English With Kirsty

Two things really impressed me about Maribel’s story: If you want something and it doesn’t exist, create the opportunity yourself! You’ll see how this worked out for Maribel as we talk about her story and how she built her business. Having your own business and using additional languages in business can be a way to help you develop and improve those language skills. Don’t wait till everything is perfect! Do your best, but the learning comes along the way as you use the additional languages in real situations. I need to remember this one too! Maribel Aburto is the CEO and co-founder of CREATIVA Design Studio, a Branding and Web Design Agency dedicated to providing flexible job opportunities to women of different backgrounds. Originally from Chile, she moved to New Zealand in 2009, where she lived for 13 years before recently relocating to Dublin in January. With a background in branding and website design, she’s passionate about helping value-driven women and businesses worldwide to grow and succeed by creatin

Today I'm looking at some of the differences between studying a language at school and learning as an independent adult. We have more opportunities as an adult and more freedom to customise the learning process, but sometimes it can be too much freedom! So  we need to be proactive with time management, to actively seek out opportunities to practise, and have the discipline to stay on track. Understanding these differences can help us to make better choices, so I want to look at five of them. I talk about practical things, such as finding the right course, but also the way we manage our emotions around starting something new or not yet having the skills that we want because we are still in the process of developing them!Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode211

Bogdana and I met a few weeks ago on LinkedIn - my new favourite social media platform!Bogdana is a Creative Digital Marketing Passionate  Entrepreneur. Throughout the years she has worked with more than 35 areas of interest such as Tech, Software, Beauty, Fashion, Tourism, Construction, Medical, Business Services, Coaching programmes, Real Estate and more. Her communications and digital marketing skills helped her to generate more than 10k leads for SME companies through online advertising and PR SEO articles. Bogdana has helped more than 100 SME Companies increased their online & offline brand awareness by more than 30% with creative marketing strategies, successfully handling large marketing budgets for advertising, and developing digital courses & programs for Start-ups in different communities.We talked about:What Bogdana does and how she helps her clients to promote their products and servicesBogdana's experiences with learning German and Serbian as an adultThe role of AI in marketing and commun

It was hard to find a title for this interview with Sorina Dascal from Social Click because we covered a lot of ground!Sorina is a passionate social media specialist who helps businesses gain visibility and increase their revenue through social media strategies.We talked about Sorina's business and how she helps clients with social media. We talked about moving to another country and how this can be a struggle if you don't speak the language well, but how having a group of people around you who want you to succeed can be the key to growth and development - if you are brave enough to ask for help when you need it.We talked about one of Sorina's challenges and how she overcame it.Sorina's story is a really positive one and it's exciting to hear her journey.She's someone who generally wants to do good and help people, so be sure to check out her links and discover more about what she does.Click here for the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode209

Today I'm starting with the idea that we should try and focus on our message, rather than on how we feel about delivering it."I've got something useful to share that will help people", rather than "I don't want to speak in front of these people because I'm nervous!"It doesn't mean we ignore how we feel, but it shifts the focus on to something more positive.Following on from the idea of focusing on the message, there are 5 more things to think about:Make it clear;Make it complete/don't hold back useful information;Make it relevant;Make it yours;Make it memorable - in a good way!This is where you can find the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode208

After around 8 years of virtual coffees and collaborations online, I finally met up with Jane. Jane is a translator who is based in Germany, but this year she came to England for a different kind of networking tour.We discuss why Jane decided to meet people one-to-one rather than in large groups, plus how this approach can be helpful for both developing your network and improving your language skills. I love the flexibility of online meetings and the fact that I can connect with people all across Europe. This is important for me because most of my customers are miles away from the town where I live. At the same time, there’s something really cool about meeting online friends for the first time in real life!We also talked about designing schedules that are flexible enough to accommodate changes, some things you can do to make life easier if you’re operating in an additional language, and some of the things that Jane learned while she was here in the UK.How about you? When was the last time you took an online b

Sometimes we neglect our active language skills because it can be easier or more enjoyable to focus on the passive ones. In today’s podcast episode, I explain the difference between active and passive language skills. I then give you 8 ideas of things that you can do to improve your active language skills.You can find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode206and you can find more information about the conversation club here:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/conversations

"I don't have much time. I'll just write the email in my first language and put it through a translation website. That'll be ok, won't it?"In episode 205, I share why it won't be ok and I talk about some better strategies that you can use:Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode205

Happy New Year everyone!I mention two things during this episode:1. The free 31-day English language challenge - sign up by 31st December 2022 www.englishwithkirsty.com/31days 2. The conversation club:www.englishwithkirsty.com/conversations If you have any questions, you can write to me at podcast@englishwithkirsty.com 

In today's episode, I'm speaking with Anja Rohde, who shares stories from her own experiences of language learning, as well as some practical ways in which you can put your new knowledge into practice as a language learner. Anja runs a site called Fremdsprachen-Jobs, a site for advertising and finding jobs that require additional language skills. She also teaches German and works as a job coach. Founded in 2013, Fremdsprachen-Jobs has become a leader in the online job market, specialising in foreign language services in the German-speaking countries (D-A-CH). And it is part of a larger network of diverse foreign language professionals. Through Fremdsprachen-Jobs, employers are able to find those candidates with language skills who really fit their organisational needs, whether as employees, freelancers or trainees. In addition, language professionals from all industries and freelancers such as translators, interpreters, and teachers, are able to find positions where they can actively use their language skills

