Advertiser Disclosure

Our priority is the learner. Always.

Our mission is to provide comparisons and recommendations for foreign language learners, so they do not waste any unncessary time on poor learning products and overpriced solutions.

So, how do we make money? Our partners compensate us, at no additional cost to the learner. This can influence the positioning of certain elements on Actual Fluency, but it never influences our recommendations, and reviews which are based on years of experience in the field. We do not accept payment in exchange for favourable reviews, or paid link placements. Here is a list of our partners.

AFP 111 – Michael Mischkot: How an engineer learns languages

by
(Last Updated On: April 27, 2020)

Time for episode 111! In this episode I welcome Michael Mischkot to talk about his experience learning languages.

Michael Mischkot

I first met Michael at a Polyglot Gathering in Berlin, and he impressed me with a high level of Danish he had acquired after living a relatively short time in the country. In the episode we talk about his journey as a language learner and his a-ha moments along the way.

Michael's Language Website GLanguage

Michael's Book: Smile Talk Cheesecake

Listen to the episode

Timestamps

Thanks to Michael himself for helping me out with these!

[06:15] How Michael got into language learning

[13:30] Why he never went to Danish class when he moved to Copenhagen

[16:15] Why it's important to learn the local language

[18:15] Why and how Michael failed in Chinese class three times

[22:15] His approach on learning vocabulary

[28:35] The disadvantages of the current classroom-based language learning concept

[31:45] How Michael felt when he attended a polyglot conference for the first time

[36:35] The importance of being in the right emotional state when communicating in and learning a foreign language

[40:45] How Michael found out about the Polyglot community and why you should go to the conferences and gatherings too

[49:05] How Michael studies Slovak for the Polyglot gathering in Bratislava

[52:15] The importance of correct pronunciation

[54:30] The language learning process and experience

[56:15] The Polyglot lifestyle

[57:45] Language certificates and how to use them to your advantage

Thank you for listening!

Thank you for tuning in to the show this week. If you have any feedback or questions for this episode, please don’t hesitate to leave them in the comments field below.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t hesitate to share it using the social media buttons below. I’d also be super stoked if you would take a minute to leave an honest review of the show on iTunes. It really means a lot to me and the show and I appreciate you taking the time.

To stay updated with the show, use the following links to subscribe:

iTunes – For iDevices and PCs

Player.fm – Multi-platform support

Stitcher – Alternative to above

Kris is the founder of Actual Fluency, and has spent the last 8 years becoming an expert in language learning software, methods, and techniques.

Originally from Denmark, he now lives in Portugal and speaks 5+ languages at varying levels. His other interests are Wine, Online Marketing, and Travelling.