Cierra Smith, Author at Cultured Simplicity

Everything to know about internationally marketing your small business

May 12, 2021

Reading Time: 6 minutes

internationally marketing your small business

What are the types of international marketing? What is the role of international marketing? Does international business pay well?

If you’re at all familiar with Cultured Simplicity then you know that I am expert in training.

So while I wish I could spew the answers out to all your international marketing questions… I simply can’t.

But I can tell you who can answer them, how they’ll answer them, and where you’ll find those answers.

Whether you call it international marketing or global marketing, making your business accessible abroad is key to maximizing your reach.

You’ll never know your business’ full potential until you take it to the international level.

Who is this article for:

Business owners
Entrepreneurs
Businesswomen
Businessmen
International Business majors

Don’t worry– you can also be aspiring to be one of those things.

Who this article isn’t for:

Businesspeople who don’t want to take their business, networking, or marketing skills to the international level
People who don’t like reading (or at least aren’t willing to do so)
People content with limiting their business’ marketing potential

Whether or not this article is for you, chances are you’ll benefit from one of these:

If you’re still here, you clearly want to become an expert in international marketing. Which I applaud you for.

Here’s how to do it

Bookmark, pin, and/or save this page later.
Choose one or two of the ebooks from the list below (no need to overwhelm yourself).
Read it (or scan it; I don’t judge), preferably taking notes in the process.
Come back to this page. Choose another ebook. And choose in order of preference until you’ve read either the majority or all of them. (I talk a good game but you’ll honestly probably be fine skipping this step)

Simple enough, right? It actually is. Consider this article your master guide and all-in-one-stop to mastering international business. Everything you’ll ever need to know is right here.

Sure, it’s not super quick. But with a bit of patience and self-discipline, you’ll be soaking in the knowledge available in the books below like a sponge. Seriously.

So many nitty-gritty details will be addressed in these expert books, from “What are the 5 forms of international business?” to “Which country is best for international business?”

Just to get you excited, here’s just a micro-snippet of what these authors will be answering:

Which country has best marketing?
Should I study international business?
s it worth studying international business?
& a heck of a lot more

So let’s get into these books shall we?

As a disclaimer, due to convenience and availability, the book links are to Amazon. Please complete your orders through Amazon Smile so a percentage will be donated to a nonprofit of your choice. Let’s support small businesses while growing our own.

If you’re pressed for money or time, consider getting the audiobook versions on Kindle Unlimited, but that still requires sitting down and reading and I’m well aware that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. To each her own.

6 ebooks/books for mastering international marketing

1. ISE International Marketing

Now, this book is one of the most expensive on this list. $68 really isn’t too much though when you’re investing in your business and/or business skills.

PSA: Student hustler money-saving hack

See the little orange button in the image below that says “Save $20.02”?

internationally market your small business — Yep, right under the star rating

You can save that much too if you install the Honey plugin on Google Chrome or Internet Explorer. Honey automatically applies any existing promo code to your order so you don’t have to:

Scour the internet searching for a promo code (just to find out one doesn’t even exist)
OR pay full price for an item

Now back to the book.

This book was published in February 2021 so it is definitely up-to-date. It’s 722 pages worth of top-tier knowledge that may or may not hit the other books on this list out the park.

It covers a well-rounded perspective of international markets that encompass history, geography, language, and religion as well as economics..

All data, text, photos, and images have been updated for currency. There are even questions and “practice quizzes” to guide your learning.

2. International Marketing

This book’s authors discuss five key factors that impact any international marketing venture – culture, language, political/legal systems, economic systems, and technological differences – in relation to the core marketing concepts of markets, products, pricing, distribution (place), and promotion.

The book also covers sustainability and bottom-of-the-pyramid issues within each chapter with rich illustrations and examples from both multinational companies and smaller local concerns.

This multi-format read is super concise, organized, and comprehensive. The material and presentation are downright refreshing.

3. The Language of Global Marketing: Translate Your Domestic Strategies into International Sales and Profits

Published in April 2021, The Language of Global Marketing is definitely a solid bet for up-to-date, relevant information.

Business-builders are provided a roadmap for finding new revenue from a global audience with the right quality content and tools.

Filled with easy-to-understand strategies and solutions to real-life situations, this is your guide to successful international expansion through global inbound marketing and translation services.

You’ll discover:

How to align your expansion plans, communications, and brand with your company’s digital marketing plan
Four key components to building a successful Translation Management Plan
and, of course, a whole lot more

This book isn’t meant for a one-time read through but rather serves as reference for anyone creating a multilingual business complete with terms, definitions and a glossary.

4. Global Sales: A Practical Playbook on How to Drive Profitable Growth for International Sales and Marketing Leaders

Published in November 2020, this book is for anyone who can’t figure out how to build momentum for explosive sales beyond a domestic market? Which I’m assuming is you since you’re reading this article.

ortunately, you don’t have to sell in every continent before becoming an effective global salesman–you just have to listen to someone who has already done the work.

Zach Selch is a global sales leader who has helped companies in over 130 markets grow their global footprint thousands of percent using a tried and tested process. Global Sales breaks down this formula, and serves as a practical blueprint…

…on how you can drive profit beyond the borders of your country and uncover opportunities in new markets.

Learn how to win buy-in from the right local distributors and position your product correctly. This manual blends business theories and actual application. A conversational style breaks down difficult concepts and links them to driving profit in whichever market you’ll find yourself in.

5. International Brand Strategy: A Guide to Achieving Global Brand Growth

Written from a marketing practitioner’s perspective, International Brand Strategy evens the playing field with clear, actionable techniques to guide any organization going through the process.

This book helps companies build sales in foreign markets, but just as important it helps them thrive by maintaining price integrity and building brand equity at the same time.

This provides a competitive advantage from day one, empowers companies to avoid costly mistakes, and saves months of trial and error.

The book lays out a unique methodology for managing brands abroad that can be implemented for any product in any market.

These methods have proven their value for companies large and small across six continents.

Conclusion + Plan of action

If you’re new here, hi, I’m Cierra, and I’m immensely passionate about cultural inclusion in the workplace.

If you want regular content for culturally inclusive businesswomen, minority business owners, and boss babe WOC, join my email list.

You’ll get some uber cute digital stickers designed to showcase your cultural inclusivity ( + make talking about the topic easier.)

Alongside 50% off a digital planner, branding bundle, Instagram kit, or something else from my shop!

And did I mention exclusive access to giveaways, guides, checklists, and new posts? ‘Cause yeah.

There’s going to be lots of content coming your way on intercultural/international marketing, so keep up with me on Pinterest or Instagram.

So which of these books are you going to read first?

Five Cultural Misconceptions that are screwing UP your business interactions

May 5, 2021

Reading Time: 9 minutes

cultural misconceptions that are screwing up your business interactions

We’ve all been guilting of falling prey to common misconceptions about culture. Misconceptions that can make or break business interactions.

In the world of networking and business, stereotypes are detrimental. Especially when they’re false.

Which is why it’s so important that you squeeze the misconceptions listed below out of your head ASAP.

Keep in mind that the misconceptions addressed in this article are:

for people from other countries. Not for people of these ethnic backgrounds who were born in or raised in your country.
largely misconceptions in America

Understand that the alternatives to these misconceptions are not always true (but normally are)!

Culture is a very sensitive topic so please don’t take offense to anything discussed below. Thanks in advance!

Stereotypes you need to ditch like… yesterday

Cultural Misconception #1: Asian counterparts are shy and reserved (It’s just their nature, right?)

Asians are sometimes stereotyped as silent, withdrawn, or shy by Westerners.

If you lead a multinational team that comprises both Asians and Westerners, you’ve probably encountered the usual Western criticism that Asian team members don’t speak up and aren’t as forthright in giving their individual views in team meetings.

When giving a presentation (or even engaged in an enthusiastic discussion), you may be irritated by an Asian counterpart’s seeming lack of engagement.

This cultural stereotype, however, did not accurately represent Mr. Chen’s motivation in The Culture Map by Erin Meyers– as it doesn’t for most Asians.

However, Meyer’s next step when she encountered a scenario of “Asian reservedness” was one that most of us Westerners skip. Politely asking your counterpart why he or she didn’t speak up.

When Mrs. Meyers asked Chen why he didn’t speak up during their lengthy co-presentation, he responded “Were you expecting me to jump in?” This was asked with a genuine look of surprise on his face.

He then proceeded to explain the case as he saw it. “Erin is the chairman of the meeting in this room… I wait for her to call on me since she is the senior individual in the building. While I’m waiting, I can demonstrate that I’m a decent listener by holding my voice and body silent.”

An Asian colleague’s quietness is completely justified when you take note of just how much Americans talk

Chen went on to comment on the fact that in China, they sometimes get the impression that Westerners talk up too much in meetings to show off, or that we are bad listeners.

Mr. Chen noted that Chinese people pause for a couple seconds longer before speaking than Westerners.

In a gathering, we “Westerners basically talk over each other.”

He remarked:

I kept expecting Erin to be silent long enough for me to join in, but it never happened.

Chen shared that Chinese people also believe Americans don’t listen well in favor of constantly interrupting one another to make their arguments. (Which let’s be real, we sometimes do.)

If an acceptable duration of delay had occurred, he would have loved to make one of his arguments. “But Erin was constantly chatting, so [he] just sat and waited.”

Last but not least, Chen shared a Chinese proverb his mother had raised him on:

You have two eyes, two ears, but only one mouth. You should use them accordingly.

What does this mean for you as a businesswoman, businessman, or small business owner?

When giving presentations with an Asian counterpart, or engaged in a team meeting, invite them to speak up. No, not with your eyes or by angling your head in their direction.

Actually voice your invitation out loud. And if they don’t speak immediately, wait a few seconds before carrying on.

If you’re in a leadership position, you may even implement a hand-raising method of some sort. (Preferably at the start of meetings so that half-way through, co-workers don’t get irritated by their “Asian teammate who never has anything to contribute”.)

Cultural Misconception #2: The
French are masters of implicit and indirect communication

cultural misconceptions and stereotypes for international business — Heres to me wishing I was as put together as she is.

I’ll be real with you. I wasn’t aware of this culture misconception until I read The Culture Map. But turns out it’s a very real thing.

The French are thought to be masters of implied and indirect contact, communicating and listening with delicacy and sensitivity, while Americans are thought to prefer overt and straightforward communication.

In other words, we believe that frank is good, and subtle is useless. Which is basically the direct opposite to the French.

However, in Erin Meyers’ tale “Deaf Dulac,”, an American administrator complains that his French assistant lacked the intellect to understand his underlying message, whereas the French employee is blissfully unaware of her boss’s discontent.

Turns out this kind of situation is a lot more common than you’d think.

If you interview fifty French employees and ask them one by one how their American employers give them negative reviews, almost all of them will respond with vague, contradictory, or confusingly deceptive.

This trend is perplexing since Americans are almost always more straightforward and transparent than the French.

The exception to the norm

The one glaring exception is when supervisors provide input to their employees. Positive feedback is normally provided indirectly in a French company, whereas negative feedback is given more explicitly.

In the U.S., positive input is normally delivered explicitly from American administrators, who aim to package negative comments in positive, motivating words.

