I lived in Russia for 13 years (2007 to 2020) and taught English to make a living. These are some of the experiences I had.

Living in Russia

How do you speak a language better. I go over some of the things I have noticed about students trying to increase their skills during my 15 years of teaching English.

 Ideas for Learning English

Today we're talking about why you perhaps shouldn't use "difficult" at work, and why you might want to use "challenging" instead. I hope you find it useful!

If you want to improve your professional communication skills then don't forget that I'm a full time, professional, business English coach and tutor, right here on iTalki. Feel free to book some of my time and I look forward to meeting you.

DAILY Business English VOCABULARY builder

This is a very difficult podcast

En el episodio de esta semana hablamos de comida. Y aunque los platos que menciono son muy comunes entre los españoles no son los platos típicos que los extranjeros asocian con España. 

¿Tienes curiosidad por saber de qué platos te hablo? Te cuento todo en el episodio.

Después de escucharlo no te olvides de dejar una valoración al podcast desde la plataforma donde lo estés escuchando. Además, me encantaría escuchar tus opiniones, ¿qué te ha parecido el episodio? ¿Conocías estos platos españoles? ¿Cuál es el que más te ha sorprendido?


Blanca to go 

141-platos españoles que son raros para los extranjeros

Welcome to the American English Pronunciation Guide. My name is Trevor Kafka, and I am your host.

There are many different varieties of American English. I was born and raised in New York, which has given me General American English pronunciation. The English that I speak has 15 vowel sounds. 

Please view the transcript for help while listening.

Today, we will talk about the vowel sound number 1 of 15: /æ/ black cat. The mouth must be open and wide for this sound, maybe a little more than you are used to in your native language.

Listen to me saying this sound and repeat: /æ/, /æ/, /æ/

Listen to and repeat the following single-syllable words:
black
cat
bad
can
have
laugh
sad
tax
thank

Listen to and repeat the following multiple-syllable words:
eggplant
gather
happen
master
command
family
unsatisfied
understand
imagine

Listen to and repeat the following sentences:
The mad cat had a hat.
It is bad to have a laugh when your family is sad.
I can imagine you’re unsatisfied with the master’s command.

I would like to thank Shirley Thompson and Karen Taylor for their work in developing the set of key phrases that I use with each vowel, such as /æ/ black cat, /eɪ/ grey day, etc. 

📢 American English Pronunciation Guide

Episode 1 - Vowels æ black cat (1 of 15)

Transcript by italki teacher Carl:
Improve your spoken English and book a lesson with me: https://teach.italki.com/teacher/1947582
Streetwise English Podcast - Pink Floyd
Welcome back to another mini episode of Streetwise English podcast. You can search for Streetwise English Podcast on other platforms and find full length episodes, but these are just mini podcasts. Today I'd like to talk about music, and specifically I'd like to talk about an English band called Pink Floyd. So Pink Floyd was big back in the 1970s. And I remember as a kid my dad had the album The Dark Side of the Moon, and the cover Art of the Dark Side of the Moon was a prism, like a triangle.
And then on the right side of the prism was a rainbow. So the spectrum of colors in light and this album was groundbreaking at the time because it was kind of a new genre of music. It was psychedelic rock, so there were soundscapes and they were using synthesizers and electric instruments in ways that people had never done before. And I looked, I Googled it, checked on the Wikipedia page, and it says that The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album of the English rock band Pink Floyd released on March 1st 1973 the record was conceived as an album that focused on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle. And dealing with the apparent mental health problems suffered by former band member Syd Barrett, who was a part of the group in 1968.
So in my research, um, my brief research here on Pink Floyd I learned about Syd Barrett and that he was the founding member of the band who left the group and I guess he had some kind of mental illness and experimented with a lot of psychedelic drugs. Um, and he kind of disappeared from the band, but it seems like he was probably maybe the most talented one and the original member of the band and kind of helped form, form their style of exploring sonic soundscapes and free flow of consciousness and the way that he would create the lyrics and...



