America the Bilingual: Recent Episodes
Steve Leveen
America the Bilingual is a storytelling podcast designed to inspire people on their journey to bilingualism. We'll listen to people who have become bilingual, especially native-English speakers who learned another language as adults (that is, the hard way). How did they do it? Why did they do it? How do they lead their bilingual lives? You'll find out every two weeks.
It took many years, but finally Maja Thomas, a top publishing executive who has been at the forefront of audiobooks, e-books and digital publishing strategy, finally made her dream of always having Paris come true. She has become an English/French bilingual, embracing not just the French language but its culture. Just how did she do it (despite the plethora of French bureaucratic paperwork)? For one thing, she isn’t afraid to correct her mistakes in speaking her beloved adopted language. Episode 81 of the America the Bilingual podcast, “She’s Always Had Paris,” is now live.
“The whole idea of language learning is saying things wrong until you begin to say them right.” That’s Steve Leveen, founder of America the Bilingual, diving deeper into three new perspectives he encourages adult language learners to adopt. He also shares details of the new Levenger Master Class workbook, How to Learn a Language for Life, that he and multilingual entrepreneur Akshay Swaminathan, cowrote. Episode 80 of the America the Bilingual podcast, You Can Finally Learn That Next Language You’ve Been Thirsting to Speak, is now live.Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, who wrote and directed the episode; Fernando Hernández Becerra and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; and Jen Cavagnaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.Music credits, in order of appearance: Soft and furious - Super connected sleep https://bit.ly/3rN902rKevin Macleod - Quasimotion https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionSoft and furious - What’s your name again https://bit.ly/456BynSLloyd Rogers - Twelve from the black book https://bit.ly/44uduv4Peter Gresser - Skipping in the no standing zone https://bit.ly/49bUZOwFernando Air-Nandez - You live the languageLoyalty Freak Music - Everything is so alive https://bit.ly/3MYSPJu
“I've never learned how to say no properly in my life, to prepare myself properly for things. I just figured if I kept saying yes to things, eventually something good would happen.” For Mark Ford, not saying no has allowed him to do some of the most important things in his life. Which is why it became easy—in his heterodox fashion—for him to learn first French, then Latin, and now Spanish.The Spanish is the result of his building an award-winning resort in Nicaragua and the community foundation he created right across the road, which has become an education and trades hub for the non-English-speaking local people.The French gave him entrée to the Peace Corps after college. But only because the officials didn’t give him the boot for not knowing a word of it when he landed in French-speaking Chad. The Latin was to meet a PhD requirement. Although let’s just say that the former altar boy in him might have frowned on his modus operandi.But he’s forgiven for that, because good things for many people have happened thanks to his determination to embrace other languages.In this lively conversation with Steve, Mark also shares his secret for learning a language. And you won’t have to crack open an app to do it.Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Mim Harrison, the editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, who wrote and directed the episode; Fernando Hernández Becerra and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; and Jen Cavagnaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.Music credits (in order of appearance): HoliznaCC0 - Whatever https://bit.ly/4qDgZsk Koi Discovery - Beer blues https://bit.ly/3pIQxmiKevin Macleod - Quasi motion https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionHoliznaCC0 - ICE temple https://bit.ly/4qHGb1cHoliznaCC0 - Sunny afternoon https://bit.ly/47vvyp9HoliznaCC0 - Unwindhttps://bit.ly/3X4hb6mKoi-discovery - ENDhttps://bit.ly/4qDhLFKHoliznaCC0 - Laundry on the wirehttps://bit.ly/3Jc8R1pWax lyricist - Green https://bit.ly/4qA7c6sKoi-discovery -Synthetic_synapsehttps://bit.ly/4oOlxup
Professor/publisher/author/OED consultant Ilan Stavans has written books about all three of the languages he speaks: his native Mexican Spanish, his heritage Yiddish, and his adopted English. In Episode 78, Ilan and Steve have a far-ranging conversation that touches on how American literature is becoming multilingual literature, why prescriptive dictionaries don’t work for English, and the secret to seeing your children embrace the language of their heritage. Listen and you’ll soon know why America the Bilingual has dubbed him a Tocqueville for bilingualism in America. Enjoy!Music credits, in order of appearance: HoliznaCC0 - Tranquil Mindscape ( Lofi , Happy , Reflection ) https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/public-domain-lofi/tranquil-mindscape-lofi-happy-reflection/U.S. Army Blues - Kelli's Numberhttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/US_Army_Blues/Live_At_Blues_Alley/0_-_08_-_The_US_Army_Blues_-_Kellis_Number/John Bartmann - African Moonhttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/african-moon/John Bartmann - Somewhere nice https://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/somewhere-nice/HoliznaCC0 - 20 Minute Meditation 1 https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/space-sleep-meditation/20-minute-meditation-1/U.S. Army Blues - Oginilandhttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/US_Army_Blues/Live_At_Blues_Alley/0_-_06_-_The_US_Army_Blues_-_Oginiland/Komiku - In the restauranthttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/THE_GIRL_WITH_THE_BASEBALL_BAT/Komiku_-_THE_GIRL_WITH_THE_BASEBALL_BAT_-_03_In_the_restaurant/Koi-discovery - Oxforf by Nighthttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/koi-discovery/ante-chrysalide/oxforf-by-nightmp3/
The multilingual Esteban Battalán, principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass, shares how his language odyssey has sounded important notes in his music odyssey. Hear his story on Episode 77 of the America the Bilingual podcast, “A Trumpeter’s Tale.” America the Bilingual is a project of the Levenger Foundation, which supports bilingualism and biliteracy in the Americas.Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, who wrote and directed this episode; Fernando Hernández Becerra and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; and Jen Cavagnaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.Music performed by Mr. Batallán is from these recordings: Haydn Trumpet Concerto in Eb, Nightfall, and Premiere,“Mr. Batallán.” Further details on estebanbatallan.com/videos.Additional music, in order of appearance Koi Discovery - Beer blues https://bit.ly/3pIQxmiIllinois Brass Band - Wright, Tam O'Shanter's Ride https://bit.ly/4iGDOXcCSO Principal Tuba Gene Pokorny - Schifrin's Tuba Concertohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kG4lZ-2zWaoKevin Macleod - Quasi Motion https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionFrederic Lardon Feat Laura Palme - Dans la méditation transcendantalehttps://bit.ly/3PsIzaEMonplaisir - Jam with me https://bit.ly/3EO0o23Esteban Batallan - Hummel trumpet concerto 1st Movementhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXV7V4ipl1s&t=1s
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 about learning languages to help other adults learn, too. His new, virtual language workouts focus on speaking fluently in the language you’re learning, and getting there quickly. Episode 76 of the America the Bilingual podcast is now live!Music Credits: HoliznaCC0 - 20 Minute Meditation 1https://bit.ly/492XPlNNomadic - Pictures of the floating worldhttps://bit.ly/3RyMxjVKevin MacLeod - Quasi Motionhttps://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionSam Natarajan (Akshay’s father), thiruppAvai #01 and #02 - nAttai and gowLa.m2tshttps://bit.ly/40q8xlnKomiku - Helice’s themehttps://bit.ly/425trHyLoyalty Freak Music - Waiting TTTThttps://bit.ly/3HEwICxGhanam Krishna Iyer, Thiruvotriyur Thyagarajan -Atana- Rupakam, performed by Shreyas Muralidharan and Akshay Swaminathanhttps://bit.ly/4gRhCtmFrederic Lardon Feat Laura Palme - Dans la méditation transcendantalehttps://bit.ly/3PsIzaE HoliznaCC0 - Sky Scrapershttps://bit.ly/4j9T2W4