In today's episode, we’re changing things round a bit! Instead of asking the questions, it’s my turn to answer! Carol Constant, who you will probably remember from episode 199, asked me some language-related questions about my journey and recent experiences. We talk about my trip to Vienna last week, where I presented at a conference in German for the first time, my motivation for learning languages, when it’s good to stop doing things that clearly aren’t working for you, how relationships with others are so important for learning another language, and the links between language, culture, and food!  We also talk about my new conversation club. If this made you curious, you can check out the conversation club's page: https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/conversations 

In today’s episode, I’m speaking with Alina Bota Tăbușcă about What is a marketing coach and how can having one help you in your business? The parallel between marketing coaching and language training. Developing your brand voice and brand identity in another language. How working in multiple languages can create bridges for entrepreneurs. Plus Alina’s new dog Luna! Find out more on the show notes page:https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode201

In today's episode, I want to talk about mindset. It’s important! Of course you need to know what you’re talking about, to use the right words in the right way, and to be competent. However, the way in which you approach meetings in another language, the way you treat yourself, and the stories that you tell yourself are also important! I am using my recent experience of participating in meetings in Romanian. I talk about 10 key points that are related to our mindset and how we prepare for meetings in another language. You can find out more on the show notes page:https://englishwithkirsty.com/episode200

In today's episode, I'm speaking with Carol Constant about effective ways to remember things better. After a long career in corporate, Carol followed her true vocation and founded Bemensa. Bemensa offers training in 2 different areas:Pre- employment tests and Mensa test preparation.<Talent development workshops for companies, on skills like problem-solving, creative thinking etc… Bemensa’s app is also launching in July 2022 to help you grow your career. To find out more, visit the show notes page:https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode199

In today's episode, I'm reflecting on my language learner journey so far so that I can decide what worked well in the past, and what I no longer want to do. This will help me to have a more productive and enjoyable experience of learning Romanian - because I can review what I've learned through studying German and Turkish. Do you relate to any of these points? If you'd rather read my article on the lessons I've learned, it's available on my <a href="https://englishwithkirsty.com/2022/04/22/lessons-to-learn-from-my-past-language-learning-adventures/"> blog.</a> Alternatively, you can visit the <a href="https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode198"> show notes page.</a>

Today's episode is an interview with Ana Mihaela from the European Business Networking Institute and Mindset Owners Club.This is how Ana introduced herself: "Over the last 15 years, I have met over 30,000 business people and learned about many industries. I have helped build business systems that support thousands of business owners and I organise meetings and events to create a better community in the business environment all over Europe and the world. I love connecting with people, finding out their stories, and supporting them with the right connections." We talk about the events that Ana organises, some tips for making a good first impression at networking events, and some simple ways to optimise your LinkdeIn profile.Click through to the shownotes page for further links and information:https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode197

This episode is based on an article that I wrote for the <a href="https://www.fremdsprachen-jobs.de/news/confuseanenglishspeaker/"?> Fremdsprachen Jobs</a> site about words and phrases that are used by German speakers, and that sound like English, but which don't mean the same thing, or don't mean anything in English! I decided to talk about this here because some of the topics can be applied more broadly in terms of words that might make sense to you and everyone in your office, but not to people from other parts of the world. Every language has these words and phrases, even more so as English is increasingly used for business. I chose examples from German because I am most familiar with those. Can you think of any more?

Happy New Year!Today I'm talking about three important skills for language learners. It is important to develop these skills, but they all become less relevant and necessary as our language skills improve. Find out what they are in today's episode, and let me know if you can think of any more to add! The links and other information that I mention are on the <a href="https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode195/"> show notes page.</a>

Today I'm sharing with you my conversation with Jane Eggers from Jane Eggers Translations. We share our tips and experiences when it comes to attending business networking meetings in other languages. We hope that the things that have worked for us might also work for you too if you find yourself in similar situations, or if you want to attend more of this kind of meeting to present yourself or your business in English. Even if this isn't relevant to you, many of our ideas will also work if you're taking part in meetings in English, or any other additional language that you may have.You can find out more on the show notes page:https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode194 Or, if you're interested in the business networking in English course, you can find out more here:https://englishwithkirsty.com/about-the-lessons/business-networking/ 

Nicole is the founder and Creative Director at Hynek Associates, a digital marketing and communications agency in the UK. She was born to a Czech father and British mother, giving her a unique experience and insight into culture and language growing up. Nicole started out in photography in 2005, learning the industry from the ground up. She added film to her portfolio in 2012 and has continued to grow and develop both herself and her business since that time. She has an MSc in Business Psychology and is currently a part-time PhD student in Organisational Psychology at the University of Worcester.  We talk about Nicole's experience of learning a language as an adult, the value of exploring a language with those who actually speak it, the way your personality and how you express yourself can change as you move between languages and cultures, how Nicole's experiences have helped her in her business, and the importance of really listening when you want to communicate and understand the other person well.<a hre