become a bilingual—and to reduce global greenhouse gases, which for her are related quests.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Steve...
2018-05-2320 min
America the Bilingual26 - America the Bilingual Season 2 - Are you too old to learn another languageEven at 16 we may be too old to learn a new language and speak it without an accent. So what about us adults over 50? Should we even bother trying? Hear longevity expert Laura Carstensen debunk some common assumptions. And hear the story of one intrepid fifty-something language learner who refuses to give up on her efforts to become a bilingual—and to reduce global greenhouse gases, which for her are related quests.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Steve...
2018-05-2320 min
America the Bilingual25 - America the Bilingual Season 2 - Dual language education: Winds of changeIn this second episode on the dual-language movement, we hear from six voices of change in America. They trace their heritages to different countries and have had different life experiences, but they share a common vision for America. They would place our old melting pot respectfully in a museum of American history.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen and producer Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mixing. Our associate producer is Bec...
2018-05-0831 min
America the Bilingual24 - America the Bilingual podcast Season 2 - The Dual-Language Revolution Begins (Part I)Imagine there was a new way of teaching that results in most students becoming truly bilingual and biliterate before finishing high school. Imagine if this new way of teaching also helped students rise in academic achievement overall. And finally. imagine if this new way of teaching could also help students develop more empathy towards others.
We don’t have to just imagine it, it exists. It goes by the name dual-language education. or dual-language immersion, and it’s growing fast in America.
In Part I of our coverage of dual-language education, we hear from two luminaries in the field who expl...
2018-04-2428 min
America the Bilingual23 - America the Bilingual podcast Season 2 - In case you thought Latin was deadHow has a presumably dead language become such a disruptor? Because Latin certainly seems to be just that. It’s one of the most frequently taught languages in American schools. It’s a language that few speak and yet can help people think. And it’s been shown to be effective in strengthening English literacy. Who knew?
In this episode, you’ll meet two Latinists who make their living by teaching the language, and one who makes his living by allowing Latin to teach him.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American C...
2018-04-1119 min
America the Bilingual22 - America the Bilingual podcast Season 2 — A language to reveal —or conceal— your true selfWe're back with Season 2 of America the Bilingual! We open with this episode that features two stories of how people reconstruct themselves in a new language and how through that process, they can sometimes discover and express important new aspects of themselves that can be liberating.
America the Bilingual is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Fernando Air-nandez, who also does our cool sound design and mixing. Our associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Check out the rest of our cast at America the Biling...
2018-03-2730 min
America the Bilingual21 - America the Bilingual podcast - Preview of Season 2 (a minisode)As we close Season One of America the Bilingual, we are filled with gratitude for the hundreds of interviewees—teachers, scholars, and bilinguals of all types. Thank you for answering our incessant questions and adding your voices to our first 20 episodes.
We will resume our schedule with Season Two on March 28th, 2018. In the meantime, we’re in production on a dozen new episodes, including: How Monolingual English-speaking Parents Can Raise Bilingual Children, Latin in the 21st Century and How to Learn a Language by Not Studying It.
A Request
Dear listeners, we’re hungry for stories. Write to us at Ame...
2018-01-0208 min
America the Bilingual20 - America the Bilingual podcast - Twelve gifts of BilingualismIt’s a gift that can’t go under the tree, it can’t even be seen, but it’s one of the best gifts in life. It is, of course, the gift of bilingualism. We’ve reported on this gift many times in our first 19 episodes of this premier season of the America the Bilingual podcast. Our gift to you this Christmas season is a collection of 12 ways to experience this gift . We’re featuring excerpts from some of our favorite podcast moments of the year. Join us as we unwrap the 12 Gifts of Bilingualism. Perhaps it will inspire you to give...
2017-12-2029 min
America the Bilingual19- America the Bilingual Podcast - When America went to war against the German languageAmericans remember World War I, but most of us have forgotten the war within our own borders that took place during those same years. It was a war against all things German-American, including the teaching of the German language. Our internal war was so violent, destructive and cruel, that as soon as the war in Europe ended, Americans were quick to sweep what happened under the rug. The lynchings, internment camps and book burnings are not mentioned in our history textbooks. But on the centenary of that forgotten homeland war, the results linger with us still.
America the Bilingual is...
2017-12-0636 min
America the Bilingual18-America the Bilingual podcast - Bill Weir Loves Language Teachers--Wishes he had Listened to HisBill Weir, travel correspondent and host of CNN Wonder List has his dream job. He gets to jet all over the world to capture images and weave stories together from what he finds. It’s all perfect, except for one thing--Bill is monolingual.
“I wish I could travel back in time and punch my teenage self in the face for not paying attention. I was one of those horrible language students who didn't figure I would ever need it.” He seems an odd choice to address thousands of language teachers at their annual convention. But Bill is full of praise for th...
2017-11-2213 min
America the Bilingual17- America the Bilingual Podcast - When a Gap Year Becomes a Bridge YearPaulina Jedrzejowski was five years old when two airliners slammed into the World Trade Center. She was just a few miles away in Brooklyn and wondered why ashes and bits of paper were floating down from the sky. Despite growing up in an America with a heightened concern for attacks from the outside, Paulina has devoted her young life to helping outsiders. She has lived in several other countries and learned their languages. Hear her story, and the story of a promising trend in America in which young people are redefining what their parents called a “gap” year, into something far...
2017-11-0827 min
America the Bilingual16- America the Bilingual Podcast - Bless the Late Blooming BilingualsWhen older adults learn another language, they don’t have the advantages of toddlers, whose minds are wired to learn two or three languages simultaneously. Nor do they have the flexibility of young adults who can acquire a native sounding accent. But this episode tells the story of adults who deploy the abilities that come with age and experience, that not only make them effective language learners, but also agents of some great blessings to others.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, and our producer Fernando Hernández (who also does our magical sound design and mixing). Check out the...
2017-10-2528 min
America the Bilingual15- America the Bilingual Podcast - Sealed with un besoHe was rich, persuasive--and wrong. But Ron Unz succeeded in leading our most populous state down a dark path in the history of world language education. Yet his very success planted the seeds of change that are yielding a harvest of good in the nation today. Hear the origin story of the Seal of Biliteracy, which began in California and is now transforming America.
America the Bilingual is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by me, Steve Leveen, our producer Fernando Hernández (who also do...
2017-10-1130 min
America the Bilingual14-America the Bilingual Podcast - The vanishing high school year abroadIn his junior year of high school, Doug Renfield-Miller was flunking out. It didn’t help to also get ejected from school for passing out anti-war posters. To escape, Doug took his mother’s suggestion and applied for a year of study abroad. Hear the story of how a young man was changed by the full measure of a school year away, and of a kind of immersion that is fading from the American tableau.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode wa...
2017-09-2725 min
America the Bilingual13- America the Bilingual Podcast - Hurricane Irma: a dispatch from Delray Beach and an invitationWe were halfway into the production of episode 13 but then Hurricane Irma happened. However, our host Steve Leveen still was able to call and give us an overview of the situation in Delray Beach, Florida. We’ll be back with a new episode in two weeks, but in the meantime, we are re-broadcasting “Little Ketchup Girl”.
Here’s the description for said episode:
How hard can it be to go up to the counter at McDonald’s and ask for ketchup? The answer might depend on how confident you are in English.
Michelle Bazargan was a little girl when bombs began expl...
2017-09-1316 min
America the Bilingual13- America the Bilingual Podcast - Hurricane Irma: a dispatch from Delray Beach and an invitationWe were halfway into the production of episode 13 but then Hurricane Irma happened. However, our host Steve Leveen still was able to call and give us an overview of the situation in Delray Beach, Florida. We’ll be back with a new episode in two weeks, but in the meantime, we are re-broadcasting “Little Ketchup Girl”.
Here’s the description for said episode:
How hard can it be to go up to the counter at McDonald’s and ask for ketchup? The answer might depend on how confident you are in English.
Michelle Bazargan was a little girl when bombs began expl...
2017-09-1316 min
America the Bilingual12-America the Bilingual Podcast - Eastern Star: The Nick Staffa storyNick Staffa was meant to become a rock star —but not the kind with a guitar on stage. This kid from Long Island of Italian heritage, would become a rock star language teacher with a reputation that would spread well beyond the United States.
America the Bilingual is a storytelling podcast for people who think bilingualism is good for themselves, for their families, and for their country.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, our producer Fernando...