Meet Margaret Boyle, coauthor with Ilan Stavans of “Sabor Judío: The Jewish Mexican Cookbook”. Margaret and Ilan have added their own ingredient to the cookbook: the history behind many of the recipes, some of them their families’, others the history of Jewish immigration to Mexico over the centuries. If you’re a foodie, find history fascinating, or would like to sample the Spanish language through the culinary fusion of Jewish and Mexican cultures, quench your appetite now with Episode 75 of the America the Bilingual podcast.Thanks to our America the Bilingual team who worked on this episode: Mim Harrison, our editorial and brand director, who wrote and directed it; Fernando Hernandez Becerra, who produced the episode from his studio in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esta No Es Radio; and Jen Cavañaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.Music credits in order of appearance: John Bartmann - Somewhere nice https://bit.ly/3ZqUpGvKevin Macleod - Quasi Motion https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionJohn Bartmann - Bouncy Gypsy Beatshttps://bit.ly/4aR7RZvDemoiselle Döner - Autodétermination - Free Music Archivehttps://bit.ly/3OeUzM2Komiku - In the restaurant https://bit.ly/3OfJTOsPictures of the floating world - Nomadic https://bit.ly/3LVlpYVMonplaisir - J A https://bit.ly/3uNedITTRG Banks - Horse ride 2 https://bit.ly/3LRPuZvHolizna CC0 - 20 minute meditation 1https://bit.ly/492XPlNJohn Bartmann - Bouncy Gypsy Beatshttps://bit.ly/4aR7RZv
The 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 leadership role in bilingualism. Whether or not you’re bilingual, you’ll want to hear this good news for America.Thanks to our America the Bilingual team: Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director, and early advocate of quizzes as a way to enliven ideas; Fernando Hernandez Becerra, who produced this episode from his studio in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio; Alli Torban, who designed the data visuals in the quiz; and Jen Cavagnaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.Music and sounds in order of appearance by: Monplaisir - Be a good punk https://bit.ly/3Xe2z4fAnthousai - 23cm glass bowl - tone - cloth mallet 02.wav https://bit.ly/3MsBh5dLicense: Creative Commons 0Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionMonplaisir - Garage https://bit.ly/3XbPokdStomachache - Take me Out to the Ball Game by stomachache -- https://bit.ly/3z65vb4 -- License: Creative Commons 0Nikitralala - korea_baseball.flac by nikitralala -- https://bit.ly/3MuT23J -- License: Creative Commons 0Tylermyers1992 - MLB Crowd Cheer - 09032022.wav https://bit.ly/3MsL3Ev -- License: Creative Commons 0The United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps - United States National Anthem (The Star Spangled Banner)https://bit.ly/3Mx7RTiThe United States Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps - Reveille Variation/Drum Call/Slow Scotch/Quick Scotch/Yankee Doodle/Mont....https://bit.ly/3Tf4QeiKomiku - De l'herbe sous les piedshttps://bit.ly/3z66eJk Komiku - In the restaurant https://bit.ly/3OfJTOs Komiku - Beach https://bit.ly/4e8qEjHKomiku - Where you hear the prayer (McGuffin theme)https://bit.ly/4g1ZyMSKomiku - Everything is groovy (how to move your body) https://bit.ly/3xejA4IKomiku - The road we use to travel when we were kidshttps://bit.ly/47fG2Zw
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: Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, who wrote and directed this episode; Fernando Hernández Becerra and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; and Jen Cavagnaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.Music Credits, in order of appearance Koi - discovery - beer blues https://bit.ly/3pIQxmiKevin Macleod - Quasi motion https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionTRG Banks - evening journey https://bit.ly/4bzZZurHolizna cc0 - advertisements https://bit.ly/4eTrXElSoft and furious - you’re magic https://bit.ly/3LjJYhqSoft and furious - game on https://bit.ly/3VUuRjzKoi Discovery - Spike protein https://bit.ly/3S1leyaWax liricyst - big green https://freemusicarchive.org/music/wax-lyricist/the-wax-lyricist/big-green/He can jog - Prelude (Two Hour Delay, Dane County)https://bit.ly/3zBaq3GSoft and furious - When the blood driving the self https://bit.ly/4aaMt0HMaarten Schellekens - free classical theme https://bit.ly/4cXxSXj
Hear why Kim Potowski, a professor of linguistics at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has a passion for preserving heritage languages, and how she teaches speakers of these languages. De-stigmatizing the way that a Spanish bilingual speaks his or her home language, in Kim’s view, “is a question of social justice.” Listen now to Episode 72 of America the Bilingual.MUSIC CREDITS Komiku - In the restaurant https://bit.ly/3OfJTOsKevin Macleod - Quasi motionhttps://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionLoyalty Freak Music - Waiting TTTT https://bit.ly/3HEwICxJohn Bartmann - Heart of acceptance https://bit.ly/JohnBartmann_HeartofacceptanceFrederic Lardon feat. Laura Palmeé - Dans la piscinehttps://bit.ly/3xiKf0IKoi-discovery - Oxforf by night https://bit.ly/3xn39Ua
Want to know what really goes into that Subway® sandwich? Localization. Internationalization. And one more: transcreation. Hear how Subway’s Carrie Fischer is making languages part of Subway’s linguistic palate worldwide, in this new episode of the America the Bilingual podcast.This episode was written and directed by Mim Harrison, the editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual project. It was sound designed, mixed and produced by Fernando Hernandez Becerra produced.Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech manages our website. Music credits:Komiku - Hélice’s themehttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Helice_Awesome_Dance_Adventure_/helices-theme/Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionTRG Banks - City https://bit.ly/43pM2g4Komiku - Everything is groovy (how to move your body) https://bit.ly/3xejA4IHoliznaCC0 - 20 Minute meditation 1https://bit.ly/492XPlNTRG Banks - Horse ride 2https://bit.ly/3LRPuZvKomiku - In the restaurant https://bit.ly/3OfJTOsSoft and the furious - Superconnected sleep https://bit.ly/3rN902rWax Lyricist - A bad death https://bit.ly/3WbFwG7Kai Engel - Holiday gift https://bit.ly/3TL05cX
The American journalist, linguist, and author Michael Erard (Babel No More) has lived in South America, Asia, and now in Europe. He’s always had an ear to the native languages as much as for them.A deep researcher of language, he shares in this episode why he believes that “human beings are meant to have very complex linguistic systems in their brains.” He also explains why he likens learning a language to weaving a rope.Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team who worked on this episode: Fernando Hernández, writer for this episode, and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project; and Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.Meet the entire America the Bilingual team—including our bark-lingual mascot, Chet—here.Music in this episode, in sequence: Demoiselle Döner, - Des têtes trop pleineshttps://bit.ly/421rrhpJohn Bartmann - African Moonhttps://bit.ly/47AvvqeKevin Macleod - QuasiMotionhttps://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionLoyalty Freak Music - Waiting TTTThttps://bit.ly/3HEwICx TRG Banks - Michael Landonhttps://bit.ly/47ytYkpTRG Banks - Horse Ride 2 https://bit.ly/3LRPuZvJorge Mario Zuleta - En Detención https://bit.ly/JMZ_detencionJohn Bartmann - Bouncy Gypsy Beatshttps://bit.ly/4aR7RZv
The 20th-century novelist Thomas Wolfe famously pronounced that “you can’t go home again.” But what if you have little choice?This is what a number of Latino immigrants, who have long made their home in the US, face when immigration laws require that they return to their country of birth.In this episode of the America the Bilingual podcast, Alexandra Rivera relays how an Uber driver in Mexico City startled her into realizing that these were important stories to be told. And even though she is a US citizen, she has faced her own challenges in balancing life in America as a Latina. She understands how important it is to find your place in wherever you may choose to—or have to—call home.Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team who worked on this episode: Fernando Hernández, writer for this episode, and his Mexican production house in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, and Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.
