The Tower of Babbling: A Self-Study Guide for Independent Learners of ANY Foreign Language

If I've learned anything about learning foreign languages over the years, it's this:

It can be very hard and frustrating.

Sure we have technology (AI translation, text-to-speech, apps to translate speech in real time etc.) but being able to articulate your thoughts comfortably, without a smartphone or computer wedged in between you and another person just hits different.

Although I love that tech has broken language barriers and allowed relationships in all forms to flourish, it's not the same as doing the very human exercise of communicating in another person's mother tongue. (Even if you talk like a 5-year-old.)

I've seen how powerful knowing even basic words in a foreign language can be in my life time and time again. It's helped me:

• Break the ice with potential business partners
• Get IN to desired social situations
• Get OUT of dicey social situations
• Make traveling the world a breeze
• Connect with friends and family on a deeper level

I could go on and on here. Bottom line, being able to communicate (without tech) in a foreign language is a force multiplier in our highly connected world.

And I want to help you achieve the same advantages I've reaped from it over the years.

The only problem is learning a language is hard.

Here's why:

• It takes a lot of resources (time, money)
• It takes a lot of effort
• You have to look, feel, and sound like an idiot before you can do anything with it
• It's difficult to navigate the endless sea of internet tools, courses, YouTube channels etc. to know where to begin or how to proceed
• It's tough to stay motivated over the long haul. (Why learn when you can download the latest translation app?)

These are all frustrations I've experienced over my years of learning Japanese, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and other languages to decent levels of proficiency.

These are also the reasons why I wrote this book. To create a comprehensive resource for myself and others that helps guide you through this daunting process.

I wrote the The Tower of Babbling to help you, an independent language learner, reach your language goals.

Whether those goals include traveling with confidence, precision flirting with a person you're interested in, or reaching professional literacy, this book has you covered.

Specifically it includes strategies and techniques (for ANY language) that will help you:

• Self-assess your level of your desired target language
• Determine what tools you should use and the optimal time to use them in your studies
• Discover exercises and activities that will help you strengthen your proficiency in ALL language modalities (speaking, listening, reading, and writing)
• Increase your awareness of behaviors and activities to AVOID at certain levels of your training (the ones that slow down your progress)
• Understand when and how to self-assess your readiness to move on to more difficult language materials
• And more

This book takes into account that everyone has different paths to language proficiency. So I wrote each section in a way that presents options, yet allows you to customize your learning to best fit your unique life circumstances.

Maybe you feel like you're no good at learning languages?

Perhaps you had an asshole for a language teacher in high school who convinced you that you'd never be able to learn one?

I'm hear to tell you, don't listen to that story. I didn't. And I was able to break the mold and learn not just one but multiple languages.

But I wasn't always a language prodigy. In fact, I shouldn't have become one at all.

I grew up in a monolingual culture in the United States. Where I came up, it was common to make fun of other kids who didn't "talk American" when they spoke Spanish or some other language. It was a part of the culture.

In that environment, I took French in high school (don't ask me why I took it in South Texas). Then did well enough with it to test into Japanese in college.

My first days with Japanese were brutal. It was hard for me to wrap my brain around it and I wanted to quit. But I stuck with it. And here I am years later preparing to translate my novel in the language.

I don't want to make it sound so easy and simple. It wasn't. It took a lot of time and consistent effort for me to make it this far.

But as I've walked this path and improved my skill, proficiency, and (most importantly) my confidence with Japanese, new opportunities have come my way because of my willingness to learn, try, fail, and babble in a new language.

The same opportunities will find you should you stick with your language for long enough.

Let me be clear, my book alone will not help you achieve ALL of your language goals.

But,

It will help you construct a detailed roadmap to take you there.

If you've always wanted to try and learn a language.

If you've always wanted to try AGAIN and learn a language.

If you desire to communicate freely, without tech getting in the way.

The Tower of Babbling can help you get there.

If you're ready to go from language curious to language confidence, I invite you to pick it up today.