Page 24 - ELG2408 August Issue 491

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INTERVIEW

English on the airwaves

Learning English on the go? Fabio Cerpelloni chats with ELTon

nominee, Luke Thompson all about his English-learning podcast.

Q: You started the Luke’s English Q: Who, and what, is your podcast for? advice. Also, I know that I’m talking to people
Podcast in 2009. What inspired you It’s for adult learners of English at intermediate who are probably from a different place and have
to do that? and above. a different perspective on things. If I were talking
A few things: first, I always wanted to have Some episodes are easier to follow than to people in the anglophone world, I would
my own radio show, but I was an English others. Some are really challenging, even for probably talk in a completely different way.
teacher, so I felt I had missed the boat on advanced learners, but others are simpler. The But this doesn’t mean I speak more slowly or
going into radio. Then I realized I could just early episodes are probably at a lower level, but simplify my language a lot. It’s more a case of
make podcasts with my laptop in my living the level went up as time went on. Today most explaining things more, giving more context,
room. of my listeners are at an upper-intermediate or and perhaps repeating things more than I would
I’d been an English teacher for about advanced level. It’s hard to tell for sure. if I were talking to native English speakers.
nine years at that point, so I thought, ‘Why The aim is to help learners of English
not make a kind of radio show for learners improve their English by doing more listening Q: How do you prepare your episodes?
of English?’ I saw it as a chance for me to for longer periods long term. It’s to help people Some solo episodes require little or no
get an audience, have fun, be creative, get more English listening into their lives. preparation at all; if I have guests, the amount
make content, and do that thing I’d always of preparation depends on the guest and the
wanted to do. Q: How is your podcast different from nature of the conversation.
Second, I wanted to build a body of work others? I’ve interviewed some big names in the ELT
long term, which is something that as an I always remember who I’m talking to and industry such as David Crystal, Nik Peachey
English teacher you don’t always get to do. scaffold the listening experience for my and Santiago Ruiz de Velasco. I’ve also
I had built my materials bank, but every audience. This involves explaining certain interviewed Mark Steel and Jerry Seinfeld,
couple of weeks I would get a new group of things as I go or laying out what I’m saying two famous comedians. Some interviews
students, which made me feel I was a hamster more clearly than I would do if I were talking definitely require more preparation, but others
in a wheel. I saw the podcast as an interesting to native speakers of English. can be very spontaneous.
long-term project. I always try to include educational elements Other episodes can be meticulously prepared
And third, I viewed it as an opportunity to too, whether it’s about building vocabulary by and I’ll even write a full script sometimes. I
help people around the world learn English. explaining it, demonstrating it, or giving learning also do ‘Learn English through short stories’
24 August 2024