Join 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 like her others. Join us now for this episode of America the Bilingual.Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Fernando Hernández and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project who wrote and directed this episode; and Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.Music artists and selections, in order of listening: HoliznaCC0 - Dream pop https://bit.ly/3ZNXhx4Loyalty Freak Music - Friend to friend https://bit.ly/3 iMYXWsKevin Macleod - Quasi motion https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionLoyalty Freak Music - Shoepop https://bit.ly/3RMh9yMPictures of the floating world - Nomadic https://bit.ly/3LVlpYVLoyalty Freak Music - One cool minute https://bit.ly/42WvMlkTRG Banks - Horse ride 2 https://bit.ly/3LRPuZvSoft and furious - Superconnected sleep https://bit.ly/3rN902rJohn Bartmann - Secret agent rockhttps://bit.ly/3ZMr0X8
Call him señor Mo. That’s what Mohamed Kilani’s third-to-fifth grade students in Falmouth, Maine, call him. Mohamed is an Iraqi by birth, a Jordanian by virtue of war, and now an American by virtue of a selfless and brave mother. Listen to this Arab refugee’s odyssey of finding home and the many languages he speaks that have played a role. Among them: Spanish, which señor Mo delights in teaching his young Maine students.Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team who worked on this episode: Fernando Hernández and his Mexican production house in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, who also wrote and directed this episode; and Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.Music in this episode, in order of appearance byJohn Bartmann - Somewhere nicehttps://bit.ly/3ZqUpGvKevin MacLeod - Quasi motionhttps://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionMonplaisir - 66666666https://bit.ly/3Rt4dxMKai Engel - Wake uphttps://bit.ly/45Xu9WyJason Shaw - River Meditationhttps://bit.ly/48iOY0fKevin MacLeod - Back vibes cleanhttps://bit.ly/3sYnYmD
As a native English speaker who became smitten with Spanish, the American journalist Joe Keenan decided that nobody else had written how to break out of beginniner’s Spanish, so he would have to do it himself. That’s just how he titled his first book, back in 1995. It became a bestseller, one that continues to sell more than 20 years later, and in an updated edition.In this exclusive interview, hear some of the author’s best tips for giving your Spanish a turbo boost, plus other tips that apply to learning any language. Along the way, learn some Mexican Spanish dichos, or sayings crafted from popular wisdom. You’ll get to know what false cognates are and how to avoid them on your own journey to intermediate and advanced levels of Spanish.Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Fernando Hernández, who wrote and directed this episode, and his Mexican production house Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project; and Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.Music artists and selections, in order of listening:Loyalty Freak Music - One cool minute https://bit.ly/42WvMlkKevin Macleod -Quasi motion https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionKoi Discovery - Beer blues https://bit.ly/3pIQxmiKomiku - In the restauranthttps://bit.ly/3OfJTOsThe new mystikal troubadours - NMT_the lonely hunter pt. 1_11.21.20https://bit.ly/3pKr6ALWax Lyricist - A bad death https://bit.ly/3WbFwG7HoliznaCC0 - Endless Grindhttps://bit.ly/3MxdT7rPictures of the floating world - Cycles https://bit.ly/41L8uxT
Why are Tacombi restaurants winning hearts across the US as America’s taco sensation? And just what is a Tacombi, anyway? Mexican American founder Dario Wolos shows how being not just bilingual but bicultural is turning Tacombi into a beloved brand that crosses borders. Hear his story, and the story behind the name, in Episode 65 of America the Bilingual.
Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Fernando Hernández and his Mexican production house Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, who wrote and directed this episode; and Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.
Music artists and selections, in order of listening:
Broke for free - Something Elated
https://bit.ly/41CWMGp
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion
https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion
Monplaisir - Brotherhood
https://bit.ly/446bo2O
Juanitos - Funkula
https://bit.ly/3Vd2koI
John Bartmann - Umlungu
https://bit.ly/3oGV5Jr
Closing track:
Broke for free - Something Elated
https://bit.ly/41CWMGp
Martina Castro, the award-winning production impresario behind Duolingual’s popular multilingual podcasts and NPR’s Radio Ambulante, has become a major force in audio storytelling. Hear this Uruguayan American recount her own story of being bilingual in America, in Episode 64 of the America the Bilingual podcast, “ A Global Audio Storyteller: The Journey of Martina Castro.”
You can read about other inspiring American bilinguals in the book “America’s Bilingual Century.” Details are on the Book page of americathebilingual.com
Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Mim Harrison, editorial director of the Project; Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech, who manages our website; and Fernando Hernández, who wrote, mixed, and sound designed this episode.
Music credits:
HoliznaCC0 - Ugly Truth
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/left-overs/ugly-truth/
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion
https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion
HoliznaCC0 - 20 minute meditation1
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/space-sleep-meditation/20-minute-meditation-1/
HoliznaCC0 - Sky scrapers
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/city-slacker/sky-scrapers/
Wax Lyricist - the brass brigade
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/wax-lyricist/the-wax-lyricist/the-brass-brigade/
HoliznahCC0 - Endless grind
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/holiznacc0/city-slacker/endless-grind/
The award-winning star of the popular PBS cooking show, “Pati’s Mexican Table,” and of the PBS docu-series “La Frontera” (“The Border”) brings her love of her native Mexican culture and food to everything she does—including this conversation. Listen now to Episode 63 of the America the Bilingual podcast, and get a taste for how this Mexican American chef uses food to create common ground between our neighboring countries.
Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Fernando Hernández and his Mexican production house Esto no es radio, which provides sound design and mixing; Mim Harrison, editorial director of the Project, who also wrote and directed this episode; and Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.
Music credits (in order of appearance):
TRG Banks - Horse ride 2
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/TRG_Banks/TRG_Banks/Horse_ride_2/
Kevin Macleod - Quasimotion
https://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotion
Soft and furious - Super connected sleep
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Soft_and_Furious/The_Merfolk_I_Should_Turn_To_Be/Soft_and_Furious_-_The_Merfolk_I_Should_Turn_To_Be_-_06_Superconnected_sleep/
Komiku - In the restaurant
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/THE_GIRL_WITH_THE_BASEBALL_BAT/Komiku_-_THE_GIRL_WITH_THE_BASEBALL_BAT_-_03_In_the_restaurant/
TRG Banks - Lake in the woods
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/TRG_Banks/Dreamland/Lake_in_the_woods/
Wax lyricist - A bad death
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/wax-lyricist/the-wax-lyricist/a-bad-death/
Monplaisir - Brotherhood
https://freemusicarchive.org/track/Monplaisir_-_American_Dreams_Original_Soundtrack_-_15_Brotherhood/download/
“I don’t know that I would have become a writer had I not grown up with this very deeply rooted fascination with language and the ways that for me it existed in these two worlds.”That’s the Peruvian American author Natalia Sylvester, whose newest book, “Breathe and Count Back from Ten,” was named a 2022 Today Show Pick. In Episode 62 of the America the Bilingual podcast, we talk with Natalia about how words have shaped her experiences as a young Latina immigrant to America. She also describes how she writes her novels in English, but with her home language of Spanish often guiding what appears on the page.Music credits, in order of appearance:John Bartmann - Umlunguhttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/John_Bartmann/Public_Domain_Soundtrack_Music_Album_One/umlungu/Kevin Macleod - Quasi motionhttps://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionMonplaisir - A good starthttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monplaisir/American_Dreams_Soundtrack/Monplaisir_-_American_Dreams_Original_Soundtrack_-_12_A_Good_Start/Loyalty freak music - Shoepophttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Loyalty_Freak_Music/MELODIES_WITH_A_BEAT/Loyalty_Freak_Music_-_MELODIES_WITH_A_BEAT_-_09_Shoepop/Komiku - The tabletshttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Helice_Awesome_Dance_Adventure_/the-tablets/Monplaisir - Brotherhttps://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monplaisir/American_Dreams_Soundtrack/Monplaisir_-_American_Dreams_Original_Soundtrack_-_04_Brother/TRG Banks - Daybreak in a new townhttps://bit.ly/TRGBanks_Daybreakinanewtown
“If you limit yourself to writers from your own country, you’re missing out on the whole rest of the world.”That’s Arthur Levine, the founder of Levine Querido Publishing, which is making a name for itself—in many languages—in translated books for children.In Episode 61 of America the Bilingual, find out how they’re doing it, and why they will never trust the translations to a machine. And for Harry Potter fans: discover something you probably didn’t know about this book phenom.This episode was written and directed by Mim Harrison, our editorial and brand director. Mixing and sound design by Fernando Hernández and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto no es radio. Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech manages our website.
“I do consider Puerto Rico a borderland of the United States,” says Brenda Piñero of her homeland, which is both a part of, and apart from, the U.S.
In Episode 60 of the America the Bilingual podcast, Brenda shares what it’s like to work on the border in South Texas as an American immigration attorney from a part of America that is a territory rather than a state. Every day she crosses emotionally from stories that are heartbreaking to those that are heartwarming. Often, they’re both.
“My dad died in 2018 and I wasn’t able to go to his funeral. It was too much of a risk.” For the film critic Carlos Aguilar to have left his home in the US to attend his father’s funeral in Mexico would have put his re-entry into the United States in jeopardy. A native of Mexico City who has lived and worked in the US since he was young, Carlos is part of the immigration program known as DACA— Deferred Action for Children Arrivals. He has experienced both the privilege and the pain that come with this tenuous status.Music in this episode (in order of appearance) by: Kai Engel - Seekerhttps://bit.ly/KaiEngel_Seeker Kevin Mcleod - Quasimotionhttps://bit.ly/KevinMacleod_QuasiMotionJohn Bartmann - Heart of acceptance https://bit.ly/JohnBartmann_HeartofacceptanceJorge Mario Zuleta - En detenciónhttps://bit.ly/JMZ_detencionTRG Banks - Daybreak in a new town https://bit.ly/TRGBanks_DaybreakinanewtownMonplaisir - I am the coyotehttps://bit.ly/Monplaisir_Iamthecoyote
In 1491, the Taíno people of the Caribbean and their language were thriving. After 1492, both had been extinguished.
Or so many history books would have you believe.
In Episode 58 of the America the Bilingual podcast, Priscilla Colón—whose DNA tested YES for Taíno—shares what it’s like to reclaim a language that was nearly lost. The language that was, in fact, the first Indigenous American language of contact with the European explorers.
Long before his college graduation, Jack Clarke had his life mapped out: “I was going to be an Army officer and language capability would enhance my career.” Getting there was quite the adventure.
His Spanish took him parachuting into countries on Special Forces mission. His German found him alone in the mountains of… North Carolina. And his French got him in trouble with an aging Jesuit priest from Belgium.
There are more languages—and more stories. Hear them in Episode 57 of the America the Bilingual podcast.
Concert pianist Andrew von Oeyen has been learning languages even longer than he’s been performing with the world’s top orchestras—and he made his professional debut at age 16. In Episode 56 of the America the Bilingual podcast, he explains how his fluency in three other languages infuses his work with greater meaning (and did a lot for his relationships as well).
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 narrator Sean Pratt.
Music is “Quasi Motion” by Kevin Macleod at the start of the episode and then “West in Africa” by John Bartmann.
Everyone, 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 you’ll hear in this episode, the first of two.
Music is “Quasi Motion” by Kevin Macleod at the start of the episode and then “West in Africa” by John Bartmann.
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.
Want 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.
A 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 perseverance is on humorous display in Episode 51.
Enjoy this fifth free audiobook chapter of America’s Bilingual Century by Steve Leveen. You’re listening to Chapter 27, narrated by Sean Pratt.
The music is “Quasi Motion” by Kevin Macleod at the start of the episode, followed by “West in Africa”
by John Bartmann.
Are 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 Foundation. Support for our podcast episodes comes from members of the America the Bilingual Project team, including Caroline Doughty, our audio and digital book maven; Fernando Hernández and his production house, Esto No Es Radio, who provide sound design and mixing; Mim Harrison, our editorial and brand director; Carlos Plaza, our creative director; and Karla Hernandez at Daruma Tech, who manages our website. Meet the entire America the Bilingual team—including our bark-lingual mascot, Chet—here.
Like the music? It’s “Quasi Motion” by Kevin Macleod at the start of the episode and then “West in Africa” by John Bartmann.
We invite you to follow America the Bilingual on Facebook, along with the Lead with Languages campaign run by our friends at ACTFL—The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
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 he joined the seminary, he had the motivation he needed: his future parishioners.
You’ll also hear about leading international correspondents and authors Anand Gopal and Evan Osnos, who knew that the only way to truly get the story was to first get the language.
Calvin Sims, a longtime overseas correspondent for The New York Times, also became fluent in both Spanish and Japanese for just this reason. And his bilingualism has taken him beyond the Times, to two other unexpected “wheres”—International House in New York City, and CNN Worldwide.
Enjoy hearing this audiobook chapter of America’s Bilingual Century by Steve Leveen. You’re listening to Chapter 17, narrated by the award-winning Sean Pratt.
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 “Quasi Motion” by Kevin Macleod at the start of the episode and then Johh Bartmann's "West in Africa".
In 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 words. You'll find it on the Articles page of America the Bilingual.
The music you’ll hear is “Quasi Motion” by Kevin Macleod at the start of the episode and then “West in Africa” by John Bartmann.
Winter 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.
Since 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 Leveen is the executive producer and host. The associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Rob Kennedy, Alejandro Capriles and the rest of the team at Daruma Tech power our website. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Caroline Doughty is our social media maestro. Meet the America the Bilingual team—including our bark-lingual mascot, at americathebilingual.com
Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
October 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 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 Leveen is the executive producer and host. The associate producer is Beckie Rankin, who studied at Wake Forest with Mary Lynn Redmond. The team at Daruma Tech powers our website.
Our Social Media Maestro is Caroline Doughty. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Meet the America the Bilingual team—including our bark-lingual mascot, on Americathebilingual.com
Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
For 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 Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Mim Harrison. Fernando Hernández is the Podcast Editor. Our Social Media Maestro is Caroline Doughty. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Beckie Rankin is associate producer of the podcast.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
If you like this episode, please share with a friend and subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. And check us out on Facebook. We’d love to hear from you.
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.
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 project
Summer 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 — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Mim Harrison and edited by Fernando Hernández (who also does our sound design and mixing). Check out the rest of our cast at America the Bilingual-dot-com, including Carlos Plaza, Beckie Rankin, and especially our bark-lingual mutt, Chet.
Music in this episode was with a Creative Commons Attribution License by:
Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
The rest of the music is licensed from Epidemic Sound.
El 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 learning, so we’re rebroadcasting the episode as part of our Summer Light Listening series.
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 language.
This special edition episode was hosted by Steve Leveen and co-hosted and produced by Fernando Hernández, who also does sound design and mixing. Associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Editorial consultants are Mim Harrison and Maja Thomas. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution Share a like License by (in order of appearance):
Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Lee Rosevere - More on that later http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_08_More_On_That_Later
Art of Escapism - Little by little
Summer 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 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 associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Mim Harrison is the editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual project. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Meet the team—including our bark-lingual mascot, Chet—here. Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
We 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 learn another language almost as well as kids. Click here: https://pages.convertkit.com/b42fb897dc/228b3c564b
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License.
You can find his work at: freemusicarchive.org/music/kevin_ma…r/quasi_motion
To 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/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita
https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Lloyd Rogers, with the Cartesian Reunion Memorial Orchestra -Draw me a sheep (Act I) http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lloyd_Rodgers/Cartesian_Reunion_Memorial_Orchestra_the_little_prince-a_ballet_in_two_acts/01-Draw_Me_A_Sheep
Lee Rosevere – More on that later http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_08_More_On_That_Later
Lee Rosevere - Not alone http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_10_Not_Alone Lee Rosevere - What’s behind the door http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_13_Whats_Behind_the_Door Lee Rosevere - Vaping in L.A. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_12_Vaping_in_LA
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.
None 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.
In 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 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 Leveen is the executive producer and host. The associate producer is Beckie Rankin, who studied at Wake Forest with Mary Lynn Redmond. The team at Daruma Tech powers our website. Our Social Media Maestro is Caroline Doughty. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Meet the America the Bilingual team—including our bark-lingual mascot, Chet—here. Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation. Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
This 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 campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, the founder of America the Bilingual, and edited by Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mixing. Mim Harrison is the editorial and brand director for the America the Bilingual project. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Caroline Doughty is our social media maven. Beckie Rankin is the podcast’s associate producer. Daruma Tech powers the website.
Meet the team—including our bark-lingual mascot, Chet at Americathebilingual.com
Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
What 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 podcast with deaf friends or colleagues, contact us through americathebilingual.com and we’ll send a transcript.
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 Leveen is the executive producer and host. The associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Rob Kennedy, Alejandro Capriles and the rest of the team at Daruma Tech power our website. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Caroline Doughty is our social media maestro. Meet the America the Bilingual team—including our bark-lingual mascot, at americathebilingual.com
Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
What 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 the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, the founder of America the Bilingual, and edited by Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mixing. Mim Harrison is the editorial and brand director for the America the Bilingual project. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Caroline Doughty is our social media maestro. Beckie Rankin is the podcast’s associate producer. Daruma Tech powers the America the Bilingual website.
Special thanks to the ALI colleagues I traveled with to Morocco, including: Ken Creary and Lauren States, Bob Heckart, Lisa Claudy Fleischman and Chuck Fleischman, Ken and Lisa Kelley, Judy Perry Martinez and Rene Martinez, Eduardo Elejalde and Maria Teresa, Winifred White Neisser and Ken Neisser, Michael and Laurie Pepe, Jim and Karen Sherriff, Deborah Hannam and John Donovan, Peter Holbrook, Denis Weil, Horst Melcher, Susan and Len Miller, and Louise and Tom Middleton.
A special shout-out to Ken Creary and my wife, Lori, for their photography.
Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together. Let us know what you think
If you like this episode, please share with a friend and subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. And let us know what you think: leave a comment on our Facebook page about this episode, or on any other thoughts you have about bilingualism in America. We love hearing from our listeners!
On 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 Steve Leveen talks with teachers and students who are strengthening America’s linguistic infrastructure through STARTALK
In 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 work, as always. Mim Harrison is our editorial and brand director for the America the Bilingual project. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Caroline Doughty is our social media maven. Daruma Tech powers the website.
Meet the team—including our bark-lingual mascot, Chet—at Americathebilingual.com
Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Special thanks to Dr. David Knutson, professor of Spanish at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio; and to my wife, Lori, who traveled with me to Concordia and witnessed Waltzing with Mops.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
If you like this episode, please share with a friend and subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. And please join our email list, so we can let you know about our upcoming episodes.
The 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, 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 Bilingual project. The associate producer is Beckie Rankin, who provided ace background research, as always. Rob Kennedy, Alejandro Capriles and the rest of the team at Daruma Tech power our website. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Meet the America the Bilingual team—including our bark-lingual mascot, Chet—here.
Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License.
Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
World 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 Harrison is our editorial and brand director for the America the Bilingual project. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Special thanks to Wayne Welch and Lois Kaufmann.
Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation. Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
If you like this episode, please share with a friend and subscribe on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening. For America the Bilingual, this is Steve Leveen.
Jenny 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 campaign of ACTFL—The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
Special thanks from Steve to Marlene Baker and the rest of the staff at AFS-USA.
This episode was written by Mim Harrison, the editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual project, and produced by Fernando Hernández, who does the sound design and mixing as well. The associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Meet the America the Bilingual team—including our bark-lingual mascot, Chet— at Americathebilingual.com
Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
Movies, 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 associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Mim Harrison is the editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual project. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Meet the team—including our bark-lingual mascot, Chet—here. Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
Listen 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 welcoming him into their home this summer.
This episode was written by Mim Harrison, the editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual project, and produced by Fernando Hernández, who does the sound design and mixing as well. The associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. You can find it on this link: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/kevin_macleod/global_sampler/quasi_motion
Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
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.
What 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 former board members of ACTFL, including Bill Anderson, Susann Davis, Desa Dawson, Lisa Lilley Ritter, and Toni Tyson.
This episode was written by Mim Harrison, the editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual project. Our producer is Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mixing. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License.
https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffreemusicarchive.org%2Fmusic%2Fkevin_macleod%2Fglobal_sampler%2Fquasi_motion
Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
Keep connected on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks for listening. For America the Bilingual, this is Steve Leveen.
Among 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 written by Mim Harrison. Our producer is Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mixing, and our associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Be sure to check our writeup of this episode on America the bilingual-dot-com, for more on the Cherokee and their language. Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Check his work at: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/kevin_macleod/global_sampler/quasi_motion
Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
When 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 America the Bilingual podcast.
This episode was written by Mim Harrison, brand and editorial director for the America the Bilingual project. Our producer is Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mixing. Associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Our Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. The host is Steve Leveen. Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. You can find his music here: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/kevin_macleod/global_sampler/quasi_motion
Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
When 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 mixing, and our associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Our brand and editorial director is Mim Harrison. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License. Kevin Macleod also performs "Take me out to the ball game". You can see information for both tracks here:
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/kevin_macleod/global_sampler/quasi_motion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcwZIHMfWyA
Our thanks to Epidemic Sound for helping us make beautiful music together.
When 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 Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen. Our producer is Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mixing. Our associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Our brand and editorial director is Mim Harrison. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Support for the America the Bilingual project comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Music in this episode, “Quasi Motion” by Kevin MacLeod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License.
You can find his work at: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/kevin_macleod/global_sampler/quasi_motion
Even 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 Leveen, and our producer, Fernando Hernández (who also does our sound design and mixing). Check out the rest of our cast at America the Bilingual-dot-com, including Beckie Rankin, Carlos Plaza, Mim Harrison, and our bark-lingual pup, Chet.
Our main musical theme is “Quasi motion”, By Kevin Macleod, under a Creative Commons Attribution License. You can find more of his work here: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/kevin_macleod/
Financial support comes from the Levenger Foundation.
Our thanks to Susan Golden, Jason Martin, Roch Hillenbrand, Phil Pizzo and the Stanford DCI staff
Thanks for listening, for America the Bilingual, this is Steve Leveen.
In 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 Beckie Rankin. Our brand and editorial director is Mim Harrison. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode, “Quasi motion” by Kevin Macleod, was used with a Creative Commons Attribution License.
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/kevin_macleod/global_sampler/quasi_motion
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 explain what it’s about and how it got started—not at the national level, but at the state level.
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 Beckie Rankin. Our brand and editorial director is Mim Harrison. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode was with a Creative Commons Attribution License by:
Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/kevin_macleod/global_sampler/quasi_motion
The rest of the music is licensed from Epidemic Sound.
How 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 Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
This episode was written by Mim Harrison and edited by Fernando Hernández (who also does our sound design and mixing). Check out the rest of our cast at America the Bilingual-dot-com, including Carlos Plaza, Beckie Rankin, and especially our bark-lingual mutt, Chet.
Music in this episode was with a Creative Commons Attribution License by:
Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/kevin_macleod/global_sampler/quasi_motion
The rest of the music is licensed from Epidemic Sound.
We'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 Bilingual dot com, including Mim Harrison, Maja Thomas, Carlos Plaza, Daruma Tech and especially our mascot Chet.
The main theme music of this podcast is “Quasi motion” by Kevin Macleod, under a Creative Commons Attribution License.
