English With Kirsty

You may remember Katharina from last year when we did an episode on the importance of networking. If you missed it, you can check back to episode 294.Today we’re talking about self-care. It’s something we hear about a lot, but often it can feel like an afterthought or a nice-to-have-if-we-weren’t-so-busy. But especially for those of us with one-person-businesses, self-care is essential. And of course, as this is a language podcast, we also talk about how our additional languages can be part of our mindfulness activities and help us to focus on what’s happening here and now … and not in all the other times and places where our mind likes to wander.We talked about

Sometimes it takes courage to get yourself out there and approach new potential clients. A lot of it can be done alone with nobody watching. You can research the companies, make a shortlist, and plan what you're going to write to them. That's safe enough! But if you want people to trust you enough to make you part of their teams and their workflows, there's a reasonable chance that they'll want  to talk with you and find out who's behind the email or LinkedIn message. Especially now, when people are often outsourcing parts of the lead generation process and initial message writing to AI... Potential clients want to know who you are, what you're offering, and more importantly - how you will add value to them.And unlike your previous experience with agencies, who'll often have someone available who speaks your language, these conversations may need to be in a different one - either because it's the client's first language or because you'll need a bridge language in which you can both communicate.These calls can

Today we have another episode in which we look at someone’s experience of learning and immersing themselves in other languages.I recently met Alejandra Escamilla Sanchez on LinkedIn and wanted to find out more about her language adventures. We talked about Alejandra’s early introductions to English and why she wanted to learn How Alejandra came to be studying in the UK and why this involved spending a year in Japan What Alejandra learned about the Japanese language and culture during her stay and how new local friends helped her Tips for anyone who’s learning Japanese Thoughts on doing stand-up comedy in an additional language Alejandra’s new project bringing together music and translation. Alejandra has the kind of enthusiasm and energy that make it remind us why learning languages is fun! I hope you enjoy our conversation!Find out more on the show notes page - https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode306

This short solo episode is based on the introduction to my last newsletter. If you want to receive the newsletter, you can sign up for it on any page of my site – https://www.englishwithkirsty.comIt’s always good to remember that we have choices. If we don’t, we can give our power away with the feeling that things are happening to us and we don’t have the agency to change them.Today I’m talking about that feeling in an additional language when a conversation strays into unfamiliar or more difficult teritory. Do you focus on the feelings of inadequacy, the missing words, the fact that you could do better in your first language? Or do you focus on the recipient and the message, doing the best that you can with the skills and knowledge that you do have.To be honest – I do both! But choosing the second way is a much better experience.Sure, sometimes we have to be honest when we don’t have the answers. Sure, it’s also good to ask for help when we need it. But focusing on the other person and the message that we wa

In last week’s episode, I was speaking with Margarida and Cara about their groups for people who want to develop their Portuguese and Italian skills, to learn more about language and culture, and in Carla’s case, to read books in Italian.I also have groups for people who want to develop their English skills and I have some thoughts on the topics that we discussed – how participating in groups can help us to learn, the sense of community that we can build, and some of the additional benefits that I’ve noticed during the last 4 years of running membership groups for English. Rather than making last week’s episode really long, I decided to share my thoughts here instead.Find out more here: https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode304/or send me a message if you have any questions - kirsty@englishwithkirsty.com

Today’s episode is with two guests whom I met online, but who didn’t know each other before we got together to record our episode.Both are involved in interesting projects that help others to learn. Both are bringing people together to learn more about their language and culture.Carla runs a weekly Italian reading group online, where she brings people together to discover Italian literature. At the same time, they have the opportunity to refine their language skills, give opinions, and understand more about the language through reading the books.Margarida runs a fortnightly Portuguese conversation group, primarily in Lisbon. Participants can develop their speaking skills, ask questions about the Portuguese language and culture, receive feedback on their writing, and make new friends.We discussed how each of the groups works, who would most benefit from each one, the value that comes from learning as part of a guided group, and at the end there’s some advice for people who might feel anxious about signing up t

