x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Future is Bilingual

Are you bilingual or hoping to be? Wondering if you could teach your child another language? In this show, we discuss all things related to languages and multilingualism. Some episodes are interviews with people and parents about their experiences becoming bi/multilingual and raising their children in more than one language. Other episodes offer you tips and resources to improve your own language learning or that of your children. We hope to inspire you to join us in making the future more

education language learning

All Episodes

00:34:51

Ep. 73: Too many languages? Inside look at a...

The Future is Bilingual ·

2025/10/25

In part 2 of my interview with Dr. Ute Limacher-Riebold, we get into the details of her family's languages and how a multilingual family actually interacts on a day-to-day basis. She takes us back to when her children were little and exposed to 5 languages to the present day where they are grown adults still curious and continuing to learn new languages. It wasn't always easy and smooth sailing, though. Tune in to hear what Ute did when her twins created a secret language that no one else

en

00:47:19

Ep. 72: The Natural Approach & Code-Switching -...

The Future is Bilingual ·

2025/10/18

I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with the brilliant Dr. Ute Limacher-Riebold, a renowned scholar who grew up multilingual and has been working in the field of linguistics and multilingualism for decades.This first part of our talk focuses on Ute's journey growing up multilingual in Italy with German parents and being immersed early on in many different languages and dialects. We touch on the distinction between a language and a dialect, as that is not always so clear, and the

en

00:25:12

Ep. 71: How to ensure enough exposure

The Future is Bilingual ·

2025/09/02

In this short solo episode, Heather goes over what you need to consider when you're looking to increase the amount of exposure your child is getting to their languages. The same is also true for anyone who is learning a new language and wants to increase their input and improve their learning. Listen to give yourself the motivation to take an honest look at you or your family's schedule and current language use so you can better plan for today and the future.

en

00:54:05

Ep. 70: Intentional Bilingual Parenting - Interview...

The Future is Bilingual ·

2025/08/08

Happy Friday! Today's guest, Alicja, is a Polish mom raising her two kids in the UK with her Polish husband. Sounds like the perfect recipe for raising bilingual kids, right? Not so fast! Bilingual parenting takes planning and intentionality, even for two parents from the same country.In this episode, Alicja tells us about all the choices, actions and dedication that go into ensuring her children grow up speaking their heritage language. She recognizes that her kids will be a mix of their

en

01:17:20

Ep. 69: Unsure, stuck or struggling? Listen to this

The Future is Bilingual ·

2025/07/07

In this episode, Heather talks about some of the fears and false beliefs that may be holding you back from raising your child bilingually or learning a language yourself.This episode is inspired by a talk Heather gave at the Women in Language Conference back in 2021 called "Puis-je le faire ? Élever des enfants multilingues (Can I do this? Raising multilingual children)". This talk went over 13 fears or challenges and gave a practical solution or piece of advice for each.This podcast episode

en

00:14:18

Ep. 68: We're back!

The Future is Bilingual ·

2025/04/13

It's been almost a year since I last published an episode, but today we are back and ready to relaunch The Future is Bilingual Podcast!This podcast is for everyone interested in languages and in making the future more multilingual, multicultural, diverse and inclusive.If you would like to be a guest, please reach out to me at tfibpodcast@gmail.com or contact me via my website https://thefutureisbilingual.wordpress.com/.You can follow me on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual and

en

00:41:56

Ep. 67: Speaking 4.5 languages - Interview with Urmi

The Future is Bilingual ·

2024/06/01

Today's podcast guest is Urmi, a polyglot who speaks 4.5 languages (I love this description!) She grew up in Italy speaking both Italian and Bengali as her first languages. She currently resides in Montréal, the largest city in the French-speaking Canadian province of Québec. She tells us about living and working in a bilingual city and how they know which language to use with clients at work. We discuss how Urmi learned all 4.5 languages and how she continues to maintain them while also working

en

01:14:57

Ep. 66: Expert Advice from Fellow Polyglot, Teacher...

The Future is Bilingual ·

2024/01/15

Today's interview is with Christina, Heather's friend and colleague at Freestyle Languages. Christina's life has brought her into contact with many languages and she has embraced each opportunity to broaden her horizons and learn more. She tells us about how she learned Italian, Spanish, Hebrew, French and Moroccan Darija, and not only that but how she maintains them. Our discussion covers many topics including traveling and living abroad, learning a language for a relationship, and teaching all

en

00:59:04

Ep. 65: Multilingual Parent, Poet & Teacher -...

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/11/25

Suzy is an Armenian-American EFL (English as a foreign language) instructor, multilingual poet and mom raising two young multilingual children. She grew up bilingually and much of her poetry focuses on the immigrant experience, especially for children of immigrants like herself. She shares with us her journey learning her various languages, how she met her French husband, and how they are raising their two children to be trilingual in Armenian, French and English. Suzy and Heather, who both teach

en

00:56:22

Ep. 64: Deep Dive into Indian Linguistics - Interview...

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/09/23

Today's episode is a deep dive into the complex linguistic reality in India with Dr. Devina Krishna, assistant professor of linguistics at Patna Women's College in India. Not only is she an expert in the field but she is also raising her son to be multilingual. We get into the languages they speak and what communication looks like (spoiler: there is some code switching happening!). India has 22 official languages and we discuss mutual intelligibility between them and the logistics of recognizing

en

01:16:04

Ep. 63: Heritage Speaker Connecting Us to S. Asian...

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/09/02

So many truth bombs and inspiring tales in this interview episode with Anita, the founder of Bhasha Kids (⁠@BhashaKids⁠)! Anita is a Malayalam-American mom whose company helps kids (and adults!) connect with South Asian Languages and Cultures.Anita and Heather talk all about raising multilingual kids and the best ways to support them in their language learning journey, like why it's worth getting a tutor and/or resources. They also get into linguistic topics such as phonological awareness and the

en

00:57:08

Ep. 62: Studying Japanese at Uni - Interview with Tanner

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/07/04

Today's interview is with Tanner, a college student majoring in music business and minoring in Japanese. We talk a lot about Japan and Japanese culture, but first we discuss the other languages she has studied and what got her interested in Japanese. We touch on how her classes are taught using a flipped classroom model, which Heather also uses when teaching with Freestyle Languages. Tanner shares her experiences, tips and interests related to learning Japanese but also dabbling in Mandarin

en

00:46:47

Ep. 61: Straddling Two Cultures - Interview with...

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/06/07

Today's interview is with Maria Twena, a second-generation Latina, a bilingual children’s book author, and the creator of "MariVi: The Master Navigator". Maria tells us about what it was like growing up and straddling not only two languages but also two cultures and two opposing worldviews, one collectivist and one individualist. She only realized as an adult how challenging her experiences had been and that many bicultural children share these same experiences. She created her book

en

01:22:13

Ep. 60: Empowering our children - Interview with Jesse

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/05/21

Today's guest, Jesse, is a multilingual father of two and a seasoned English teacher living in Spain. He first started teaching English in South Korea and shares stories of his seven years spent over there. Throughout the episode we talk about the importance of intentionality when raising our children, for example we both make a concerted effort to expose our children to different cultures and different ways of living. We also get honest about parenting and the struggles we face raising

en

00:47:37

Ep. 59: Les enseignants de langue natifs vs. non-natifs

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/05/11

Bienvenue au premier épisode du podcast "The Future is Bilingual" en français ! 🎉 Nous savons que les mots "natif" et "non-natif" sont problématiques, mais ils font partie de notre réalité et peuvent sembler inévitables. Réfléchissons un peu plus sur ce sujet. Cet épisode est divisé en trois parties : 1. Mes expériences personnelles en tant qu'apprenante de langues, y inclus un grand secret 2. Mes expériences professionnelles en tant qu'enseignante de 4

en

00:57:49

Ep. 58: Native vs. Non-native Language Teachers

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/05/11

In this episode, I attempt to tackle the highly controversial topic of native speakerism and what it means to be a good language teacher. The episode is divided into three main parts: 1. My personal experiences learning multiple languages, including a shameful secret 2. My professional experiences as a teacher of 4 languages 3. What I learned from others during an open discussion I lead at the Polyglot Gathering online this past March on the same topic. There are so many things that could and need

en

01:05:05

Ep. 57: Planting Multilingual Seeds 🌱 - Interview...

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/04/22

Episode 57 - Tiffany takes us on a journey around the world from Colombia to France to the U.S. and back again. She tells us about her adoption, growing up bilingual in France, what it was like going to an international school, how she met her husband, and how they are raising their two children multilingually. So much wisdom in this episode! Tiffany works as a communications associate at The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law so I am delighted to have this episode come out on Earth Day 2023! I

en

00:45:33

Ep. 56: How to Learn Languages with TV Shows -...

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/03/14

Episode 56 - Today's episode is with Lauren from Polyglot Station and Language TV Club! She is a language enthusiast and a speech language pathologist. She tells us how she started Polyglot Station and where the idea for the Language TV Club came from. They regularly have clubs in German, Italian, French, and Spanish, but they also include other languages. The idea is we all watch the same show on our own time on Netflix and meet to talk about it in the target language. It’s the perfect way for

en

01:17:17

Ep. 55: What It Really Takes to Raise a Bilingual...

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/02/05

Episode 55 -In this episode, Heather chats with Mackenzie, one of the hosts of the podcast The ABCs of Matrescence, about how she is raising her two children completely in French while living in the US. Mackenzie's husband is Vietnamese and she tells us about how they considered adding Vietnamese into their family language plan and what their final decision was. We get all the details on how Mackenzie's raising her children in French, her second language, and how much dedication it really takes

en

00:41:44

Ep. 54: 35+ Free Ways to Practice Your Language(s)

The Future is Bilingual ·

2023/01/10

Episode 54 - Looking for new ways to practice your language without breaking the bank? No matter what language you're learning or how advanced or rusty you are, this episode gives you close to 40 ideas to try without spending a penny. Let me know if I forgot something or what you favorite tip is! You can find me on Instagram @thefutureisbilingual, on my website or by writing to me at TFIBPodcast@gmail.com. If you enjoy this podcast, please let a rating on your favorite podcast app and a review here

en

74 results

Similar Podcasts

Science Talk

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

五分钟心理学

柠檬心理

Daily Facts

Amalia Dupray and Montgomery Jones.

Les dents et dodo

BFMTV

Veterinary Clinical Podcasts

The Royal Veterinary College