When admins utilize the traditional American formula of three positives for any negative, French subordinates are likely to leave a meeting with encouragement ringing loudly in their ears, while the negative comments seemed insignificant.

If Dulac had been mindful of this cultural tendency while reviewing her work results with her new American employer, she may have emphasized the bad aspects of the assessment more than she might have if it had come from a French boss, allowing her to interpret the reviews more correctly and maybe save her job.

What do this mean for you as a business owner?

If you’re in a position of leadership over an employee from France, be sure to reframe your communication during performance assessments. Start with telling them that you always begin with a few positive aspects before going into areas for improvement. Make sure they understand this and then go on with the assessment.

Simply telling them this beforehand will make sure that they pay attention during the assessment’s more critical, and important, points.

Cultural Misconception #3: Indian counterparts are disinterested in what it is that you have to say

When you live, serve, or move about regularly in regions abroad, you pick up a lot of contextual clues that help you decipher interactions and adjust accordingly.

When you interchange e-mails with a foreign counterpart in a region you haven’t visited, it’s far easier to overlook cultural nuances that affect interactions.

A basic example is the half-shake, half-nod of the head, which is a characteristic Indian behaviour. When doing business in India, you’ll quickly discover that the half-shake, half-nod isn’t a symbol of conflict, misunderstanding, or lack of encouragement like it is in most other societies. Instead, it connotes curiosity, zeal, or even, polite listening.

After a few hours there in person, you’d see that every native does this. Then logically, you’d make a mental note of what it seems to convey, and you’d read the gesture correctly while discussing a negotiation with your Indian outsourcing team.

However, when communicating with your Indian counterparts via e-mail or telephone from your home office across the world, you never see the setting in which they live and function.

Which means you fail to ever recognize the true meaning of their subtle head gestures.

When you’re on a videoconference with a major Indian executive, you may misinterpret his half-shake, half-nod as a sign that he’s not completely sold on your concept.

You try harder to persuade him, but the more you speak, the more he (apparently) shows his disapproval with his head. You hang up confused, irritated, and possibly furious.

So what does this mean for you as a small business owner, businesswoman, or businessman?

Simple. You recognize that there are cultural cues at work here and you embrace the half-nods and half-shakes. Next.

Misconception #4: Nuanced (layered) communicators aren’t trustworthy

Most of us have been in a “sales-y” situation before where the seller went on and on about the product, using numerous attractive adjectives, and seeming to “beat around the bush” before addressing cons (or possibly, a higher-than-expected sale price.)

This kind of behavior has led many westerners to distrust long sentences. Short is transparent. Long is elusive.

However, nuanced speech isn’t a bad thing (and can be indicative of the speaker’s respect for your intellect!)

Some cultures rely on straight-to-the-point communication, while others rely on layered communication.

The chart below shows which countries as a whole lean on straight-to-the-point communication (low-context) versus layered communication (high-context).

Taken from Erin Meyers “The Culture Map:

Major takeaways from that graph include:

Western countries (and Australia) don’t value eloquent speech filled with unnecessary “frilly” words
- Precise communication is favored
Eastern countries and African countries consider “good communication” to be sophisticated and layered
- Messages aren’t clearly stated, but implied
Central American countries, Spain, and Italy fall more in the middle but lean towards an appreciation of nuanced speech

If you come from a low-context country, a high-context communicator can seem discreet, cryptic, or incapable of communicating effectively.

If you come from a high-context society, you might see a low-context communicator as overstating the obvious or as demeaning and flippant. Your low-context counterparts may even feel that you speak to them like children.

This misconception was written for someone from a low-context culture, but if you’re from a high-context culture: flip it.

Low-context communicators shouldn’t distrust layered speech.

And high-context communicators shouldn’t regard short sentences as condescending.

What does this mean for you as a small business owner, businesswoman, or businessman?

Be mindful of your communication with international partners. Consider using nuanced speech so that your eastern or southern connections don’t feel that they’ve been demeaned.

If you’re marketing to a high-context culture, consider elongating your descriptions and/or presentations.

On the other hand, consider communicating more precisely if you’re from a high-context society. Pin-pointing the more important details can go a long way in connecting with a Western audience.

Misconception #5: A joke wasn’t told if not followed by a smile, laugh, or “just kidding!”

This misconception is specifically for Americans and Brits.

On the Communicating scale, both Americans and Britons are at the low-context end.

However, the British have a greater tendency to talk between the lines compared with Americans, which is particularly noticeable in British humor.

Many British people like telling funny or humorous stories with a deadpan expression. Unfortunately, many Americans don’t get this kind of humor; they might think a Brit is kidding, but they risk showing their teeth just in case he isn’t.

Consequently, the British sometimes say that Americans “don’t get sarcasm.”

A better interpretation is that Americans are actually more low-context than their British counterparts.

When an American tells a joke, particularly in a professional environment, they are more apt to explicitly state, “This is a joke,” which is completely unnecessary when a British individual is referring to a fellow Brit.

What does this mean for you as a small business owner, businesswoman, or businessman?

Simply, to not be afraid to laugh when speaking with a British colleague. But to also recognize that your humor could be lost on foreign counterparts. In professional settings with international listeners, pick your jokes very wisely.

Even researching beforehand, despite how “uncool” that may seem. Jokes are great at lightening the mood during any social situation, so there’s no shame in having a few Google-searched ones on hand.

Conclusion

So what did we learn today?

Most Asians aren’t naturally silent or reluctant to share their opinions in team settings
American negative feedback is a whole lot less direct than French negative feedback (and probably numerous European countries). You should reframe personal assessments so that an employee doesn’t think their areas for improvement are “minor details.”
Indian business partners aren’t disinterested when they half-nod or half-shake their heads. Contrary to western culture, these body gestures convey interest.
Nuanced (layered) speech is totally trustworthy… at least when spoken by someone in Asia, Central America, France, or Spain. These “high-context” societies naturally use more words than Americans and most Westerners.
Americans aren’t the kings of irony. Just kidding. But Americans are quite poor at detecting British sarcasm. The big lesson here is to be mindful of the jokes you make around international connections.

For a regular dose of cultural goodies and business-minded advice, join the Cultured Simplicity community. Free cultural digital stickers coming your way!

Also keep up with me on Instagram. Pinterest, and YouTube! I’ll see you around.

Make sure you check out 20 culture quotes that’ll make you rethink life!

Have you personally discovered any cultural misconceptions / stereotypes to be false?

How to create your Boss Babe Branding Kit

May 1, 2021

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Pin for later reference!

So you either bought yourself or need yourself a branding kit for your personal brand? Feminine branding is an amazing way to market your beautiful brand. And digital beauty brand bundles with Instagram templates, business cards, price lists, and more are super convenient for boss babes.

However, for someone who’s never used canva.com before– there’s a little learning curve.

Fortunately though, Canva is very intuitive and significantly more user-friendly than Adobe Illustrator.

So this tutorial is brief.

If you’re here after buying one of my products on Etsy, click here.

First things first, what are branding kits?

If you’re here from Etsy, chances are you already know. It’s a virtual brand bundle filled with digital goods for your business.

Here’s what you’ll typically find in the brand bundles I offer on Etsy:

Business Card (Front & Back)
Instagram Feed Templates
Instagram Story Templates
Price lists
Thank you notes
“Leave a review” card
Instagram Highlight Covers
Social media banners
Blog banners
& sometimes, some other things (if you know, you know!)

All my branding kits are designed for female creators. Or at least for businesses with feminine brands.

Culturedsimplicity.com is for boss babe makers, after all.

Regardless of if you buy a digital brand bundle from me, or another seller, it’s time to learn how to use Canva.

Especially, if you’re planning on creating your branding kit entirely yourself. Which we’ll get to in a little bit.

How to edit pre-made branding kits in Canva

As seen on Etsy

1. Click your file to open it. That’s it. It’s literally that simple.

2. Double-Click the text you’d like to change (i.e., any text that currently says “brand name” or “name”). Type in your desired text.

Click the drop-down at the top that says the font name (in the image below, “Signature”). Choose another font IF you’d like.

Click the “A” symbol with the rainbow underneath to change the color of the selected text. Once again, IF you want.

3. Click any element and either click the trash can at the top of the page OR the backspace on your keyboard to delete it.

4. Add any elements or photos from the sidebar that you like. Use that search bar, girl!

5. Feel free to upload your logo or any other images you have on hand. Just click “uploads” on the sidebar, and then “upload media”.

6. Download your files. Click the download icon at the top (the upside down arrow with line underneath. Canva lets you download your files as a PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF, MP4, or GIF. PNG is your best bet for most online platforms. PDF is best for printing.

A few more tips…

To crop an SVG element, you have to double click and then drag one of the four corner points toward your desired cropped area.
To a PNG element/image, all you you have to do is drag one of the edges towards your desired cropped area.
Click the “lock” at the top to unlock an element. Click the “unlocked lock” at the top to lock an element. It makes more sense when you see it.
Click the three dots at the top and then “arrange” to move the element behind or in front of other objects.
Click the three dots at the top and then the double square icon with a plus sign to copy the element.

In all honestly, this tutorial makes Canva seem a bit more complicated than it actually is. You’ll have the hang of it in no time.

How to make your own branding kit in Canva

Understandably, this choice takes a lot more time. The branding kits I sell on Etsy take me at least three hours and I’ve been designing since 2017.

That being said, you can totally create your own branding kit. This is the budget friendly option that ensures your branding represents your brand down to a “T.”

If you’re a newbie to Canva, scroll back up to here to learn all the basics.

The real work in creating your own branding kit is in:

Sizing your files to properly fit your platform
Creating a uniform brand identity (I’m talking fonts, colors, and overall aesthetic)

So chin up, queen. That’s really not that much.

First things first, I’m going to do something I never thought I’d do as a blogger. I’m going to promote a paid platform for free. (Sigh. Canva, please sponsor me.)

Now’s the time to take full advantage of the Canva Pro one-month free trial. Why? Because you can only automatically resize content if you’re a pro member.

Automatically re-sizing your designs is a major time-saver. You can create your business card (pro tip: using one of Canva’s pre-made templates that are already sized for you), and then resize to a social media banner.

Canva has just about every image size for online platforms pre-saved for you. All you have to do is type in “Instagram, “blog”, etc, and they’ll output the size and premade templates.

You can either start from scratch or start from someone else’s design.

If I were in your shoes, here’s exactly what I’d do:

Type “business card” in Canva’s search bar.
Click the business card blank template or a pre-made business card template.
Add and modify your text with the fonts and colors that reflect your brand. Choose your fonts and colors wisely, because they need to be on all your designs for a cohesive brand identity.
Click “resize” and type “Instagram”, “Facebook,” “Blog,” or whatever platform you’ll be creating an image for. Since your blog/social banners can look pretty similar to your business card, I’d suggest starting with one of those. If you’re on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, or you run a blog, you should make a banner for each.
Resize to an Instagram post (if you’re on Instagram.) Change the text, keeping the font the same. It’s okay to add another font, but make sure you have one that appears on nearly all your designs.
Resize all those same images to Instagram story dimensions (which are also built into Canva.) Since everyone knows you have to post a story and feed photo to maximize exposure.
If you’re an online business owner, resize your image to a Pinterest pin. If you don’t use Pinterest for business, now’s the time to start. Create 5 pin templates to edit for each blog post, product, or youtube video. You can also auto-create pins in mass using Tailwind create. Tailwind allows you to auto-post to Pinterest and Instagram, and has plenty of blog guides to help you maximize your potential on both platforms.

Last Suggestions

I suggest adding your logo to most of your images. And using the same filter or Adobe Lightroom preset on all of your photos. (Again, making sure it reflects your brand. Vintage is a no for an Atlanta-based lash studio.)

Now on to what you may be thinking over right about now.

Why is a cohesive branding kit so important? Because you always want someone “scrolling by” to know that it was your business who posted something before even looking at the account name.

A couple of pro tips:

Don’t play around with elements too much. Keep it simple. Try to use similar-style elements in most of your images (watercolor, neon, etc.)
Save time by creating images for either Instagram OR Facebook. Once you link your business accounts on both platforms, you can post to both at the same time. So there’s honestly no need to make a Facebook version of your Instagram post, and vice versa. As an Instagram lover, I’m inclined to say design your images for Instagram and not the other way around. Instagram is all about visual appeal. A beautiful feed on Instagram matters more than a beautiful feed on Facebook. I said what I said and I’m sticking to it.

Conclusion

A branding kit is extremely useful regardless of who makes it. Once you get it done for you once, you can use it forever. At least, theoretically speaking.

Whether you call it a branding kit, brand bundle, or business bundle, its a must-have toolbox for serious business owners.

Making sure businesswomen, Black girl bosses, and boss babes of color have the resources they need to thrive is what Cultured Simplicity is all about.

My blog and shop are your weapons for building a strong personal brand. And eventually, empire.

Let’s grow together. Join the Cultured Simplicity sisterhood for 50% off your next order. (Excluding custom work but not excluding branding kits! Because you should never have to break the bank to invest in yourself)

What’s in your branding kit?

How to start a digital planner for boss babes

April 22, 2021

Reading Time: 7 minutes

Let’s talk about digital planners. Including the answers to commonly asked questions like:

What is the best digital planner?
What does a digital planner do?
Should you use a digital planner?
How do you make a digital planner?

First things first, if you’re at all familiar with my blog, Instagram. or YouTube, you know that I’m an avid advocate for bullet journals. Heck, I even have a Skillshare course on how to bullet journal for self love and empowerment. (use that link for 2 weeks free!)

Bullet journaling is a transformative practice…but as it turns out, so is digital journaling. Also known as digital planning, or its Etsy-savvy term, a digital planner.

Just like a bullet journal, a digital planner is so versatile, enjoyable, and beautiful that it can be quite a challenge to know how to get started.

And I’ll admit, that I originally thought a digital planner sounded strange (don’t ask my why, I just did). I honestly thought the only forms of digital planners were apps like Todoist and cloud-based calendars like Google Calendar.

But man, was I wrong.

A digital planner can be exactly like a paper planner or bullet journal. I’m talking identical.

It was the digital planner snapshot below by Plan a Healthy Life that completely sold me on the idea.

source: https://planahealthylife.com/blog/how-to-make-digital-stickers-goodnotes-picmonkey

I mean, seriously, how nifty is this?

Before the how… Why start a digital planner?

The first obvious advantage to digital planning that stands out to me is the use of photos! It’s literally like smashing a scrapbook and planner into one. But that’s not it.

Other advantages to keeping a digital planner include:

You can carry it with you wherever (and view it whenever)
Most are multi-platform accessible (phone, iPad, computer, etc…)
You don’t have to worry about messy handwriting
You can use any font you like
You don’t need a color printer to add ✨aesthetic✨ photos from the internet (which can be a real pain for bullet journal users)
You can keep your planner tab open throughout the day and add to it as needed
Sometimes you can add hyperlinks
You can rearrange and move around elements freely (without messy eraser marks)

If I sound infatuated with digital planners, it’s because I sort of am.

If you own an iPad, this is your sign to install Goodnotes, Notability, or OneNote to at least attempt creating a digital planner. Although you can totally plan on other devices, iPads are generally deemed to be the superior digital planning device thanks to their precise writing styluses.

I’m well aware that iPads don’t fit into everybody’s budget, as one doesn’t fit in mine, so the advice in this article is for all devices. (However, you may want to consider saving up for one if you’re any form of a content creator!)

The best way to start a digital planner as a bullet journal lover

Without a doubt, free-form digital planning on a blank surface is the best way to get the bullet journal experience on a device. Apps specifically made for planning simply take all the creativity and artsy pizzazz out of the process.

However, very few note-taking apps make the cut for a functional, easy-to-use digital planner.

So I’ll take the guesswork out of it for you, and tell which applications are most likely to guarantee your digital planning success.

Goodnotes (a.k.a the #1 app for digital planners)

geometry notes on the iPad — Source: goodnotes.com

Why: Goodnotes is literally marketed as a “beautiful, searchable, handwritten” notes-taking app that turns your iPad into digital paper.”

This app is rated 4.8 stars in the App Store, and is available on all Apple devices.

Among it’s many features, you can:

Move, resize, and rotate your handwriting or change colors
Draw perfect shapes and lines with the Shapes Tool
Choose to erase the entire stroke or only parts of it
And my personal favorite… import images! (including digital stickers)

Let’s talk digital stickers right quick

The biggest thing I love about my bullet journal is how self-reflective it is. It’s filled with stickers, magazine cutouts, and artwork that reflect who I am. I was afraid that a digital planner would fail to capture that beauty. Etsy proved me wrong.

One search of “digital planner” on Etsy and I got hundreds of thousands of results. 310,137 to be exact.

First things first, that proved to me that I, nor anyone else, have to start a digital planner blindly. Furthermore, that showed me just how many totally cute things there are to embellish your digital planner.

There were boho life stickers, undated planner stickers, doodle stickers, foodie stickers, self-love stickers, and so much more.

As an Etsy designer myself, of course, I had to try my own hand at making digital stickers — which led to me also creating a digital planner. My rose gold boss babe digital sticker bundle has 60 stickers of motivational sayings.

Here’s my handmade sticker set as it would look in Goodnotes!

Which brings me back to why Goodnotes seems to be the top tier app for starting a digital planner.

It’s the app that most creators gear their digital planning creations towards. Most digital planning items listed online come with a Goodnotes files that make for an instant, seamless import into Goodnotes.

Digital stickers keep thing colorful, simple, and self-reflective all while allowing you to support small businesses.

That being said, digital stickers can totally be used in other note-taking digital planning apps. All my did digital stickers sold on Etsy come with pre-cropped PNG files for easy use in any note-taking app, as do most other listings. So definitely consider some of the other apps as well.

My all-time favorite (free!) course on familiarizing yourself with digital bullet journaling: Digital Bullet Journaling on the iPad + FREE assets (papers, images, etc!).

Notability

Why: Notability is easily one of the most popular Apple note-taking applications. It’s marketed for its unlimited potential in allowing users to “capture their thoughts”.

It’s most notable (pun intended) features allow users to:

Combine handwriting, photos and typing in a single note to bring projects to life
Use a wide range of note-taking and sketching tools to capture every detail
Add and annotate PDFs
Create and organize work, school, and life’s information

This isn’t a comparison article so I won’t be talking pros and cons compared to Goodnotes. I’m merely here to tell you your options.

If you search on Etsy for digital planner finds, you’ll typically notice that Notability is mentioned right after Goodnotes in terms of compatibility. So this application is definitely a safe bet for starting a digital planner.

Noteshelf

Why: Noteshelf has one glaring advantage over both Goodnotes and Notability. It’s available for Android users. Meaning that Noteshelf is the app to go with if you don’t have an Apple device.

Even if you do have an Apple device, Noteshelf is a solid competitor that should be considered. Particularly if you’re a student or professional also looking for a simple way to take digital notes.

Noteshelf users are able to:

Take Notes
Record Audio
Markup PDFs
Add Photos
Draw Perfect Shapes
Add Covers & Templates
Fill forms
Sign contracts,
Highlight your notes

For Apple Watch users, you can even create voice notes with Noteshelf for the Apple Watch. Then you can take notes later as you listen to those recordings.

OneNote

Why: Although Noteshelf is available for Windows users, Microsoft OneNote was made for Windows users. Everything is saved to the cloud and you can access OneNote from all your devices.

It even allows multiple users to collaborate on notes, which can honestly be great for making sure you and your hubby or kids are on the same page about upcoming plans.

OneNote doesn’t have handwriting functionality, but it’s still great app for those not looking to super super artsy with their planner.

It’s extremely organized and allows you to create hyperlinks to different tabs.

You can also record audio notes, insert online videos, and add files. You may not have the most doodle-heavy or “exciting” digital planner, but you’ll definitely have an organized one.

KeyNote

Why: The Keynote application, which is available through Apple, can be also used for digital planning.

This app is completely free to access and is very flexible since it can be used on any Apple device. It also provides Apple Pencil compatibility, allowing users to doodle and sketch as much as they want!

To get started, simply visit Apple’s website and create an Apple ID. Create your own presentation and provide hyperlinks to each tab for quick access.

For a guided digital planner…

It’s time to either head to Pinterest or Etsy! As a newbie to digital planning, your best bet is a guided digital planner.

With pages already made for you to fill in, you won’t have to worry about building your planner from the ground up. Plus you’ll be able to focus more on getting creative with your planner.

Most digital planners are pretty cheap and of great quality. Including this rose gold-themed boss babe digital planner! This planner was carefully crafted by yours truly.

It contains 81 pages that are absolutely perfect for boss babes, businesswomen, and entrepreneurs. Pages include:

Weekly spreads
Monthly Spreads
Financial Trackers
Goal Trackers
Business pages
Personal pages (water log, fitness tracker, self care, etc.)
And more!

You won’t be disappointed. Use code CULTUREDSIMPLICITY20 for 20% off. Nobody else but this article’s readers has access to that code so… be excited!

Boss Babe Digital Planner Small Business Planner image 0

That being said, email subscribers are typically the first among the CS family to get exclusive goodies. And if you want some free digital stickers for your planner (that can also be print and cut if need be), sign up for my list! We’d love to have you.

Expect lots of content in the upcoming months promoting boss babe living and cultural inclusivity. I post about once (or twice) a month on this blog, so subscribe on YouTube for more frequent content!

10 tricks for successful language exchanges that aren’t overwhelming

February 17, 2021

Reading Time: 10 minutes

How do you have a successful language exchange? What is the best app for language exchange? How do I find a language exchange partner?

I’m going to be answering all those questions and more in this article. Serious language learners know how useful language exchange can be which is why it’s so important that it’s done the right way.

As enjoyable as language exchange can be, it can be equally as overwhelming. Speaking honestly, it can seem quite scary– especially when you’ve never done it before.

Most solo language learners don’t get nearly enough speaking practice. And the listening practice is often slowed down and accompanied by subtitles. Two facts that make language exchange all the more overwhelming.

Prior to the digital age, language exchange was done purely in person. (Now that’s scary.) But thanks to the internet and language exchange apps, language exchange is now done nearly entirely remotely.

Although this isn’t one of my tips listed below, I strongly suggest keeping language exchange remote, at least in the beginning, to reduce any anxiety surrounding the situation.

There are numerous perks to keeping language exchange virtual, including:

translation tools
shorter conversations
a variety of partners
personal safety (and health during the covid-19 pandemic!)

Regardless of it’s medium, by no means does language exchange have to be intimidating. As long as you have a decent foundation in the language, particularly in listening and speaking skills, you’ll be just fine.

Your language exchange partner is likely just as insecure about their foreign language skills as you are! (And even if they’re not, they totally empathize with your communication struggles.)

Consider language exchange a judgement-free zone. As long as you both start your exchanges with a mutual understanding concerning how both partners will benefit, there’s no reason to be nervous about how the call will go.

All the partners I’ve ever had have been perfectly fine with me talking nearly entirely in their native language and them talking in mine. (Although we both will happily speak in our native tongues if needed during points in the conversation!)

In addition to language exchange you’ll still need some writing practice, so make sure you check out 50 Unique Ways to Practice Writing a Foreign Language.

But without further ado, let’s get into my 10 tricks for how to have a successful language exchange.

How do you have a successful language exchange?

1. Come prepared with clear communication vocabulary

You don’t want to start a language exchange call without knowing the phrases needed to clarify or enhance your understanding. This includes questions, words, and statements.

Some really good vocabulary to come prepared with include:

Can you please repeat that?
Can you please speak slower?
I’m sorry, I don’t understand.
Do you know how to say it in English?
Can you write it down for me?
Did you understand me?
“What?” or “Huh?”
Can you please say it louder?

It’s also handy to know how to ask questions that’ll expand your knowledge of the language. Fortunately, you’ll pick up on grammar rules gradually throughout your calls, but vocabulary needs to be clarified if not obvious in context.

If they’re more fluent in your native language than you are in theirs, they’ll be a particularly useful teacher. Take advantage of that and ask questions like:

How do I say [English word] in [your target language]?
How do I translate [English phrase] in [your target language]?
Do you know how to say [English word/phrase] in [your target language?]

Oftentimes they’ll know, and if they don’t, they’ll normally help you figure it out. After all, it’ll be useful for them to know as well.

2. Start with short conversations

Understandably, speaking and listening to a foreign language can take a toll on your brain’s mental power. Particularly if you’re exchange partner speaks more in their native language than in yours.

Language exchange is meant to be educational and enjoyable. Once you feel yourself fatiguing it’s totally okay to end the conversation.

If you’re still at a lower level of proficiency, the longer the conversation goes on the more likely you’ll delve into vocabulary you haven’t learned yet.

So as a general rule of thumb: gradually increase the call lengths as your proficiency in the language increases.

Your partner is a partner. Not a teacher (unless they state otherwise) and you shouldn’t expect them to teach you the language.

They’re there for you to practice the language. It’s not fair to expect them to offer translations for everything.

Even just ten minutes is enough to assess your speaking and listening skills.

Recognizing your own limitations is key to reducing the overwhelm that typically accompanies language exchanges.

3. Have a way to send text messages

Let’s be real– speaking and listening to a foreign language can quickly become overwhelming. Particularly when your partner likes to speak at the speed of light.

So after you’ve asked them to repeat themselves and slow down, and you still can’t understand what the heck they’re saying… ask them to write it down.

Lots of language learners are better at reading than listening so you may be able to understand what they said in written form.

Once you see it written down, you’ll likely see words that you know. You may even be able to use context to figure out the rest of the sentence. There might even be cognates that sound totally different when squished into a phrase.

For the ultimate learning experience, ask your partner to write what they’re saying down before asking them to translate into English. (Afterall, there’s a chance they may not even be able to!)

However, even if you can’t, there are plenty of translation tools that can. If you met your partner through a language exchange application — like Italki, HelloTalk, or Lingbe — there’s even built-in text translation features.

However, if you use everyday apps like Whatsapp, Facebook, or imessages, you can easily copy a text message and paste it into Google Translate. (Check out this article on the right way to use Google Translate!)

And if you’re communicating with your partner on a desktop, Google Translate’s Chrome extension instantly translates any text you “highlight.” Pretty nifty, if you ask me.

4. Have a translation tool ready (preferably with audio features)

No shocker here. There can easily be parts in your conversation where language truly becomes a barrier.

If your partner doesn’t know how to say something in English and you don’t know what they’re saying in the language you’re learning, it’s time to whip out a translation tool. Unless he or she is able to speak in simpler terms, there’s no really no other choice.

While a dictionary is cute and all, it’s really not practical when translating sentences.

There are way to many digital translation services to be confining yourself to paper books anyway. Sorry not sorry.

Google Translate, Bing Translate, Linguee, and some others are great translators. Even if they’re not spot-on, they definitely let you understand the gist of whatever it is your partner is saying.

Google Translate even has a conversation feature for instant verbal translation between either language. While your partner is speaking, you can hold your device up to Google Translate on another device, click the microphone icon, and view their words instantly translated. If you don’t understand what I’m trying to say, check out Google Translate for yourself and you will. I promise.

If you’re looking for a digital “dictionary” that doubles as a language learning powerhouse, check out Innovative Language.

By joining, not only do you have a virtual dictionary filled with example sentences (gotta love context), but you also get new language lessons, all the time… for free. From Beginner to advanced, and it’s available in 34 languages.

The languages that they offer full search-based virtual “dictionaries” in include:

It definitely doesn’t hurt that audio translations are provided as well.

It’s an easy way to practice your listening and reading skills between calls.

5. If possible, choose a language partner who complements your language proficiency

You remember how in school, we learned that the complementary colors are red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple? You need to find the green to your red.

If you’re an upper beginner (’cause lord knows an absolute beginner shouldn’t yet be doing language exchange calls), don’t choose a partner who is a beginner of any means.

If you can hardly speak their language and they can hardly speak yours, what’s even the point of the call? Neither of you will understand the other and your “conversation” will end up being a waste of time.

If you’re a beginner, stick with a language exchange partner who’s at least intermediate at speaking your language.

If you’re intermediate, you’ll be best off sticking with a partner who’s intermediate as well. I think this combination makes for the best two-sided learning experience.

If you’re advanced, or at least B2, you’ll have the most flexibility in who you can choose as your language exchange partner. But I suggest speaking to a beginner to ensure the most time spent speaking and listening to your target language. Neither of you will really have a choice if your partner can’t speak but a small amount of English.

6. Have a note-taking system (flashcards!)

Taking notes is so crucial in making sure you actually retain the benefits of your language exchange calls. Unfortunately our minds don’t work like sponges and we don’t automatically absorb everything we take in.

Your partner is providing true native-level translations. They’re providing you with colloquial language and conversational vocabulary that you’ll actually use in everyday life.

Don’t take that for granted. Treat the encounter as you would any other language learning experience. Taking notes and asking for clarification.

Don’t worry if you’re a major techie, I’m not talking about pen and paper. I’m talking about digital notes that can’t ever be lost or destroyed. Yes, that means taking your notes on a cloud-based platform where everything is automatically saved online.

For me, my notes are done entirely on Anki. Anki is what I consider to be the best of the best flashcard systems.

All your notes are saved on digital flashcards that are shown to you later down the line through spaced repetition. I have too much to cover in this article to go into depth, but check out this mini course on how to learn languages with Anki like a PRO. It’s free and full of great tips.

7. Come with conversation topics

This is basically the first step any language exchange regular will give you. Don’t start the call with absolutely no idea as to what you both will be talking about.

It’s a painful waste of time for your call to be filled with awkward silences. Under most circumstances, you and your partner will be relative strangers so it won’t be hard for you two to run out of something to talk about.

Fortunately though, as in the beginning phases of any friendship, you can easily fill the call with in-depth introductions.

Where are they from? Have they ever been to your country? Why are they learning your language? What’s their career? Are they in school? Do they have kids? Are they married? For how long? Would they be open to a relationship with you? Just kidding about that last one. Please don’t ask that (without obvious signals from them.)

If you’re good at keeping conversations going, you should have no problem.

But you can’t keep a conversation going if you don’t know how to get one started in the first place.

All you need are two or three broad topics to fall back on if the call suddenly goes dry.

So search online or rack your brain beforehand. Both you and your partner will be glad you did.

8. Have your easily navigable notes in front of you

For the virtuous scholar, having your notes out to reference may feel like cheating… but I promise you it isn’t.

We all have brain farts. And for the sake of keeping the conversation flowing, it’s a big help to have your notes out.

But notice I said easily navigable. Going back to the subject of note-taking, I strongly suggest using Anki or some other note-taking platform that’ll let you quickly search through your notes.

Over the past year, I’ve accumulated 1,888 cards in my Vietnamese deck. Anki’s “browse” feature means that by simply typing in one or two letters, my whole deck is instantly filtered.

So if my partner has just told me some good news and I’m trying to remember how to say “that sounds exciting”, all I have to do is search “exciting” and Anki will only output cards that contain that word.

Speaking honestly though, I consider this to be a last resort after totally racking my brain.

Don’t rely on your notes. You won’t have them in real-life conversations. Use them as stepping blocks until you don’t need them anymore.

9. Close your eyes

You know how people will tell you to take a deep breathe to take the overwhelm out of a situation? Closing your eyes will take the overwhelm out of a listening to a foreign language.

I learned that trick from my Spanish teacher. It forces you to zero in on what you’re listening to. Our eyes are distracting so closing them will help prevent yourself from getting distracted.

Plus, if you haven’t noticed, our eyes typically start looking around a bit wildly when we’re anxious. When your partner starts speaking quickly and you’re only understanding every fifth word, suddenly you’re scrunching your brows and looking right, left, up, and down as if you’re somehow searching your brain. Been there, done that.

Although closing your eyes isn’t going to miraculously make you understand words you don’t, it’s an easy way to really focus on what’s being said.

It won’t instantly produce a successful language exchange, but at least it’ll take some of the overwhelm out.

10. Prep with audio resources between calls

Reiterating what I said under the “translation tools” step, it’s never a bad idea to recruit multiple resources to improve your listening (and speaking) skills.

Your partner is there to help you practice, not to teach you the language. Even if they seem awfully “teacher-ly”, you owe it to them to practice on your own between calls.

I like to consider language exchange calls as assessments of the the skills I’ve gained on my own. They’re the perfect situations to find out whether or not you’ve actually retained what you’ve learned.

Which means that your solo study can’t merely consist of reading and writing. However appealing that textbook may be (although it’s probably not), you’l be better off sticking with well-rounded language learning platforms.

Let’s be real– language teaching applications have come way too far for you to be confining yourself to pen and paper. This isn’t’ the early twentieth century after all.

Whenever you can, I strongly suggest you employ resources that tackle all 4 of the language learning pillars:

Speaking
Listening
Reading
Writing

And as you’ll quickly learn, language exchange calls make it necessary for you to go with language learning resources that tackle the former two. There’s a good chance that a portion of your exchanges will be through text message, so don’t neglect your reading and writing skills either.

My all-time favorite audio resource is Pimsleur. Pimsleur’s 30-minute audio lessons are more than enough to keep my speaking and listening skills up to par.

