Notes

Notes on learning languages

Short, practical notes on how people actually learn to speak: real situations, conversation, and the small habits that make progress stick.

The best students are not the ones with the most lessons. They are the ones who know how to use a teacher.

Understanding is not the same as speaking. Conversation, particularly in a small group, trains the skill that quietly holds most learners back.

You can memorise fifty travel words and still freeze at the ticket desk. Here is why situations, not lists, are what make a language stay.

The longer story

Milestones from Martina’s journey

The experiences that shaped her love of languages and teaching, from au pair years to her studies in London and Leeds.

Ciao, I'm Martina :)

From Verona to England: the places and people that led me to teaching.

2018

Moved to England to immerse herself in English and shared Italian with the children in her host family.

2019

Supported children learning English as an additional language in primary schools.

2022

Completed a Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics and Spanish at Birkbeck, University of London.

2023

Became a professional Italian tutor and a qualified TEFL teacher.

2024

Completed a Master’s in Conference Interpreting and Translation Studies at the University of Leeds.