#105 Fiel Sahir on Learning a Language Without “Studying”

Enthusiastic learner, New York resident, musician, and polyglot,
Fiel Sahir, joins Benny Lewis and Shannon Kennedy to talk about
finding mentors, learning heritage languages, studying Chinese
with the Language Hacking Mandarin book, and using languages in a
non-language-related field.


Fiel, in his own words, says one of his greatest strengths is his
endless curiosity. It’s led to him making incredible connections,
learning lots of languages, finding community, and a life of
learning. If you’re interested in learning a heritage language,
learning without strictly “studying” or how music influences your
language learning, this is the episode for you.


Featured Resources


Language Hacking Mandarin

italki



Patreon Extended Episode


Enjoy the podcast? Subscribe to our Patreon to get access to
extended episodes and loads more content. Here’s what you’ll hear
in the long-form episode:


How to learn languages without “studying”

The influence music has on language learning

How Benny and Shannon’s language learning philosophies have
developed over years of learning

Fiel’s future language learning plans



Learn more and access this bonus content on Patreon.


Mentioned in this Episode


Language Hacking Mandarin

italki

Polyglot Gathering

Glossika

Anki

Easy Languages

Olly Richard’s Books

XiaoManNYC

Speak from Day 1

How to Use Chunking to Fire Up Your Language Learning

Fiel’s Chat with Olly Richards



Episode Overview


Some of the topics brought up during the interview are:


How a long car ride led to Fiel’s passion for language
learning

Finding mentors and the role a good mentor can play in your
growth

The power of curiosity

Studying music at a German university

Learning a heritage language and connecting with culture

What it’s like living in one of the most multilingual cities
in the world

The powerful influence of community in language learning



Podcast theme: “A New Beginning” by Shannon Kennedy