Name      

Caroline MARIOTTI

Mother tongue        

French

Lives in      

France, in Brittany

Can you tell me a bit about yourself?

My life philosophy - a kind of mantra - is ‘life is short, enjoy every day’. I’ve spent my whole career  taking care of others, so it’s time to focus on myself and do what I like, now. I’m very active and energetic. Many decades ago, I wanted to move to the US, because I love this country, where everything is possible. Now, I’m retired, so I’ve a lot of free time, which I dedicate to one of my top priorities (with sports) - get fluent in English, especially American English.

Can you tell me about your language-learning journey? 

My journey looks like a marathon, with the same long and intense training. As a competitive runner, I push myself to perform, and I keep the same mindset for my English skills. It means that I’m deeply dedicated to my goal of speaking and listening fluency. Learning English is a true passion that combines hard work and pleasure. I feel like I’m sculpting something beautiful, certainly not perfect, but shaped by my own sense of art. Lastly, I know where my sailboat is headed to, my motivation serves as the wind, that’s enough. I’m floating and some day, I’ll arrive safe and sound somewhere, I’ve experienced that the journey, no matter the path, is as essential as the destination. Therefore, I feel like I’ve started  hiking on an infinite route… 

What have you found the hardest thing about learning English?  

Learning English isn’t difficult for me. I love foreign languages, and was very good at this in high school. Back then, I spoke fluent German, and performed in Latin. The main challenge now is to find speaking partners, at a similar level (upper intermediate to advanced for speaking skills). Group lessons for advanced learners don’t/can’t guarantee the real level of other learners online, so it’s a bit tricky. I miss having regular conversations with native speakers. I’m working on various websites, and some of them propose conversation meet-up and ‘fluency parties’ 😉. And I recently started having talks on apps with US and UK partners

What's your main goal for improving your English?

Definitely, I want to be able to watch English films without subtitles, which is a true clue of fluency, for me. I’d also love to speak with an American accent.

What are your other favourite ways to improve your English? (e.g. reading books, YouTube videos)

Apart from your podcasts, my favourite ways/methods are -1) listening to other podcasts with native speakers fast-paced conversations (2 speakers) about any real life topic (every day) – 2) writing to US and UK partners online (I have two) 3) reading English books (every evening) –4)  attending group lessons (30’ twice a week, it’s too short) – 5) watching courses on YouTube – 6) chatting in a direct conversation with a regular Turkish partner (but his level doesn’t challenge me) -7) using AI (solely to speak out loud alone), and I just started conversation meet-up and ‘fluency parties’, organized by a US website.

Do you have any special tips for someone trying to improve their English?

I believe that all tips should be closely adapted to each learner’s real goal. Actually, improving English to travel requires less commitment than studying abroad, or speaking to foreign clients on the phone. So, the essential tip/step, in my opinion, is to clearly and honestly identify one’s ultimate target, without being mistaken. Once the real goal is defined, the next tip/step is to take the right ways/approach to reach it. This is the ‘strategy’s tip’, which is necessary but not sufficient ! Even with the best strategy, no matter the level, any progress can’t happen without a focused mindset on my helpful ‘4 P rule’ -Pleasure – Persistence – Patience -Progressivity. Personally, I would recommend practicing every day, working on two different skills at the time, for example -listening AND writing -listening AND shadowing, and so on.

Above all, my essential tip is  learn slowly, and at your own pace ! People pretending ‘get fluent in English in six months’ are true liers, who only focus on making money online ! 

Do you have any special tips on staying motivated?

Staying motivated is closely connected to pleasure, no matter the activity. So each learner should find out what method provides him/her fun, and stick with it. I think there is no ‘one single way’, like a magical stick, and each person is responsible for his/her own choices. Once again, the challenge is to fuel a positive mindset, and progress will come faster with a real dedicated practice.

Why did you decide to become a member of Leonardo English?

I like young and nice guys! Just kidding! 😉More seriously, at the time, I was overall looking to improve my listening skills, because I had heard about the efficiency of podcasts for achieving this target. So, I searched online, and found your website. Moreover, you were speaking at a nearly normal pace, which matched my search. That’s how I bumped into you first, then Leonardo! wow! Telling stories was both an original and entertaining method, that let learners  having  real fun, while learning English. Lastly, I didn’t mention the cost, but of course, it influenced my choice too !

Can you share a little bit about your “podcast” routine? How do you use the podcasts to improve your English, and do you have any tips for others?

I only focus on the podcasts, in an active listening way. I never, ever do another activity simultaneously. It’s time-consuming, because, my routine is like this  I listen to the whole episode in one go, then listen to it a second time with the transcript, writing down some interesting and common expressions/words in my notebook. Lastly, I listen to it in one go again, paying closer attention to what I’ve written down. I feel lucky, because I can understand you easily. However, it doesn’t mean I know all the vocabulary, of course not. While listening to podcasts, my goal is first to get accustomed to the rhythm, fast-paced pronunciation, reduced speech, sounds and picking commonly used expressions. It’s a true work ! In an afternoon, I can listen to two podcasts of English Learning for Curious Minds or three shorter ones on other websites (AEE, Patreon, ello). By the end, to be honest, I’m a bit fed up and tired, due to the mental focus. I stick to a daily practice, more than two hours, in order to immerse myself as much as possible in this ‘English ocean’.

What's your favourite English Learning for Curious Minds episode (and why)?

Actually, I don’t have a favourite episode, they are so many! But, I tend to favor certain topics that are usually appealing to me, like exploration, learning languages, cultural and historical subjects, sports, and many others. According to my mood of the day, (should I say my appetite), I choose an episode in your long list (like people help themselves at a buffet!). I usually try to stick to the three episodes of the mini series, but not always.