Jennifer is a returning guest on the podcast. I asked her to come back because I read her blog post about the importance of using our own voice and I thought she had made some important points that would be relevant to my listeners too.We talked about: How using AI to generate your content can erode trust with your audience. Other potential downfalls for business owners and freelancers of using AI to generate content./li> Why it’s actually difficult to make AI content sound human. The easy way to get your own ideas down in writing. How to prevent yourself from over-editing your own writing and tips for spotting errors. How you can explore and develop your own voice. We also talked about using additional languages to communicate. Specifically, how AI can help you to identify and fix obvious errors, but there’s a danger in relying so much on AI for your editing that your voice is lost and the text sounds like everything else that’s been written or heavily influenced by AI.Find out more on the show notes page

I met Roxana on LinkedIn and discovered that she is a fear specialist. Apart from being curious about what that means, fear or anxiety often come up in conversations about accepting new challenges or being more visible in additional languages. So I thought it would be interesting to discuss this with Roxana on the podcast – and this is what happened!We talked about:

I’ve been planning this episode for a while, but what better topic for episode 300 than one that combines two of my favourite things – languages and animals.I wanted to have a conversation with language professionals who’ve integrated their interest in animals into their work.I found four guests to explore this topic with me and the episode is going to be in two parts. The other part is coming soon, but in this conversation with Ruth, Silvia, and Isabel, we talked about:

It’s story time! I’m a language trainer and mentor. I work with others to help them on their language journeys with English. But I’m also a learner with three languages at different stages of fluency. And that’s really good because I also have the perspective of a learner. Not all of my clients have the same challenges as me – though many do! My solutions won’t work for everyone! But there are things that I can share from my experiences of improving my language skills that will probably resonate with some of my listeners too.In this episode, I’m talking about an experience from my Portuguese class. My Portuguese level isn’t at the same level as the English of mmost of my clients, but we’re not talking about language level today. We’re talking about the choices that we make when we don’t feel sure. Sometimes they are choices to protect us and make us feel safe, but they can also dilute our message.My task was to describe three of my services in English and then to talk about the same three services in Portugue

Graciela and I met recently on LinkedIn and, especially as we haven’t discussed the translation of legal and immigration documents on the podcast before, we decided to make an episode together.Graciela Darritchon is a certified public translator based in Buenos Aires, specialising in immigration, legal and academic documentation. Through her work with high-stakes, formal texts, she brings a real-world perspective on how professionals use English when clarity, tone and cultural awareness truly matter. Her work focuses on helping people communicate accurately and appropriately across systems and cultures, especially in emotionally charged and high-pressure situations.We talked about:

2 additional events in January 2026 and how they can help youI’m busy preparing some new interview and group episodes, but I wanted to quickly share the additional events that are happening this month.You can check all of the current events any time on my events page. This includes the free networking for language professionals, the language meet-up, and the paid memberships for the club and cafe: https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/eventsHere are two more events that are happening this month.Event for translators who want to reactivate their spoken EnglishIt’s not just about doing the work. It’s about building relationships, finding clients, explaining our services…Some freelancers have been doing this from the beginning. Others are doing more of it these days – maybe because they’re shifting to more direct client work or maybe because they’re offering additional services so that they’re less dependent on one source of income.It’s one of the topics that comes up at the reactivate your English – English speakin

The idea for this episode came from a conversation that I had on LinkedIn.Have you ever written something fairly quickly and then took forever deciding whether you actually want to post it? Do people want to read that? Will they understand what you’re trying to get across? If it’s in an additional language, do you check and recheck it, change bits, put it back to how it was, and still wonder whether it’s ready to go?It’s frustrating!It’s not about not having ideas or not knowing how to get them down. That’s a different situation. It’s knowing that you’re giving too much time to this thing that should actually not be taking up so much head space.That’s our topic for today and I’ve got 7 tips for you to stop the procrastination or perfectionism loop and finally get the thing posted!Find out more on the show notes page: https://www.englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode296 

Well, this year has been exciting! I’ve met lots of amazing people! I’m becoming better-known for the things on which I want to concentrate! I did most of the things on my 2025-to-do-list and some things that hadn’t even crossed my mind at the beginning of the year!This episode is a reflection on What happened this year What’s coming up on the podcast What’s happening with the 7 main topics that I mentioned at the beginning of the year – spoiler, they’re all still relevant! 5 lessons that I’ve learned this year Is there anything you’d like to share about what you’ve learned this year? What are you grateful for?Find out more on the show notes page - https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode295/

