Spanish for Star Wars Aficionados and Frikis →

Spain, 1983, El Retorno del Jedi arrived at movie theaters in Madrid. I don’t remember watching it and can only recall the billboards promoting this second Star Wars movie. I’m sure I mispronounced the title because, as a young Spanish student, I often made this Wookiee mistake: assuming that Spanish and English letters are pronounced the same.

My aim here is to help native English speakers avoid the dark side of Spanish Ds and Rs. As Obi-Wan Kenobe would say, “Your eyes can deceive you.”

Using the SlowMotion Spanish™ technique, let’s address this problem and boost your confidence in speaking.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” you might be saying to yourself?

Let’s deploy a simple Jedi mind trick. Say the following in English, slowly. Three times each.

1.       fuh-DEE-key

2.      tuh-dee low-HE-ah

3.      el ahl-CONE me-len-AH-dee-oh

4.      joe soy too PAH-duh-deh

5.      ah-YOU-thah-meh, Obi-Wan Kenobi. ED-ess me YOU-knee-kah es-ped-AHN-sah

6.      keh lah FWETTER-sah teh ah-comb-PAHN-yeh

Go back and say them again, young Jedi. This time, a bit more quickly. Crawl. Walk. Run.

Now, here’s what you said in Spanish:

1.      friki

2.     trilogía

3.     El halcón milenario

4.     Yo soy tu padre.

5.     Ayúdame, Obi-Wan Kenobe. Eres mi única esperanza.

6.     Que la Fuerza te acompañe.

Need more guidance with pronunciation? A customized learning plan? Someone to transcreate your movie script or soundtrack? I’m here to listen.

Let’s get started.

NHL and World Languages: Around the League and Alrededor del Mundo →

The great thing about the NHL: athletes from all over the world get why learning a second language is so important. Eleven Boston Bruins hail from outside the US and Canada; the current roster includes players who were born in the Czech Republic, Finland, Slovakia and Sweden.

Players from other teams come from those countries, as well as Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland and Ukraine.

No NHL players from Spain, South America or Mexico. Aside from Auston Matthews and Scott Gomez, who grew up in Spanish-speaking households, and perhaps Billy Guerin, whose mother is from Nicaragua, there are few who can at least understand Spanish.

Not that there isn’t anyone open to learning Spanish. Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Columbus Blue Jackets, who considers himself the third-best Russian speaker on the team, would like to recruit teammates to learn Russian, German or Spanish.

Until he wins over a teammate—and this goes for any NHL player or fan who wants to learn Spanish—Dubois might visit NHL.com/es. Launched in October 2019, it’s the league’s ninth native language site.

Dubois could also contact Los Angeles Kings prospect Akil Thomas, who when interviewed by Ron MacLean in April 2020, said that he grew up in Florida and took Spanish in high school. During this time away from the game, he’s reconnecting with the language.

Dubois, Thomas and fans can also find Spanish content from the Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, Vegas Golden Knights, and San Jose Sharks—all have all upped their multicultural marketing games.

If you’re a Kings fan, like my sister-in-law and her family, listen to the first goal called in Spanish on ESPN Deportes (depp-OATER-tess).

If you’re a Bruins fan like me, you can learn Spanish by reliving Juego Siete (who-EGG-oh see-YET-eh) against Toronto (May 13, 2013).

All NHL fans could see the day when ARG joins CAN, CZE, FIN, SVK, SWE, USA and the other fourteen listings in the birthplace column.

Argentina (otter-hen-TEEN-ah). Correcto. One of these youngsters could make it to El Show.

If you’re aiming for the NHL (or not), I can’t help you with your shot or foot speed (I’m a former low-scoring, shot-blocking amateur defenseman).

As a professional Spanish language consultant, I can assist you with your pronunciation, customize a learning plan for you or transcreate your team’s creative content.

Let’s get started with a free consultation.

“I Dare You”: A Lesson on Love and Languages →

Check this out, my wife told me.

She knows I’m fascinated with multilingual musicians and had a feeling I’d enjoy Kelly Clarkson’s performance of her latest hit, “I Dare You” in, English, Spanish, and well, let’s see if you can figure out the other four languages.

My wife and I then watched Clarkson’s interview with The Tonight Show’s Jimmy Fallon. Clarkson got a head start on learning romance languages because as a kid she sang opera songs. She had wanted to perform a song like “I Dare You” in multiple languages for several years.

When asked to record all six versions of “I Dare You” in four days, Clarkson could have balked. No way, not now. Too much to learn all at once.

The urgency of this worldwide pandemic and the need for global unity propelled her to step outside her comfort zone. She collaborated with five singers to keep us connected while in quarantine. The song’s message: Choose love.

The Spanish version, “Te Reto a Amar,” has taken control of my heart and feet, my vocal cords and mouth. I love that the English and Spanish videos show the words, too.

After making a lot of rookie pronunciation mistakes in Spanish, I can see the letters and know how to pronounce them correctly.

Because Spanish and English share so many letters—some with different sounds—it’s common for Spanish learners to develop poor pronunciation habits that can distract native speakers.

You may have already mispronounced “Te Reto a Amar” because the English R sound does not exist in Spanish.

To prevent the proliferation of this misapplication, we’ll deploy the Slow-Motion Spanish™ technique: Simplify. Go with what you know. Crawl. Walk. Run.

If the language you know best is English, say this slowly:

ted duh-DEBT-oh ah MOD

Again: ted duh-DEBT-oh ah MOD

A bit faster: ted duh-DEBT-oh ah MOD

When you feel like you’ve got it down, and if you haven’t done so already, say them out loud as you mesh English with Spanish.

“Te Reto a Amar”

Congratulations, you just crushed it like Kelly Clarkson and her duet partner Blas Cantó. You may not be ready to perform the song on the Tonight Show. That’s okay. We’ll leave that up to Jimmy Fallon.

You see, Clarkson has entreated Fallon to sing a non-English version of “I Dare You” with her when the Tonight Show returns to its regular format, when we can hug a friend again.

What language would you like to see Fallon try: Arabic, French, German, Hebrew or Spanish?

Merging Passions: A Foundation for Language Learning →

I can hypnotize you in Portuguese. Well, maybe not yet. After three weeks of merging my passions—learning languages and calming my restless mind—I can understand and repeat more and more words and phrases. During my 15+ minutes a day, here’s what I’m hearing and saying:

I want you to concentrate on my voice. Get comfortable. Relax. One, two, three. Breathe deeply. This is the only moment. One, two, three. With each breath…more and more relaxed. Calm. Well now, we’re all part of the same universe, becoming stronger. Building immunity against coronavirus.

Still awake? Very good. Muito bem.

When this social distancing is behind us, I’ll put what I’ve learned to practical use with some of the 50,000 people of Brazilian ancestry living in Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers.

Until then, I’ll stick with my new routine because I’m feeling so relaxed as I listen to a soothing voice and then drift off to a peaceful, dreamless state of mind. I awake feeling refreshed, unhurried.

I still have much more to learn, for sure, before I can dazzle a native Portuguese speaker. My pronunciation could do with some polishing, for example. Nevertheless, I’ve surrendered the temptation to look up words I still don’t understand, to purchase Rosetta Stone or hunt and peck for videos and podcasts on the Internet.

Instead, and with the convergence of passions, I’m seeing many of the words I hear in my mind’s eye and can categorize them as plurals, possessive adjectives, verb conjugations. It all fits together for me. I’m building a foundation for speaking and writing Portuguese and feel good about my purpose, progress and practice routine.

What are you doing to take care of yourself? To challenge and reward yourself?

Did you know that there are more than 600,000 native Spanish speakers living in Massachusetts, according to Census.gov?

How many of these people may share your passion for yoga, dogs, fútbol, football…talking about Tom Brady?

How do you feel about all this? Not sure if you want to learn Spanish, what your goals are or how to go about it?

Friends, co-workers and family tell me I’m good listener. I promise not to hypnotize you, so why don’t we get started?

Time to Merge Passions? →

What’s your thing to deactivate fear? Music? Gardening? Crafting?

Ever told yourself that someday you’d learn another language?

If you’ve found an extra fifteen minutes a day, why not merge your stress reliever with an item on your bucket list?

Let’s put Duolingo aside for now, as fun as it can be, and confront this common fear: I’m going to learn how to say stuff in (Spanish) but won’t understand when someone responds. I’ll seize up…and then give up.

I’ve been afraid, too. Of learning Portuguese—something I’ve been wanting to do but haven’t committed to on a regular basis. I’ve told myself there’s no time. Too many other priorities and hobbies.

My new morning routine includes getting up at the same time as I did when driving to work (criminy, I don’t want to get up at 6:15ish) and listening to a guided meditation in Portuguese.

I already know what I’m getting into, right? Someone with a slow and soothing voice will direct me to breathe deeply, will tell me I’m loved, will help me surrender self-doubt and anxiety.

Oh, at first, I so wanted to understand all the words. Recalling my principle purpose, to rest my roaming mind, I’ve found that I’m not worried about figuring it all out. I thought maybe I’d be bored with the same meditation. Not so. As a by-product of this short daily practice, I’ve become more accustomed to the language’s rhythm.

About two weeks into it, and without any forethought, I started repeating some of the phrases aloud—for about ten seconds—and then refocused on listening.

This spaced learning exercise squelches my inner demon, the hellion who demands perfect pronunciation and comprehension. I gain a sense of peace, accomplishment—every day, it seems like another piece of vocabulary clicks into place—and confidence to speak with a native Brazilian.

Isn’t it about time you grab a hold on whatever it is that makes you tick and a language you want to learn?

If your thing is music, I’m confident you’ll learn to identify the words for heart (code-ah-SEWN), soul (AHL-mah) and love (ah-MODE) early on. If you’re a green thumb or crochet fanatic, you can learn that lingo, too, in a contextual, natural flow.

Not sure if this approach will work for you? Need a good listener? Please contact me for a free consultation. Let’s get started.