Pimsleur will even get you that near-native accent you’ve always wanted.

Final Takeaways

A quick run-through of all 10 tricks for a successful language exchange:

Come prepared with clear communication vocabulary
Start with short conversations
Have a way to send text messages
Have a translation tool ready (preferably with audio features)
If possible, choose a language partner who complements your language proficiency
Have a note-taking system (flashcards!)
Come with conversation topics
Have your easily navigable notes in front of you
Close your eyes
Prep with audio resources between calls

Catch me cranking out more language loving content on Pinterest, Instagram, and on my blog.

Keep learning languages my friend, and I hope to see you again real soon!

5 ways to incorporate MOVEMENT into your language study

February 10, 2021

Reading Time: 9 minutes

The major thing I want you to take away from this article is that you can make language learning fun. That’s what we’re all about here at Cultured Simplicity. And I’m going to show you how.

Ever wondered: what is the best way to learn a second language? Or simply what is the best way to learn a language by yourself?

If you can’t quite relate to those two questions, you’ll still likely answer yes for one of these next two.

Is that sedentary lifestyle finally getting to you? Or perhaps the ever-growing trend to get 10,000 steps per day? You’re not alone. Keeping active was a struggle before quarantine; but now? It’s a very effortful commitment.

However, what If I told you you can have your cake and eat it too? As in you can effectively learn a new language by yourself while keeping up a movement regiment?

Spoiler: you can. Thanks to a little thing I like to call self discipline.

If you weren’t yet aware (which I find highly unlikely), both language learning and exercise require self discipline. You have to be willing to take a leap to do both and more importantly, stick with them. (Already lost you? Check out these 10 reasons you might hate language learning and how to boost your language learning motivation!)

When it comes to learning a new language by yourself, you have to use as much mental power as you possibly can. Your energy is so valuable. But fortunately, you have more than one kind.

You can use mental energy and physical energy simultaneously without either taking a toll on the other. Have you ever been physical exhausted after solving a riddle? Or mentally drained after going on walk?

Quite on the contrary, right? In most cases, you feel rejuvenated.

After figuring out some complex math problem or riddle, you’ll feel like a boss, and more motivated to crunch out a workout. (Even if you’ve never noticed it before! Exercise really is mind over matter.) And if you’ve just finished walking, your mind will likely feel clearer, more focused, and ready to tackle your next mental task.

I say all that to say that you shouldn’t be worried that movement will disrupt your language study focus. You definitely can do both.

Not only is moving a great way to make language learning fun, but it’s also a great way to keep you from dozing off. If you keep your body physically alert, it’ll be alot easier to keep your mind mentally alert. (And vice versa, for sure!)

So here’s how to ~~make language learning fun~~ get moving during your language study routine! Don’t forget to pin or bookmark this article for later; you’ll be needing it.

1. Stretch / Yoga + Pimsleur Audio Lessons

Stretching and low intensity yoga are some of the least mentally taxing and least physically exerting workouts out there. They’re all about moving with the flow and feeling good.

You can easily prop yourself into a down dog or cobra while focusing on one of Pimsleur’s amazing 30-minute audio lessons. Speaking from personal experience here.

Seriously, if you need a consistent, time-efficient way to study a language daily (or bi-daily), do yourself a favor and check out Pimsleur. (And my in-depth review of Pimsleur Spanish!)

Pimsleur is perfect for busy bodies who want to drive, clean, exercise, cook, or do something else while listening to a language learning podcast. But of course in our case, we’ll be stretching and flexing our joints.

Pimsleur is essentially an interactive “podcast” that you talk back to. It’s the closest you’ll get to having a conversation in your target language without actually having a conversation in your target language.

As for the movement part, I suggest starting out with stretches. Then gradually progress to easy yoga poses and build the intensity from there.

The major thing to remember here is that the movement shouldn’t distract you from what you’re listening to. You should still be able to listen and respond to the prompts regardless of what yoga pose you’re in.

But as implied earlier, the longer you acquaint your body with the movements, the easier that higher intensity poses will feel. You may not be able to focus on the audio lesson in a downdog position at the very beginning, but give yourself two weeks and you’ll likely be just fine.

Practice makes perfect. Or at least proficient. In both language learning and yoga.

Same goes for stretching. If you’re on the verge of tears when attempting a butterfly pose, you won’t be able to focus on the audio lesson.

Gradually progress to more intense stretches but don’t let them interfere with your learning. Keep in mind that learning a new language is more or less a forever (or at least a 6 months worth) goal. So you don’t have to rush the progress.

2. Walk & Listen to Language podcasts or audiobooks

This one is quite similar to number one. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to make language learning fun, or at least more enjoyable, go for a walk.

Grab your earbuds (or airpods for you fancy people out there) and hit the sidewalk, trail, or street, if you like living recklessly.

While Pimsleur may be my favorite audio-based language learning platform, there are still tons of audio sources out there for learning a language by yourself.

Of course, there’s YouTube — although audio lessons are harder to come by than video lessons.

And then there’s Audible. You can either try Audible Premium Plus and get up to two free audiobooks (like I did) or try Audible Plus. At the end of the day, they both give you access to audiobooks… and that’s all you need to get your language learning on.

Of course, you’ll need an audiobook or podcast that’s suitable to your proficiency in the language. If you’re still a beginner, I strongly suggest finding audiobooks or podcasts that are actually for learning a new language. As in skip the Spanish Harry Potter audiobook and go for that Spanish travel phrases audiobook.

Which is another reason why Pimsleur is so great. It’s geared toward your level of proficiency, explains new vocabulary, enforces grammar rules, and actually gives you the opportunity to practice your speaking skills.

That being said, I’m sure there are other platforms out there that are audio based and let you practice speaking that I just don’t know about.

So don’t be scared to do a little digging of your own. While yoga may not be for everyone, walking is. (If you’re not physically handicapped, of course.)

And if you already take regular walks, then simply plugging yourself into a language audio lesson while doing so won’t be hard at all.

You can even take your canine friend along with you. Breathe in the fresh air, stretch your legs, get your heart rate up, and soak in some Vitamin D.

All while learning a language.

3. Language exchange phone calls and pacing around your room (or house)

Italki is likely the most popular language exchange platform… and for good reason.

With Italki, you’re able to choose from over 10,000 teachers for 1-on-1 lessons based on your goals and interests. You only pay per lesson and at the price that meets your budget.

Plus you can learn from literally anywhere and at any time— all sessions are scheduled for when works best for you. Italki may be a fave among polyglots, but it’s emphasis on video calling is not always preferential over audio calling (If that’s what people call phone calls anyways.)

It’s easier to walk like a madwoman/madman when you don’t have to worry about your language exchange partner staring you down.

When it comes to audio calls, my favorite application is Lingbe. Their promise that users can “start real-time conversations with native speakers at the touch of a button,” is by no means an embellishment.

You literally just click the phone button and they’ll instantly ring others who are either learning your target language or native speakers of your target language. My only hang-up (no pun intended) is how quickly their in-app currency runs out. You spend 6 “lingbees” per minute when you talk to a native speaker, meaning your convos top off at about 10 minutes without a paid plan. It’s pretty hard to save up Lingbees if you’re not responding to ‘tasks’ posted by other users or spending your money.

So here’s my pro tip. Use Lingbe to meet a language exchange partner (or five) and then switch to another platform. Ask them for their Whatsapp or phone number. Bear in mind that Lingbe doesn’t allow the sharing of personal contact info in messages, so you’ll have to share your phone number one digit per message. Or ask for their Whatsapp in a language other than English, since Lingbe prevents you from sending messages containing the word “Whatsapp”.

As for the movement part, any old head knows the famous trek around a room one takes when he or she is in a serious phone call. And by serious, I also mean juicy.

Pacing around makes any conversation instantly more interesting. Walk the walk. Talk the talk.

And learn a language while you’re at it.

Didn’t I say you can make language learning fun?

4. Treadmill/Walk in place & watch foreign languages videos, shows, or movies

Now I know your mind probably immediately jumped to YouTube and Netflix for this one, but unfortunately, they’re just not as effective as actual language teaching applications. Especially if you’re going to be using English subtitles.

My suggestion? Innovative Language.

With Innovative Language, you learn directly from native speakers. Lessons are like personal classes, except you learn at your own pace.

You can learn practical, native-level conversations in minutes. Their teachers explain it all, word-by-word, in every lesson.

By joining, you get all new language lessons, all the time… for free. From Beginner to Advanced, and it’s available in 34 languages.

The languages that they offer both free and paid subscriptions in include:

And of course, Pimsleur would work perfectly as well. Walking in place is not a mentally taxing task at all, so you’ll definitely be able to focus on what you’re watching.

Oh, and if you’re on a treadmill, just don’t turn the speed up too high. Increase the elevation before you increase the speed if you want to intensify the movement. Jogging or running involves quite a lot of bobbing of the head.

And let’s be real– tiring yourself out physically easily translates into tiring yourself out mentally. Physical movement is only rejuvenating up to a certain point, and then it just becomes tiring. Save that precious brain power of yours.

Dance to foreign language songs

The fifth way to spice up your study routine and make language learning fun? Play some foreign music and get a solo dance party going.

Depending on the language you’re learning, it can be extremely easy to find straight-up bops in your target language. And there are even plenty of English songs that have been translated into popular foreign languages (especially Spanish and French.)

So hop on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, or whatever your application of choice is and search for songs.

And if you don’t know where to start, just head over to Google and search “popular songs in [your target language]”.

Keep in mind this is definitely a more advanced option, so you’ll probably want to get a pretty decent foundation in the language before hopping into songs.

However, children’s songs just may do the trick for beginners. So don’t hesitate to throw a bit of pride away. Trust me, nobody cares. Everyone has to start somewhere right? And technically you’re still just a kid in the language that you’re learning. (Maybe even a baby — and that’s okay!)

Dancing is definitely a fool-proof way to make language learning fun. Just don’t have too much fun.

Same as the earlier tips, your movement shouldn’t distract you from what you’re hearing.

Learning comes first. Dancing comes second. So save your boogiest grooves for Saturday night.

Don’t miss out

So now that you you know you can make language learning fun, I hope to see you back at Cultured Simplicity very soon — or dare I say, muy pronto 😉

Catch me cranking out more language loving content on Pinterest, Instagram, and right here on my blog.

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And trust me– I never spam.

Keep learning languages my friend! And I look forward to seeing you again real soon.

How to study a language for multiple hours

make language learning fun — Don’t forget to pin for later!

PRO tips for language learning with Anki

January 6, 2021

Reading Time: 10 minutes

It’s about time you learn the smart way to use the all-time best application for language learning — Anki. Anki is a free and open-source flashcard program using spaced repetition, a technique from cognitive science for fast and long-lasting memorization. “Anki” is the Japanese word for “memorization”.

In case you missed the memo, Anki is a sworn by tool for many polyglots and a daily part of most serious language learners’ study routine. (Mine included!) It’s essential for memorizing and retaining your target foreign language.

There’s a learning curve, but much less of one than most Anki experts will make you believe. The platform honestly isn’t intimidating at all once you learn a few basics. And when it comes to language learning, you only have to know the absolute basics to get the job done.

Learning a language with Anki and learning other subjects with Anki is often very different. The insight and tips shared in this article are solely for learning languages with Anki. (Although they could still be applied to other subjects!)

You won’t learn anything about Anki’s interface that’s not necessary for the language learning process. My goal is making sure you become a pro at using Anki for the language learning powerhouse that it is.

The tips and tricks in this article can be applied to learning any and all languages. Spanish, French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, you name it.

So make sure you bookmark or pin this article for later! (Unless you have photogenic memory… which in that case, you won’t have to.)

Oh, and don’t forget to grab your 51-page language learning printable bundle before you leave!

First things first… should you make your own deck or download one from online?

Answers vary quite dramatically to this question and I’m sure you’ll find solid cases for doing both.

In my opinion, learned through experience, you should create your own deck when it comes to language learning.

There’s a good chance that decks you pick up online will be filled with words or phrases that you don’t care to learn yet. They’ll likely be very random and there’s a good chance you’ll find mistakes.

When you create your own deck, you’re able to personalize it around your own learning style preferences. You can add images, audio, example sentences, tags, and plenty of other personal touches.

By adding words and phrases yourself, you learn associations and contexts gained through outside reliable language learning sources.

I suggest find a language learning platform that you trust, and collecting phrases and words from there. Once you finish that platform, find another reliable source and start adding words from there. Start with vocabulary (and grammar structures) most relevant to you!

Science has proven that making the language learning process personal is the key to quick memorization. Check out my post on 4 ways to apply memory psychology to the language learning process to learn more about that.

If you need some reliable language learning apps / platforms, try my top 3:

Rocket Languages (Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, Korean, French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, American Sign Language)
Innovative Language (Arabic, Chinese — Cantonese, Chinese — Mandarin, Hindi, Korean, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish)
Pimsleur | Website & App (Basically every single language, including English for second language speakers)

Best note types to use

Anki allows you to create different types of notes for different material. Each type of note has its own set of fields and card types.

When you create a new collection, Anki automatically adds some standard note types to it. The standard note types are as follows:

Basic
Basic (and reversed card)
Cloze
Basic (optional reversed card)
Basic (type in the answer)

Now that we’ve got the introductions out of the way, let’s proceed to which note types will give you the most bang for your buck as a language learner.

Basic (type in the answer)

My personal favorite is the note type where you type in the answer. The “answer” in this case, is the translation of the word / phrase displayed on the front of the card.

The key here is making sure you have to type in the foreign language translation. Meaning you view the phrase / word in your native language and then answer by typing the translation in your target language.

You’d be surprised at how much easier it is when you do the reverse and type in your native language. Trust me friend– it’s no challenge writing something in your native tongue… even when transliterating from another language.

When it comes to Anki, “easy” is not better. In more ways than one, which I’ll discuss in greater depth later.

I’m sure you can understand why typing in the answer is a much more mentally invigorating process than staring a card and clicking a button to be given the answer. (Which is exactly what the basic card is.)

Using a type-in card from a reading, and possibly listening practice, to a reading, listening, and writing practice. And ideally verbal as well, though I’ll discuss that more in a little bit.

Typing means you actually have to know the answer– down to all the diacritics and accents. Anki visually displays which parts of your answer you got wrong, you got right, and you forgot.

Answering in your mind can lead to overconfidence and a false afterthought that you got the answer right… when you didn’t. Writing it in means you have to choose one answer and stick with it without arguing with yourself afterward that you got it right.

Cloze

This is a note type which makes it easy to select text and turn it into a cloze deletion (e.g., “Man landed on the moon in […]” → “Man landed on the moon in 1969”).

Cloze deletion is the process of hiding one or more words in a sentence. For example, if you have the sentence:

Canberra was founded in 1913.

…and you create a cloze deletion on “1913”, then the sentence would become:

Canberra was founded in [...].

Here me out though. While you can create a deck consisting solely of basic type in the answer cards, you should not create a deck solely of cloze cards.

Cloze cards serve a specific purpose. To assist in memorizing grammar through the placement of words in their proper context.

Unlike other card types, you won’t have a translation on the card in your native language. A cloze card simply has a phrase written in your target language with with a word or a few missing that are also in your target langage.

Consider this card type a fill in the blank type thing. And since you won’t have a native translation to reference, you’ll actually need to know what the card is saying prior to adding it to your deck.

Saying the translations out loud

While this doesn’t have much to do with creating the flashcards, adding a verbal element to your Anki study is super important.

There are so many language learners who know another language but are simply too afraid to speak it. Either their mouth isn’t acquainted with the sounds, their accent makes speech indistinguishable, or they literally never took the time to actually learn the way certain letters and diacritics sound together.

Regardless of what the reason is, unless your only intention is to be a transliterator, knowing a language does you little good if you can’t speak it.

There’s no excuse to not verbally practicing your target language.

Even though Anki doesn’t offer an “answer with speech” feature, you can still very well answer with your speech. And you should.

Before you flip the card over to reveal the phrase or word in your target language:

Mentally visualize it.
Type it in the answer field . (If Basic type in answer card)
Say it out loud.

Then flip the card to see if you got it right. Now, Anki makes adding a written translation mandatory– so it’s a given you’ll be able to check your answer in that regards. However, with speech you can’t check your answer unless you’ve added audio to the card. Which brings me to my next pro tip.

Adding Audio to your notes

How else are you supposed to check whether you got the verbal translation correct?

Since you’ll likely be listening and speaking in your target language more than reading or writing, you don’t want to miss this step.

Some language learners even opt to skip adding the text translation and only add the audio translation. (However, I advise against that since Anki doesn’t automatically back up media… which means if you don’t manually back up your deck regularly, you’ll lose recent audio translations. Tragic.)

I find that audio adds a bit of life to language learning with Anki. Anki study sessions exceeding 30 minutes can quickly turn dull when there’s no audio and/or you’re not speaking out loud.

Audio keeps things interesting. And most importantly, it makes sure you’re learning how to master the verbal side of the language. Accents and all.

All you have to do is click the microphone icon to add audio to a card.

language learning with anki audio — You can also click the paperclip icon if you’d like to add an image… although this isn’t necessary when learning a language. Pictures can definitely help strong visual learners.

Making the timer visible

I’m well aware that this may scream “too much pressure” for some language learners– but if you can handle the timer being visible, then enable it.

What is this timer I speak of?

Anki monitors how long it takes you to answer each question so that it can show you how long was spent studying each day.

If “show answer timer” is checked, Anki will display the current time taken for each card in the study area. Anki is always tracking the time, but whether or not you can see the timer is up to you.

By default, if you take longer than 60 seconds, Anki assumes you have walked away from your computer or have been distracted, and limits the recorded time to 60 seconds, so that you don’t end up with inaccurate statistics. (This can be changed in settings.)

Click More at the bottom of the Anki deck screen –> click Options –> click the General tab

The ignore answer times… option allows you to adjust the cutoff threshold. The minimum cutoff is 30 seconds. I’d suggest keeping it at 60 seconds or higher though, since 30 seconds isn’t always enough to remember newer or more complex phrases.

Why does making the timer visible matter though? Simple. It takes the guesswork out of how long it took you to remember a translation.

When deciding whether to mark card as “again”, “hard”, “good”, or “easy”, the most important factor after whether you actually got the answer right or not… is how long it took you to remember the answer.

You should mark the card “again” if you got it wrong (meaning it’ll be shown to you again in under 10 minutes). Deciding what time range constitutes as “hard” depends on the complexity of the word or phrase you were trying to remember.

Long story short:

When it takes a long time to remember the card, mark it “hard.” For a one-word answer, consider 20 to 30 or more seconds as a “hard” answer. For a phrase, consider 30 to 60 or more seconds as a “hard” answer.
If it took a moderate amount of time to remember the card, mark it “good.” For a one-word answer, consider 5 to 20 seconds as a “good” answer. For a phrase, consider 5 to 30 seconds as a “good” answer.
If it took a short amount of time to remember the card, mark it “easy.” For a one-word answer, consider 3 or less seconds as an “easy” answer. For a phrase, consider 5 or less seconds as an “easy” answer.

Avoid clicking “easy” (for the most part)

If the “easy” time range above seems overly narrow, that’s because it is. In all honesty, I’d encourage language learners to very rarely hit the easy button.

The easy button should be solely reserved for cards in which the answer comes to you automatically. If the answer is second-nature, then sure, mark it easy.

But it never hurts to over familiarize yourself with a word or phrase. (Learn more about the important of strategic repetition in 4 ways to apply memory psychology to the language learning process!)

Always remember the age-old phrase, if you don’t use it you lose it.

After you’ve been studying a word for quite a while, Anki makes the ‘easy’ button mean you won’t see the card again until over a year from the present day. (Which consistently goes up with time.) Clicking “good” means you’ll see the card in a little over half that time. It’s not failure clicking good.

Anki functions with the intention of showing you a card right when you’re about to forget it. I’d say do yourself a favor and don’t overestimate your memory.

Setting a reasonable new card limit

Card limit and new card limit are two different things. When you’re still in the initial phases of language learning with Anki, you’ll likely be adding tons of new words on a daily basis.

There’s no real reason to wait in bulking up your deck after all. Once you add a card to your deck, it’s considered “new” until after you review it for the first time.

Depending on how many cards you add daily, the amount of new cards available for study can quickly become overwhelming.

Anki’s default is 20 new cards. So if you have 20 new cards to learn, you’ll have those mixed in along with the cards you need to review for the day. If you have 100 new cards to learn, you’ll still only have 20 new cards available for you study that day.

All I can say is to adjust that amount to what will feel most manageable for you. If you’re not sure, stick with 20 new cards and see how that goes.

Click More at the Bottom of the Anki Deck screen –> click Options, and this will be the first tab you see.

A nice mix of new and older cards is the way to go. It’s all about balance and respecting your mind’s short-term and long-term memory capabilities.

Before you head out

If you need a consistent, time-efficient, less hands-on way to study your target language, do yourself a favor and check out Pimsleur.

Head over to my review on 30 days of learning Spanish with Pimsleur to get a taste of what Pimsleur is all about. All you need is approx. 30 minutes daily to reach near fluency in 5 months.

Pimsleur is perfect for busy bodies who want to drive, clean, exercise, cook, or do something else while listening to a language learning podcast. At least give it a try.

If you need an interactive way to take notes, track, and plan your language learning journey, then snag my exclusive language journal mega bundle!

You can also get a nice dose of language learning inspiration on my Pinterest, Instagram, and right here on this blog.

You can even score your own digital creative language learning tool kit straight by putting in your name and email below!

And trust me– I never spam.

Keep learning languages my galfriend or palfriend! And I look forward to seeing you again real soon.

20 Culture Quotes that’ll make you rethink society

December 30, 2020

Reading Time: 6 minutes

As someone who flaunts the alias “Cultured Simplicity”, it’s quite important that I’m able to provide answers when questioned about culture. Such as…

How do you define culture? (You’d be surprised by how much this answer differs from person to person and… well culture to culture!)

Or what is culture in simple words? (A word for the ‘way of life’ of groups of people, meaning the way they do things. Next question.)

