Transcription:
 

• Hello, BigBong, how are you?
   
• Hello, everyone, I'm chill, and you?
   
• I'm good, thanks. Thank you for accepting the invitation to my channel for this interview.
   
• Thank you for your invitation. I watch your content and it's very inspiring to be here today.
   
• Thank you. So, today we are going to talk about your language learning. I believe you do not consider yourself a polyglot.
   
• Yes, I speak and learn many languages. But it turns out that on social media, there are more and more people trying to, I was about to say, demystify or point out the fact that polyglots are not real polyglots, in the sense that they do not speak all languages at the same level as their native or mother tongue. And so, I'm far from that and I also prefer to say that I'm a performer, someone who performs. I forgot the English word, 'perform', which might be a false friend, but someone who wants to entertain and learn. So, I am a language learner, even if that's what I do and I am passionate about it. So, I avoid the word polyglot, yet. Would we say in French, a "divertisseur"?
   
• A host?
   
• Yes, a host, actor, I prefer.
   
• So, could you introduce yourself a little more, who you are, what you do, where you come from?
   
• Yeah, so I come from France. I have been living in Montreal, Canada for more than 8 years now. And I make videos on YouTube about language learning and cultures. In fact, my main motivation, I don't claim to be a certified teacher like you, I don't want to switch roles. But, my goal is more to motivate people. Obviously, I'm not saying that's not what you do, but I mean, the aspect, exactly, the pedagogical perspective will perhaps be a little less present in my case. So I show how I learn languages and I try to do it in the most entertaining way possible, so that people are stimulated, are motivated. Because I know it's not easy. Even me, sometimes, on phone applications, I tell myself, 'oh, but you have to find methods', with, for example, the 'streak', having consecutive days.
• And if you don't do it one day, you lose. That works well for me, but it's not the case for everyone. But it's very difficult to stay motivated.
   
• It can be guilt-inducing.
   
• Absolutely, but that's ultimately it. Progress in language should be what matters. But, in the end, we all have different lives. And sometimes, we forget and it can be so demotivating and depressing to miss a day that it can have the opposite effect of sustaining. Plus, it comes from a personal interest. I want to learn languages, so why not share that with a community?
   
• So, can you tell us a bit about your language learning journey? How many languages do you speak, practice, and what made you develop this interest in languages?
   
• Yes, well I would say it's a family story because my mother is Japanese and my father is Franco-Lebanese. Obviously, it has always been very multilingual at home. So, in reality, I also like to say that there is a distinction, in my case, between mother tongue and native language. And let's take the literal meaning of these two expressions. Mother tongue, my mother is Japanese, that's Japanese, it's the first language I spoke. And native language, I was born in France, so that's French. So, generally, it's the same language for most people, but for me, there's a nuance, a distinction. That being said, I received my education, I was in school in French until university. So, obviously, French takes precedence over Japanese in my language proficiency. And then, I traveled a lot. I think from middle school, in my school, I was fortunate to be in a school that made us travel. I went to Germany, I was in Spain, I was in England. I'm very, very grateful for that. And later, on my own, after high school, I decided to take a gap year to travel all over Europe. And later, as we discussed in the video we made together on my channel, I did a bachelor's degree in international business, specializing in Korean. So, I also had the opportunity to do a six-month exchange in Korea. And then, afterwards, I was always attracted to Canada. I'm often asked why. I think it was the call of nature, it's the second largest country in the world, there's a lot of nature. So, I thought, 'Well, let's go and see.' And I fell in love and decided to stay. And what I really like about Montreal, in particular, is that it's very bilingual. I have a love for English, and so I have the opportunity here to speak both languages, French and English, on a regular basis.
   
• So, I wanted to come back to the international background of your parents: with your mother, you spoke Japanese, and with your father, you spoke French?
   
• So, that's it. Well, when I was very young, it was the classic model of the nuclear family: my father would go to work, my mother would stay at home to take care of the children. So, there wasn't much interaction with my father at that time. I spoke in Japanese with my mother and siblings, exclusively in Japanese. And then, when we started school, in preschool, something very interesting happened. The teachers suggested or recommended to my mother to avoid speaking to me in Japanese because we were mixing the two languages. We were in situations where sometimes I would speak in Japanese with my classmates who didn't understand anything. So, there was a little glitch in my application.
   
• That's normal, I think.
   
• But well, the slightly less beautiful side of that was that we were also teased a bit because we were the only Asians in school. So, very quickly, me, my brother, and my sister decided to stop speaking in Japanese. And that's when French caught up, it happened very, very quickly, I think three years. Yeah. But what's quite interesting today is that I have relearned Japanese. We all have very, very different levels of Japanese, and I even have a brother who lives in Japan. And that's it, well... Well, I think he interacts more with French speakers or English speakers there. So, in the end, even he says that he's improving, well, he speaks very well, I've heard him speak, but it will never be at the same level as French.
   
• So, you and your siblings are more proficient in French in the family.
   
• Yes, although it hasn't always been the case.
   
• It's interesting to see the different paths.
   
• And so, on your channel, you talk a lot about language learning through series, movies, video games, songs. So, how did that come about? Did it come naturally or was it really the content that appealed to you?
   
• Yeah, well, that has always been the case, actually. When I was studying English, even in school, in middle school, I used to listen to a lot of rock music, Linkin Park, Sum 41. By the way, what's interesting is that I learned that most of these bands were from Canada. Even Sum 41, Nickelback, Simple Plan, they all come from Canada, because I learned that when I arrived here. So, that's it. At the time, I wanted to, I played the guitar. So, I would learn the guitar riffs and wanted to sing along. So, I learned the lyrics of the songs, and I also played a lot of video games that were mainly in English. So, that's it. And well, I think there was, it's funny because at that time, at school, you would be teased when you spoke too well. I remember there were twins who came back from the United States, and they spoke perfect English. They spoke to each other in English, but there was always a little awkwardness in class when the English teacher asked them to speak.
   
• Were they better than the teacher?
   
• Yeah, but it was different because the teachers tend to be more British English in France, and they arrived with their American accent.
   
• But in reality, it's jealousy.
   
• Well, yes, there was definitely jealousy. And then, there was also a certain kind of 'oh, I watch English series in the original version, you know, it's shameful to watch the dubbed version.' So, there was a bit of a double standard at school, you shouldn't be too good, but secretly, it's cool to understand English, to go to the United States for those who have the chance to do so, etc. So, yeah, for me, that's it. I, at least in writing, I have always been passionate about English, and it reflected in my grades. So, yes, the songs, my favorite rock songs, the movies too, I was a big fan of Lord of the Rings, Matrix. To understand, I cheated a bit, but it shaped my education, definitely.
   
• Yes, I think that's what helps create that little spark every time. I think it was the same for me as well. And when you start, when you begin to learn a new language, do you start by using songs, movies, series, etc.? Do you have a strategy for learning a new language?
   
• Good question. Well, it depends on the language, but generally, in terms of learning, I try to learn the grammar or basic rules first. There are different schools of thought regarding this, and one isn't necessarily better than the other. Personally, I prefer to learn the basics first, such as personal pronouns, basic verbs, conjugation, word order in sentences, etc. It usually takes me no more than twenty hours to learn all of that. Once I have a good grasp of how the language works, then I immediately start watching movies, series, and listening to music. However, it often happens that I first watch content in a language and think, 'Oh, that's cool, I'd like to learn it.' That's what happened with Spanish, thanks to songs. I dance salsa and also listen to reggaeton and such. Naturally, learning the lyrics of the best songs influenced my Spanish learning. And well, like you, I started learning Spanish in middle school and high school, so there was already a foundation. Especially when you listen to the lyrics, maybe you don't understand everything, especially the contractions and such. But when you read the lyrics, you understand them.
   
• It's close to French.
   
• Exactly. So, it depends on the languages. For example, there are languages that are much more different from ours, where the alphabet is different. In those cases, you have no choice but to learn the basics. You have to learn the alphabet for Chinese, the basic characters, how tones work for languages that have them, and so on. So, yeah, it depends on the language, but personally, that's what I would do—I would take the time to learn the basics.
   
• So, actually, how many languages do you speak? I don't remember if we... I think we missed that question.
   
• So, I generally say that I'm fluent in French, English, and Japanese, and I can have a conversation at a B1-B2 level in Spanish, German, Korean, and maybe an A2 level in Chinese. And I have very basic knowledge, just the basics, of Lebanese Arabic and Russian. Oh, and Italian and Portuguese too. Thanks to Spanish, I went on to explore other languages that are similar.
   
• Do you have a simple experience with a song, movie, series, or video game that helped you understand a language or learn it? Or, I don't know, something memorable that stuck with you from content in another language?
   
• I'm trying to think, that's a good question. I mentioned The Lord of the Rings, Matrix. What's interesting is that The Lord of the Rings has more of a British English influence, while Matrix has more of an American English influence. The question was whether I preferred one over the other because in France, it's true that I tended to sound a bit more British, and I used to travel back and forth to England quite a bit, I still have friends there. But eventually, I realized that American English is generally better understood internationally, and I also started working for an American company in 2016-2017, and at that point, it became a distraction. People would ask questions about my accent, where I was from, and it was preventing me from focusing on my work. So, I decided at that time to make my accent more, exactly, standard North American to avoid it becoming a distraction. Even though there was this reputation for the British accent being like, 'Wow, you sound so intelligent' or 'Oh, that's so romantic.' There's a bit of that image in North America. We also have that reputation for French, so it's not a losing situation, but that's it. As for content that really influenced my learning, it's very niche, but a video game called Resident Evil 4 on the GameCube, it also came out on the Wii. The main character, Leon, who is a police officer, in the first game, I really took inspiration from him because that's when I realized that American English is cool. We all have biased opinions about it, but the guy is a cop who handles weapons, kills zombies, just the posture, the hairstyle.
   
• Badass!
   
• That's it. Here we're talking about swag, American English is swag, I mean, I'm inspired by that. So, I really studied the lines, repeated them to try to have an accent that resembles that. Knowing that it's a video game, they're still going for a standard accent, even if it's clearly American, but they don't go into the exaggeration of a Texan accent, a New York accent, or Boston or California. There are plenty of accents in the United States. So, I try to have a cool American accent. I'm not saying I'm cool, but I'm trying to lean towards that, you know.
   
• And how do you incorporate the learning of all these languages into your life?
   
• It's not easy. Like you, I love traveling. I try to seize every possible opportunity to do so. Spanish, for example, it's incredible to go. I've been to Cuba, I've been to the Dominican Republic, I was in Mexico, experiencing the language on-site. There are many vacationers who go there to all-inclusive hotels and just stay among themselves speaking French or English. But when you start talking to people, sharing life experiences, I find it to be the most beautiful thing. So, I'm going to try to move towards that. It's not easy, once again. One of the reasons why I live here in Montreal is to allow myself to use both languages and continue to develop in both French and English. But yeah, one thing I would like to further develop is having language pen pals. But again, it's a question of time. It's not easy, you have to decide. Besides, I can do it for 10 languages. That would mean I need to reserve maybe 10 hours in my week to do that. So for now, it looks like sessions on phone apps. I try to at least keep 15 minutes per day for these languages on phone apps. But yes, ideally, that's it. If I had all the money in the world and all the time, I would constantly be traveling.
   
• Being on the field.
   
• Exactly, and talking to people whether it's in a bar, a restaurant, on the beach, or wherever.
   
• So, the question that comes next is how do you avoid forgetting the languages you're learning?
   
• That's the question I ask myself too. It's not, it's not easy, right? I admit that, we were talking about it, I forget languages. I even forget French sometimes. There are words that completely escape my mind. I search for my words in all languages. It's part of life in general. Even for people who only speak one language, there are words that we have on the tip of our tongue that we forget or that just don't come back to us. So, exercises must be done, without a doubt, to promote neural connections. I don't know, it's a good question. If there are people in the comments who have the answer to that, I'm interested.
   
• And for you, since you have learned quite a few languages and are immersed in languages, what advice would you give to people learning French?
   
• Well, that's it. The method is still quite vague and broad to say. Well, it's a tool. Songs, TV series, movies, they are tools. Then, what to do with them? Many people might rely a bit too much on the text. They read the text and say, 'I understand it,' but understanding it and saying it are two different things. Because I think there's really a moment in learning, a significant moment, that is extremely impactful. It's when you're in a survival situation and you're searching for the word. You know it, you've learned it, and then something happens in the brain, this kind of thing that needs to come out, and sometimes it does. So, it's really about putting yourself in these training situations where you repeat the phrase as much as possible so that when the situation naturally arises, it comes back to you. And so, what I do is repetition. It's also important to know that, well, I have dabbled in music and I strongly believe, there are studies on this, I don't want to make a definitive statement, but on muscle memory. And so, I'm not saying that the ultimate goal is to have a perfect accent, to impress people. That's my personal goal as an actor or performer, but obviously, if the message doesn't get across, if communication is broken due to an accent issue, then there's a problem. So, you still need to try your best to have a standard accent that will be understood by the interlocutor. And I think pronunciation, articulation, listening to yourself, repeating, it's an additional step. For example, when watching a movie, and I am a partner with a platform, I don't know if you're familiar with it, called LingoPie. And their marketing is that they provide all the tools for you to automatically pause the video, listen, repeat, if not 100% to use the linguistic term. Yeah, that's it, it requires an extra effort, but I think that's the advice I would give, in one word.
   
