English with Kirsty

You have an idea. You’ve been to industry conferences and there’s part of you that would like to speak at one, but what do you do next? Then that self-doubt or imposter syndrome voice comes in and you leave it for another day.One way to break out of that cycle of inactivity is to take some action. To get some information about what the next step would be for the event that interests you, define your topic, and maybe then be brave and send in your submission!Often we see the same familiar faces at conferences, but what about those other people who have something to say? New ideas and perspectives. Different voices.This is something that came up briefly during our episode about learning through conferences last year. I wanted to come back to look at the topic in more detail with Anna, who organises conferences for the language industry.Anna agreed to come back and give us some tips, talk about her own experience, and share her perspective as someone who sees a lot of conference presentation submissions.My hope is that, if this is something that you’ve been considering, the practical advice and encouragement in our conversation will help you to take the next step in getting your idea written up and submitted to whichever event feels like a good fit for you!Here are some of the questions we answer: Where’s the best place to start if you haven’t spoken at a conference before? Do I have to have a certain type of personality to speak at an industry conference? What makes a good pitch and what should I avoid? How can I make my submission stand out? What are some alternatives to a 60-minute presentation? If I do speak at an event, how can I make the most of the opportunity, both during the event and afterwards? When’s the best time to start thinking about sending in my pitch? Find out more about Anna on our show notes page: https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode330

Fay and I have been chatting on LinkedIn this year, but I didn’t know that she was an author until recently. It was interesting to hear about Fay’s fiction books, which explore topics around language learning without specifically being about that.Having never lived outside the UK, it was also interesting for me to hear from someone with two very different learning through immersion experiences – one in France and one in Germany. We explored the stages that Fay went through both times in order to communicate fluently in both languages. Who helped her, what did she experience at each stage, and when did she finally feel that she’d made it in terms of being able to communicate with others more confidently?We then went on to discuss Fay’s writing journey – how her book series came about, what this has to do with language learning, and the identity of the mysterious cat! I couldn’t resist asking about that!We hope you enjoy our conversation and look forward to hearing from anyone with similar – or different – language learning through immersion stories! Do you relate to the stages that Fay mentioned? Did you feel stuck at one stage longer? What helped you to progress to a point where you were more fluent and found it easier to communicate more naturally?You can find all of Fay's links here: https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode329/

These solo episodes are intended to be shorter – with a thought, a question, or something practical to try.It started with a conversation about abandoning ideas and a post about animals!Sometimes I work with people who have no idea what to share on social media. Other times I hear from people who don’t get anywhere with their ideas, because they abandon or reject them before they’ve really had chance to grow.What are some of the reasons for why we do this?What happens if we don’t do anything, or if we let ideas be generated for us?What happens if we don’t listen to that little voice that says our ideas aren’t interesting, original, or smart enough?AI prompts can give us quick answers, but if we grow to rely on them, what do we lose in terms of the creative process? In terms of seeing how the different parts of our idea or story fit together, or developing our own unique angle or perspective?My LinkedIn post with the donkey picture in which I asked what people want to be known for as well as their work revealed all kinds of things about people that I wasn’t aware of before. And yet, there was a part of me that hesitated about sending this little idea out into the world.If we don’t want to see as much generic, AI-generated content, then we need to create something different. Some of this means being vulnarable enough to tell our own stories, share our own thoughts, or maybe just start by not rejecting ideas for posts if we can’t imagine the finished piece of content straight away. Sometimes sitting with the questsions helps us find better answers!Have you got a thought / experience / learning take-away or question that you’ve been thinking about sharing?I've created a page with all my useful links. You can find it here: https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/links

Belinda and I have been getting to know each other recently – with coffee chats in German and English to share our thoughts on language, business, …. and dogs I asked Belinda to come on the podcast because she often posts interesting takes on marketing and transcreation and I wanted to explore this topic further, looking at various aspects of her work, how we use language differently, depending on the culture and context, and some speecifics relating to the German market.We talked about: Belinda’s language story with German and English How our plans can change and grow into something we may not have considered at the beginning of our career. How different parts of our personality can come through in each language What transcreation is and why it’s important Practical examples of how Belinda works with her clients and their content to improve the experience for German readersThings that have surprised Belinda’s clients about creating content for the German market and mistakes that we should avoid And finally – I had to ask about Belinda’s new dog And … it wasn’t just dog talk. One of our final take-aways was “enjoy the walk you’re on” – the dog’s version of be in the present moment!Here's where you can find out more about Belinda and her work on our episode's page: https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode327/ 