2017-08-2927 min
America the Bilingual11-America the Bilingual Podcast - The power of language exchangeWith millions of Latinos wanting to improve their English and millions of Anglos wanting to improve their Spanish, you’d think there would be lots of programs in America for them to help one another. There aren’t. Steve Leveen has looked. That’s why He was thrilled when his friend Caroline Doughty alerted him to a fellow in Denver who had started one.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Check out our episode notes at Americathebilingual.com where you’ll find links to Share...
2017-08-1622 min
America the Bilingual11-America the Bilingual Podcast - The power of language exchangeWith millions of Latinos wanting to improve their English and millions of Anglos wanting to improve their Spanish, you’d think there would be lots of programs in America for them to help one another. There aren’t. Steve Leveen has looked. That’s why He was thrilled when his friend Caroline Doughty alerted him to a fellow in Denver who had started one.
The America the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Check out our episode notes at Americathebilingual.com where you’ll find links to Share...
2017-08-1622 min
America the Bilingual10-America the Bilingual Podcast - The Joy of speaking SpanishFor our tenth episode of America the Bilingual, we decided to do something different. Your favorite Recovering Monolingual (that would be Steve)has a conversation with podcast producer Fernando Air-nandez about the Joy of Spanish. Plus, a good friend of the show, Mario Bravo, adds some dicho-wisdom for your listening pleasure.
The America the Bilingual Podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Check out our episode notes at Americathebilingual.com. Special thanks to Mario Bravo for his mastery of dichos (sayings) and his love of his native langua...
2017-08-0232 min
America the Bilingual10-America the Bilingual Podcast - The Joy of speaking SpanishFor our tenth episode of America the Bilingual, we decided to do something different. Your favorite Recovering Monolingual (that would be Steve)has a conversation with podcast producer Fernando Air-nandez about the Joy of Spanish. Plus, a good friend of the show, Mario Bravo, adds some dicho-wisdom for your listening pleasure.
The America the Bilingual Podcast is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Check out our episode notes at Americathebilingual.com. Special thanks to Mario Bravo for his mastery of dichos (sayings) and his love of his native langua...
2017-08-0232 min
America the Bilingual9- America the Bilingual Podcast - Ed de La Torre doesn't speak spanish“Wow, it’s a good thing you’re studying Spanish,” a fellow told me the other day “because Spanish is taking over the country!”
It’s easy to see why it seems so. We see Spanish signs at Walmart and Home Depot, when we fly on JetBlue, and when we dial Bank of America and hear “marque dos para espanol.” But here’s a fact you don’t hear talked about much: 25% of Latinos don’t speak Spanish--because they can’t. And that percentage is growing.
The American the Bilingual podcast is part of the Lead with Languagescampaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teac...
2017-07-1921 min
America the Bilingual8- America the Bilingual Podcast - American OutliersMany of us dream of living abroad but few of us actually do.
Yet here’s the thing: I’ve interviewed hundreds of native English speakers who have become bilingual and nearly all of them, at some point, lived abroad. Often, it was in a study abroad program. Something that brothers Philip and Cyrus Roepers, true outliers, took advantage of.
Because of the critical role of study abroad in fueling American bilingualism, I set about trying to find whether there might be some organization that studies and promotes the activity. It didn’t take long to learn that there is.
Music...
2017-07-0520 min
America the Bilingual7- America the Bilingual Podcast - The Bella and the BoldBettina Young had a remarkable young life--a fairy tale life by the standard of so many American girls who dream of being ballet dancers and models. But the path to living happily-ever-after took some sharp turns. The constant, through thick and thin, was Bettina’s boldness. Bettina’s story left me wondering whether living bilingually and living boldly have a natural relationship.
America the Bilingual is a storytelling podcast dedicated to all who are learning another language. We envision an America where it is just normal to be bilingual.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, and producer Fernando Hernandez who...
2017-06-2121 min
America the Bilingual6- America the Bilingual Podcast - Little Ketchup GirlHow hard can it be to go up to the counter at McDonald’s and ask for ketchup? The answer might depend on how confident you are in English.
Michelle Bazargan was a little girl when bombs began exploding outside her home in Tehran. It was then that her mother decided it was too dangerous to remain. Thus begins the story of one Iranian family and their challenges of becoming American. Sometimes trauma can leave people irreversibly damaged. Other times, trauma can leave people irreversibly dedicated to helping others.