Streetwise English

SWE #10 Pink Floyd- Psychedelic Rock

（1）

A：喂？

铃美：喂，王老师，您好，我是铃美。我明天早上不能去上课了，想跟您请假……

A：不好意思，你打错了。我不是王老师。

铃美：对不起，我打错了。

A：没关系。再见。

铃美：再见。

（2）

铃美：喂，请问是王老师吗？

吴小宇：王老师不在，他刚才出去了。

铃美：这是王老师办公室的电话吧？请问你是哪位？

吴小宇：我是王老师的学生。

铃美：你好，我叫铃美，我也是王老师的学生。王老师什么时候回来你知道吗？

吴小宇：这个我就不知道了，应该很快就会回来。你找王老师有什么事吗？

铃美：我这几天不太舒服，挂了号，准备明天早上去看医生，所以明天早上不能去上课了，想跟王老师请假。

吴小宇：那你过一会儿再打来吧。我估计王老师十分钟后就回来了。

铃美：好，我一会儿再打过来。谢谢你。再见。

吴小宇：再见。

（3）

铃美：喂，是王老师吗？

吴小宇：王老师现在不在办公室，他出去了。

铃美：你是刚才接电话的学生？

吴小宇：对，是我。你是……铃美？

铃美：是的。王老师没回来吗？

吴小宇：没有。我也在等王老师回来。

铃美：这可怎么办啊？你有王老师的手机号码吗？

吴小宇：我没有。

铃美：那可以请你帮我给王老师留个言吗？

吴小宇：好的，我现在就写下来……啊！我想起来有个同学打过王老师的手机，我找他问问王老师的手机号。

铃美：那太好了！

吴小宇：你的电话是多少？如果问到了王老师的号码，我打给你。

铃美：13176892322。你的号码是多少？我也保存一下。

吴小宇：18809741663。

铃美：对了，你叫什么名字？

吴小宇：我叫吴小宇。我现在就去找同学问问。留言条我也放在王老师桌上了。

铃美：好的，谢谢你。

（4）

吴小宇：喂，你好，我是吴小宇。

铃美：你好，怎么样？问到王老师号码了吗？

吴小宇：问到了，你记一下。

铃美：好，你说。

吴小宇：13315412981。

铃美：我重复一下13315412981。

吴小宇：没错。

铃美：谢谢你。我现在就给王老师打电话。

吴小宇：不客气。

铃美：再见。

吴小宇：再见。

Yazi Chinese TV Show

Listen Chinese articles and read by yourself.

Recently, I coached a team of four – 2 talented software developers, a product manager, and a product designer – at a startup facing a decision. Their current product management system was a mix of spreadsheets, emails, and sticky notes, hindering collaboration and development. They needed to persuade their founder to adopt Jira, a project management tool.

We began by dissecting the founder's viewpoint.  Was it a fear of change? A concern about learning a new system?  Through open-ended questions and active listening, we discovered the founder valued efficiency and transparency.

The team knew the founder's needs and wants so we crafted a persuasive narrative.  The developers highlighted how Jira's bug tracking system would streamline communication and expedite fixes. The product manager showcased how Jira's visual boards would enhance project visibility, ensuring everyone was on the same page.  The designer emphasized the improved user interface and workflows, promoting user adoption.

We gathered data showcasing the wasted time and communication breakdowns caused by their current system. We contrasted it with quantifiable benefits of Jira – faster development cycles, improved team collaboration, and reduced errors.  

We set up a demo of Jira, showcasing how it addressed their specific pain points. I prepped the team to answer potential objections and provide examples of companies using Jira.

The final step was a unified presentation.  Each team member presented their department's perspective, painting a clear picture of the benefits across the development workflow. 

The founder, impressed by the team's research, data, and collaborative effort, agreed to a Jira trial.  Their persuasive communication, grounded in understanding their audience's needs and presenting a clear solution, secured a win for the entire team. This success story highlights the power of effective communication in driving positive change within a startup environment.

The Global Professional Podcast

EPISODE 100!!! Persuading a to make the switch to Jira!

В этом подкасте я рассуждаю о том, нужно ли делить людей на интровертов и экстравертов и если да, то по каким критериям. Приятного прослушивания!

Привет, это Наташа!

Эпизод 13. Интроверты и экстраверты

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1l7bVWbxbe9zFRlwjgWb0iqocei-yY4LC/view?usp=drivesdk