Personally, I find that referencing the words of people from cultures all over the world is the best way to truly grasp the essence of culture.

The funny thing is that “culture quotes” are constantly categorized by their secondary underlying messages. There are quotes about culture and identity, quotes about culture and heritage, proud of my culture quotes, quotes about culture and education, etc.

Then there are also quotes about culture shock, quotes about cultural relativism, quotes about ethnocentrism, quotes about assimilation, and well a lot more.

For the sake of this article, all the culture quotes listed below are exactly that; culture quotes. Quotes about culture that’ll provide a deeper level of insight as to the definition of “culture.”

Quotes that’ll address both the connotation and denotation of the word. Culture quotes that’ll reshape your understanding of what culture is and *hopefully* allow you to more greatly appreciate all cultures.

Make sure you also check out 50 stress-relieving quotes from around the world before you leave!

Culture Quotes that’ll transform your mind

1.

Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures. – Cesar Chavez

2.

Without culture, and the relative freedom it implies, society, even when perfect, is but a jungle. This is why any authentic creation is a gift to the future. – Albert Camus

3.

A multicultural society does not reject the culture of the other but is prepared to listen, to see, to dialogue and, in the final analysis, to possibly accept the other’s culture without compromising its own. – Reuven Rivlin

4.

Learning a foreign language, and the culture that goes with it, is one of the most useful things we can do to broaden the empathy and imaginative sympathy and cultural outlook of children.
Michael Gove

5.

Moral values, and a culture and a religion, maintaining these values are far better than laws and regulations. – Swami Sivananda

6.

It’s good to be proud of your heritage and your culture, but pride can be perverted. – Sam Hunt

7.

I feel like our culture is so good at pulling other people down and being so judgmental, but there’s space for all of us to be who we are. There’s space for us to celebrate each other and root for each other and not take each other down. – Tracee Ellis Ross

8.

Travel early and travel often. Live abroad, if you can. Understand cultures other than your own. As your understanding of other cultures increases, your understanding of yourself and your own culture will increase exponentially. – Tom Freston

9.

I think a culture of nonviolence will help create the condition where poverty is unacceptable, where racism is way behind us and not something that we have to deal with on a frequent basis, and where militarism and violence are reduced almost to be nonexistent. – Martin Luther King III

10.

I think nowadays it doesn’t really matter where we are physically located. We create our own culture around us to a large extent, whether it’s what we’re listening to, what we’re watching, what we’re reading – it can have very little to do with one’s immediate cultural environment. We are in a global culture in that respect.
David Sylvian

11.

For the first time in human evolution, the individual life is long enough, and the cultural transformation swift enough, that the individual mind is now a constituent player in the global transformation of human culture. – William Irwin Thompson

12.

The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts. – Charles Darwin

13.

Our culture is all about shallow relationships. But that doesn’t mean we should stop looking each other in the eye and having deep conversations. – Francis Chan

14.

Culture is not made up but something that evolves which is human. – Edward T. Hall

15.

The fact that societies are becoming increasingly multi-ethnic, multicultural, and multi-religious is good. Diversity is a strength, not a weakness. – Antonio Guterres

16.

Hatred is something peculiar. You will always find it strongest and most violent where there is the lowest degree of culture.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

17.

The test of our social commitment and humanity is how we treat the most powerless of our fellow citizens, the respect we accord to our fellow human beings. That is what reveals our true culture. – Azim Premji

18.

The idea of cultural relativism is nothing but an excuse to violate human rights. – Shirin Ebadi

19.

Stereotypes, they’re sensual, cultural weapons. That’s the way that we attack people. At an artistic level, stereotypes are terrible writing. – Junot Diaz

20.

Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences, our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging. – Sonia Sotomayor

Before you go…

I hope you’re feeling a real nice dose of cultural awareness right about now! I enjoyed finding these culture quotes for you just as much as I hope you enjoyed reading them.

Want to know the ultimate way to gain insight into foreign cultures? Learn a foreign language!

Check out 15 motivational quotes for learning a language if you need a bit of a push!

If you need a consistent, time-efficient way to study a language daily (or bi-daily), do yourself a favor and check out Pimsleur.

Pimsleur is perfect for busy bodies who want to drive, clean, exercise, cook, or do something else while listening to a language learning podcast. At least give it a try.

You can also get a nice dose of language learning inspiration on my Pinterest, Instagram, and right here on this blog.

Receive both blog post notifications as well as your own digital creative language learning tool kit straight to your email by signing up below!

And trust me– I never spam.

Keep learning languages my friend! And I look forward to seeing you again real soon.

4 ways to apply Memory Psychology to Language Learning

December 23, 2020

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Psychology is fascinating for so many reasons. The psychology of memory is particularly exciting.

But as an aspiring trilingual speaker, I found the psychology of language learning to be most fascinating of all.

If you’ve ever asked yourself…

What is the psychology of language learning?
What is the relationship between language and psychology?
What are the components of language psychology?

…then you’re in luck.

I’m going to be give you all those answers and more in the most time-efficient manner possible. Excited? You should be.

There’s so much information out there on language learning that the whole process can be downright confusing.

I’ve had more than my fair share of frustrated study sessions and one day figured enough was enough.

Before learning a language, I should’ve learned how to learn. Which is where psychology comes in. Psychology is the study of the mind, and what do we use when we learn foreign languages? Our mind.

Understanding how our mind operates and remembers things is the key to hacking language learning. Narrow in on the memory branch of Psychology and you’ll have everything you need to someday reach fluency (preferably sooner than later!).

When you think about it, it makes a lot of sense. But it’s just not something most language learners ever think about.

This article sums up everything psychology related I’ve ever learned about language learning. It tackles how to study languages, when to study languages, and why to study languages.

So make sure you either bookmark or pin this article for later. You’ll be wishing you had!

Intrinsic motivation vs. Extrinsic motivation

Let’s take a trip back to high school shall we? Here are the first two psychology terms related to language learning that you should know:

Extrinsic motivation– a desire to perform a behavior due to promised rewards or threats of punishment. (External reasons)
Intrinsic motivation– A desire to perform a behavior for its own sake. (Internal/Personal reasons)

If you can’t tell where most of your motivation lies, consider filling out this Motivation questionnaire used in the 2013 Chinese survey (You & Dörnyei, 2016; You, Dörnyei, Z., & Csizér, K., 2016). You’ll rate how strongly you feel about statements like “Studying English is important to me in order to gain the approval of the society.” Replace “English” with your target language and you’ll have a filled-out self-analysis in no time.

If it’s not obvious, intrinsic motivation makes for a much more solid grounding in language learning.

If there are ever extenuating circumstances that hurt your progress or outside rewards are taken out of the picture, do you have what it takes to continue your language journey?

Who are you learning your target language for? If you say anyone but yourself, you’re laying a rocky foundation.

Find your personal why and don’t let the outside world get in the way of that.

When you find intrinsic motivation for language learning , studying will feel a whole lot less like a chore, or even burden. It can even become a hobby if you implement methods of study that you personally find enjoyable. (Check out 100 FUN ways to learn another language!)

Distributed Practice V. Mass Practice (Spacing Effect)

Psychology term #3?

Spacing effect – the tendency for distributed study or practice to yield
better long-term retention than is achieved through massed study or
practice.

Massed practice (cramming) can produce speedy short-term learning and a feeling of confidence. But to paraphrase pioneer memory researcher
Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885), those who learn quickly also forget quickly.

Distributed practice produces better long-term recall.

Spreading your learning over several months, rather than over a shorter term, can help you retain information for a lifetime. In a 9-year experiment, Harry Bahrick and three of his family members (1993) practiced foreign language word translations for a given number of times, at intervals ranging from 14 to 56 days. Their consistent finding: The longer the space between practice sessions, the better their retention up to 5 years later.
Remember this!

This concept is the exact reason why spaced repetition flashcard programs work insanely well at information retention. Be sure to check out my 27-minute mini-course on learning languages like a PRO with Anki! (Free for 14 days using that link + unlimited access to thousands of creative courses.)

By reviewing a word/phrase right when you’re on the verge of forgetting it, you memorize it for years… even life.

Cramming does not work for language learning. Unless your sole goal is passing a foreign language exam in the very near future.

In all honesty, passing an exam means little if you don’t actually know the language. To each their own though.

The Testing Effect

Next psychology term?

Testing effect – enhanced memory after retrieving, rather than simply
rereading, information. Also sometimes referred to as a retrieval practice effect or test-enhanced learning.

One effective way to distribute practice is repeated self-testing, a phenomenon that researchers Henry Roediger and Jeffrey Karpicke (2006) have called the testing effect.

Better to practice retrieval (as any exam will demand) than merely to reread material (which may lull you into a false sense of mastery).

It all comes down to actually applying what you’ve learned. Unfortunately, we’re not sponges and simply staring at information won’t make us absorb it.

We can however, squeeze our minds a bit to see which bits of information we actually retained. A brief self-test will do just the trick.

Writing or reciting a list of what you just learned is a pretty quick way to figure out what actually resonated.

Keep in mind flashcards are also pretty effective at enforcing the testing effect. Writing down all the new words and terms you learned and then reviewing at the end of your study session is great for retention.

Long story short? Spaced study and self-assessment beat cramming and rereading. Practice may not make perfect, but smart practice—occasional rehearsal with self-testing— makes for lasting memories.

Make it meaningful

Are you often pressed for time? The most effective way to cut down on the amount of time you need to spend studying is to increase the meaningfulness of the material.

If you can relate the material to your own life—and that’s pretty easy when you’re studying languages—it takes less time to master it.

As memory researcher Wayne Wickelgren (1977) noted, “The time you spend thinking about material you are reading and relating it to previously stored material is about the most useful thing you can do in learning any new subject matter.”

Key point to remember: The amount remembered depends both on the time spent learning and on your making it meaningful for deep processing.

Applying this tip to your language learning practice involves finding your personal why and initially focusing on vocabulary of higher priority.

If you’re studying a language for business reasons, then you’d be better off starting with business terms since they’ll carry more meaning for you.

If you’re learning a language for family reasons, then start with family terms and home-related dialogue.

You’ll learn that it’s pretty easy to relate even random vocabulary back to your life. Like maybe instead of just learning “rabbit” you could learn “my favorite animal is a rabbit.”

And when learning questions, it could be beneficial to relate the answers back to yourself. Like instead of just learning “what do you do”, you could also learn “I’m a teacher.” (Or whatever your profession is)

Citation(s): Myers, D. G. (2014). Myers’ psychology for AP. New York, NY: Worth.

Takeaways

Psychology is powerful. Language learning is powerful. Combine those two things together and you’ve got something borderline magical.

I don’t want you to ever lose motivation for language learning. You shouldn’t ever be in a situation where you’re at a loss for language inspiration.

If you need a consistent, time-efficient way to study your target language daily (or even bi-daily), do yourself a favor and check out Pimsleur.

Head over to my review on 30 days of learning Spanish with Pimsleur to get a taste of what Pimsleur is all about. All you need is approx. 30 minutes daily to reach near fluency in 5 months.

Pimsleur is perfect for busy bodies who want to drive, clean, exercise, cook, or do something else while listening to a language learning podcast. At least give it a try.

You can also get a nice dose of language learning inspiration on my Pinterest, Instagram, and right here on this blog.

Receive both blog post notifications as well as your own digital creative language learning tool kit straight to your email by signing up below!

And trust me– I never spam.

Keep learning languages my friend! And I look forward to seeing you again real soon.

10 Language Journal Ideas You’ll Want to Steal Immediately

December 11, 2020

Reading Time: 8 minutes

Is it just me or is journaling of all kinds catching on like wildfire? Literally, there’s everything from gratitude journals and prayer journals to language journals, anime journals, sales journals, goal journals, study journals, and the classic bullet journal.

Language journals, defined by Fluentu as “a space to express your anxieties, thoughts and insights as you’re learning,” are popping up like crazy.

Getting started one yourself can be quite a challenge though.

There’s always the questions like “how do you journal in a foreign language” (*spoiler* you don’t have to) and “how do your organize a language notebook” (Check out 10 effective ways to organize your language journal) that keep people from starting altogether.

However, language journals can be tons of fun. They’re ways for you to track, plan, and record your language learning process.

They’re entirely personal to you. And they’ll be a nice keepsake for years to come. Particularly when you’re fluent and reminiscing on toddler-level you (Speak it into existence, am I right?)

First step to starting a language journal like a pro? Garner inspiration from the pros.

I dug down to the deep ends of the language learning social media communities so you wouldn’t have to. After much frustration and debating, I rounded out the top ten language journal ideas I found.

Journal ideas that I felt would be effective and customizable to all languages. So be sure to bookmark or pin this article for when you’re in need of some language journal inspiration.

1.

This language journal spread is pretty self explanatory and oh so useful for the savvy language learner. I don’t know about you but this is one of the most organized, complex, and in-depth spreads I’ve ever seen. Not only is there an organization system for all the languages you’re learning, but there are 10 different color codes for the aspects of language learning.

Most language learners categorize language study time as: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Not this learner.

This is a journal spread for learners who understand just how different language activities are and the importance of incorporating all of them.

The ten language tasks included in this spread:

Grammar
Adding vocabulary
Chatting
Studying vocabulary
Reading
Watching videos/series
Listening to a podcast/radio
Speaking
Translating
Writing

Just consider those tasks the 10 pillars of language learning. If you have colored pencils or at least 10 markers that don’t bleed, then this is the perfect spread for you.

My top picks:

2.

This is the Duolingo Tracker I created for my skillshare course on how to create a language journal! Even though I personally don’t use Duolingo anymore, I know that it’s the language app obsession among beginners.

This Duolingo tracker is completely customizable and easy to make because it’s meant to be modified for the language you’re learning.

All you have to do is look at the topics on your Duolingo course and create a rectangle to represent each one. The levels are indicated by dashines lines that divide the rectangle.

I can try to explain it all I want, but the photo does a much better job showing what to do. It’s pretty simple to copy so good luck!

3.

This language journal idea is simple yet powerful. The setup is so neat and organized that just about anyone could totally nail this layout.

There are three columns: word, definition/translation, number. Number is totally optional, but a useful detail for those wanting to count and keep up with how much new vocab they’ve learned.

Be sure to use a ruler for this spread to make everything is aligned and tidy. Note the use a bit of color to liven up the page!

4.

This language journal idea is perfect for language learners trying to quickly build up a vocabulary ‘bank’.

Think about it: If you fill out this spread for a fully 365-day year, you’re looking at 3,650 new words. Done on a consistent, daily basis, gathering all those new words won’t even fill like an overly time-consuming task.

According to Optilingo, people who know 1,000 to 3,000 words in a language can carry on everyday conversations. Knowing 4,000 to 10,000 words makes people advanced language users.

So… by the end of the user, you’ll be in that gray area between an everyday converser and an advanced language user. That’s pretty impressive (as long as you’re willing to ignore the marketing lies about “learning a language in 6 months.”)

What you’ll notice about this language journal spread is that the writer goes more in-depth than just writing the word alone. You have to write a sentence containing the word.

Context is so important for grasping both grammar and vocabulary. Being sure to incorporate it in the notes you take is essential to actually learning the language.

Knowing a bunch of words is useless if you don’t know how to put them together.

5.

Preposition doodles have got to be the best way to learn prepositions.

Personally, I always find prepositions to be slightly challenging so doodles are an easy way to enjoy the learning process.

Of course, you don’t have to a full-blown artist drawing expert raccoons like pictured, but you sure can find a fun, creative way to visualize prepositions.

This language journal spread is especially great for visual learners (A.K.A myself). So definitely try it out if you are one.

6.

Goal setters are goal getters, am I right? This language journal idea actually holds you accountable of accomplishing all those language goals you have.

Personally, I like the fact that the dates listed are “date created” and “date achieved” more so than if one was “date planned to achieve.” Tracking your progress in this way makes the learning process more intuitive and less rushed.

You can use this log to determine how long it took for you to reach a certain mini goal and then use that time as a comparison point for future similar mini goals.

For example, if it took you a month to add 200 words to your flashcard deck, then it’d be realistic to expect to add 600 words in 3 months.

Regardless of how you plan to use the times, setting mini goals are great for scaling your language progress.

They’re motivational and a great thing to include in your language journal.

7.

If you’ve read my article on 10 reasons you NEED to include mind maps in your language journal, then you already know how passionate I am about them.

I love this language journal spread because it’s draws connections between vocabulary in a creative, simple way.

All you have to do is start with a topic and branch out (literally) from there. Topic followed by word followed by example sentences equals an efficient word map.

8.

Although this language journal spread differs by language, the general layout can be the same.

Color coding conjugations and different tenses is a more fun and visually appealing way to learn them.

You’ll actually want to refer to your notes later… which is always a win in my books.

Use this page for affirmatives and negatives, conjugations, words you’re having trouble with distinguishing between, and whatever other vocabulary words.

9.

Simple yet gorgeous. I’m a sucker for a feminine journal spread and this language journal idea captures the beauty of the learning process.

With a highlighter or mildliner, you can easily create dividers between each topic. Then write your native language words in black and their foreign translations in another color.

That’s what I call an efficient use of color coding. Color coding is hardly useful if implemented for aesthetics alone, but when used for visual organization, it’s one of the most useful practices out there. (Check out 5 efficient ways to color code your language journal!)

The few simple doodles don’t overcrowd the layout and they surely don’t draw attention away from the written content. They just a nice flair that make the spread attractive and appealing to study.

Also, notice the use of white space to prevent a mentally exhausting page. There are blank lines both before and after each topic name. While not necessary, that sure does help make a more study-friendly page.

10.

This language journal idea is a bit different from the others, but a well welcomed change.

Myself and plenty of language learners allow our language journals to double as a planner. In the spread pictured, you’ll notice that the journalist’s daily to-do list focuses solely on language learning.

For the more devoted language learners, this a great spread to hold you accountable in reaching all those little tasks you set for yourself on a dialy basis.

Especially when you have as many daily language tasks as the learner who shared this spread does, writing them all down is borderline essential.

It’s a simple way to organize your journal without doing anything fancy. You can opt for a pre-made planner like the one pictured or create your own bullet journal. (Check out the SMART way to bullet journal for language learning!)

Tackle your language tasks one day at a time and you’ll be well on your way to fluency.

But wait, there’s more

It wouldn’t be fair of me to let you leave without sharing my favorite language learning program with you. I’m all about D.I.Y remote language learning, and Pimsleur captures that mission better than any other program I’ve used. And I’ve used alot.

As promised, this review is 100% honest. Pimsleur isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely one of the more effective language learning programs out there.

At least for Spanish and other popular languages. Can’t make any promises on their programs for lesser learned languages, though they do offer courses for 51 languages.

Their French course goes as in depth as their Latin American Spanish one, but be warned that the CD prices are higher.

That’s all I have to say about Pimsleur for the time being, but I’ll be posting a full review when I finish the course for good!

In the meantime, catch me cranking out more language loving content on Pinterest, Instagram, and right here on my blog.

Get both blog post notifications as well as your own digital creative language learning tool kit straight to your inbox by signing up below.

And trust me– I never spam.

Keep learning languages my friend! And I look forward to seeing you again real soon.

Who is this article for:

Who this article isn’t for:

Here’s how to do it

6 ebooks/books for mastering international marketing

1. ISE International Marketing

PSA: Student hustler money-saving hack

2. International Marketing

3. The Language of Global Marketing: Translate Your Domestic Strategies into International Sales and Profits

4. Global Sales: A Practical Playbook on How to Drive Profitable Growth for International Sales and Marketing Leaders

5. International Brand Strategy: A Guide to Achieving Global Brand Growth

Conclusion + Plan of action

Stereotypes you need to ditch like… yesterday

Cultural Misconception #1: Asian counterparts are shy and reserved (It’s just their nature, right?)

An Asian colleague’s quietness is completely justified when you take note of just how much Americans talk

What does this mean for you as a businesswoman, businessman, or small business owner?

Cultural Misconception #2: TheFrench are masters of implicit and indirect communication

The exception to the norm

What do this mean for you as a business owner?

Cultural Misconception #3: Indian counterparts are disinterested in what it is that you have to say

So what does this mean for you as a small business owner, businesswoman, or businessman?

Misconception #4: Nuanced (layered) communicators aren’t trustworthy

What does this mean for you as a small business owner, businesswoman, or businessman?

Misconception #5: A joke wasn’t told if not followed by a smile, laugh, or “just kidding!”

What does this mean for you as a small business owner, businesswoman, or businessman?

Conclusion

First things first, what are branding kits?

How to edit pre-made branding kits in Canva

A few more tips…

How to make your own branding kit in Canva

The real work in creating your own branding kit is in:

If I were in your shoes, here’s exactly what I’d do:

Last Suggestions

Conclusion

Before the how… Why start a digital planner?

The best way to start a digital planner as a bullet journal lover

Goodnotes (a.k.a the #1 app for digital planners)

Let’s talk digital stickers right quick

Notability

Noteshelf

OneNote

KeyNote

For a guided digital planner…

How do you have a successful language exchange?

1. Come prepared with clear communication vocabulary

2. Start with short conversations

3. Have a way to send text messages

4. Have a translation tool ready (preferably with audio features)

5. If possible, choose a language partner who complements your language proficiency

6. Have a note-taking system (flashcards!)

7. Come with conversation topics

8. Have your easily navigable notes in front of you

9. Close your eyes

10. Prep with audio resources between calls

Final Takeaways

1. Stretch / Yoga + Pimsleur Audio Lessons

2. Walk & Listen to Language podcasts or audiobooks

3. Language exchange phone calls and pacing around your room (or house)

4. Treadmill/Walk in place & watch foreign languages videos, shows, or movies

Dance to foreign language songs

Don’t miss out

First things first… should you make your own deck or download one from online?

Best note types to use

Basic (type in the answer)

Cloze

Saying the translations out loud

Adding Audio to your notes

Making the timer visible

Long story short:

Avoid clicking “easy” (for the most part)

Setting a reasonable new card limit

Before you head out

Culture Quotes that’ll transform your mind

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8.

Cultural Misconception #2: The
French are masters of implicit and indirect communication