America the Bilingual is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of...
2017-06-0614 min
America the Bilingual5- America the Bilingual Podcast - The CEO and the PolyglotDoes the whole world speak English? It seems so when you travel to big cities and stay in major hotels. It seems so when you visit popular tourist destinations. But what about in corporate conference rooms? Like when you’re trying to sell something? That, as you’ll hear in this episode, can be a different story.
Lois Melbourne studied French in school but didn’t get all that far. In other words, she is a typical monolingual American. But Lois is not typical in other ways.
Andrew Simmons is the opposite of a typical monolingual American. He’s American for sure...
2017-05-2413 min
America the Bilingual4-Mother TongueWe hear it before we are born. Before the first air rushes into our tiny lungs, before the first light refracts into our blinking, baby eyes, our mother tongue is already resident, dreamlike in our waiting minds.
In America, the mother tongue for most of us is English. But for millions of us baby Americans, those comforting vibrations our mothers pour over us have other names, like Spanish or Portuguese or Mandarin.
Bilingual mothers have a choice to make. Sometimes they chose their own mother tongue to speak to their babies. Other times they chose their adopted language. And sometimes...
2017-05-1015 min
America the Bilingual3- Just call me AnnaLinguists call it “shift.” The rest of us would call it “loss.” It’s what happens to the languages spoken by immigrants, and it happens fast. By the third generation, and sometimes even the second, the German or Hindi or Greek spoken in the home is gone. That’s why America, known for so many good things, is also known as the place “where languages go to die.”
But not always.
A big “Bravo!” to America’s language teachers. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages--their acronym ACTFL (pronounced ACT-Full) is fitting. Its Lead with Languages campaign encourages bilingualism for all...
2017-04-2519 min
America the Bilingual2- With a little help from his friends —and good french wine“Forced” to go to Oxford? Why did this young American want so badly to attend a French business school that few Americans have heard of? Why was he willing to forgo his slot at Oxford to do so?
And why were a panel of French professors shooting him down in his interview?
Find out in Episode 2 of the America the Bilingual podcast. We’ll follow David Wolf’s journey, with its twists and turns through Paris and the Bordeaux region, learn of a love interest, and a friendship that would last a lifetime.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen and prod...
2017-04-1219 min
America the Bilingual1- The Lamp of empathyDoes the whole world speak English? Not quite, not even in France, if you really want to do business. Meet Ben Macklowe, a New York City kid, who grew up as a monolingual English speaker, until he messed up big time and then took matters into his own hands. Now he’s passing The Gift to his baby boys.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, and producer Fernando Hernández, who also does sound design and mixing. Our editorial consultants are Maja Thomas and Mim Harrison, research assistance from Alma Flores-Perez.
Our graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza and...
2017-03-2614 min
Double Your Freelancing PodcastEpisode 5: Content Marketing For FreelancersHosted by Brennan Dunn and Eric Davis.
Show Notes
00:10 - Content Marketing
Making information available for personal gain/recognition
Duct Tape Marketing: John Jantsch
Getting to know you
03:51 - Getting content in front of people
Blogging
Screencasting
Publishing eBooks/PDFs
Podcasting
05:24 - Promoting and building an audience
Write with the intention of appealing to a specific audience
Collect email addresses
Infographics
07:38 - Appealing to potential clients and peer developers
Be business-focused
Hold impromptu marketing events
Referrals
10:27 - Working locally and organically
Building bits of content that reinforces what you’re good at
Revealing specifically where you are locate...
2012-10-2930 minGTD Connect Email LibraryAudio: In Conversation -Steve Leveen - 4Steve shares his GTD best practices with candor, humility, and a wonderful enthusiasm for the game of work and the business of life. Enjoy this reality-based dialog with the founder and CEO of one of the most successful distributors of tools for reading, thinking, and living.
2006-10-0400 minGTD Connect Next Actions LibraryAudio: In Conversation -Steve Leveen - 3Steve shares his GTD best practices with candor, humility, and a wonderful enthusiasm for the game of work and the business of life. Enjoy this reality-based dialog with the founder and CEO of one of the most successful distributors of tools for reading, thinking, and living.
2006-10-0400 min