Unfortunately “the ugly American” is an expression for a reason… We’ve all seen the U.S. traveler who thinks that that yelling loudly in English at a non-English speaker will somehow translate into magical comprehension.  But it never does, does it? There’s a better way, and not just a better way to communicate when you travel, […]

Maybe you’ve tried one of the expensive language-learning programs that take you through confusing conjugations and endless repetitions – only to give up after a few weeks.  Or, perhaps you “took a language” in high school or college, and all you can remember now is how to say “hello” and “where is the library?”  I […]

I’ve talked before about how cool it would be to be able to chat with – or even understand – the Swahili-speaking guides with us at our photo expedition in Tanzania. But speaking the native language has benefits that go way beyond being able to communicate with locals. Sure, it’s amazing to be able to […]

Good news! It turns out that you can teach an old dog new tricks – especially when it comes to learning a second (or third, or fourth) language. You’ve probably always heard that adults have a much harder time learning a second language than children do. But according to recent studies from language learning experts […]