I had been following Dana’s content on LinkedIn for a while. I finally contacted her and asked her to come on the podcast because I saw a post about her recent presentation on terminology and solo female travel. The point was that, when the termonology is right, women have the right names to describe what is happening to them. This is how organisations where we get information prior to travel can get the tools they need to inform and prepare women who are planning to travel alone. But this can only happen if there is a joint understanding of what specific words mean so that they can be used consistently.I wanted to find out more about this presentation and to hear some of Dana’s stories discovering new places and meeting both colleagues and new people in other countries.We talked about: Dana’s language story and some of her solo travel experiences, including some of the people Dana met along the way Why Dana likes to visit places that are not common tourist destinations The role that language plays in Dana’s travels and what she does when there is no common language Dana’s presentation – why she gave it, what she discovered, and what could happen next Dana’s work with Women in Localisation, LocLunch, the Institute of Translating and Interpreting, and the Romanian Standards Organisation. What other colleagues can do if they are interested in contributing to similar projects Find out more about Dana on the show notes page: https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode326/

I first got in touch with Cláudia on LinkedIn when she interacted with a post about one of my other episodes. As I learned more about her work in creating original Portuguese audio content for children, I thought we could have an interesting conversation on the podcast too.Of course I am always interested to find new content in Portuguese because it helps me too. If it’s about animals, it’s an added bonus! But whether or not you speak Portuguese, you wil be able to relate to our other topics around education, children’s literacy, learning by listening, and a love for the natural world.We talked about:🎙 Cláudia’s own language story and why she became interested in story-telling for children🎙 The Trevo Trevo project – what it is, whom it’s for, and what Cláudia wants to achieve through sharing her stories as spoken words🎙 Why it’s important for children to develop their listening skills without additional stimuli or distractions🎙 Where Cláudia gets her inspiration and how she ensures that the stories are also educationalThanks Cláudia for this conversation and for sharing your work with us 😊 Find out more about Cláudia  and Trevo Trevo on our episode's page - https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode325/

How do we answer the question about what we do, when do we need to change this answer, and what might be missing in terms of connecting our positioning, visibility, and connections? Those are my topics in this week's solo episode! Are you coming on this journey with me? You might leave with things you want to change, improve, or do differently!Find out how I can support you with my language and communication services or send me a message here: https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode324/

I contacted Kathrin a few weeks ago when I discovered that her Medtalks with Kathrin are recorded and available as podcasts. I had enjoyed a recent episode and wanted to let her know. That turned into a coffee chat, which turned into a collaboration plan! In this first episode, you’ll hear more about Kathrin, her story, and her projects. We’re also planning a future episode with some colleagues from the How to speak cancer translation team.In this conversation we talked about: Kathrin’s language story and her career path into the language industry What Medtalks with Kathrin are all about, who they’re for, and where you can find them Patient-centred medical communication and what needs to happen for it to be accessible for the people it’s intended to help Kathrin’s tips for colleagues who would like to know more about medical translation and medical writing Who is Kathrin ?Kathrin Kunze is a nurse-turned medical communicator, author, translator, and founder of Kathrin’s Medical Linguistics. Drawing on almost 20 years of clinical experience, she helps patients, families, and care partners understand complex medical information with greater clarity and confidence. Through her book How to Speak Cancer, her blog, and her conversations with patients and healthcare professionals, Kathrin and her network work to make medical language accessible for all.You can find the links that we mention by visiting our episode's page: https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode323/

Nora and I met through my networking meetings. Most of us don’t have any idea what life as a freelancer is like until we actually take the leap into the unknown. Nora offers placements for people who want to find out more about life as a freelance conference interpreter and I wanted to find out how they work, what the participants learn, and what mentoring junior colleagues or answering questions from students has taught Nora as well!We talked about:🎙Nora’s story with languages and how she followed her own path into interpreting🎙 Why Nora decided to offer work placements for people interested in freelance interpreting and what kind of people will benefit from them🎙 Nora’s general tips for improving interpreting skills🎙 Nora’s work with students and their most common questions and misconceptions about her roleFind out more about Nora on our episode's page: https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode322/

 | Today I’m bringing you a conversation with Helen von Dadelszen from Present Potential Sàrl.  We covered a lot of ground in terms of using our voice, speaking in front of others, dealing with stage fright, and often doing all of these things in an additional language. Some of the key topics are: 🎙 Helen’s story and how she became a language coach🎙 How we sometimes create a persona in another language that doesn’t reflect who we are – and what we can do about it🎙 The fact that many of the things that people don’t like about their voices are actually things that we can change🎙 How we can build confidence🎙 How we can deal with stage fright and last-minut nerves before we have to speak in front of others🎙 Helen’s book – courageous action that talks about how we need to take action in order to build our confidence.. What’s some courageous action that you’ve taken recently, or that you’re planning to take, in order to speak with more confidence in your first language or an additional one?  Here's where you can find the show notes page with Helen's links: https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode321