The Language Learning Specialists
A few weeks ago I wrote about my plan to get back into speaking Spanish regularly. First off, a confession – I haven’t actually spoken Spanish to anyone yet, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been busy! I’ve always been pretty fluent at reading Spanish. One of my proudest achievements is reading Lord of the … Read more
I don’t like shopping much – that’s just not me at all. But put me on the the A40 to Westfield, White City and I’m your man. Oh the joys of driving in post-riot Ealing at the end of last week! As I speed past spookily quiet streets complete with their boarded up shops and … Read more
Nestled in the heart of the Mediterranean with Greece, Macedonia, Kosovo and Montenegro as its neighbours, most people still don’t know much about this amazing country. Influenced by the Greeks, Romans, Italian and Turks, Albania does have a long and troubled history. But since communism ended in 1992 and the Republic of Albania was founded, … Read more
The other night, I had some friends over for a selection of Scandinavian inspired cuisine and they really enjoyed my cooking. I thought I’d share these summery recipes on the EuroTalk blog over the coming months as it is always good to have a few foodie ideas up your sleeve – you just never know when … Read more
Learning a language can sometimes be fraught with problems when you try to put your new-found skill into action (like ordering the wrong thing in a restaurant), but even if you really are fluent in a language it can still backfire on you. Some 25 years ago, when I was finally fluent in Modern Greek … Read more
In June 2010, I began a six-month journey through Asia, and my first day saw me crashing into Chinese culture. I arrived in the hutongs of Beijing (traditional closely grouped houses) where I was met with the foreign smell of uncovered meats being cooked on narrow streets, the noisy chatting of families sat on the … Read more
I spent nine months studying translation in Barcelona in 2003, so the other night, I watched the film Pot Luck (the original title: L’Auberge Espagnole) for nostalgic reasons. Alongside the memories, another thing that struck me about this film was the variety of languages that were spoken. You had English, French, Spanish and Danish – … Read more
Recently I set myself a mid-year resolution. I graduated in Hispanic Studies back in 2004, but haven’t really spoken Spanish since, and when recently a colleague needed me to talk to someone on the phone, I struggled to keep the conversation going. Thinking back to some of the experiences I had during my year living … Read more