• It's called shadowing, actually.
   
• I love shadowing, I think it's truly the best way to practice, to use a language, especially when you don't live in the country. Because sometimes, it's hard when you don't have the opportunities. That's for sure.
   
• No, I totally agree. And also, with memorization, I always say, if you want to learn, even vocabulary or a grammar point, link it to personal examples. There's no point in learning phrases that have no meaning. But by truly linking a word, for example, I don't know, 'a water bottle.' 'I have a water bottle with a green cap.' That way I know it's mine. And the word is linked to an object and it's physical. Like you said, repetition as well, but I think it's one of the best ways to work on memorization.
   
• I would also add that, specifically when it comes to memorization, the bigger, the more emotionally charged, and the more vivid it is, the more it will leave a mark, it will stay in memory. Whether it's significant moments in one's own life, for example, the first time you kissed your first boyfriend, it's something that leaves an impression because it's emotionally charged. And finding yourself in those survival situations during language learning, I am convinced that it's very impactful. Sometimes, I made mistakes, and when corrected on the spot, I felt so embarrassed. But those mistakes, today, I no longer make them at all.
   
• The kind of mistake where you laugh or feel embarrassed, well, that stays with you for a lifetime.
   
• Exactly. But even without going to that extreme, in language learning through movies, I would say there's a visual support. It's not just about learning, listening to, and repeating text; there's a visual support, and sometimes you'll remember the scene, which might also help you recall the words. So, yes, exactly.
   
• Okay, so where can people find you? Where can they follow all your language learning tips?
   
• I'm working on many things, I would say my main platform is YouTube: BigBong. Also, I'm on social media, BigBong_official on Instagram, Facebook. I'm working on multiple projects, they should be coming fairly soon, hopefully by the end of 2023. But that's it, if you follow me on YouTube, there shouldn't be any issues.
   
• Are your projects a secret for now? Or can you tell us more about them?
   
• Sometimes, you work on them, and in the end, they become obsolete, and you move on to something else. But I'm trying, I'm still trying to be as comprehensive, just like you know. I've been trying for months and months to work on a book about language learning as an actor. So, to give a little, it's about exploring acting techniques in language learning based on movie scenes because, ultimately, as actors, that's what we sometimes do. We get inspired by a movie scene and replay it in our own way. So, it can be interesting.
   
• And why not create an online course? I know everyone tells me that all the time: 'You can have your own online course,' if only for financial reasons, to take my YouTube channel to something a bit more serious. It seems like that's the case. Psychologically, it still remains a hobby for me, and that's perfectly fine. But I also know that there's a demand, that I have subscribers who would like to learn with me through an online course, etc. So, I'm trying to work on that, but I can't make any promises. It's a big undertaking after all.
   
• Do you want to add anything else? A brief conclusion or final word?
   
• I just want to thank you again for the invitation, it's really nice. That's it, I'm a consultant. I saw the collaboration you did with Geneviève, who teaches Quebecois French. And there are so many... I mean, your YouTube channel is incredible, extremely relevant.
   
• Thank you.
   
• In my case, it has always been a bit complicated because people don't really know what to expect from my channel. Am I teaching French? Am I teaching Japanese? Am I learning other languages? Maybe I need to work a bit more on having a clear direction. In your case, if there are people interested in learning French, I will definitely refer them to you. So, once again, it's truly excellent content, and I wish you all the best.
   
• That's making me blush already, and it's hot! Thank you so much. It was really fascinating. I'm sure it will help many learners to stay motivated. That's your clear direction: motivation. Anyway, thank you very much, and see you soon!
   
• See you soon!
   
• Goodbye!