You can find his music here: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/kevin_macleod/global_sampler/quasi_motion
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 America the Bilingual and let us know your language story—your language biography, as we call it. Among other stories, we’re looking to hear from people who became bilingual as adults—how did you do it? And why? We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
And our heartfelt thanks to you, listeners, for being with us for our first season. Thank you for listening, for telling your friends, and for helping to spread bilingualism across America.
Credits:
America the Bilingual is part of the Lead with Languages campaign of ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
The programs are written by Steve Leveen, and our producer, Fernando Hernández (who also does our cool sound design and mixing). Our associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Check out the rest of our cast, including Mim Harrison, Carlos Plaza, Daruma Tech, and especially our mascot, Chet. Maja Thomas is editorial consultant. Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike License by (in order of appearance):
Anonymous420 - Mouse Compatible http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Anonymous420/Nostalgia/Anonymous420_-_Nostalgia_-_06_Mouse_Compatible
Komiku -Fouler l'horizon http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Its_time_for_adventure_/Komiku_-_Its_time_for_adventure_-_01_Fouler_lhorizon
Loyalty Freak Music - People are spinning http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Loyalty_Freak_Music/TO_CHILL_AND_STAY_AWAKE/Loyalty_Freak_Music_-_TO_CHILL_AND_STAY_AWAKE_-_06_People_are_spinning
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
It’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, or receive, The Gift yourself.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, and our producer, Fernando Hernández (who also does our sound design and mixing). Our associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Mim Harrison is the America the Bilingual editorial and brand director Carlos Plaza is our design director; and Chetley von Mutt is our bark-lingual mascot.
Our editorial consultant is Maja Thomas.
Special thanks to all our guests who have appeared on America the Bilingual podcasts this year—we are toasting you this holiday season.
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike License by (in order of appearance):
Mystery Mammal - The first Noel http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Mystery_Mammal/Xmas_on_Tape/The_First_Noel_1206
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Lee Rosevere - What's behind the door http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_13_Whats_Behind_the_Door
Chris Zabriskie - I should have been more human http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/Music_from_Neptune_Flux/ChrisZabriskie-MusicfromNeptuneFlux-09
Frederic Lardon feat Laura Palmeé http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Frederic_Lardon_feat_Laura_Palme/Jazz__la_cool_pour_les_vacances_sur_la_plage_ou__la_montagne_1678/Frederic_Lardon_feat_Laura_Palme_-_Jazz__la_cool_pour_les_vacances_sur_la_plage_ou__la_montagne_-_01_Dans_la_piscine_1244
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Mark Castle - Sad Xmas http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Mark_Castle/Sad_Xmas_Single_Radio_Edit/Sad_Xmas_Radio_Edit_1561
Mindseye - Let it snow http://freemusicarchive.org/music/MindsEye/Let_it_snow/MindsEye_-_Let_it_snow
Mystery Mammal - O come all ye faithful http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Mystery_Mammal/Xmas_on_Tape/O_Come_All_Ye_Faithful_1466
Americans 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 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 our producer Fernando Hernández (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 Bilingual dot com, including Mim Harrison, Maja Thomas, Carlos Plaza and especially our bark-lingual mutt, Chet. Special thanks to Michelle van Gilder of the Lead with Languages campaign and Kristen Gillet, who sang us into this episode.
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike License by: (in order of appearance)
Kevin Macleod, Jorge Mario Zuleta, Rafael Archangel, Francisco Penilla and Lee Rosevere,
Bill 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 the teachers helping today’s American teens gain their multilingual chops, including one special teacher Bill met in the green room before she went on stage--Ying Jin. She had just won National Language Teacher of the Year--the first Chinese teacher to do so. In this episode, we’ll take you behind the scenes with Bill and Ying to hear what they hope for America.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, our producer Fernando Hernández (who also does our cool sound design and mixing) and our Francofile French Teacher and associate producer, Beckie Rankin.
Check out the rest of our cast at America the Bilingual dot com, including our brand and editorial director Mim Harrison, editorial consultant Maja Thomas, design director, Carlos Plaza and finally last and least, our bark-lingual mascot, Chet.
Special thanks to Marty Abbott, Michelle van Gelder and Erin Well cher of the Lead with Languages campaign, as well as all the teachers and administrators who came by to be interviewed; we’ll hear their voices in future episodes.
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license by (in orden of appearance):
Hank - Dark Country http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Hank/AckrillVenning_91/Dark_Country
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Jason Shaw - Travel light http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/TRAVEL_LIGHT______________________1-53
Jason Shaw - Wheels http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/WHEELS_________________3-30
Mystery Mammal - Foreign Produce http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Mystery_Mammal/Latent/Foreign_Produce_1368
Paulina 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 more meaningful.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, our producer Fernando Hernández, who also does our sound design and mixing, and our associate producer, Beckie Rankin. Our brand and editorial director is Mim Harrison. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike license by (in orden of appearance):
Demoiselle Döner - Rien n'a vraiment changé http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Demoiselle_Dner/Dcapitation_de_lHydre_Alpha/Demoiselle_Dner_-_Dcapitation_de_lHydre_Alpha_-_05_Rien_na_vraiment_chang
Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffreemusicarchive.org%2Fmusic%2FKevin_MacLeod%2FGlobal_Sampler%2FQuasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle Bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Nctrnm - Friction http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nctrnm/ACUERDO/Friction111Bm
Lee Rosevere - More on that later https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffreemusicarchive.org%2Fmusic%2FLee_Rosevere%2FMusic_for_Podcasts_4%2FLee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_08_More_On_That_Later
Lee Rosevere - Sad marimba planet http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_02_Sad_Marimba_Planet
Komiku - Ambiant wait http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/The_Binge_Watchers__Score_1/Komiku_-_The_Binge_Watchers_-_Score_1_-_16_Ambiant_Wait
Demoiselle Döner - La descente by http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Demoiselle_Dner/Dcapitation_de_lHydre_Alpha/Demoiselle_Dner_-_Dcapitation_de_lHydre_Alpha_-_03_La_descente
Komiku - Action discovery http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/The_Binge_Watchers__Score_1/Komiku_-_The_Binge_Watchers_-_Score_1_-_12_Action_Discovery
Juanitos - Hola hola Bossa Nova http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Juanitos/netBloc_Vol_24_tiuqottigeloot/Hola_Hola_Bossa_Nova
When 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 rest of our team at America the Bilingual dot com, including associate producer, and French teacher, Beckie Rankin, our brand and editorial director Mim Harrison, editorial consultant Maja Thomas, design director, Carlos Plaza and last and least, our bark-lingual mascot, Chet--A.K.A., Chetley von Mutt. Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike License by:
Kevin Macleod — Quasi Motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla — Chicle Bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Lee Rosevere - Sad marimba planet http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_02_Sad_Marimba_Planet
Lee Rosevere - More on that later http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_08_More_On_That_Later
Lee Rosevere - Keeping stuff together http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_11_Keeping_Stuff_Together
Komiku - In the restaurant http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/THE_GIRL_WITH_THE_BASEBALL_BAT/Komiku_-_THE_GIRL_WITH_THE_BASEBALL_BAT_-_03_In_the_restaurant
Fernando Air-nandez - No es un corrido
Loyalty Freak Music - People are spinning http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Loyalty_Freak_Music/TO_CHILL_AND_STAY_AWAKE/Loyalty_Freak_Music_-_TO_CHILL_AND_STAY_AWAKE_-_06_People_are_spinning
Nctrnm - In media res http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nctrnm/In_Medias_Res_-_Single/In_Medias_Res
He 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 does our sound design and mixing) and our associate producer, Beckie Rankin. Our brand and editorial director is Mim Harrison. Editorial consultant is Maja Thomas. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution License by (In order of appearance):
Jorge Mario Zuleta - Intro http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jorge_Mario_Zuleta/Fauxette/Intro_1982
Komiky - Action Discovery http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/The_Binge_Watchers__Score_1/Komiku_-_The_Binge_Watchers_-_Score_1_-_12_Action_Discovery
Kevin MacLeod - Quasi Motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Lee Rosevere - More on that later http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_08_More_On_That_Later
Lee Rosevere - Sad marimba planet http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_02_Sad_Marimba_Planet
Jorge Mario Zuleta - Temporal http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jorge_Mario_Zuleta/Fauxette/Temporal
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Lee Rosevere - Keeping stuff together http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_11_Keeping_Stuff_Together
Lee Rosevere - New day http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_04_New_Day
In 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 was written by me, Steve Leveen, our producer Fernando Hernández (who also does our sound design and mixing) and our associate producer, Beckie Rankin. Our brand and editorial director is Mim Harrison. Editorial consultant is Maja Thomas. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution License by Komiku, Kevin MacLeod, Lee Rosevere and Francisco Penilla
We 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 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 ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. This episode was written by me, Steve Leveen, and our producer Fernando Hernández who also does sound design and mixing. Our editorial consultants are Maja Thomas and Mim Harrison, research assistance from Associate Producer, Beckie Rankin.
Graphic Arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music and sounds in this episode, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License, by:
Kevin Macleod - Beach Party http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Beach_Party
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Jorge Mario Zuleta - Falta seis
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jorge_Mario_Zuleta/Fauxette/Falta_Seis
Monplaisir - terror party
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monplaisir/Cheap_Imitation/
Mystery Mammal - upright
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Mystery_Mammal/Risk_Society/Upright
Sounds and Fx
Yle Arkisto - Bombing, air raid alarm, mix
http://freesound.org/people/YleArkisto/sounds/242598/
Danielson III - Rumble bass
http://freesound.org/people/DanielsonIII/sounds/68396/
Paisagemsonoraunila - At the bus terminal near the bus with the engine running
http://freesound.org/people/paisagemsonoraunila/sounds/334658/
Dggrunzweig - Sound of bus
http://freesound.org/people/dggrunzweig/sounds/341550/
Stevious42 - Inside moving bus
http://freesound.org/people/Stevious42/sounds/259647/
Noise collector - Mcdonalds
http://freesound.org/people/NoiseCollector/sounds/80767/
Nick 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 Air-Nández (who also does our sound design and mixing) and our associate producer, Beckie Rankin. Our brand and editorial director is Mim Harrison. Editorial consultant is Maja Thomas. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution License by (in order of appearance):
88 Down - Down
Kevin MacLeod - Quasi Motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Lee Rosevere - What's behind the door http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_13_Whats_Behind_the_Door
Komiku - Action investigation http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/The_Binge_Watchers__Score_1/Komiku_-_The_Binge_Watchers_-_Score_1_-_06_Action_Investigation
Lee Rosevere - More on that later http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_08_More_On_That_Later
With 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 Sharelingo, photos of the people we’ve interviewed, and, as usual, some bonus material.
This episode was hosted by Steve Leveen, and our producer Fernando Hernández, who also does sound design and mixing. Associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Editorial consultant is Maja Thomas, Editorial and Brand director is Mim Harrison. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License by(in order of appearance):
Lee Rosevere - More on that later http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_08_More_On_That_Later
Kevin MacLeod - Quasi Motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Lee Rosevere - Sad marimba planet http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_02_Sad_Marimba_Planet
Komiku - Point of no return http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/The_Binge_Watchers__Score_1/Komiku_-_The_Binge_Watchers_-_Score_1_-_21_Ambiant_Point_Of_No_Return
Komiku - Action time attack research http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/The_Binge_Watchers__Score_1/Komiku_-_The_Binge_Watchers_-_Score_1_-_02_Action_Time_Attack_Research
Komiku - Action discovery http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/The_Binge_Watchers__Score_1/Komiku_-_The_Binge_Watchers_-_Score_1_-_02_Action_Time_Attack_Research
Lee Rosevere - Small steps http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_03_Small_Steps
For 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 language.
This special edition episode was hosted by Steve Leveen and co-hosted and produced by Fernando Hernández, who also does sound design and mixing. Associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Editorial consultants are Mim Harrison and Maja Thomas. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution Share a like License by (in order of appearance):
Kevin Macleod - Quasi Motion https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffreemusicarchive.org%2Fmusic%2FKevin_MacLeod%2FGlobal_Sampler%2FQuasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Lee Rosevere - More on that later https://exit.sc/?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffreemusicarchive.org%2Fmusic%2FLee_Rosevere%2FMusic_for_Podcasts_4%2FLee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_08_More_On_That_Later
Art of Escapism - Little by little http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Artofescapism/Promise_of_Time_Upbeat_Themes/Little_by_Little
“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 Teaching of Foreign Languages. A special thanks to the Pew Research Center for its uniquely valuable opinion polling on Hispanic trends in America.
This episode was written by Steve Leveen, and producer Fernando Hernández, who also does sound design and mixing. Associate producer is Beckie Rankin. Editorial consultants are Mim Harrison and Maja Thomas. Graphic arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution Share a like License by (in order of appearance):
Lee Rosevere - Sad Marimba Planet
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_02_Sad_Marimba_Planet
Kevin MacLeod - Quasi Motion
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita
https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Frederic Lardon feat Laura Palme
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Frederic_Lardon_feat_Laura_Palme/Jazz__la_cool_pour_les_vacances_sur_la_plage_ou__la_montagne_1678/Frederic_Lardon_feat_Laura_Palme_-_Jazz__la_cool_pour_les_vacances_sur_la_plage_ou__la_montagne_-_01_Dans_la_piscine_1244
Lee Rosevere - More on that later
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_08_More_On_That_Later
Lee Rosevere - Not alone
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_10_Not_Alone
Komiku - De l'herbe sous les pieds
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Its_time_for_adventure_/Komiku_-_Its_time_for_adventure_-_09_De_lherbe_sous_les_pieds
Kevin MacLeod - Beach Party
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Beach_Party
Many 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 in this episode with a Creative Commons Attribution License by:
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita
https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Lloyd Rogers, with the Cartesian Reunion Memorial Orchestra -Draw me a sheep (Act I) http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lloyd_Rodgers/Cartesian_Reunion_Memorial_Orchestra_the_little_prince-a_ballet_in_two_acts/01-Draw_Me_A_Sheep
Lee Rosevere – More on that later http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_08_More_On_That_Later
Lee Rosevere - Not alone http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_10_Not_Alone Lee Rosevere - What’s behind the door http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_13_Whats_Behind_the_Door Lee Rosevere - Vaping in L.A. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_12_Vaping_in_LA
Bettina 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 also does sound design and mixing. Associate Producer is Beckie Rankin, editorial consultants are Mim Harrison and Maja Thomas. Graphic Arts are provided by Carlos Plaza Design Studio. Episode photo courtesy of Bettina Young.
Music in this episode, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License, by:
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Lloyd Rogers, with the Cartesian Reunion Memorial Orchestra - Golden riddles, echoes and points (act II)
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lloyd_Rodgers/Cartesian_Reunion_Memorial_Orchestra_the_little_prince-a_ballet_in_two_acts/05-Golden_Riddles_Echoes_and_Points
Komiku - Fouler L'horizon
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Komiku/Its_time_for_adventure_/#
Lee Rosevere – New Day
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_04_New_Day
Lee Rosevere – Expectations
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_07_Expectations
Lee Rosevere – More on that later
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lee_Rosevere/Music_for_Podcasts_4/Lee_Rosevere_-_Music_for_Podcasts_4_-_08_More_On_That_Later
Lloyd Rogers, with the Cartesian Reunion Memorial Orchestra – Gifts of stars
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lloyd_Rodgers/Cartesian_Reunion_Memorial_Orchestra_the_little_prince-a_ballet_in_two_acts/09-Gift_of_Stars
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 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 ACTFL — The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. This episode was written by me, Steve Leveen, and our producer Fernando Hernández who also does sound design and mixing. Our editorial consultants are Maja Thomas and Mim Harrison, research assistance from Associate Producer, Beckie Rankin.
Graphic Arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music and sounds in this episode, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License, by:
Kevin Macleod - Beach Party http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Beach_Party
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Jorge Mario Zuleta - Falta seis
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jorge_Mario_Zuleta/Fauxette/Falta_Seis
Monplaisir - terror party
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Monplaisir/Cheap_Imitation/
Mystery Mammal - upright
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Mystery_Mammal/Risk_Society/Upright
Sounds and Fx
Yle Arkisto - Bombing, air raid alarm, mix
http://freesound.org/people/YleArkisto/sounds/242598/
Danielson III - Rumble bass
http://freesound.org/people/DanielsonIII/sounds/68396/
Paisagemsonoraunila - At the bus terminal near the bus with the engine running
http://freesound.org/people/paisagemsonoraunila/sounds/334658/
Dggrunzweig - Sound of bus
http://freesound.org/people/dggrunzweig/sounds/341550/
Stevious42 - Inside moving bus
http://freesound.org/people/Stevious42/sounds/259647/
Noise collector - Mcdonalds
http://freesound.org/people/NoiseCollector/sounds/80767/
Does 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, but only a few people in the world speak more languages than he.
Listen to Episode 5 to hear what happened when these two Americans, a CEO and a polyglot, joined forces.
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 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 Stanford undergraduate Alma Flores-Perez.
Graphic Arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Music in this episode by Kevin Macleod, Andy G. Cohen, Nuno Adelaida, and Captive Portal. All thanks to the Free Music Archive directed by WFMU. Additional music courtesy of Francisco Penilla. Music in this episode, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License, by: Jason Shaw - Tennesee Hayride http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/TENNESEE_HAYRIDE_____________2-33
Kevin Macleod - Beach party http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Beach_Party
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Josh Armistead - Bongo Man http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Josh_Armistead/Meadows/
Milton Arias - Poldoro
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Milton_Arias/64Antes_del_Fin/Poldoro
Andy G Cohen - Land Legs http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Andy_G_Cohen/MUL__DIV_1198/Andy_G_Cohen_-_MULDIV_-_02_-_Land_Legs
Jason Shaw - Mountain Sun
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/MOUNTAIN_SUN_____________________2-33
We 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, looking back, they wish they had done things differently. This is a story of one of those mothers.
A shout out to America’s language teachers. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (I love their acronym ACT-Full) and its Lead with Languages campaign encourages bilingualism for all.
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 Stanford undergraduate Alma Flores-Perez.
Music and sounds in this episode by:
Zulmira by Nuno Adelaida http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Nuno_Adelaida/none_given_1662/Nuno_Adelaida_10_Zulmira Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Feeling like a delicate cookie by Captive Portal http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Captive_Portal/Feeling_Like_A_Delicate_Cookie_Single/01_Feeling_Like_A_Delicate_Cookie Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Bumbler by Andy G. Cohen http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Andy_G_Cohen/Through_The_Lens/Andy_G_Cohen_-_Bumbler Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Beach Party by Kevin Macleod freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_Ma…er/Beach_Party Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Changes include high pass EQ Filter.
Quasi Motion by Kevin Macleod Released under a Creative Commons Attribution License creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_Ma…r/Quasi_Motion
Chicle Bombita by Francisco Penilla Courtesy by the author. Whose work can be found at @francisco-penilla
Sounds: Kids Garden hose by klankbeeld http://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld/sounds/211680/ This work is licensed under the Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Children City Payground by soundbyladyv http://freesound.org/people/soundbyladyv/sounds/85249/ This work is Licensed under the sampling + License
Landing in Lisbon by mollymolata http://freesound.org/people/mollymolata/sounds/190540/ This work is Licensed under the Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Linguists 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.
This episode was written by me, Steve Leveen, and our producer Fernando Air-nandez, who also does sound design and mixing. Our editorial consultants are Maja Thomas and Mim Harrison, research assistance from Alma Flores-Perez.
Graphic Arts are created by Carlos Plaza Design Studio.
Special thanks to Rev. Dr. James Katinas for letting us record in the sound studio of the Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Thanks as well to Greek Language School Director, Dr. Stavroula Christodoulou, the teachers of the St. Demetrios Greek School, and to Anastasia Kastrenakes Merkel for sharing her recording of the Chants of the Fathers of the Holy Monastery of Gregoriou Mount Athos.
Additional music and sound in this episode:
Rast’e Tou Teke by Costa and Nero - Rast'e Tou Teke
Released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share alike 3.0 International License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Costa_and_Nero/On_A_Steady_Diet_of_Hash_Bread__Salt/soundeyet_-_ON_A_STEADY_DIET_OF_HASH_BREAD__SALT_-_03_Raste_Tou_Teke
Beach Party by Kevin Macleod http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Beach_Party Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Changes include high pass EQ Filter.
Quasi Motion by Kevin Macleod Released under a Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Land Legs by Andy G. Cohen Released under a Creative Commons Attribution International License https://andyg.co/hen/ Seikilos Epitaph with the Lyre of Apollo by Lina Palera Released under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License. http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Lina_Palera_Lyre_20_Project_player/An_Appreciation/01_Seikilos_Epitaph_with_the_Lyre_of_Apollo
Bathed in fine dust by Andy G. Cohen Released under a Creative Commons Attribution International License https://andyg.co/hen/ http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Andy_G_Cohen/MUL__DIV_1198/Andy_G_Cohen_-_MULDIV_-_07_-_Bathed_in_Fine_Dust
Aurea Carmina - Full mix by Kevin Macleod Released under a Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Best_of_2014_1461/Aurea_Carmina
Chicle Bombita by Francisco Penilla Courtesy by the author. Whose work can be found at https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla Chants of the Fathers of the Holy Monestary of Gregoriou Mount Athos Courtesy of Annastasia Kastrenakes Merkel’s personal recordings.
Sounds:
Drunk teenagers by Zabuhailo Released under a Creative Commons Attribution license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ http://freesound.org/people/Zabuhailo/sounds/195721/
Crowd sounds by Sagetyrtle
http://freesound.org/people/sagetyrtle/sounds/102096/
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
“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 producer Fernando Hernandez, 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 Design Studio. Find out more at http://www.carlosplazadesignstudio.com/
Music in this episode by:
Kevin Macleod - Beach party http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Beach_Party
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Francisco Penilla - Chicle bombita https://soundcloud.com/francisco-penilla/francisco-penilla-chicle-bombita
Marco Raaphorst - Au coin de la rue http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Marco_Raaphorst/KlankBeeld/Au_coin_de_la_rue
Fatal Injection - PSI Part III http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Fatal_Injection/PSI/Fatal_Injection_-_PSI_-_03_PSI_Part_III
Chris Zabriskie - I should have been more human http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chris_Zabriskie/Music_from_Neptune_Flux/ChrisZabriskie-MusicfromNeptuneFlux-09
Kevin Macleod - Backed vibes clean http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Jazz_Sampler/Backed_Vibes_Clean_1973
Andy G. Cohen - A perceptible shift http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Andy_G_Cohen/MUL__DIV_1198/Andy_G_Cohen_-_MULDIV_-_04_-_A_Perceptible_Shift
Does 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 Ruth Kim.
Music in this episode by:
Kevin Macleod - Beach party http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Beach_Party
Kevin Macleod - Rite of passage http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Rite_of_Passage
Kevin Macleod - Quasi motion http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Quasi_Motion
Kevin MacLeod - I knew a guy http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Jazz_Samp
Kevin Macleod - Baltic levity http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kevin_MacLeod/Global_Sampler/Baltic_Levity
Jason Shaw- Jenny's theme http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jason_Shaw/Audionautix_Acoustic/JENNYS_THEME___________________-45