I met Katharina online last year and we decided to have a conversation on the podcast about something that’s important to both of us … networking!Ok, it’s something you hear me talking about a lot, but I thought it would be really interesting to get another perspective, especially from someone who hasn’t always been the biggest fan of the activity and who has learned that its definition goes far beyond some of the common stereotypes.We talked about Some of the different forms that networking can take Why networking is important for us as independent professionals What we enjoy about networking Some of the challenges around attending events in our source or additional languages and some strategies to make life easier for ourselves Click through to the show notes page to get the links that we mentioned including Katharina's newsletter and my events schedule: https://englishwithkirsty.com/podcast/episode294/

I came across Sarah’s work when a friend recommended her book. Since then, I’ve been receiving her marketing tips in her newsletter – and it’s worth subscribing to if you haven’t already!A few weeks ago, I saw Sarah giving tips on a subject that often comes up in my conversations with clients and networking sessions – the transition from working solely with agencies to approaching potential direct clients for the first time. So I thought it would be good to do an episode on this topic with someone who could bring marketing experience and practical, implementable tips.We talked about: Sarah’s books for translators and why she decided to write them Tips to consider when you’re planning to contact potential direct clients, especially if you’ve previously only worked with agencies Some common mistakes when it comes to pitching translation services to direct clients and what you can do instead Why having a portfolio can be helpful and what else you can do in addition/instead Why it’s important to feel confident ab

I’ve been wanting to talk about this topic for a while and to bring you a conversation with people who are in more of a position to explain, give examples, and help others to either start thinking or learn more about the topic of inclusive language.In this episode we talked about: What is inclusive language? What are some general tips that we can implement to make our texts and speech more inclusive? Are there any language-specific aspects, approaches, or challenges that we should be aware of in terms of the languages represented on the panel? Different experiences of speaking with clients about making their texts more inclusive or pointing out where the original text was not? Inclusive language resources that would be useful for translators. Thanks Renata, Marina, Alicja, Inès, and Charlotte for making this content with me and I look forward to exploring these topics further with you and others in the future.To find out more about my guests and to see the resource list for this episode, visit the show notes

To celebrate 10 years of the English with Kirsty podcast, I’m creating a 10-part series to celebrate 10 different forms that learning can take.The final part of the series is about learning through Volunteering. I had a number of people who wanted to be involved, so in the end I decided to split this into three conversations. The third and final part is with Colette Myler, whom I met back in 2021 when we were attending some of the same international networking events together.What did we talk about?I really wanted to show some of the different ways in which people can be volunteers, so I spoke with people doing very different roles. We talked about: Colette’s story – why she decided to volunteer and which organisations she chose. The skills and knowledge that Colette brings to her volunteering roles and some of the new skills that she’s gained over the years Some of the things that Colette has learned through her volunteering experiences – as well as some of the people whom she’s met along the way. How volunt

To celebrate 10 years of the English with Kirsty podcast, I’m creating a 10-part series to celebrate 10 different forms that learning can take.The final part of the series is about learning through Volunteering. I had a number of people who wanted to be involved, so in the end I decided to split this into three conversations. The second part is with Diana Silva Franco, whom you may remember because she was also my guest in episode 219.What did we talk about?I really wanted to show some of the different ways in which people can be volunteers, so I spoke with people doing very different roles. We talked about:

To celebrate 10 years of the English with Kirsty podcast, I’m creating a 10-part series to celebrate 10 different forms that learning can take.The final part of the series is about learning through Volunteering. I had a number of people who wanted to be involved, so in the end I decided to split this into three conversations. The first one is with Sónia Rio and MIRIAM SANTOS FREIRE – both independent professional colleagues from LinkedIn whom I didn’t know very well before we got together on Zoom.What did we talk about?I really wanted to show some of the different ways in which people can be volunteers, so I spoke with people doing very different roles.We talked about: